Every week I am getting little pushes and reminders of why I need to hurry up and continue to catch up on all of my reviews and collections for this blog because the polishes and products won’t be around FOREVER. And alas, it was the announcement that some of the polishes included in this next collection were being retired for me to finally get the review on up on the blog and I’M SO SORRY.
So, today we’re looking at a collection from Mooncat, and every so often Mooncat will move along some shades from their inventory to their ‘Dearly Departed’ list and so that means when that polish next sells out, they won’t be restocked and they’ll gone for good. It can be moments of not selling enough, or pigments not being available or making room for new polishes (but I can’t say for sure, I’m not a part of their business). And 2 of the shades in this set shall be dearly departing (it looks like one might already be departed). Like I said, yet another push for me to finally catch up on posts because I have so many Mooncat collections just sitting in my drawers that deserve their time and they could all just be a ticking time bomb (and a lot have departed shades already). I promise I’ll blog future collections before they fully depart from this earth.
ANYWAYS. This is the ‘Baroquen’ collection from Mooncat and this set features 8 super sparkly shades. Mooncat always has the most poetic paragraphs about their sets and so for this set we have the lyrical description: “From the tattered pages of a storied heartbreak…set against the lavish excess of a most grandiose era, comes 8 delightfully devastating chapters of an ill-fated folly”. The full set is sold out, but you can still find individual shades on the Mooncat website.
And even though some shades are sold out, I do still want to post about this collection, as it could still be helpful, whether you find one of these shades in a destash or already have them waiting in a drawer. Or you could be just curious about past collections as a little archive. Well, now we’ve waited long enough to see these shades, let’s get on into the swatches already!
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We dive right into that promised shimmer and sparkle with our first shade, ‘Fleur Savage’. This is a warm toned shimmery pink that shifts on over to a bright orange in a truly magical way. It’s bold because of the shimmer and the shiftiness, but the color itself still feels more delicate and regal on the nails.
This formula is more of a sheer base filled with a dense shimmer so it does need to be layered up. But I was able to get it opaque on my nails with 3 thinner coats. At that point it doesn’t feel too thick and there’s enough base to fill in and smooth out the shimmer so a gritty finish won’t ruin your next royal ball.
Here’s a look at the shift! In more indirect lighting you can see really see that golden orange shimmer come through and shine on the nails. In this angle, the polish suddenly feels so summery and warm on the nails.
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Next up we have ‘Banquet of Breadcrumbs’ and doesn’t that name just immediately conjure up the most whimsical fancy dinner where you’re eating finger swatches while wearing the most luxurious of gowns? (Okay with crumbs maybe not). To match that whimsical name, this is a gorgeous bright almost olive green shimmer. It shifts on over to a lime green with even some flashes of turquoise.
This is another dense shimmer so it’ll need that same layering, but it’s opaque and smooth with 3 thinner coats.
Banquet of Breadcrumbs – Live Swatch
And there’s that turquoise shift I mentioned as well, and I think it’ll just make you feel like the loveliest little fairy.
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We continue right along with ‘Love’s Labyrinth’ and it’s the one true holographic of the set, and of course in a collection about EXCESS and DECORATION we’re going to need some holographic sparkle. This is a linear holographic that’s within a dusty minty green base and the holo gives it an almost silvery vibe to it as well.
This one has a lovely formula and is pretty well opaque with just 2 coats. I did end up adding a 3rd coat just to even out the ridges in my nails, but it paints on so nicely and I really loved it. Of course that holographic sparkle will pop most in sunshine or bright lights like mine but in day to day lighting you’ll still get a lovely sparkle.
Love’s Labyrinth – Live Swatch
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Next up is ‘La Petite Mort’ (I dare you to look up what that phrase means, it’s a little risque, so we’re getting naughty here in this castle). Looking at the unmagnetized finish, this polish is a dusty light blue jelly base packed with a silver magnetic shimmer, iridescent flakes, as well as holo glitters.
Here it is magnetized! (No I did NOT forget to do this with my first round of swatches, and then added it in later, that’s clearly something an amateur would do). For my pointer and middle fingers, I used a horseshoe magnet for a velvet finish. For the ring and pinky I used a magnet for the traditional cat eye finish. The velvet finish is STUNNING with that mesmerizing silver finish, but then the iridescent flakes can pop weirdly into the silver shimmer. With the cat eye, you get a lovely contrast between the blue base and silver shimmer.
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This next one may mention sorrow in the name, but trust me you won’t be ever be sad while wearing GLITTER. ‘Such Sweet Sorrow’ is a soft blue jelly base jampacked with bright pinky-purple shimmer. That combination just makes it sit right in between a blue and a purple, and who doesn’t love a little mystery.
This is another dense shimmer in a more sheer base so it did need some more layering but I was able to get it opaque with 3 thin coats.
Such Sweet Sorrow – Live Swatch
But wait, there’s MORE. Of course this shade also SHIFTS.That purple shimmer flashes on over to a more olive green and even onto gold in moments. It continues the magic of this whole set.
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Next we’re onto ‘The Stolen Kiss’ and it’s filled with, you guessed it, more shimmer. What, were you expecting a creme at this point? This one is a warm purple jelly base filled with a bright minty green shimmer.
Just like ‘Such Sweet Sorrow’ above, this is another with a more sheer base that’s jampacked with shimmer so I did layer it up with 3 coats.
Another that shifts! I love this set. The shimmer in this shifts from that bright minty green on over to a bright aqua blue shade, which makes it even warmer and softer on the nails.
I had to give you a little moment showing this shade in lower indirect lighting as well. It’s truly a chameleon shade.
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Now this next shade might be my favorite of the set (even if the very idea of a castle of cobwebs is horrifying to me). This is ‘Castle of Cobwebs’ and it’s a very cool toned gray jelly base that’s filled with this stunning scattered blue shimmer. This one also dries more satin matte, most likely because it also GLOWS IN THE DARK. THERE’S SURPRISES IN ALL OF THESE SHADES.
Now for the application. It’s another jelly base so it layers on up with 3 coats to full opacity. And it does truly GLOW that bright glowstick green. I do love the satin finish of it, with a final texture and color that reminds me of soft cement walls in a spooky old castle.
Castle of Cobwebs – Live Swatch
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The last shade is a nice little topper and it’s perfect for adding even more gilding and decoration to any base shade you layer it over. This is ‘Hall of Mirrors’ and it is a clear base filled with scattered golden flakes. Here it is with 1 coat over ‘Castle of Cobwebs’ and you can see it adds sparkle while still showing the base color underneath. The pieces pick up easily and spread well on the nails.
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And that’s the set! I loved all of these shades, and I love how they all look together as a set. It does feel like it’s giving a truly whimsical and maximalist moment and they’re all so cohesive. It’s “royal” and I didn’t have any issues with any formulas! There are a lot of dense shimmers here but they all built up with 2-3 coats.
Are you interested in any of these shades? Are you planning on picking any up (before even more go away)?
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Upcoming Posts
Red Chamber Christmas collection • Holo Taco Garden Variety collection • OPI The New OPIcons Infinite Shine Spring 2026 collection • Flower Knows Bunny Garden collection • Holo Taco Off the Deep End collection
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