In my Haul of Shame post, you’ll remember that I bragged about snatching up the entire KleanColor Chunky Holo Collection.
I showed you bottle pictures and swatched them all by themselves, but also over black polish.
Now it’s time to give an individual thorough review on KleanColor Chunky Holo Bluebell 235.
Since this holographic glitter polish is supposed to be used as a top coat rather than solo, I layered it over China Glaze Midnight Mission (a rich fine-glittery deep blue).
If you have any doubts surrounding whether or not to get KleanColor Bluebell, let me help you decide: Get it! 😛 Seriously, it’s a beauty!
KleanColor Chunky Holo Bluebell Pictures
KleanColor Chunky Holo Bluebell Swatches
All swatches have:
- 1 coat of Orly Bonder Rubberized Basecoat
- 2 coats of China Glaze Midnight Mission
- 2 coats of KleanColor Chunky Holo Bluebell (235)
- 1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Note: All of the below swatches are in natural light unless stated otherwise.
Dim Sunlight (Cloudy)
Direct Sunlight
Direct Sunlight
I tilted my thumbnail so you could see the holo better.
Dim Sunlight (Cloudy)
Claims: TRUSTED
√ Top-quality formula
√ Long-lasting & Chip-resistant
Key Notes
- Name: KleanColor Chunky Holo Bluebell 235
- Collection: KleanColor Chunky Holo Collection
- Colors in the KleanColor Chunky Holo Collection: Bluebell, Candy, Poppy, Fuschia, Scarlet, Clover, Teal, Purple & Black
- Amount: 15 mL (0.5 fl. oz.)
- What I Paid: $3.49 USD
- Where to Buy: KleanColor website, eBay & select retailers
KleanColor Chunky Holo Bluebell Review
Color
KleanColor Bluebell 235 has large holographic glitter (hence the name “Chunky”) suspended in a dark-blue translucent base.
To see swatches of what it looks like by itself and over a creme-black polish, please refer to my Haul of Shame post featuring the entire KleanColor Chunky Holo Collection.
The holographic glitter itself is arresting! I like it best in indirect natural light because you can really see the green, orange, yellow, and red vividly. Every time you move your hands even slightly, it’s dramatic! What I especially like is that a lot of the time, you can see all the colors at the same time. But when you tilt your fingers, you’ll get to see some colors dominate others. Very cool!
In the sunlight, mainly the red and orange shows up, which is still pretty, but it doesn’t have the rainbowy goodness like in indirect natural light.
Achieving the Bottle Color & Layering Tips
To get the bottle color, you’ll need to lay down a dark-blue polish prior to slicking on Bluebell. I used China Glaze Midnight Mission and, when layered, I think it achieved a more opaque version of the bottle color.
If you still want the blue to show through (and not just the holo glitter), your best bet is to layer Bluebell over a medium-dark blue polish. If, however, you just want the glitter to show up and none of the blue base, put this over a plain black polish. You could also try layering this over light blues to see what neat combinations and effects you can come up with.
Application
Bluebell by KleanColor flowed onto the nail very easily, even though in the bottle, it looked pretty thick. I noticed that there was more of the sheer base polish and with one coat, you only get a light scattering of glitter.
Although the holographic effect is definitely noticeable, it becomes stronger as you apply more coats, which is why I opted for a second. You could add a third, but be careful because each layer you add makes your manicure thicker, which will be more prone to chipping.
Smell
I paint my nails pretty often, so I’m well aware of the nasty fumes that come with the polish territory. This is my first experience with KleanColor nail polish, and let me just say this: it smells awful! I don’t think I’ve ever complained about the smell of a particular polish before, so this is really saying something!
It’s hard to describe exactly what it smells like because I don’t go around sniffing toxic things consciously. 😛 It’s like nail polish, but amped up. If regular polish is like beer, KleanColor is like tequila – strong!
When it dries, it’s just the same as any other polish…which is good, or I’d probably faint.
Grittiness
You’d expect that with chunky glitter, it’d be super rough, but surprisingly it isn’t. It’s not as smooth as the finish you’d get from a creme polish, but it’s nowhere near as chunky as most glitter polishes. Plus once you add top coat to seal it all in, it gets even smoother.
