u/GremlinSquishFace47

Just curious — have you bought any full sets all at once? More than one? Or maybe you’ve gradually picked bottles up one-by-one and then realized that you completed a set?

I’ve still never bought a full set all at once. It’s not that I wouldn’t like to or couldn’t make it work budget wise (I’d just need to take a nice little break after dropping that much in one go!). I just haven’t been around for a new drop where it is undeniable that I absolutely must own all 7-10 polishes immediately in one purchase.

I will, however, soon complete the Seasons of Persephone set! The only one I don’t yet own is The Trouble with Immortality, and that’s been on my wishlist for quite some time, so it’ll be complete at some point fairly soon. And I’m one away from completing The Dark Arts creme set, but I’ll wait for Poison Ivy to be a reward, since it’s not a priority.

Is this newest set one that you’d like to buy, whether it’s at drop or during the sale?

I really like quite a lot of the new colors, but I’m ok waiting for the sale and real life swatches/reviews first. And if I stick to buying during sales only, the price break for buying the whole set doesn’t matter, so I’ll probably remain picky and stick with my habit of gradually aquiring bottles one-by-one over time. If someone in my life wants to surprise me with a birthday gift card in the fall, maybe then I’ll splurge on the whole thing, but I’m having doubts this will be the first set I buy in one swoop (I make it so easy, every birthday and holiday there is one simple thing I’d love, yet I’ve only been a giver of MC gift cards and not a receiver lol).

I know that I also take time and warm up to some polishes as I see them posted by the community. I think I wound up with at least half of my collection because of photos/reviews I’ve seen here. The website pics are obviously beautiful and perfect in their professional way, but the way you guys wear polish is so much more appealing! I had ZERO interest in the Star Wars drop initially, it was an easy skip in my eyes.. but the way you guys wear the polish and talk about it pulled me in (and now there’s only two colors I skipped! I went from desiring 0/7 to buying & enjoying 5/7 based on posts here. MC really should sprinkle some gift cards upon this sub lol).

I added both of these to my Mooncat collection very early, but way back, 1.5 years ago, I didn’t love either one upon first trial. I even tried layering Freshly Bitten over a creme (don’t recall which), because it was so close to being right for me, but I’ve not worn either one in ages.

There’s nothing wrong with them at all, I just don’t think either one was meant to be a full mani on my hands. But combined, I like them so much more! They just needed a buddy. I think Dragon Scales was just too much for me on all ten nails, it looked too “heavy.” And Freshly Bitten applied & dried like a dream, but on its own it looked too dull and drab. I didn’t get that rich, plush look so many others do.

I’ll definitely be using these again in conjunction with each other or other colors. I’m glad to have found a way to appreciate them and not just let them sit in my polish tote.

I put one coat of FB under the DS nails. One coat of FB is suuuper thin, so I don’t think it did anything to affect the color.. I was moreso hoping that extra layer may help with removal. FB definitely needs three coats to look complete.. it looked alright with two, but three is much better.

1x Hardcore base, 3x Freshly Bitten OR 1x Dragon Scales (over one thin coat of FB), 1x Speed Demon (2x SD on DS nails)

I was stunned that DS only needed one coat and applied as easily as it did. I was tempted to try one more coat just to see what happened, but there really was no need. Photos make it look much more textured than it appears in person. In person, there is some visual texture of course, but not to the extent of the photos. It does need an extra layer of top coat to feel smooth. DS is as shifty & sparkly as can be, and I’m glad that the primary color shift I see is magenta, since it’s a favorite. I’m sure being beside FB helps draw that out more too.

Partner was kind enough to take photos in which you see both hands, that’s why the photo quality looks different on those (my phone is ancient lol)

Two more untrieds down! Flying through them this summer. I used Apparition (glass bead) on left hand and Requiem for a Swan on right hand.

I apologize if you unmuted the Apparition video and were startled by crashing sounds. My cat’s favorite thing in the whole wide world is to see how high he can vertical jump up the door frame. He looks like a sweet innocent puffy angel but he’s 100% a middle school boy. I’ll stick a picture of the noise source in comments along with a few stills of these polishes without direct light.

I missed getting a chance to take pics of these while in the sun today, so the next best option was a video clip with the flash on. I’m liking both of these more than I expected to.

