4 Best Mood & Color Changing Thermal Nail Polishes
Color-changing polishes are just magical in a flash of a moment your polish can change color.
But not all color-changing polishes are created equal so in this article, we are going to share with you the best quality ones for amazing nails.
The Best Thermal Color Changing Nail Polishes are:
- Beetles Color Changing Gel Polish – (Affordable & good quality color-changing gel nail polish)
- Cirque Mood Polish – (A high-end color-changing polish without a UV lamp needed)
- KB Shimmer Polish – (An amazing three-color thermal polish)
- INLP Polish – (A Birefringent color shifting nail polish)
1- Beetles Thermal Gel Nail Polish
Beetles Gel Polishes is the brand of color-changing gel nail polish that I use and recommend.
For a very low cost, these polishes have amazing color-changing properties.
And because of this Beetles Thermal Polishes are currently one of the best-selling color-changing polishes on the market.
Pros of Beetles Thermal Polishes
1- Brilliant and Obvious Changes In Color
Beetles Polishes are thermal polishes which are polishes that change their color as the temperature rises and falls.
You can see how the color shifts for each of the 8
The bottom part of each polish shows how they would look at warm temperatures.
And the top part highlights how it would look at cold temperatures.
2- Easy to Apply
Beetles Polishes are easy to apply, it’s the same process as using any gel nail polish.
How to Apply Color-Changing Gel Polish
- First clean and prep your nails using polish remover and by gently pushing back your cuticles
- Next, apply a base coat and let it cure for 90 seconds under a UV lamp.
- Then apply two thin coats of the Beetles Polish, letting each coat cure for 60 seconds.
- And finally, a top coat to make your nails nice and glossy, let your top coat cure for 90 seconds
3- Looks Decent at Room Temperature
One of the best things about Beetles Polishes is that at room temperature they look really good.
Now with some other brands of color-changing polishes, they tend to only look good during extreme temperatures.
I have seen a lot of videos of how people’s nails look amazing when they are dipping their color-changing nails in cold water or moderately hot water.
But at room temperature, their nails appear lackluster, you won
4- Affordable
Beetles are one of the most budget-friendly brands of polishes available.
In comparison, the next polish in this article is my favorite, but it comes at a steep price roughly three times that of Beetles.
When you take into account the low price of Beetles and its quality, you can see why it truly stands above the rest.
Drawbacks of Beetles Thermal Polishes
- Needs a UV or Led Lamp To Cure
Since this is a gel polish you are gonna need a UV Lamp or an Led Lamp to apply them. This is the biggest drawback for Beetles Thermal Gel Polishes.
Thankfully these lamps are very cheap and if you dont have one I think they are a worthy investment of a few bucks. You can click to check out this affordable UV lamp on Amazon.
- Limited Colors
Beetles currently only offer 6 colors which you have to buy as a package since they are not sold individually.
This is really sad because their polishes are really good, they need to work on having more choices.
Where To Get Beetles Mood-Changing Polishes
I usually buy my Beetles polishes on Amazon, they usually have them at really good prices.
You can click to see the current price of a set of 6 Beetles Thermal Polishes on Amazon.
How Do Thermal Polishes look When it’s Cold?
As the temperature drops, thermal polishes change to a darker and more vivid color.
And because of this trait, for me, color-changing polishes look more amazing at night or during the winter months.
How Do Thermal Polishes Look When It’s Hot?
When the temperature rises the polishes shift to a color that is lighter.
At regular room temperature, your nails would have a more balanced color scheme. Citation.
Do Thermal Polishes Really Change with Your Mood?
All thermal polishes will change their color somewhat based on the fluctuation of your body temperature which can be due to mood swings.
But it’s important to note that color will not change drastically due to your mood instead, the shifts will be very subtle, this is true for all mood polishes.
The polishes tend to make drastic changes because of environmental factors such as entering a cold air-conditioned room.
Keep reading to understand why this is so, I will explain this in more detail later down in the article.
