How Does Holo Taco's Menchie the Cat Polish Compare to the Original By Starrily?
As some of you may know, a huge part of why I got so obsessed with nail polish is because of my subscription to the YouTube channel that used to be known for nail art, Simply Nailogical. So in July of 2019 when the channel’s creator Cristine announced the launch of her own nail polish brand Holo Taco, - named after the way she jokingly pronounced “holo topcoat” in her past tutorials - I was very curious about the quality and performance of her products. And after releasing her own versions of her favorite products such as Bliss Kiss’ Simply Peel, Cult Nails’ one-coat black polish Nevermore, Color Club’s French Tip one-coat white polish, and UNT’s peel-off base coat, everyone - including me - was curious to see if she’d ever rerelease her own versions of her cats’ signature holographic polishes that she’d collaborated with Starrily to make years ago.
So in August when she announced that her brand would be coming out with its own Menchie formula, I knew I had to buy it so I could compare it to my old bottle of the original Starrily formula. So let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the two versions of this infamous baby-pink/lavender holographic polish to see how similar they are, and which one I think you’ll prefer.
A Tale of Two Menchies
The Original by Starrily
Back in November of 2015, Cristine published a video announcing her collaboration polish with Starrily, which was to be sold by Live Love Polish. It was named after the younger of her two cats, Menchie, who was known for her baby pink nose and “bean toes.” Later, Cristine would develop a second polish in the same vein, a copper colored polish named for her orange Tabby, Zyler.
Out of curiosity, I purchased the Menchie the Cat polish, but skipped out on the Zyler shade, as orange is just way too close to my skin tone to look flattering. For an actual review of the performance of this polish, check out the next section of this article.
If you are wondering if the original Menchie the Cat polish is still available for purchase, I’m sorry to say that it has been thoroughly discontinued.
On the old Live Love Polish page where the original Menchie the Cat polish used to be sold, the following text can be found:
“Are you looking for Menchie the Cat? Unfortunately, Menchie the Cat nail polish has been officially discontinued. No companies have been authorized by SimplyNailogical to produce this polish at this time.”
Cat Mom by Starrily
However, there does exist an extremely similar polish with the same formula that’s just slightly a more saturated shade of pink. And it’s not-so coincidentally called Cat Mom.
This reminds me of those FUN Lacquer dupes of the polishes from Cristine’s collection that are the exact same formulas with the names changed. Sure it may not be the exact Menchie shade we all know and love, but by the looks of swatcher’s photos, it’s pretty damn close.
The New Edition by Holo Taco
Holo Taco
Exactly one month ago, Cristine announced the launch of Holo Taco’s version of the Menchie the Cat and Zyler the Cat polishes, in temporary collaboration with a PetSmart adoption charity.
Below I have included her two videos on the polish. The first from her main channel including the official announcement and Cristine talking in-depth about the formulas, and the second from her Holo Taco channel, which shows more in-depth swatching.
In the video from her main channel, Cristine insists that the formulas are completely different from that of Starrily’s and just the hues and the holographic elements are the same.
Comparing The Formulas
At a glance, these polishes definitely seem very similar - and I’ll be honest, you had to really be looking at my hands carefully to realize I was wearing two different polishes the week I swatched these - but on closer inspection, it’s plain to see that these formulas are very very different. And their application and performance are pretty different from each other as well.
The Value:
Polishes in the Starrily collection that the original Menchie polish is in cost $15 for 15 ml, making it $1 per ml. While Holo Taco’s Menchie polish is $13 for 12 ml, or a little over $1.08 per ml. So the prices are comparable, with the new formula costing around 8 cents more per ml. But of course, weight isn’t everything. It’s all about the quality of the polish itself!
Holo Taco on the left, Starrily on the right
The Colors:
The images of the Holo Taco Menchie polish in their product photos make it seem like it’s more pigmented than the Starrily version. But when it comes to the polishes I received, Starrily’s version is definitely darker and more saturated. It reads as though it’s right smack in between baby pink and lavender, while the Holo Taco version reads as strictly lavender - and a very light lavender at that, appearing like plain silver in some lighting.
Application:
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not an expert in applying jelly polish. I always find there to be a learning curve with knowing how many layers to do, how thick of layers to do to get an even glitter dispersement, etc. And so I always tend to struggle with the Starrily formula. It got really thick very quickly after I first opened it and now I find that I have to add about 15-20 drops of nail polish thinner with every application to get it to work for me. Other people who are more used to applying jelly polish may tell you otherwise. I also realize that part of the selling point of this polish - similar to the FUN Lacquer ones that Cristine collabed on - is that you can sponge on the glitters (meaning paint a makeup sponge with the polish, letting the sponge absorb the liquid leaving the glitter behind to be dabbed directly onto the nail) and as someone who struggled to make this polish look good with the dab technique, I can honestly say that it is a difficult polish to apply evenly. However, once you do get it on your nail the way you like, a quick glossy topcoat makes it look so smooth and flawless. People thought my nails with the Starrily polish were acrylics, because they looked so perfect.
When it comes to the Holo Taco formula, you have a whole new set of upsides and downsides. The Holo Taco formula is so much drier and has less of a jelly suspension than the Starrily version, and therefore applies more easily. It was way less of a struggle for me to get even application. This was also helped by Cristine’s signature Holo Taco formula where there are three sizes of holographic glitter, so that the small particles can fill the spaces between the big ones. All was going well until I added a glossy topcoat. The polish still looked textured from all of the polish and not very smooth. I decided to wait for the first coat of topcoat to dry and did a second layer. And they still didn’t look quite smooth.
The Holo:
I think the main reason behind Cristine deeming the Holo Taco version as very different from the original version is because despite the sizable chunky glitters in the Starrily formula, it’s actually a linear holo, while Holo Taco’s version is a true scattered holo.
The Starrily linear formula is I think a major part of why it looks so much smoother than the Holo Taco version. The glitter flare just lines up better and makes it seem like one solid piece. But I will give Holo Taco credit for the fact that in person, their holographic sheen is just much more vibrant than the Starrily one. In the sun, it’s almost blinding. And that may either be due to the quality of the holo or the varying sizes of holo that I mentioned in the previous section.
Starrily on the left, Holo Taco on the right
Which is Right for You?
I know that you can’t necessarily buy the old Starrily Menchie the Cat polish, but you can buy Cat Mom or any of their other similar hues from the same collection. So this begs the question: Which formula is right for you?
I honestly think that objectively speaking, it’s a toss up between the two. They’re so similar by nature, yet present different pros and cons. If you want a glossy even application, are a fan of linear holo flare or want a more saturated shade of pink, I’d go for Cat Mom or another similar Starrily polish. But if you want a more dramatically blinding holographic flare and a less time-consuming application - or if you happen to be bad at using the sponge dab technique like me - I recommend the Holo Taco formula.
And as for me, I happen to overall like the way the Starrily polish looks more than the Holo Taco version, but I think I am more likely to use the Holo Taco version in a pinch for a faster application and a holo sheen that will stop traffic.
If you found this at all helpful, be sure to follow me on social media for more nail polish content! I am coming out with a review of a collection from my favorite indie brand Astrologie Beauty later this week! Until we meet again!
The Original by Starrily
The New Version by Holo Taco