(The offerings in this blog post were gifted to me in exchange for photos; all thoughts are my own)
Oh, my goodness… I have been so excited to share this collection! And the time has come. In just a few short days, it will release for sale.
Mia, the maker of Kathleen & Co, reached out to me a few months ago and asked if I’d like to create a polish with her as part of a spring collection. I could’ve screamed, and I probably did. Kathleen & Co was the first brand to take me on as a swatcher, and now they are the first brand to create a polish with me! I feel very honored to be trusted with an idea worthy of being turned into a polish. Mia did a beautiful job with mine and all of our ideas. She is truly a master of her craft!
This is a six-piece collection of polishes inspired by springtime and her swatchers. In addition to me, she asked @lacqueredactyl, @corvidnails, @nataliesneatnails, @cosmeticsanctuary, and @_always_polished_ to create polishes as well, making up the collection. I will have more information about their inspirations below!
The Swatcher Collab Collection and Spring Break Collection will be releasing this Friday, April 17 at 7 PM CDT on kathleenandco.com. At the time of posting, you can go to their website and see previews of the listings! All polishes in the Swatcher Collab are $14.00 each.
Okay, let’s jump in.
Launch Details
WHEN: Friday, April 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM CDT
WHERE: kathleenandco.com
PRICE: $14.00 each
APPLICATION VIDEOS: Instagram, YouTube
OTHER INFO: The Spring Break Collection will also be releasing at the same time as this collection. They are beautiful and are up for preview on the Kathleen & Co site!
Tallahassee Spring
WHO: @duckydigits; Me!
DESCRIPTION: a fuchsia (cold) to white (warm) thermal with pink/orange/green iridescent flakes and gold holo microflakes.
INSPIRATION: I grew up in Florida and had never lived anywhere else, until we moved to North Carolina in August of 2025. I spent almost a decade of my life in Tallahassee. Tallahassee was where I went to college and grad school, where I met and married my partner, and where I fell in love with life. Tallahassee will forever be one of my favorite places on Earth, even though I couldn’t have lived there forever – it was time to move on. Azalea season, a.k.a. spring, in Tallahassee was my favorite season. My favorite azaleas were the Formosa (bright pink) and George Taber (white-pink), hence why I chose a white-to-pink thermal!
MANICURE DETAILS: Three coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations
COATS: 2; I went up to 3 but wish I would have stopped at 2.
BASE COATS: The warm state will still show nail line, even at 3 coats. If that bothers you, use a blurring base or nude creme underneath! No staining.
TOP COATS: Glitter smoother if you don’t like any texture, plus your regular top coat.
TIME: Dries quick, but will be a longer manicure if you use glitter smoother.
EXTRA NOTES: Even if you don’t like thermals or have one-state hands (I’m perpetually cold-handed, so I feel your pain), if you’re interested, I’d suggest trying it anyway! Regardless, the thermal transitions beautifully and easily, and there are so many pinks in between the states.
Mellow Morning
WHO: Natalie, @nataliesneatnails
DESCRIPTION: A lilac base with purple and blue flakes and a touch of gold microflakes.
INSPIRATION: Her love of the color purple and a color palette she sent of spring flowers.
MANICURE DETAILS: Three coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations
COATS: 2-3, your preference!
BASE COATS: Your normal base coat is perfect! No staining.
TOP COATS: I did not have texture with just a normal glossy top coat, so no glitter smoother necessary.
TIME: Dries quick.
EXTRA NOTES: If you prefer a lighter and (slightly) warmer purple base, opt for 2 coats! The third coat deepened it very beautifully. And, it’s always fun to have a flakey-bomb that doesn’t require glitter smoother!
Water Lilies
WHO: Nees, @_always_polished_
DESCRIPTION: A pale spring green base with soft pink shimmer and light green reflective pigment. This polish sparkles!
INSPIRATION: She wanted a soft spring polish that reminded her of a Monet painting.
