NYLON Editors Are Obsessed With This Line Of Holographic, Glitter & Multichrome Nail Polish

Get a bunch of NYLON editors in a room and we’ll have all different opinions about almost everything: favorite spring trends, go-to hot spots, and definitely Spotify playlists. So it feels particularly special and serendipitous when someone or something comes up in the office and it elicits coos: “Ooh, I love them, too.” But that’s what happened when Mooncat came up in a recent meeting.

The indie nail polish brand has only been out since 2021, but they’re already making some of the most fun and exciting colors and finishes on the market. “From the expansive color range to its use of sparkles and iridescent shifts, each polish delivers a whole world of possibilities,” says culture editor Layla Halabian. “It’s totally raised the bar on what I expect from nail polish.” Think clever combos of jelly-like nail lacquer packed with glitter foil flakes, cream colors that reveal contrasting shimmer shades in the sunlight, and transfixing magnet-reactive lacquers. Halabian’s favorite is Petals For A Narcissist (a milky light gray with a pinky-violet shimmer shift), which behaves like a neutral — with a subtly witchy spin.

Meanwhile, editorial operations senior manager Theresa Massony once lamented paying a premium at nail salons for “fun” manicures, but now, she’s a Mooncat devotee. “These nail polishes literally saved me from a desperate crackle-nail polish regression,” she says. “Their selection is vast and vibrant for a shade-shifting, long-lasting, salon-quality manicure that I don’t get tired of looking at.” She says Fake Halo — a rose gold with holographic glitter that shines a full rainbow of colors in the sun — is her pick of the month.

A lot of the colors do make me think of the holographic joy of The Rainbow Fish — except everyone can have the most beautiful fish scales or fingernails for the low, low price of $15. (Most of the colors deliver an intense sparkle with just one thin coat, which not only extends their use but also dries quickly.) I also have a ’90s-mood-ring-sized soft spot for the brand’s thermal lacquers, which change colors, effectively giving you two manicures in one (or even three, if you count the cool ombré look the polish has while transitioning). For example, Queen Of The Dead is wine red at room temperature and a near-black violet when it’s cold. It makes washing my hands feel like a mini magic trick.

As if that wasn’t enough to love, we can’t help but appreciate Mooncat’s commitment to individualism and inclusion. Unlike ads and salon look books that only depict creepily airbrushed hands with long, skinny fingers and perfectly ladylike oval nails, Mooncat shows their polishes on multiple nail lengths, skin tones, hand shapes and sizes, and even in different lighting. “It makes me feel confident I’m actually going to love the polish I’m choosing when I order online,” Massony says.

Even if the colors weren’t incredible, I think I’d still be tempted to buy a nail polish with a name like To All Who Ghosted Me, Drown My Demons, Lovebomb, or Devil’s Ivy, just so I could say so when someone asked. I’ll always love my Essie Wicked and Chanel Vamp — but it’s safe to say Mooncat takes the name game to a whole new level. Whether you choose to buy a polish for the color or for the name, you can’t be disappointed.