Apparition- wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. The Silent Scream is one of my favorite magnetics, and that’s supposed to be the superior upgraded version of Apparition. But they’re two very different polishes, so while the colors are basically the same, I can’t hold TSS’s perfect fine particle formula against an old classic like Apparition. The magnetic particles are certainly ghostly, they kinda fade in and out as you move your nail. There’s an extremely subtle blue shimmer visible sometimes… it’s just a whisper, a hint of blue, but I catch it now and then. If I had to pick just one, I’d go with TSS, but luckily I don’t live like that and can enjoy both for who they are lol.

Requiem for a Swan- love it! In dim lighting it kinda reminds me of The Dark Side (DD), which had a cool visual texture. I’m gonna have to wear TDS again soon to compare, but I think the main difference is that Reqiuem has silver flakies while TDS has silver glitter. iirc TDS has a little bit of blue glitter too, and in Requiem I see some red and blue glitter when hit with direct light.

Both are very cool black polishes and I like them a lot!

1x Hardcore base, 2x Apparition OR 3x Requiem for a Swan, 1x Speed Demon

Oh and I think two coats of RfaS would’ve been perfect, in fact it may have helped enhance the flakies a little more, but I dinged a nail and added an extra coat to all. Gotta be even after all.

If you’ve done any interesting pairings using either one of these, I’d love to hear it. Maybe using accent nails or layering, any kind of combos you may have tried.

The face of a soft pooper. This big guy could stand to firm up a bit.

Not seeking medical advice, he’s not sick/unwell, and I’ll also bring it up at our next vet visit… but have you come across any foods/treats/toppers that are useful in helping your Himi pass firmer stool? This boy is our first Himi, adopted him after fostering for a bit, and also our first cat where this has been something to consider. We’ve always had long haired cats and know to keep the butt fluff trimmed to avoid problems back there, but this big guy has softer poops than our prior cats.

He has a more delicate tummy than prior cats, too, and had diarrhea a few times when we first took him in until we figured out some safe food options. He’s been eating well for months now, no diarrhea, but he’s just got softer poop in general, which makes it so much more likely to get stuck to his tail, even if he’s well trimmed & groomed. And then it’s a real mess to deal with that no one is happy about. We’re finding turds on the floor or on his tail pretty frequently, a few times each week. He uses the litter box very well, but the poops take a ride out of the box and end up in other places.

He free feeds dry and has a small serving of wet food daily. He gets a treat about 1-2x weekly (tube). Of course I’m not looking to drastically change his diet since he’s doing well overall, but if there’s something that could help him firm up I’d love to try. Or if there’s something to avoid, I’ll take that into consideration too!

I’m also wondering if an xl litter box could help? He’s much larger than our past cats, does he simply need more space to move around and position? I thought our box is big but he really fills it out when he’s standing in it.

… someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying.

I’ve really been enjoying blended manis this summer, both as a way to test out the backlog of untrieds more rapidly, and as a way to look at older polishes in a new way.

For this one, the Dreamland was one of my untrieds, having recently picked it up in a destash bundle. It’s also my first time trying out a Dreamland polish. Merkitten is one of my oldest polishes. I bought it early in building a collection, and as a fan of pink polish I expected to love it more than I did when I’ve worn it on its own as a full mani. I always liked it, it was alright, but it didn’t do much for me. However! I am loving it in this mani. I think it just needs a friend to really shine rather than carry the mani all on its own (at least for me!). Both polishes have a blue shimmer, that’s the connection I used when trying to find complimentary colors of a similar formula who would play well together.

1x Mooncat Hardcore base, 1x Mooncat Getting Even primer, 3x Mooncat Merkitten OR Dreamland Shake Your Shamrock, 1x Mooncat Speed Demon

🧚🏻🧚‍♀️ all day long, I’ve been thinking, “this color combo reminds me of something … but what is it?” Finally someone on the Mooncat sub cleared the fog and pointed out that this is totally a Fairly Odd Parents mani lol…

This summer I’ve latched onto this mani style a bit, and I think it’s really helped me enjoy Merkitten a lot more. Seeing it paired with this “bleached neon” green gives Merkitten a bit of depth I didn’t see before. It’s a really good supporting polish and its own strengths are enhanced when paired with a complimentary color.

