(The polishes in this blog post were gifted to me in exchange for swatch photos; this blog post is made of my own volition, and all thoughts are my own)
Another month, another upcoming Polish Pickup opening! October 2025’s theme is “Optical Illusions.” I am so excited to share this month’s offerings from Glisten & Glow and Kathleen & Co. Thank you to both these wonderful brands for giving me the opportunity to swatch such beautiful polishes!
If you are new to Polish Pickup, it is a collaborative release of polishes from indie nail polish brands. It opens the first weekend of the month from Friday morning to Monday night, and makers must make polishes based on the theme for the month voted on by customers. It also includes various non-lacquer and nail care items, like cuticle oil, base and top coats, acetone additive, and more.
Polish Pickup opens October 3, 2025 (Friday) at 11 AM EDT and will close October 6, 2025 (Monday) at 11:59 PM EDT.
You can click here to go to polishpickup.com.
For all of my swatches, I am wearing the Jen & Berries Ridge Filling Base Coat (purchased) and Glisten & Glow Quick-Dry Glossy Top Coat (gifted).
OK, spiel done. Let’s get in to the illusions!
Kathleen & Co: Zig Zag Daze
Zig Zag Daze has a bright red jelly base, loaded with purple to red shifting shimmer and a smattering of fuchsia holo microglitters. The little holo microglitters dance on the nail giving off little sparks of red and blue.
I am wearing it in 3 coats with a glossy top coat.
Application Recommendations:
- Coats: 2-3; very little change in color between 2-3.
- Top Coats: Your normal glossy top coat to make those sparkles shine!
- Nail Art: I think it would make a great base for nail art!
- Time: Would be great for a mani in a pinch!
This polish was actually an illusion to me in a few ways! The first being that my phone just about freaked out taking photos of this manicure. Don’t let the photos fool you: this polish is a sparkly, juicy beauty.
I was also convinced that these were red reflective glitter while applying – I didn’t have the PR information yet while swatching, so I really was clueless. But, it didn’t apply like a reflective glitter polish as the formula applied very true to a jelly. While waiting for the 3rd coat to dry, I was debating so hard about whether I would need a coat of glitter smoother. It didn’t look like it dried “thirsty”, but it was so SPARKLY. I ultimately did forgo the glitter smoother and went in with just top coat, which was… perfect. I didn’t have any texture. The texture was a mirage!
This is so sparkly in direct lighting situations, and the sparkles come out very delicately in shaded conditions. I think you’ll love it in any lighting, but obviously it is a stunner in bright lights, like kitchen lighting and sunny conditions.
Zig Zag Daze in indoor, studio lighting.
Zig Zag Daze in outdoor, sunny conditions.
Zig Zag Daze will be available on polishpickup.com for $13.50 with no cap.
Glisten & Glow: Museum of Illusions
Museum of Illusions is a vibrant blue base loaded with color-shifting shimmer that shifts from green to blue, with holo flakes.
My manicure is 2 coats with the Glisten & Glow Glitter Smoother (gifted) and a glossy top coat.
Glisten & Glow was inspired by Mark Rox’s (@pop.art.pov) amazing modern media and graffiti art that is at the Museum of Illusions in Barcelona, Spain.
Application Recommendations:
- Coats: 1-3; opaque in one!
- Top Coats: Your normal glossy or matte top coat.
- Nail Art: Very beautiful on its own, but may be fun as a base!
- Time: Car mani in one coat!
Every polish I’ve ordered from Glisten & Glow has such a buttery smooth formula, and this one is no different. I’ll have a reel being posted soon that shows how it applies. If you have the time, just see the first 20 seconds or so to see how buttery that first coat is.
Speaking of the first coat, I think this one could be a one-coater! It looked completely opaque for me in one coat, so I did a second to plump it up then stopped there. It won’t need any glitter smoother, but I did add some to see if I could make those holo flakes really sing in the sun.
Like the K&Co offering this month, I also experienced a bit of an illusion with this polish. While looking at this polish under studio lighting then in the sun, they look like two totally different polishes! The studio lighting looks so much more jade-like to me, whereas in the sun, the blue base really takes over. You can really see this in my swatch photos between the lighting conditions. If you think about it, it’s like you’re getting two polishes in one… a mesmer in our midst!
Museum of Illusions in indoor studio lighting.
Museum of Illusions in outdoor sunny conditions.
Museum of Illusions will be available on polishpickup.com for $13.50 with no cap.
Glisten & Glow: Glitter Grabber
Glitter Grabber is an amazing product that you apply after any glitter or textured manicure is done, fully dry, and before your top coat. It aids in creating a smoother surface for your top coat or matte top coat, all while “grabbing” that extra texture.
I had someone message me on Instagram asking if my Museum of Illusions manicure so shiny. Although the shimmer in this polish is bright, I did have Glisten & Glow’s Glitter Grabber on! Not because the polish itself had texture, but because you can use Glitter Grabber as a way to simulate a gel manicure.
Here’s your tip for the day: if you want a more gel-like manicure, regardless of how smooth it is, add glitter grabber! Try it once and see how you like it.
From using other glitter grabbers, this one tends to dry faster for me, which definitely helps for short manicure times.
Glitter Grabber will be available at polishpickup.com for $10.00 with no cap.
Cuticle Remover & Cuticle Oil Duo (not pictured) will also be available for $12.50 with no cap.
Thank you all for scrolling! I hope you gained something useful from reading. I am a forever fan of both of these brands, and can vouch for all of these products. I can’t wait to see all of your photos of these polishes, too.
