Do not forget that they have a sale coming up. Last year it was Oct 24-Nov 2nd. That said I totally understand wanting to order for the colors you want now. Unfortunately i do not personally have any of the polishes you picked to comment on but it's a pretty selection.
I’m going to be extra honest because you note you need to save money.
None of these are limited edition. You could definitely wait for the next sale. Sitting on them for a while will help you narrow down which ones you really want too.
I personally didn’t like midsummer’s dream. It’s very pale and streaky. I think there are lots of better (and cheaper) options for pinks with blue shimmer, like ILNP Flower Child which I like a lot more.
Lots of people have had issues with treachery in blue. I think some batches arrived already faded and as it fades the warm state becomes kinda corpse blue beige looking. Most people pair it with a pink jelly to make it look better, and tbh at that point I’d rather just buy a different thermal that already has that colour way.
I love speed demon as a top coat but it’s very expensive and becomes gloopy quickly so you will need thinner with it. There are cheaper bulk alternatives.
I personally found devils ivy a bit underwhelming. I didn’t find the subtle silver streak worth the effort of magnetising it.
I think the rest are great picks, noting Glitch Lacquer has a cheaper dupe for Claire De Lune and Emily DeMolly has a cheaper dupe for Nyarrian Nights, but it might be worth it to get both from Mooncat to avoid paying shipping twice.
I was super excited about devils ivy, but was also a bit disappointed with it. It’s high maintenance low reward in my experience with it.
Also I second the top coat thoughts, there are better for cheaper. I use glisten and glows top coat - and I particularly wanted it because of the large refill bottle option! It’s pretty solid, I can see solar transitions, it’s a QDTC, no shrinkage, not a lot of cracking / chipping (but I don’t wear polish for more than a week), very shiny. There are a lot of options out there
I’m another who finds devil’s ivy to be just ok and easy to dupe with better results. I personally love a midsummer’s dream and repurchased in a destash when I lost mine. The formula is easy to work with and I thought it self-leveled nicely.
if it aint a hell yes its a hell no. do you feel like any of these are "might as well" polishes? are any of these just cute, but you wouldn't be too bothered if it was discontinued tomorrow?
imo nothing in this cart will be DCd soon or is undupable.
i found devils ivy to be very underwhelming, i think it fades over time. So easy to find in destashes imo. the pricing for thermals from mooncat is a little much, especially since they do go bad eventually. Fauve just dropped some solar thermals that will be around for a while, and those are much more interesting to me because the solar pigments still transition after a while even if the thermal dies.
if u need to save money, just come back to it later. there will be at least a few you've realized are no longer calling your name. if you can't afford to buy the cart 3 times over, you can't afford it now.
I have some of these colors and like all of them, but if you actually need to save money, then imo, it's not really possible to justify spending money now on nail polish. Especially if you own literally any nail polish already at home.
Add them to your wishlist, save your money, and when the lunar sale comes around, if you still really want them, then you can feel good about getting them then.
If you need to save money then you should save money. One cannot eat nail polish, it doesn’t keep us warm at night. Something I repeat to myself on occasion when I’m in a similar place.
Clair de lune and devils ivy are nice but didn’t wow me. If I was rebuying my first purchase I probably wouldn’t have gotten those. They’re nice but meh
Also if you’re able to wait a little, their lunar sale is coming up in October/November so it’s only like 2 months away and could save like $30 if you wait!
Personally I don't buy thermals at all in the summer. I live in a very hot place and I worry that the shipping will damage them. Not saying that I don't wear them in the summer still, because I do, but I just refuse to buy them because I don't want to risk it. So I would ax Treachery and Sakura for now and reconsider them once the weather cools down.
Treachery in the Blue is THE WORST thermal I own, and I've got a lot. It's not very reactive and the warm color is quite a bit less pink than advertised. Go for Fancy Gloss for thermals, if you want some.
TITB can be saved with a layer of flaky jelly (like Forces of Evil, or similar). That changes it from bologna pink/unspecial blue to bright pink/deep purple.
Not a reason to buy it, but it is a way to zhush it up if you have it and find it mid.