1x Hardcore base, 1x Getting Even primer, 3x Merkitten OR 3x Dreamland’s Shake Your Shamrock, 1x Speed Demon

My partner took the pics of both my hands with their superior phone camera (superior to my ancient model, at least lol). No filters or anything but that’s why the photos look a little different.

🚨 update! Trade is underway! Thank you beautiful wonderful polish community! 💕

Rue Morgue is my one that got away, and I’m hoping to find a trade on here that is fair for both parties! 🙂 Rue Morgue is the one and only I can give the label of DISO.

Let me know what works for you. I know some of my bottles are less pricey/rare on the secondhand market, so perhaps building a small bundle that matches Rue Morgue’s relative value would work? That’s why I included some of my BNNU current catalog backups, too, thinking they could be an addition to whatever it is you’re primarily interested in.

Most are BNNU, almost all have boxes. Almost all of these are backup bottles, all have been stored upright in a drawer, out of the sun, in their box if they have it, in an air-conditioned room. I take care of my precious babies. ♥️

Photo 1:

1 & 2: Dream Within a Dream. I have my OG bottle, first owner, used for two manis— and a backup, second owner, swatched only by original owner. No boxes. Sold out for over 2 years, very hard to find. I will provide closeup fill line photos if interested in DwaD, one is just above logo and one is just below.

3: Moonrise BNNU w/ box, first owner. DD

4: A Galaxy Far, Far Away BNNU w/ box, first owner. DD/LE

5: Polished for Days- Goblins and Ghoulies BNNU first owner, PPU rewind 7/2026.

Photo 2: Bee’s Knees Lacquer-

1- Bog Dweller BNNU, sold out

2- The Water Remembers, 1 mani, sold out

3- Wise Winter Witch, 1 swatch stick, archived

4- Casting, 1 swatch stick, archived

5- The Horrors Persist But So Do I, 1 swatch stick

6- Get Lobstered BNNU

Photo 3 - Mooncat DD’s

1- Bottled Rage, 1/2 mani, w/ box, DD

2- Ghost Ship, 1 mani, w/ box, DD

3- Apparition, second owner, 1 mani by original owner, unused by me, no box, DD

4- Heavenmetal, second owner, unused by me, 1 mani by original owner, w/ box, DD

Photo 4 - Mooncat current catalog backup bottles all BNNU w/ box

1 - Drown My Demons

2- Poisonberry

3- Moonicorn

4- The Silent Scream

————————

Let me know what you’re thinking! Please post here, let me know you’d like to DM to go over details, bottle photos, fill line closeups, etc. 🙂

For most of the DD’s, and all current catalog, I also have additional bottles with varying levels of light use (1-2 manis), which could be taken into consideration depending on what kind of bundle you want to build for Rue Morgue. There’s all kinds of combinations we could come up with 😊

PayPal backed trade is required for both of our security!

I’ve been painting my nails a lot this summer, trying to get through all my untrieds, and experimenting with toppers near the end of each mani’s time on my hands.

First mani— one hand Bottled Rage, one hand The 13th Hour (both DD, BR still available). I eventually topped both with an Emily de Molly shimmer topper - Key Drama on The 13th Hour and Pinkie Swear on Bottled Rage.

I had fairly low expectations to like either color too much. I haven’t done well with MC’s “almost black” subtle shimmers before. As I applied 13th Hour, I realized I really liked it and expected that one to be my favorite of the two. But in the end, I think I enjoyed Bottled Rage even more. Both are for sure super dark and basically look black in dim/indirect light. But if you’re in a brighter setting or out in the sun, the shimmers are subtle but present enough for my taste, BR especially. The EdM shimmer toppers totally transformed the base colors. Great toppers, super shimmery & glowy, and will be fun for a lot of cremes and experiments.

Second mani — Moral Decay on both hands. What a great creme thermal! It was easier to apply than others
I’ve used, though I did add a few drops of thinner before painting my second hand. One coat coverage! I would’ve gone back in for a second coat just to make it a little more complete, but I knew I’d be adding a topper and then changing my mani the next day, so in the interest of not wasting product I considered one coat adequate to see the polish. I love both the warm and cool colors and I like that the transition is more subtle. The other thermals are cool too, but the subtle blurred transition line is very appealing to me.

