When I edit a nested variant such as text or colour the variant reverts to the original.
See video example. I first show how the Variant works, then when I try to edit it you can see it reverts to the original.
I would simply edit the variant of the component Master, not the instance. Or create an additional variant that differs for that specific state. 
Thanks so much for the reply. 
So the problem is i’m building an index.
Like this: Roma Publications
Where the instance needs to be updatable:
I’ve added images below to further illustrate the need
