We Tried Cirque Colors' Dream Within A Dream Magnetic Nail Polish With Mesmerizing Results

When we saw the magnetic, deep indigo jelly polish from Cirque Colors, with its crystalline glow and vivid, molten chrome effect, we simply had to try it for ourselves. The velvety shadows and iridescent hues came across as utterly ethereal, and it seemed like an ideal moody polish for the dark winter months. "An oil slick chameleon, this vivid shade glows, shifts, and shimmers at every angle," the brand said of Dream Within a Dream, which has garnered 4.6 stars on their site.

While magnetic polishes aren't a new trend by any means, the multidimensional effect created by pulling together the metallic particles in the polish with a magnet as it dries hasn't lost its wow factor. The resulting pattern of shimmering waves and swirls is what makes the polish unique — and truly enchanting. We'll admit we had our doubts that the galactic rainbow effect of the color-shifting chrome nails could be achieved so easily at home, but we kept an optimistic, open mind throughout our process.

We set up to try the dreamy polish first thing in the morning, pulling a magnet off the fridge to achieve the chrome pattern. We purchased the magnetic polish from Beyond Polish, where it retails for $14.50. After sifting through some online reviews, we took one Reddit user's advice to apply two layers for opacity first and then magnetize the third and final layer. The initial coat was quite thin, and we couldn't help but notice the brush lacked width. However, the deep, majestic violet and shifting hues of amber and mossy green were immediately promising. We let the first and second coats of polish dry — somewhat patiently. And then geared up for the main event. We applied the third coat to a thumbnail first, magnet at the ready. Once the coat was complete and still wet, we eagerly held the magnet as close as possible to the polish at an angle, for 15 seconds.

When the time was up, we examined the nail, and to our great disappointment found no change in the appearance of the polish. We quickly determined the magnet was too weak and dashed to the garage to hunt for something stronger. Once we found a more promising magnet, we tried the process on another nail — success! Whew.

The magnet created these cosmic waves in the polish, pulling out the deep indigo in particular and illuminating more subtle shades of the pear green — although some of these tones weren't easy to capture by camera. While we weren't able to replicate the distinct and steady rainbow effect shown on the brand's site, we were still totally wowed by the more abstract look we did achieve.

With a deep, night sky aura, the at-home manicure was unlike any we had tried before. It was only after our experiment that we found Cirque Colors offers a magnetic wand for $5. So, while our stronger magnet ultimately did the trick, we would highly recommend ordering the tool to get the full chrome effect. All in all, Cirque Colors Dream Within a Dream is aptly named and certainly gives an air of mystery with its transcendent quality and rich, moody hues. We can confidently say we'd try any of the other 15 magnetic shades available on the site — this time with the intended magnetic wand.