I tipped each hand with a different topper to compare the two. I’d never used Aura before and was wondering how it compares to EdM’s Key Drama. They’re not similar at all, and unfortunately Aura’s effect isn’t showing up well in photos. Aura gives a nice watercolor blue-purple (?) shimmer. It’s somewhat subtle, very pretty, still allows the base color to show through. Key Drama is a stronger blue shimmer, more of an all-over sheen of blue shimmer than a collection of tiny sparkles like Aura. I think the main similarity is that they both have blue, but it’s a different style of shimmer. It’s easier to tell in photos of The 13th Hour that Key Drama can really transform the base mani, changing it, whereas Aura is a more subtle enhancement.

All manis: 1x Hardcore base, 1x Speed Demon

First mani: 2x The 13th Hour left hand (+1x Emily de Molly Key Drama added later). 2x Bottled Rage (+1x EdM Pinkie Sweat added later).

Second mani: 1x Moral Decay both hands. Added later- 1x Aura on left; 1x EdM Key Drama on right

I need to pick a spa day to oil soak my nails because I’ve been rapidly flying through manis lately (lots of acetone exposure 😬). No vacations, no summer gig, but I’m really enjoying playing with all these pretty colors!

I can add video clips of The 13th Hour & Bottled Rage in comments to try to show off their subtle dark shimmer a little better.

I posted this trade proposal on Mooncat’s UNofficial Claw Club about an hour ago, and I’m bringing it here too, as these have been my primary spots for buying & trading.

Dream Within a Dream is the first MC polish I ever used, yet somehow I missed out on buying its sister, Rue Morgue while it was available. I do, however, have a backup of Dream Within a Dream, and the only thing I’d let it go for would be Rue Morgue. I’ve pined for plenty of DDs, and bought probably too many, but Rue is the one that got away.

Secondhand market prices for both RM and DWaD are silly high, so maybe we could help each other obtain these beauties. 🥹 Maybe you have a spare backup you could let go of, or maybe you wore RM once and realized it’s not really your thing? Maybe you love Rue Morgue but want the purple version even more?

I used the phone’s magic 🪄 wand adjustment on the first photo because it made fill lines easier to see, and I attempted to add an arrow where I see each fill line, which is tricky work on my old phone lol. Second photo no enhancement/filter. Third photo shows labels. I can take more photos as requested.

Bottle on left is my OG baby, purchased from MC, used for two manis. Fill line is about to top of logo, probably just a hair under it. Clearly the cap has a few little smears of polish on top, which I can clean off if we choose to use this one for trade, or just leave it alone if you prefer.

Bottle on right is a backup, I’m the second owner. Original owner said it was swatched only; I’ve never used it at all. Cap, bottle, threads are super clean. Fill line is right at top of logo, perhaps just a smidge over. I believe it really is swatched only as the bottle is pristine.

The one we choose to trade will be based upon usage and fill line of your Rue Morgue. Let’s try to make a match. 🙂

I will dig through my boxes, but I’m kinda doubtful that I have the original box (it will still ship in a MC box of course). I wasn’t keeping them when I started buying, and I’m not sure if the backup came with one. If that’s a deciding factor for you I can look to verify before we make an agreement.

I’ve completed one successful trade on Reddit and one on the UNofficial Claw Club, so I could get someone to vouch for my reliability & trustworthiness. Ideally, you’d have a little bit of reputation/history, too, like a completed sale or trade. Not gonna lie, I’m nervous as hell to ship one of these away, but for Rue Morgue it’s worth it.

PayPal backed trade is required - it’s good insurance for both of us! 🙂 USA only. Please reply here if you’re interested and then we can PM to work out details, share bottle pics, see if we have an agreement, etc.

I’ll add a few pics of Dream Within a Dream the last time I wore it, last October. It’s such an amazing polish, one that I personally prefer glossy (though matte is cool too, but glossy unlocks that magical shimmer!). It’s super dark but never black, always purple, and just so glassy & dark. I just have to know what it’s bluer sister is like!

I’ve been working hard on making it through my untrieds and have discovered that I really enjoy either a half-mani (one color on each hand), or a mani with multiple accent nails (a blended mani? Not a skittle, nor a singular accent).