2- Cirque Color Changing Mood Polish
Cirque Colors are the best premium color-changing polishes on the market. These polishes are very easy to use and they display vivid and amazing color-changing abilities.
Cirque is a small independ
This allows them to have strict quality control and because of this all of their polishes are amazing.
Cirque’s main aim is to make unique polishes ignored by the bigger mainstream companies. They are based in Brooklyn NY and all of their polishes are made right there. Citation.
Pros of Cirque Colors
- Amazing Color Changing Ability– The color of Cirque Mood polishes changes vividly and dramatically as the temperature goes up and down.
And I have found that they are sensitive enough to change as your body temperature shifts, which means your mood can affect them.
- Don’t Need a UV or Led Lamp – Cirque Color Changing Polishes are regular polishes, not gel polishes so you won’t need a UV Lamp or a Led Lamp for them to cure, they dry naturally.
This is one of the biggest advantages they have over gel polishes like Beetles Color Changing Gel
Even though they are not gel
- Easy to Use and Fast to Apply– Cirque polishes are easy to apply just two coats and your nails will look opaque and already be color shifting
I prefer using a top coat to make my nails look extra glossy but this is optional if you dont your nails will have more of a matte bland finish. Also if you want your polish to last super long you should use a base coat.
You can see how to apply Cirque Polishes in the short video below and you will also see up close how the colors are shifting with the temperature.
- Amazing Colors and Designs To Choose From -The various shades of polishes that Cirque offers are a breath of fresh air, they are each unique and are sure to stand out.
My favorite colors are:
1- Rothko Red:
This is my favorite color it’s a super dark blood red color and that goes perfectly with a hot red lipstick.
The Rothko Red at cold temperatures changes to a dark oxblood red a bright crimson red when warm.
You can click to see the price of the Rothko red color on Amazon.
2- Luna Color:
A brilliant blue, you can click here to see the price on Amazon.
3- Magic Turquoise:
This polish is light green when cold and shifts to a light sky blue when warm.
You can click here to check it out on Amazon.
- Safest Nail Polishes on The Market– All Cirque polishes are extremely safe to use they are made of completely non-toxic materials.
Their polishes are totally free of animal cruelty- meaning no animals were hurt to make or test these polishes.
And they are vegan which means that no animal ingredients were used to make them. Citation.
So if you prefer your polishes to be of the utmost highest health and moral standard, then Cirque Polishes are definitely the way to go.
- Looks Amazing At Room Temperature
Cirques Color changing polishes look really good at standard room temperature.
What I love about them is that they are so sensitives at times thee tip of your nails will have a dark shade color whilst the rest of your nails display a completely differently lighter color.
This is because the tip of your nails tends to be cooler. I love this natural contrasting dual-color look that you get from these polishes.
Drawbacks of Cirque Colors
1- Very Expensive
Cirque Polishes are almost triple the price of a standard polish. And because of the high cost I dont blame you if you don’t try it.
What I can tell you is that in my opinion, they are worth the price.
In this instance, you truly get what you pay for. Sadly I highly doubt that the price will go down, the main reasons for the high cost are:
1- Cirque Polishes are all handmade in NY.
And the cost of labor there is much more expensive, you see most polishes are mass-produced overseas.
2- The other factor is that Cirque only uses high-quality safe ingredients, which tends to cost a lot more.
2- Needs More Variety of Colors
Another area that Cirque can improve on is that they need more variety in colors to select.
3- KB Shimmer Three Color Polish
KB Shimmer Polishes are thermal polishes that offer amazing color-changing abilities.
The great thing about KB Polishes is that they have the added ability to shift between three different sets of colors.
You can see how it looks in the image below.
Pros Of KB Shimmer
1- Can Potentially Shift Between Three Colors
KB Shimmer tri thermal Polishes have the ability to shift between three sets of colors
Warm – It becomes a light green
Cold – It becomes a deep blue
Regular Temperature – It has a light purple.
This is different because most color-changing polishes are either in a warm or a cold color and during the transition stages the colors they just tend to be lightened version.
