Indie nail polish brands do it right. They come out with the unique shades and cool finishes and of course the cutest collection names! Mooncat has quickly become one of my favorite brands! Mooncat isn’t new to the scene, they used to be called Live Love Polish and I’ve been a customer since 2017. They sold various brands, focusing on 5-free, nontoxic brands with cool finishes such as holographics. Eventually, they grew and developed their own line! In 2021, they re-branded into Mooncat, and it’s a choice that really elevated the brand! The name sounds really cool, the bottles have a stylish look and the overall aesthetic of the shades and finishes are more unique than mainstream brands you’ll find at the drugstore. They look really magical and it’s completely my style!
Mooncat does have regular creme polishes, but their real stars are the special finishes, such as the linear holos, glitter holos, multi-chromes, shimmers and the magnetics! They will also have iridescent flakes in some of the duo-chromes making them extra eye-catching! They also have a base and top coat, which I have neglected to purchase.
While the shades and finishes are outstanding, it’s not a fast drying, one coat job. We cannot expect miracles! It’s a normal nail polish. Believe me there is room for user error! I have gotten bubbles and texture from not waiting it to dry enough in between coats. (This is true of any and every brand, not just Mooncat!) Besides, do we even want a fast dry polish? They always crack or shrink! These Mooncats don’t crack and I haven’t experienced chipping or peeling . My wear time is 7 days, but I get regrowth in a week so I always change my polish weekly. I hear they they last up to 2 weeks.If you are really need something that dries fast, the glitter holos dry quicker and are more forgiving if you get any bubbles. But I don’t think I’ve ever gotten bubbles from the glitters.
Pictured below is a screen shot of a TikTok video, I eventually privated because this tutorial could be improved. As you can see I have bubbles, a knick and some texture because I didn’t wait long enough in between coats. Remember, the top coat counts too! In fact, that is when it can get really bubbly! The pinky is the magnetic polish, which I will cover below…
The magnetic nail polishes are tricky! They do come with a free magnet, which is great. But the trick is to do one nail at a time and hover like a millimeter away from the still-wet polish to get the effect. And hold it for a long time, hold it longer than you feel comfortable! I tend to accidentally touch the wet nail and it messes it up. I got it to do the effect maybe twice. It’s not easy and you need to set aside a lot of time to do your nails. But when the effect is present, it has this gorgeous depth!
When they were still Live, Love, Polish, I liked the careful way they packaged the bottles so they wouldn’t break during shipping. They have continued the good packaging with these shipping mailers and branded it to fit the mystical Mooncat aesthetic!
These fitted-to-the-packaging mailers have proven to be effective. I’ve made a few orders and none of them have broken! I also feel the need to buy six at a time…
The brand gives out mystical vibes. The gunmetal cap looks like a crystal, and the cat’s eye logo which are like cat’s eye crystals. Their collections also have many mythical themes, such as Once Upon A Fairy Tale, Medusa Unhazed, Dark Arts, etc. And I cannot neglect to mention the Aura & Mystic duo! The theming gives it an extra special touch that really attracts a certain niche!
Clearly, Mooncat offers shades that I like! There are so many more I like, but slowly but surely I will grow my collection. They only have two sales a year so this coming November, I will picking out some more!
If these swatches look different than the website, it’s because lighting changes everything! The professional photographer puts it under the best light, so it will shine differently depending on the light source. A direct flash or sunlight is going to show the holographic finish at its best. Duo and multi-chromes will always look different depending on the angle and lighting.
This is me swatching Danessa Myricks Beauty’s Infinite Chrome Pencils at Sephora, but it’s an even better shot of Moonfairy! It’s just so stinkin’ cute with the lilac and iridescent flakies!
Poseidon’s Prize is a magnetic nail polish, and I have gotten this to work! It has such amazing depth, like you’re swimming in the ocean.
I had to buy Selene just for the name! It’s supposed to be a lunar theme, but it’s my name in every video game I play!
Mercury’s Tears is my absolute favorite. I actually finished a bottle and bought a second one! Besides base and top coats, who actually finishes nail polish? Well, it’s possible!
Okay, I take it back, this one is a one-coater! But I still like to do two! Blood Moon is a magnetic polish, but I’ve been having a difficult time trying to get the magnet effect to work. I checked to make sure I didn’t switch it out for Selene. I can tell by putting the magnet on the bottle, that it’s is indeed magnetic. You are a tricky one, Blood Moon! 
This is currently what I am wearing as I type this. In the low, incandescent light, it looks a lot more of a dusty purple with a pink and teal shifts (depending on the angle), and I can still see the tiny holographic shimmers.
Raven, a dark matte purple was a gift for a friend, so I do not have a swatch, but I hope she likes it!
I am wearing The Once Upon a Fairytale collection. I love this whole collection, the colors, the varying finishes and the theme! I am holding If Frogs Has Wings. I bought this collection for myself for my birthday!
If you sign up for an account at Mooncat, they have a rewards system for free product. With points, you can redeem selected nail polishes for free! Currently, they range from 600, 850 and 1000 points and they change which shades are available. They have tiers, where you can earn more points per dollar, but you need to spend $500 for Tier 2 and $800 for Tier 3. That seems like a lot! If I was a nail tech, maybe it would make sense.
My other favorite brand, is also an indie brand, Cupcake Polish. I need to collect all the bottles I have and do the same roundup for them! I love the holographic polishes they have. As for basics, like regular creme colors as well as top and base coats, I get Essie at CVS. I think this entire year, I’ve pretty much worn Mooncat 90% of the time.
I highly recommend Mooncat! You can only purchase them on their official website. You are supporting an indie brand, a woman with a dream!
Follow them on their social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
Michelle’s TikTok (The brand owner)
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. I bought all of these myself with my own money. I do not get PR, nor do they know who I am, except maybe for the person who had to print out the shipping label.