On the first mani I put a coat of Highway Glow on all nails. Then two coats of Banquet of Breadcrumbs or Prickly Pear on top. I’d never tried Prickly Pear before and it’s such an oddball weirdo color lol… I’m quite sure it would look hideous on me without a creme base. HG worked well for this purpose and I’d like to try it with some different greens too. I did one hand matte and one hand glossy (just for PP), and both versions are about equally good. I think I overall prefer glossy a bit, though the flakies were a little more glowy matte. I had to conceal my right matte finger after smudging the hell out of it, so please excuse some awkward pics lol.

The second mani is still on my hands and I’m taking my sweet time before removing it. I’m not usually into holos or glitters too much but these are really hitting me the right way. I don’t even go in the sun much at all and I’m enjoying them indoors (but wow do they SPARKLE in the sun!). Alternated two accent nails on each hand, colors are Everybody Scream and Antivenom. First time wearing either one and I love them more than expected.

All nails: 1x Hardcore base, 1x Speed Demon

First mani: 1x Highway Glow all nails, 2x Prickly Pear or 2x Banquet of Breadcrumbs (Matte Made In Hell on right hand PP nails)

Second mani: 2x Everybody Scream or 2x Antivenom

Antivenom reminds me of a mashup between Green Eyed Monster and Moonlight Lullaby. And I didn’t know Everybody Scream has a pinkish shimmer cast to it at some angles, I can even see it indoors.

I’m due to change my mani but I’m really dragging my feet on removing this second one.

Midnight Drive is just about gone. I tried adding 25 bottles to my cart to see how many are left. There’s only 3 bottles left.

I’m not planning to make any orders soon, so I’m selfishly hoping it’s replaced with a creme I already own so I’m not tempted. But for those of you who are ordering soon, I hope it’s replaced with something you wish for!

I can’t fit one single bottle more into the cases unless I boot the toppers to the polish drawer (full of backup bottles, other indies, old drug store polish, base & top coats). I love everything about these cases other than the one slot on each side that is slightly too small for a MC bottle - so that’s why there’s one random indie on each side.

I always had my collection sorted by color (how it appears in the bottle). I’ve switched to sorting by formula, and I think I like it. It’ll take some time to adjust and I no longer know exactly where to look for each color, as I used to have the layout memorized. But I’ll adjust soon I’m sure.

Hopefully I prefer this method because it took a shockingly long time to do this! The next task is to reorganize swatch rings. They used to be in the same order as the cases, but I’m gonna aim for sorting by color families.

I’ve been resisting, but I do need to order one more case for everything in the polish drawer. I never imagined I’d need a third case, then it filled fast, and I can nearly fill a fourth already. 😓 I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed by polish lately, but also resistant to destashing, though that’s a really great idea (I bought the kitchen scale and saved a mountain of packing materials.. but even when I hold a color I don’t love, I have such a hard time imagining letting it go. What is with this attachment? I don’t need it all, though I do love it).

Have you discovered one of these plastic cases that fit Mooncat in all of the spots, and doesn’t have one spot that’s slightly too small? It’s fine for every other brand I own; it just breaks up the ability to sort purely by brand. Please feel free to share your organization style if you want to! I love checking out how you all manage the bottles. I took the suggestion to sort by formula after looking at someone’s cases on here.

I guess the point of this is that I wanted to share my labor lol… no one else would get that I just sat around working for hours, this took effort! I am also nearly caught up on swatch sticks now! I can’t find Antifragile, though I know it’s here somewhere. And I haven’t swatched the small Anlac collection (those bottles are soooo small, I just don’t know if I want to waste any on sticks!).

Left to right, top to bottom, it goes: Toppers -> Creme -> Magnetics -> Thermal -> Flakie -> Shimmer -> Glitter -> Holo

I bought this polish back in March and only just got around to using it today. I’m really trying to make my way through my untrieds, painting my nails 3x week this summer, doing a lot of half-manis in order to try two at once. There’s quite a backlog to get through, and I’m not quite sure how I neglected this beauty for so long!