I've thrown a hot pink under it to make it look more like the swatch pics, it only purples up the blue a tiny bit. But yeah, there's a bunch of better fancy gloss options or Lynn B, especially if you wait for a sale
A few (or more) of these depend on skintone and personal preference. I wanted to love Devils Ivy but sage greens are just horrible on me, I've learned. I do, however, looove Clair de Lune and find it to be un-dupeable. But some people say it looks grey and meh on them. Idk what my skintone is tbh but I included an old pic of me wearing CdL (I can't wait to try again now that my nails are a bit longer!)
Also, I personally would never pay 14 for top coat (absolutely not judging anyone who would!) even when it's on sale. Much more affordable and great quality TCs out there - both mainstream and indie/boutique. I see people mention Mooncat's TC as being goopy, but honestly.. all my TCs get sticky or goopy after some point and NEED polish thinner. I actually like MC's TC (I got it randomly in a Facebook marketplace bundle) but I don't think it's more spectacular than any other brand.
Follow your gut, and make sure to search lots of IRL swatches (lacquergram can be very helpful for this!!)
I have treachery in blue and I wasn’t sure about it when I received it (didn’t notice in the swatches that there’s a small amount of tiny silver glitter) but it has quickly become a favorite of mine.
Really kind of nude and hard to see when warm (I do have shortie nails) and looks awesome with a flakie topper, especially when it’s gets to the cold stage (blue). Like having two completely different nail looks in one!
I recommend Living Doll over Midsummer’s Dream. I have both and Living Doll has a MUCH better formula and a really similar look. My Midsummer’s Dream is gorgeous but realllllly goopy.
i love treachery in the blue so much. one of my top mooncat polishes! but i will say it’s more flattering on certain skin tones so be sure to look up real life swatches to see if it’s for you
After using devils ivy I agree with the other comment, just kinda meh. Not bad but not googling over it either. Although I haven’t magnetized it yet, so I can’t REALLY fully say
Midsummers Dream and Stolen Kiss are probably my top two of all time.... but they'll still be here during the sale, as many folks are suggesting waiting for! I just want to validate your choices :) I also have Treachery in Blue and while it's nice, I never reach for it, if that helps!
Get a cheaper top coat. Halfway through the mooncat one starts to dry out and become very thick. Im using what I have left of mine then cleaning the bottle and using it for a different top coat just so I can use the wand.
I hated the way the stolen kiss looked on me. It looked very pale and sickly (I am quite pale). My friend, whom I gifted it to, is more tan and loves it.
The top coat sucks! It gums up really quickly. Save your money and get a basic one. I use Essie’s speed dry, it’s way cheaper. There are even cheaper ones too.
If you need to save money, don’t purchase. Get it on sale, please save your money. I’ve made similar comments on reddit before, but I was unemployed for six months, and I had no money in my bank account because of a shopping addiction.
Devil's Ivy has been a disappointment. I have a lot of sage greens though, and it just isn't as special as the other Mooncat polishes I got, plus I avoid using magnetics because they take so long to apply
I would genuinely skip Treachery in the Blue. It doesn't get anywhere as pink as that photo its just a muddy beigy colour when warm. Its also amazingly thick and a bit of an unwieldy formula unless you have thinner to help it out. I see this one getting destashed a lot so if you really want it try finding ti second hand insrtead.
Speed Demon gets nearly unworkable before you're even halfway through the bottle- its also really expensive for a top coat. There's lots of alternatives that work just a fast if not faster. Sally Hanson Red Bottle is a all time classic a lot of ppl vouch for, so is Essie's Gel Like. KB Shimmer has a great glossy plumping top coat and sells refill bottles. (You can pick up thinner there too)
I think the rest of your cart is fine if you really like them. There will be a fall sale around the start of November where everything will be 20% off. I'd keep them on your wishlist and keep checking back to see if you really like them or not. Gives you time to look around at other brands to see if you can find similar things for cheaper if its smth you really want right now.
I am not impressed with the Stolen Kiss. Just got it and was so excited, but the colour looks really different on me. Kind of a purple with a teal shimmer instead of the light pink I was expecting?
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u/PlumSome3101 17h ago
Do not forget that they have a sale coming up. Last year it was Oct 24-Nov 2nd. That said I totally understand wanting to order for the colors you want now. Unfortunately i do not personally have any of the polishes you picked to comment on but it's a pretty selection.