Formula
According to the ingredients I posted above, Bluebell by KleanColor doesn’t contain any Formaldehyde, Toluene, or DBP.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 9/10
KleanColor Bluebell 235 is a gorgeous holo-glitter layering polish. It quickly adds spice to any manicure, and thankfully you don’t have to pay a hefty price for it.
Are you a fan of holographic-glitter polishes? What would you layer Bluebell over? Have you ever smelled a polish that stunk so much that you would never wear it again?
oh so beautiful!!!!
Hey Lesley!
Yes, it is! Do you think you’ll be picking up any of the Chunky Holos?
Very nice! Thanks for sharing!
Hey thenailaholic!
Glad you like it! 🙂 Do you have any favorite KleanColor polishes?
You always have the best reviews….. I love that you have soooo many PHOTOS!!! I love staring at pretty polishes haha.
Hey imfeelingnailventurous!
Awww…thank you so much for saying that! I try to put a lot of thought and care into each of my blog posts. And I also like to include lots of photos so that people can see the many sides of a polish. After all, when you’re wearing it, you hardly ever only look at it straight-on. 🙂
Glad that you appreciate this. Sometimes I wonder if people will think that I include too many photos, but with positive feedback like yours, I’m going to continue. 🙂
Do you think you’ll be buying Bluebell or any of the other Chunky Holos?
I would buy this! I think the polish resembles Nubar 2010 and GOSH Rainbow though. I have both of those, so I probably would not go out of my way to find this polish, but if I stumble upon it, I would buy it. If that makes sense?! Do you think it resembles those?
Hmm…I think in color shifting, it’s similar, but the overall effect is pretty different because Nubar 2010 has gorgeous opalescent flakies. Bluebell doesn’t have any flakes – just chunky holographic glitter. Can’t comment on GOSH Rainbow since I don’t have it.
I think you’d be justified owning both Nubar 2010 and Bluebell. They’re different enough in terms of particle shape. 🙂
It looks like a nail polish dream come true!
Hey Klaine!
Yes, sweet dreams are made of this. 😉
I was undecided on getting any of the KleanColor Chunky Holos but now I just might have to! Love the color! It’s too bad the smell is horrible at least it is at a great price! I don’t have any KleanColor nail polishes yet but I am looking forward to ordering some!
Hey Kate!
I was also undecided…but for me, it was about which ones to get. I couldn’t decide, so I bought the entire collection since they were pretty affordable. 😛 (Would never have done that if the price was way higher!)
If you can overlook the smell, this is amazing! I got lots of compliments when I wore it on the first day…even from people who don’t usually comment on makeup! 😀
You know what, every Kleancolor I’ve EVER bought smells horrendous. I’ve kind of gotten used to it, but I don’t like that and I don’t know what it is.
I love that you layered this over a blue, I think it’s even better than a black base! AWESOME bunch of photos, so stunning.
Hey Nicole!
Hmm…I wasn’t sure if it was just this collection that smelled strongly. Guess it’s KleanColor’s formula.
When I paint my nails, I almost always do it in a well-ventilated area, and I tend to hold my breath a lot. Haha, but even so, man this sucker smelled! Now that they got the color right, maybe they should work on the smell.
Yes, I agree that it’s even better than a black base. Because Bluebell has a sheer blue base, it really lends itself to a blue base polish. Looks nice over black, but not as unique.
Thank you! I’m glad you liked the photos. 😀 I took about 200 photos and narrowed it down to those.
Oh, no! Now I’m extremely sad Mexico doesnt have KleanKolor polishes! I loved it! Looks awesome with your pale skin!
Have a nice week!
BTW I updated my blog with LMAO layered in case you were interested.
Hey Marcia!
If there aren’t any stores in your area that sell it, you may want to check out eBay.
Thank you – glad you liked the color. I also like the contrast between the dark color and my light skin tone! Makes it more dramatic, I think. 🙂
I checked out the post you mentioned – very pretty layering you did. Reminds me a bit of China Glaze Blue Sparrow! (Fiona swatched LMAO in a previous post, so she’ll probably want to check that out.)