MANICURE DETAILS: Three coats with glitter smoother and a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations
COATS: Recommend 3 for maximum opacity and color payoff; you will still see nail line at 2.
BASE COATS: Your normal base coat is perfect! No staining.
TOP COATS: Glitter smoother is a must underneath your top coat as this is loaded with reflective glitters.
TIME: Dries quick, but will be a longer manicure due to using glitter smoother.
EXTRA NOTES: It will look incredibly sheer and light on the first coat, but don’t panic! It builds beautifully with each coat in color and opacity. Kathleen & Co’s reflective glitter formula is so easy to use, and I had no patchiness.
Lucifer Hummingbird
WHO: Lisa, @cosmeticsanctuary
DESCRIPTION: A medium grey base with bright fuchsia magnetic pigment.
INSPIRATION: A pic she sent of a gorgeous bird that has a very interesting name!
MANICURE DETAILS: Three coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations
COATS: 2 coats if you do the velvet magnetic style; 3 coats otherwise.
BASE COATS: Since you can see some nail line even at 3 coats, I’d suggest a blurring base or another creme underneath (if nail line bothers you).
TOP COATS: Your normal top coat is perfect – just make sure to magnetize it, too!
TIME: Since it is a magnetic polish, it will be a longer manicure. I recommend a magnetic re-wetting coat to make this process quicker!
EXTRA NOTES: Please note that there are shifts to yellow that I could not capture with my lighting rig! (Yes, I need to get more lighting in my little desktop studio). Although this is a magnetic, I think this is very beautiful unmagnetized, as seen on my pinky.
Scarab Vibes
WHO: Chris, @lacqueredactyl
DESCRIPTION: A green base with green color-shifting flakes that are accented by an orange/green multichrome magnetic pigment. This polish can be worn with or without the magnetic effect.
INSPIRATION: A wacky magnetic befitting his vibe!
MANICURE DETAILS: Three coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations
COATS: 2 coats if you do the velvet magnetic style or unmagnetized; 3 coats otherwise.
BASE COATS: Since you can see some nail line even at 3 coats, I’d suggest a blurring base or another creme underneath (if nail line bothers you).
TOP COATS: Your normal top coat is perfect, and don’t forget to magnetize it!
TIME: Since it is a magnetic polish, it will be a longer manicure. I recommend a magnetic re-wetting coat to make this process quicker!
EXTRA NOTES: This polish is so much fun! I had such a fun time staring at all the shifts as I moved my hands around. The orange magnetic shimmer is SO bright in the magnetic effect.
Jack's Blooms
WHO: Christine, @corvidnails
DESCRIPTION: A pale base with green shimmer and a soft pink/yellow magnetic.
INSPIRATION: Her dad Jack’s garden.
MANICURE DETAILS: Three coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations
COATS: 3 coats recommended as you can still see some nail line at 2 coats.
BASE COATS: Your normal base coat is perfect!
TOP COATS: Your normal top coat is perfect – just make sure to magnetize it, too!
TIME: Since it is a magnetic polish, it will be a longer manicure. I recommend a magnetic re-wetting coat to make this process quicker!
EXTRA NOTES: I really like lighter magnetics like this. I feel like we usually see magnetic shimmers that are highly contrasted to the base color. This almost reminds me of a less-subtle “The Seven Ravens” by Vapid Lacquer. With that said, I think this polish is underwhelming unmagnetized and in the velvet style; go with more dynamic magnetic styles with this polish!
Some final thoughts on my end…
When Mia asked us to make custom polishes, I didn’t know who else she asked or what they had asked for in a polish. With that said, I am so surprised at how different yet cohesive the collection looks, with the common “springtime” tie. I appreciate her once again for trusting my heart to create a spring polish for her brand, and it meant the world to me.
Tell me: which one(s) are you most excited for?
Tori, these are soo beautiful! I can’t wait to pick up Tallahassee Spring 😍😍😍
Thank you so much! I think you’re going to love Tallahassee Spring. 💕