I used one coat of From the Ashes as a base to try to pull Bloodbender’s base color a bit more burgundy red than basically black. It was also my first time using FtA, which is a really nice color. It’s an extremely deep dark red but doesn’t tip over into almost-black territory. It’s for sure red, just dark. The formula was a little different than my other MC cremes. A bit thinner, and for sure is not a one-coater. One coat was fine as just a base, but if I were wearing it on its own it would need at least two coats.

Left hand is glass bead. Just one coat of Bloodbender on all nails. The blue shimmery magnetic particles are magical, so bright and sparkly, they look like they’re dancing on the nail. There’s a hint of a purple sheen at extreme angles, which I think is from the blue shimmer combining with the deep red base. Just a hint. The base color looks basically black except at extreme side angles, you can kinda tell it’s supposed to be a deep red. Perhaps with a thinner coat of Bloodbender or a brighter red creme base, this could change. But either way, it’s a very satisfying mani.

Right hand is a mix of velvet and cat eye. Cat eye is where you can see the red base most easily, on my thumb especially. Due to the size difference of my thumb nail vs pinky nail, the thumb got a thinner coat of Bloodbender. Velvet is quite nice, though at extreme angles the base doesn’t really look red or black.. when I hit it with my flashlight it actually looks reddish-brown. There’s a lot of experimenting to be done if the goal is to pull the deep burgundy red forward, but even if it’s simply left as a black base, the polish is fantastic. It magnetized easily, applies smoothly, dries well with minimal dispersion. I certainly love using a creme base in order to only need one coat of magnetic and not lose any depth or motion in the finished mani.

1x Hardcore base, 1x Bloodbender, 1x Speed Demon

Photos taken outdoors in direct early evening sunlight. Last few photos were taken just as the sun was setting on the other side of the buildings behind me, so indirect low natural light. Photos in comments.

Waterbending over the water 🌊

I don’t work in the summer, so I’ve been trying to make my way through my untrieds and painting 2-3 manis per week. Both of these colors arrived in my mailbox just yesterday from a destash purchase I made last week. I’d had my eye on Triceratops for a while, after recently falling in love with the look of glowy matte flakies. And I threw Fallen Angels in because I’ve seen it get a lot of love lately in another MC group, so I wanted to see what it was like.

I really like both of these polishes! If I had to pick one, I think Triceratops is more my style lately and those blue flakies do have a captivating glow. But Fallen Angels is also quite nice, it has a good pink-blueish shimmer to it, especially in a dim room. I think it looks better in person than it does on the website.

Triceratops is very sheer on the first coat, but was opaque in just two. Easy to use, went on and dried smooth & even. I took two kinda ugly shots of it in its natural matte form, before adding Speed Demon, so you can see the glowy flakies while matte (in my hideous bathroom lighting lol). Not a pretty pic, but you get the idea. I assumed I’d want to add Matte Made in Hell today, but I’m enjoying the glossy look right now.

Fallen Angels is quite sheer and would definitely work as a glowy shimmery topper. Somehow, though, it looked complete in just two coats (except my thumb which needed a third.. big nail needs more paint). When I hit it with my flashlight, there’s this microfine blue shimmer sparkle in it. The color is a medium shade of gray, not too light or dark. This could work alongside a lot of other polishes, as there’s the gray base color, and then pink, violet, and blue tones in the shimmer. Now I’ve gotta find out how people use this color in layering, as a topper. I’ll add a video of Fallen Angels with flash in the comments so you can see the shimmer.

It’s very hazy today so the outside photos aren’t so well-lit. The indoor photos are with a regular overhead light, noted one photo with flash.

Both are great, if you’re on the fence and planning to order anyway, I don’t think you’d be disappointed in them. But are they so special you need to run and make an extra order? Probably not. I’ve been curious about them for a little while, I’m happy to now know what they’re like, I like them and will wear them again, but they’re not omg-drop-everything-go-buy-now essentials.

If you’ve enjoyed Fallen Angels as a topper - please advise me what it looks good over!

Both hands: 1x Hardcore base, 1x Speed Demon. Left hand: 2x Fallen Angels (3x on thumb). Right hand: 2x Triceratops (incomplete mani bathroom pics at end don’t have Speed Demon)

I went through my Mooncat album and found manis for the upcoming DD’s that I’ve worn. I have some others that are still in my untried pile, but from making swatch sticks I have some initial impressions of them.