Oh! I saw these on another blog one day, and was determined to stay away from the search bar! I do need to find some great holos though. I’m going to go broke buying nail polish 😉 This is lovely!
Hey Leah!
Haha, I love your last two sentences! 😛 Made me laugh!
I also saw swatches on another blog and thought I ‘needed’ them. Hehe…couldn’t stay away from the search bar! It can be a very dangerous tool, indeed.
The KleanColor Chunky Holos are great if you want holographic glitter top coats. But if you’re thinking about a full-on holo, I highly recommend OPI DS Extravagance (a scattered purple/magenta holo). It’s more expensive than regular OPI, but it’s incredibly beautiful and the formula is perfection. Also, Nubar Reclaim (a green holo) is mesmerizing and you don’t often seen green holos this shade.
STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS!!!
Hey Brooke!
That’s what I thought when I first saw these online!
Think you’ll pick some up?
I was in Marshall’s today (Canadian one) and they had 6 mini Kleancolor polishes for $4.99 CND! They were all layering colours.
Hey Nicole!
That’s good to know – thanks for sharing. What an amazing deal you got! What were the colors in the pack?
I’ve never shopped at Marshall’s and actually didn’t even know we had one here in Canada!
I’m not sure where you are – I’m thinking GTA? This Marshall’s is in Woodbridge – at Weston & 7. The set is called What Girls Really Talk About. Colours included are: Peacful Heart, 24 Carat, Grand Finale, Kiss Goodbye, V.I.P., and Black Out.
For the record, I liked Marshall’s better than Winner’s. I find Winner’s to be so disorganized – especially the kids wear. I found Marshall’s much neater and cleaner.
Woodbridge, you say? I’m soooo there! Haha…look what you’ve done! 😛
Hahaha, the name of the set is cute.
I’ve been to a Marshall’s a few years ago in California, and I definitely agree that Marshall’s is better than Winners. However, the other day, I saw a pack of maybe 7 or 8 full-sized bottles of Color Club for just $15 CAD or so at Winners! So surprised because the one near me usually doesn’t have good stuff. Well, their decorative-cushion selection is great, but I mean it’s not the best for polishes. Maybe they’re working on improving! *Crosses fingers*
I have a Winner’s within walking distance of my house and it has a huge beauty section. I have picked up Color Club polishes there too. The only thing that annoys me is that when they stock ELF items they are way overpriced. The suggested retail price is always way off too.
Yeah, the place near me also has ELF products that are overpriced. So silly…especially because some of their products even have DUST on them! Eww! Why would I pay more for a dirty item?
Hi! I just came to your blog and it’s quite awesome (more than that hehe).
About Kleancolor, I just ordered 30 bottles of it, here in Mexico, from a Mexican seller. It’s quite easy to find it in my country. And my order is in the way right now!!! *excited*
I find your review very useful because I want to know more about what I just bought.
About the smell, I have China Glaze, Finger Paints, Kleancolor, and a Mexican brand and none of them have that ugly smell you describe (well, it’s polish, it stinks, but just not enough).
Tenshi recently posted: Azul… y Bissú
Hey Tenshi!
WOWWWWW – 30 bottles! That is some serious nail mail! How fun it must’ve been to open up that package! 😀
You’re so lucky that KleanColor is easy to find over there. Here in Canada, I’ve only rarely seen some shades in stores.
Hahaha, are you sure your KleanColors don’t smell awful? They’re the worst-smelling ones I’ve EVER smelled, and I have 600+ bottles of nail polish from all different brands. Haha! But as long as they’re beautiful and you hold your breath when you paint, it’s okay. 😉
Hi! I love these polishes. I adore these types. Just a note…these are multi-chromes, and not holos. I don’t know why they call them holos, as those are the rainbow-y and the duo and multi-chromes are the color changing ones at different angles. I hope to try some. I am a polish NUT.
Hey Jamie!
Which other ones in the collection did you get? And which was your favourite?
where are kleancolor products made?
the packaging and product might be made in different places, the product is what im concerned about
Hey Arlene!
That’s a great question. All my KleanColor bottles say “Made in China”. They’re only distributed by their California headquarters. Hope that helps!