(These offerings were received with and without payment for swatches. For more information on what my relationships are with the brands below, go to my PR Disclosures page)
Insert the lament: “How is it already August?!” Sorry to be cliché; I am not a writer by trade. I do feel the need to share my absolute shock that this year has completely blown by. I feel like I am still accidentally writing “2025” on various documents. And, here we are, at the turn of the season.
With all of that said, I have fully engrossed myself in the fall and Halloween vibes at this point! I am not someone that usually partakes in the upcoming season until it arrives, but since I have been training for my first 5K run this summer… I’m OVER the heat. Bring on the spooky times and autumn vibes.
And YOU need to get in the fall mood, too, because PPUWeen is upon us in a few short weeks! Polish Pickup celebrates Halloween every September. Why September? Polish Pickup is a preorder collaboration among many indie polish brands, and it takes about 3 weeks from shop close to shipping orders out. This allows you to receive and enjoy your Halloween-inspired goodies well before the actual holiday!
I have four polishes to share with you that will be in the Polish Pickup shop. Start reading below to learn polish formulas, inspirations, and sale details! You can watch a full-length YouTube video in 4K of the swatches, linked here!
Haunted Mask
by Cuticula Nail Lacquer
DESCRIPTION:
INSPIRATION: The Goosebumps books.
MANICURE DETAILS: Two coats with a layer of glitter smoother and glossy top coat.
SWATCH APPLICATIONS: YouTube Shorts
PRICE & CAP: $14.00 | Cap: None
LINK TO PURCHASE: Coming soon
Application Recommendations
COATS: 2-3 coats; your preference.
BASE COATS: Your normal base coat is perfect! No staining or nail line visibility.
TOP COATS: Your normal glossy top coat is perfect! It dries with no texture. I only used a glitter smoother to make the flakes look like they were trapped in “resin.”
TIME: Dries very quick!
EXTRA NOTES: As a certified flakie-lover, I fell in love with this polish immediately. The colors in this polish are completely bewitching – very complimentary. Flakie lovers: don’t miss this one. For the flakie-curious: I would highly, highly recommend the beauty that is “Haunted Mask.”
Vampire Venom
by Glisten & Glow
DESCRIPTION:
INSPIRATION:
MANICURE DETAILS: Two coats with a glossy top coat.
SWATCH APPLICATIONS: YouTube Shorts
PRICE & CAP: $14.00 | Cap: None
LINK TO PURCHASE: Coming soon
Application Recommendations
COATS: 2 coats is plenty! Polish is very opaque.
BASE COATS: Your normal base coat is perfect! No staining or nail line visibility.
TOP COATS: Your normal glossy top coat is perfect! The glitters dry with no texture.
TIME: Dries very quick!
EXTRA NOTES: This formula is super silky. I can honestly say that this is a very unique polish! I have nothing like it, at all, in my collection. Although I was not in the scene in 2022, I do know that the inspiration polish was very popular. If you missed it back then: here’s your chance!
Spectral Sprinkles
by Painted Polish
DESCRIPTION: This polish features holographic and reflective glitters mixed with a rainbow of metallic flakies in a manatee grey tinted base.
INSPIRATION: A fun and sparkly rainbow ode to epic candy hauls!
MANICURE DETAILS: Two coats with a glossy top coat.
SWATCH APPLICATIONS: YouTube Shorts
PRICE & CAP: $13.00 | Cap: 400 bottles
LINK TO PURCHASE: Coming soon
Application Recommendations
COATS: 2 coats is plenty! Polish is very opaque.
BASE COATS: Your normal base coat is perfect! No staining or nail line visibility.
TOP COATS: Shockingly, this polish dries with no texture! No need for glitter smoother. Your normal glossy top coat will be perfect.
TIME: Dries very quick!
EXTRA NOTES: These sparkles are just delectable! I was so surprised that the sparkles didn’t need any glitter smoother; they are so bright! This polish is a lovely rainbow on your nails, and I would encourage everyone to give “Spectral Sprinkles” a try; Painted Polish is a glitter master.
Spellbound
by Rogue Lacquer
DESCRIPTION:
INSPIRATION: The movie Hocus Pocus!
MANICURE DETAILS: Two coats with a glossy top coat.
SWATCH APPLICATIONS: YouTube Shorts
PRICE & CAP: $13.50 | Cap: 800 bottles
LINK TO PURCHASE: Coming soon
Application Recommendations
COATS: 2-3 coats; your preference.
BASE COATS: Your normal base coat is perfect! No staining or nail line visibility.
TOP COATS: Your normal top coat, matte or glossy, will be perfect! The flakes dry with no texture.
TIME: Dries very quick!
EXTRA NOTES: The flakes have an almost ‘peekaboo’ effect due to the color of both the flakes and the base coat. It’s really, really interesting and beautiful, but oh so hard to capture on camera! If you liked the flakes from Rogue’s PPU offering last month (“Fire Swamp”), then you’ll almost assuredly love “Spellbound.” Also, I adore how it’s inspired by Hocus Pocus – my all-time favorite movie!
Hopefully this blog post has put you in a little bit of an autumn mood! Swatching these goodies certainly did for me.
If I had to choose a top pick from these four polishes – and it’s hard to only choose one – I would choose Haunted Mask by Cuticula Nail Lacquer. I genuinely believe Cuticula does some of their best work when it comes to flakie polishes, and “Haunted Mask” is no different. In fact, it’s one of their best, in my opinion! The colors are just perfect together, and it juices up nicely on the nail to give a gel-like appearance in only two coats. I would strongly recommend it for anyone who considers themselves a flakie-lover. To all who are opposed to flakes, I would gently push you to try this one; this is the PERFECT gateway flakie. (And, if you don’t like it, send it to me instead …)
We celebrate PPUWeen starting September 4, 2026 at 11:00 am EDT! Shop closes September 7, 2026 at 11:59 pm EDT.
Click here to go to polishpickup.com.
Which polishes are on your wishlist?
♥ Tori