KB Shimmers on the other hand has a middle resting color which is a light purple.
You will find your nails will mostly stay at this color during the day unless you are in a reasonably warm or cold environment like an a/c room, its wintertime or a very hot day.
2- Your Nails Might Be Multicolored
With KB Tri-color polishes your Nails when transitioning between colors will have streaks of various colors.
This is a double-edged sword because sometimes it can make your nails look messy, imagine if you randomly put on more than one color of polish on.
3-You Won’t Need a UV or Led lamp
KB Shimmer thermal polishes are regular polishes so you won’t need a UV or Led Lamp to cure.
They are easy to apply, they look best with a top coat and with at least two coats.
Drawbacks of KB Shimmer
1- Expensive
KB Thermal Polishes are roughly twice as much as most thermal polishes, they justify the high cost because of the tri color ability.
2- Looks Best With Long Nails
To get the three-color effect at once in a uniform manner, you would need to have long nails.
Having long nails allow each part of your nail to have a different temperature which allows each section of your nail to be a different color.
The tip will be cold, giving you a dark blue, the middle section will be a balanced temperature giving you a light purple and the part close to the cuticle will have a light green color, due to it being warm from body heat.
3- Limited Colors to Choose From
KB shimmer only has a few colors to choose and I think they really need to expand their color options.
Where to Get KB Shimmer Polishes
Amazon usually has them, you can click to see the current price of my favorite color.
4- ILNP Polish Color Changing Polish
ILNP polishes are birefringent nail polishes.
What this fancy term means is that these polishes change their color based on the angle that light hits and bounces off your nails. Citation 1 and 2.
This means that as you move your hand around the color of your nail polish would shift.
These polishes are made by ILNP Cosmetics. Citation.
Fun fact INLP stands for – I Love Nail Polish.
Pros of INLP Polish
1- Instant and Amazing Color Changing Ability
These polishes easily and dramatically change their color as you move your hands around.
ILNP polishes require no temperature change or UV light to shift its color, all you need is to change the position of your hand and the color automatically shifts.
The color shifting is just amazing, the first time I used them I got distracted by the constant color changes as I move around.
2- No Need For UV or Led Lamp to Cure
ILNP is a regular polish so you won’t need a UV or Led Lamp to cure it.
3- Easy to Apply
These polishes don’t require any base coat or topcoat.
Two coats and your nails would look amazing.
Drawbacks Of ILNP
1- Expensive
ILNP polishes are very pricey much more than your average nail polish, but I do think they are worth at least trying once.
But be warned you might get hooked.
2- Limited in Color
As of writing this article ILNP only has a few different types of color available.
Where To Get ILNP
Amazon usually has these polishes at good prices gonna leave links below to the three sets of colors.
1- Blue, Purple, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange Ultra Chrome
2- Pink, Purple, Copper, Gold, Green Ultra Chrome
3- A Silver Holographic Nail Polish – Creates a Rainbow effect.
What Are Mood Changing & Thermal Nail Polishes?
Mood Changing nail polishes are Thermal Polishes, meaning that their color will be altered primarily due to the fluctuation in temperature, not necessarily because of your mood. Citation.
Can The Colors Actually Change Because of Your Mood
Yes, color-shifting in certain mood polishes can be caused by dramatic shifts in your
This is because your emotions affect your body temperature, which then makes the polishes change color. Citations 1 and 2.
The polish colors will change more predominant when you are happy or angry.
This is due to a rapid increase in blood flow in your arms, caused by adrenaline and endorphins, which will increase the body’s outer heat causing the polishes to change color. Citation.
It’s important to note that these changes will be very subtle so the color won’t shift too much due to your emotions.
This is because they tend to need bigger variances in temperature to induce a major shift in color.
Most polishes need a minimum temperature change of 5ºF (3ºC) to induce a major shift in colors. Citation.
Your mood swings alone cant drastically change your body temperature to induce a major shift in the color like it
If that was the case I would advocate calling a doctor.
