As both a woman and complete and utter nerd, nothing makes me giddier than when those two core facets of my personality come together in an inspired way. Such is the case of Mooncat’s Death Note collaboration, which sees the manga-turned-anime-turned-live-action-film adapted into something a bit different: nail polish.
After a week of teases, the Mooncat x Death Note collection is now live. The collab features nine different polishes, each inspired by a specific character or moment in the dark-yet-beloved series, and marks the first time Death Note has collaborated with a beauty brand.
If like me you are a die-hard Mooncat fan, you already know that their polishes are anything but simple, and this collection is no exception. The collab features nail lacquers in shimmer, matte, glitter, thermal, metallic, and magnetic finishes, all in a gorgeous range of moody colors. The descriptions for each polish are as follows:
- Sunset Over Tokyo: A deep blue laquer filled with yellow shimmer.
- God of the New World: A charcoal black to burgundy themral lacquer with a subtle transition. It transitions from a shade of burgundy red when cold to charcoal black when warm.
- Sugarfuel Brain Calories: A semi-sheer lacquer jam-packed with blue shimmer, cand-colored flakies, star-shaped flitter, holographic glitter, and reflective glitter.
- Mourning Rain: A matte grey lacquer filled with green shimmer.
- Misa Misa: A purple-pink magnetic lacquer that reveals a black base when magnetized.
- Rem’s Requiem: A light pink-to-lavender multichrome magnetic lacquer that reveals a charcoal base filled with silver metallic flakies and reflective glitter when magnetized.
- Ryuk Was Bored: An icy silver-blue magnetic lacquer that reveals a navy blue base with reflective glitter when magnetized.
- Gods of Death Love Apples: A matte lacquer filled with red shimmer.
- Shinigami Realm: A slate grey to silver thermal lacquer filled with icy shimmer that transitions from a shade of slate grey when cold to silver when warm.
Each polish runs between $17-18, and a magnetic wand–which assists in the application of magnetic polishes and making cat-eye effects–can be added to your cart for free with any purchase.
Fans looking to grab the whole collection can also order the limited-edition collector’s box set, which is housed in a matte black container meant to resemble the series’ eponymous Death Note. The collector’s box set retails for $139–about $20 less than if you were to buy each polish individually–and comes with an exclusive sticker set and magnetic wand.
As someone who has been following the collaboration’s rollout via Instagram, I am particularly impressed by the level of thought that went into the collection. According to Mooncat’s creator, Michelle Lin, the set is “a love letter to a story whose artistic legacy has left an indelible mark on her creative vision.” Lin has spent the past week or so regularly uploading short reels explaining her thought process behind each shade.
God of the New World, for example, is meant to represent the show’s main character Light, who portrays himself as a straight-laced, normal teenager but hides a dark, bloodthirsty side; this duality is exemplified by thermal polish’s transition from charcoal to crimson depending upon temperature. Sugarfuel Brain Calories, on the other hand, is far more light-hearted, and pokes fun at fan-favorite character L’s insatiable sweet tooth.
Since launching in 2021, Mooncat has also collaborated with Star Wars and Avatar: The Last Airbender, the latter of which is still available to purchase on its website.
