(The offerings in this blog post were gifted to me in exchange for photos; all thoughts are my own)
Grab your king cakes and beads, friends: it’s time for Kathleen & Co’s Mardi Gras collection for 2026! I have some beautiful polishes to show off today for you, as well as comparisons and sales information. This collection is six pieces with one being a magnetic, one reflective glitter bomb, and one rainbow-y topper.
I have a swatch reel promo which can be found on my Instagram and YouTube.
OK – let’s get into the swatches.
Kathleen & Co: Beads & Baubles
Price: $13.50 | Cap: unknown
“Beads & Baubles” is a holo flake base loaded with multichrome flakes that shift fuscia/purple to gold and green.
I am wearing 3 coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations:
- Coats: 3 is best for even coverage, but your nail line will still show.
- Top Coats: Your normal glossy or matte top coat is perfect! Dries with no texture.
- Nail Art: Beautiful on its own!
- Time: Dries quickly!
I am going in somewhat alphabetical order, but I do think this is also my favorite in the whole collection! “Beads & Baubles” was kind of surprising to me as I wasn’t expecting ALL the colors of the rainbow to be packed in those flakes! Mia was so smart and creative to use multichrome flakes as the “main event”, so to speak, and the tiny holo flecks that make up the base are so beautiful. It makes for a beautiful mosaic on your nails, and it almost reminds me of shattered stained glass.
Three coats is beautiful on, but your nail line will still show through. If this bothers you, you can wear a neutral base or any fun creme below it. To show its capabilities as a pseudo-topper, below shows 1 coat of “Beads & Baubles” over a red creme. If you purchased “Bead Tree” from Kathleen & Co’s Mardi Gras collection last year (2025), you may wonder how it compares here. You can also see that comparison below. I was also asked in the Kathleen & Co Facebook group about a comparison with “Waldorf” from the 2025 Holiday Quad, but I do not have that polish.
“Beads & Baubles” dries quickly and without any texture, so there’s no need for glitter smoother. If you like rainbows and are a flakey fan, this one is perfect for you.
“Beads & Baubles” in indoor studio lighting.
Kathleen & Co: Mardi Gras Madness ’26
Price: $13.50 | Cap: unknown
“Mardi Gras Madness ’26” has multichrome flakes that shift from fuschia to gold to green in a clear base with a dash of multichrome shimmer that has the same shifts.
I am wearing 3 coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations:
- Coats: 3 is best for even coverage and opaqueness.
- Top Coats: Your normal glossy or matte top coat is perfect! Dries with no texture.
- Nail Art: Beautiful on its own!
- Time: Dries quickly!
The next on this list is another flake-y bomb with amazing shifts! If you want a polish with the classic purple, green, and gold Mardi Gras colors, this is your polish. Just look at the thumb shot above! Although “Mardi Gras Madness ’26” looks like it comes with a lot of texture, I experienced none of it with three coats and was able to forego glitter smoother. I would strongly recommend going up to three coats, even on short nails, to reach opacity. You may still see your nail line at three coats, but the shimmer and flakes obscure it quite well.
“Mardi Gras Madness ’26” in indoor studio lighting.
Kathleen & Co: Purple Parade
Price: $13.50 | Cap: unknown
“Purple Parade” has a deep violet base loaded with green shimmer and tiny holo bar glitters.
I am wearing 3 coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations:
- Coats: 2-3; your preference!
- Top Coats: Your normal glossy or matte top coat is perfect! Dries with no texture.
- Nail Art: Would make for a great base for nail art! I could see this as a great “hyperspace” background (where are my Trekkies at…)
- Time: Dries quickly!
I can see “Purple Parade” as the best-seller for this release. It’s a purple polish with those amazing rainbow-y bar glitters! When I put this polish on, I couldn’t stop moving my hand around to see those bar glitters dance. If you want those same bar glitters with a different polish color, I suggest you look at the “Bourbon Street Bling” swatches at the bottom of this post!
I had no issues building this polish up to three coats. The formula is super easy to use and the glitters felt very even on application. The bar glitters also lie very flat, so like the two polishes before “Purple Parade,” no glitter smoother is needed.