1- Quicksand’s Embrace - I just made a whole long post about this one this morning with video & photos so check that out if you’re considering QE. I won’t repeat myself here. The keyword for QE is subtle. The photos/video are QE at its absolute best and flashiest. It looks like a slightly elevated creme. I like it, don’t love it, but the work of magnetizing for subtle results won’t please most people.

2- Spaceoddity - out of all 18 being retired, this is the top choice imo. Stunning, vibrant, opaque in 2 coats, just a great polish! I could see this one going quickly unless they prepared a large volume, knowing that it’s a beloved color.

3- Curiosity’s Trap - the formula is great, it magnetizes really well. If you like blue and gold, it’s a good choice. The color combo isn’t for me though. It’s a nice shade of blue, I just don’t like it paired with gold.

4- Earth to Gaia - I know it gets a lot of love, but I didn’t love it. It’s alright. The pink shimmer doesn’t make much of a presence. I wore it briefly and only got this one photo.

5- Stumped - this is the second best one in the lineup imo, right behind Spaceoddity. I had zero expectations to like this polish and I fell deeply in love with it. Incredible depth, great formula.

6- Banquet of Breadcrumbs- super shimmery. Thin/sheer formula. Works as a topper. It’s just not my color unfortunately, because I did love the shimmer. It pulled gold with just a hint of green on me. A good polish for somebody, just not me.

7- Ghost Ship- got it as a reward and liked it, but I haven’t worn it in ages. I like the color. It’s good, nothing too exciting or unique though. I’m sure there’s a million dupes, maybe even superior versions, or you could simply put a magnetic topper on a blurple creme and have GS. Grab Midnight Drive as a reward and add a mahnetic topper.

If anyone has opinions on Forbidden Cove, I’m open to them! Positive, negative, and meh. I’d love to not buy anything, but I have about enough left on a gift card to cover it, so it’s not a financial decision. Just wondering if it’s as beautiful as it looks in some photos I’ve seen, and if I really need to add it to a pretty overgrown stash. I also don’t want to regret passing on it, only to try to buy it later when the price is inflated.

I deleted some thoughts I had on other DD’s that I’ve only used on a swatch stick or as a base for a mani, since I can’t really speak to them fully. The ones in photos are the only ones I’ve given a chance as a full mani so far.

Yesterday I used one of my untrieds: Quicksand’s Embrace. I knew it would be subtle, but I love some of their other subtle magnetics (Devil’s Ivy, Mercury in Retrograde), so I’m ok with subtle. This one is far more subtle than those two. I enjoy those other two glass bead style because while they don’t really make a “bead” (in my novice experience), I just love the way the shimmer is distributed around the nail. I think it enhances the whole look. I’d read that most people recommend velvet for QE, so I tried that on one hand too.

It is subtle. A whisper of shimmer. I think most Moonkittens wouldn’t love it since so many of us love something a little more powerful. It sure is pretty when the sunlight reveals the shimmer, but indoors it mostly looks like a very very nice creme. The hidden shimmer gives it just a hint of body that a flat creme doesn’t have, but again, it’s mega subtle.

Unfortunately, I prefer the way it looks glass bead over how it looks velvet, which is a lot more labor for a very quiet mani. I was really hoping to prefer velvet, or at least like them equally, as that’s the easiest way to magnetize. But im velvet form, even in the sun, it just looks like a creme at too many angles.

Hopefully this will help you decide whether or not you really need it tomorrow! I’m enjoying my mani, it’s very pretty, it would be an ideal base for nail art, but you could replicate this or even improve upon it with your perfect mauvey nude creme and a thin coat of a shimmer topper.

I’ll post still pics in the comments. Sorry, I only have video of glass bead. All photos were taken outdoors on a sunny day. Indoors it simply looks like a very nice creme.

1x Hardcore base, 2x Quicksand’s Embrace, 1x Speed Demon - left hand glass bead, right hand velvet

It’s sheer enough in one coat that you could use a base color to shift the hue. Opaque in two coats. Just know that glass bead in the sun is the MOST vibrancy you’ll see, this is QE at its best imo. It is a perfect choice if you work a conservative job or have very subdued tastes and like that hidden shimmer that reveals itself in bright direct light. I’m enjoying it more than I expected to, but glass bead is a lot of work for something so quiet, too. I might play with some nail tattoos or stickers since it’s a perfect base for additions. I also saw someone in another group do a French mani with QE, using a glitterbomb at the tips (MF Supernova maybe?) and that was gorgeous.

