I recently discovered Octopus Party Nail Lacquer while browsing Reddit. The colors were magnificently eye-catching. I decided to speak with Dave about his interest in indie lacquer and what inspired his branding. Here's what he had to say:

My interest was piqued earlier this year around springtime. I was shopping for a friend's birthday and I decided to get her some nail lacquer. One of my favorite compulsions is to research extensively. I get intrigued rather easily, and it's not unusual for me to sink hours into learning new, useless information on any topic imaginable. Anywho, I did a bunch of reading up on nail lacquer (as I prefer to call it since it was derived from automotive lacquer) and chose to buy her a few bottles of China Glaze. Reddit was immensely helpful in my new endeavor. It really was an invaluable resource for finding out what mainstream information was important to know, and discovering a bunch of terrific tips from ladies who share their honest feedback and advice. I went to my local Sally's and was greeted by an impressive display and a sale on said brand. As I was selecting some colors (I think I picked up five) it dawned on me how enjoyable it was to select them based on uniqueness, shade, consideration of other colors, weather, finish, holidays, etc. And that made me think about how I also enjoy options for customization, especially when it comes to color. The way you present yourself to the world dictates how you get to interact with it. We're lucky enough to be given billions of ways to do this - lights, iphone covers, fashion, tattoos, hairstyles, bicycle seats, flatware - and even luckier to be able to create them as well. What it boils down to for me is, this is fun. Who doesn't love color?

The only story behind OPNL is that I was stoked to start it as soon as I realized I could. It combines a lot of things I enjoy: chemistry, color, flammable materials (don't ask), making girls happy, handiwork, etc. I've already begun testing on a smaller, second winter collection and I've moved onto getting some formulas down for spring. I am proud of what I've accomplished and hope people enjoy my products. If not, this will continue to be a hobby. I can't think of a better plan B than that.

The name, Octopus Party Nail Lacquer was chosen over the only other contender: Point Five. Octopodes / Octopi / whatever you like are my favorite animals; have been since I was old enough to speak. Most people I know are aware of this, so I have quite a few octopus paraphernalia around. The name, to me, evokes fun, color, and fantasy. Ha ha which are probably good to keep in mind for a cosmetics line.

Slumberland is a sheer white crelly with iridescent glitter. Shown above is two coats with no base color. I think this would make a really nice french tip.   The consistency was excellent and easy to work with.

Polishes used: Octopus Party Nail Lacquer- "Slumberland", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Plum's the Word is a plum and holographic glitter topper. Shown above is one coat over Maybelline Color Show- "Impeccable Greys." The top two photos are with a standard top coat, while the bottom photo shows how it would appear matte. I like the use of the holographic glitter to break up the rich punchy appearance of the plum. The formula was nice to work with and supplied me with enough glitter to do a gradient in one swipe.

Polishes used: Octopus Party Nail Lacquer- "Plum's the Word", Maybelline Color Show- "Impeccable Greys", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro", Essie- "Matte About You"

Mint Me At Midnight is a green crelly with a satin finish. Shown above is two coats of Mint Me At Midnight. Green is my favorite color, so Mint Me At Midnight quickly worked its way into my "must have" list. That gorgeous satin finish is how it dries naturally.

Polishes used: Octopus Party Nail Lacquer- "Mint Me At Midnight"

Solar Powered is a holo grey that can be worn both as a topper or independently. Shown above is one coat of Solar Powered over two coats of Mint Me At Midnight. The top two photos are with a standard top coat, while the bottom photo shows how it would appear matte. This color reminds me of a cross between Orly- "Sparkling Garbage" and China Glaze- "Fairy Dust." I think the main difference is that the holographic glitters are much darker than both colors, and more abundant.

Polishes used: Octopus Party Nail Lacquer- "Solar Powered", Octopus Party Nail Lacquer- "Mint Me At Midnight", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Sunken Baubles is a dark blue/green jelly with iridescent, blue, green and copper colored glitter. Shown above is two coats with no base color. This jelly was a bit thicker than the rest, but it definitely workable. I found that it was at the best consistency when I shook the bottle between painting each hand. Jellies are usually prone to chipping rather quickly. I have been wearing Sunken Baubles for four days now with no chips. My hands and nails have been beaten up through various craft projects, cleaning, and wrapping gifts. Sunken Baubles gets an A+ for durability!

Polishes used: Octopus Party Nail Lacquer- "Sunken Baubles", Pretty & Polished- "Swift Sparkle"

I was incredibly pleased with the whole collection. All colors are stunning in the bottle and on the nail. The formula was always spot on, and rich with pigment and glitter. It's safe to say that Octopus Party Nail Lacquer is now in my list of favorite indie makers.

| Etsy |

 *All colors were generously provided for review