The best way I could show off this polish is just by showing the movement of the bar glitters! Check out my swatch video on YouTube or Instagram to watch those rainbows in action.
“Purple Parade” in indoor studio lighting.
Kathleen & Co: Queen of the Ball
Price: $13.50 | Cap: unknown
“Queen of the Ball” is a beautiful purple with large particle shimmer and bright green reflective glitters.
I am wearing 3 coats with glitter smoother and a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations:
- Coats: 2-3; your preference!
- Top Coats: Glitter smoother under your usual top coat is a must.
- Nail Art: Would be a beautiful base for nail art!
- Time: Glitter smoother makes for a longer mani.
When I first saw this polish in its bottle, I wasn’t sure what to think. The green reflective glitters were so intimidating! It felt more like it belonged to an alien-inspired collection rather than a Mardi Gras one – and it was especially confusing with a name like “Queen of the Ball”! However, when I applied it, it turned out so classy and beautiful! It truly lives up to its name. The purple base with green reflective glitters pair so well together, and I would dare call it almost delicate on the nail. The formula was incredible, too, and was easy to build up to three coats. I usually never go up to three coats with reflective glitter polishes like these, but this formula made it easy.
With all reflective glitter polishes like “Queen of the Ball”, you’ll definitely want to use a glitter smoother underneath your usual top coat. That will help your finished manicure dry without any texture. This does make for a little longer of a manicure, but it’s so worth it for those beautifully bright sparkles.
“Queen Of The Ball” in indoor studio lighting.
Kathleen & Co: Royal Revelry
Price: $13.50 | Cap: unknown
“Royal Revelry” is a blackened base with purple/pink magnetic pigment with aqua reflective microglitters.
I am wearing 3 coats with a glitter smoother and glossy top coat.
Application Recommendation:
- Coats: 2-3 coats; your preference!
- Magnetization: Ring and cat-eye effects will be most beautiful to see the multi-color shifts and reflective glitters!
- Top Coats: Glitter smoother under your usual top coat is a must.
- Nail Art: Would be a beautiful base for art work! It looks like a starry night with aurora to me.
- Time: Will be a long manicure with coat-by-coat magnetization and glitter smoother.
The magnetic polish in this collection is “Royal Revelry”, which looks like a starry night when magnetized! Those reflective glitters are such a nice touch, and are just enough to make it look delicate. Because of those reflective glitters, you’ll definitely need a glitter smoother. PLEASE NOTE: you will need to magnetize your glitter smoother coat! I don’t think I’ve ever had a magnetic polish that needed a glitter smoother, so I was unaware myself until I tried magnetizing the glitter smoother layer, and saw that it really needed it. The magnetic pigment will disperse if you don’t, just like magnetizing your top coat. With that said, once you magnetize your glitter smoother layer, I really don’t think you need to magnetize the top coat above it – I saw no dispersal or moving of the pigment when top coat was applied.
“Royal Revelry” in indoor studio lighting.
Kathleen & Co: Bourbon Street Bling (topper)
Price: $12.50 | Cap: unknown
“Bourbon Street Bling” is a fun holo topper that has tiny holographic bar glitters and holo micro glitters.
I am wearing it with 3 coats alone on my middle finger, 1 coat alone on my thumb, and 1 coat over various creme colors on my index, middle, and pinky fingers. All are topped with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations:
- Coats: All your preference!
- Top Coats: Your normal glossy or matte top coat is perfect! Dries with no texture.
- Nail Art: It’s a topper, so it’s a great addition to any manicure. You could also try jelly sandwiches for your own color “Parade”!
- Time: Dries quickly!
Last but certainly not least in is “Bourbon Street Bling,” the topper of the collection. Like I said for “Purple Parade,” if you loved those bar glitters, here is a versatile polish to pair bar glitters and tiny holo flecks with any color of your choosing! If you want to make your own color “Parade,” so to speak, take any jelly (translucent) polish and put “Bourbon Street Bling” between coats! I did not try this, and now I’m mad at myself for not doing it…
“Bourbon Street Bling” in indoor studio lighting.
Thank you all for reading and scrolling through! I can’t wait to see what all everyone orders ♥