The banh mi at AC Sandwiches was amazing and low cost. I also loved their smoothies. The two ladies that ran it are banh mi experts and I would follow them anywhere.

Does anyone know if they’ve reopened somewhere else with a new name? Or have you heard that they’re working on reopening? It would be crushing to never have their sandwiches again. 😞

I recently tried Seven Sisters in Pleasantville and maybe they do other dishes better, but the banh mi wasn’t even close to AC Sandwiches. Where else do you like to get banh mi? Could be on or off the island, AC area.

photo isn’t mine, I grabbed it as the first result on Google, but I think it was taken by a Redditor who reviewed this place and got me started on these magical banh mi! They were legit 10/10 perfect and not at all overpriced.

This summer I’m trying to catch up on a long list of untrieds, which includes a number of DD’s. I’ve been a bit intimidated to use Crystal Lake, knowing that it’s extremely sheer, will require a ton of coats, and is expensive/rare enough to be irreplaceable if I drop or spill it. I haven’t broken a bottle or ever worried about that, but suddenly it was a concern when handling this one lol. The FB unofficial group is doing a summer MC bingo so I used this as a reason to finally try this color out (for the square about being named for a scary movie - Crystal Lake was an LE release for Friday the 13th and is the setting of the movie!).

I’ve seen it mentioned that Catfished is a kind of replacement for Crystal Lake? Not sure if that was the intent or not, but when you search CL on the website it brings you to Catfished. The two have similarities for sure and feel similar in spirit, but the differing formulas yield different results.

1- CL is a suuuuuper sheer, thin, shimmer polish. Catfished is a microflakie, similar to House of Hades. Also sheer but builds opacity way easier than CL. I went with Dewpearls as a neutral shimmer base, as I wanted to see what these colors look like without much influence from the base, but in the future I’d just use a creme or more opaque shimmer base.

2- the colors look quite similar in a dim room, but in brighter settings you can see that CL is a quiet, serene pale cold blue that has a subtle pink-violet shift at some angles. The shimmer is superfine and super sparkly. Catfished is a louder shade of aqua blue. It’s very glowy, and while it feels smooth to the touch there’s just a bit of visual texture due to the microflakie formula (like HoH). Right now I’m sitting in a dimly lit room and seeing quite a lot of the pink shift on CL, it’s looking so serene and gentle, and Catfished looks like it’s glowing. So one is “louder” than the other lol.

3- application — I can’t state strongly enough how sheer CL is. Someone in the other group used it without a base and painted five coats to build up opacity. With two coats of Dewpearls, I used three coats of CL and wonder if I should’ve added another. It’s very thin. I have zero reason to believe the original owner added thinner to it, I think that’s just how it is. At least the fill line doesn’t drop quickly despite needing many coats, because it’s impossible to add anything more than the thinnest coat ever at a time. It applies smoothly & evenly and dried nicely. Catfished is also sheer, but in the way that HoH takes some building up. Two coats over Dewpearls was great. But…..

4- dry time — Catfished has a problem when it comes to dry time! I knew going into it that this is a common complaint, so I was trying to be careful, but I dented and smeared 3/5 nails. So I did my best to repair the damage and added an extra coat to all of them. This polish stays soft for a looooong time.

Both are very pretty, they have some similar vibes, but one’s not a dupe of the other. Oh and Dewpearls is a really lovely glowy shimmery polish too! It’s also quite sheer. I used two coats as a base and if I were wearing it on its own as a mani, it would need 3-4 coats. The color is very Cinderella’s dress - the lightest silvery blue imaginable. All polishes used this week were sheer lol.

Both hands: 1x Hardcore base, 2x Dewpearls, 1x Speed Demon. Left hand- 3x Crystal Lake (DD/LE). Right hand- 3x Catfished (DD).

Some photos in the sun, some indoors in dim indirect early evening natural light, the photos I managed to take with both hands in the shot (😅) was outdoors in the shade but I turned the flash on for one pic