More often than not, I attempt the DIY manicure method rather than a salon treatment, as it suits my schedule. My basic lacquer requirements include: ease-of-application, a reasonably quick dry, and length of color wear before the inevitable tip-chip begins. With end of summer festivities in mind, I decided on Lauren B.’s #ImSoLA (a vibrant pink), Sparitual’s Love & Happiness (think where pink meets melon), and AILA’s Doolish (deep peach).
These three brands formulate their polishes and products with vegan ingredients, sans harmful toxins like formaldehyde, DBT and camphor, and maintain the luxury experience each color application deserves. And in case you’re curious, because I certainly was, each of these brands also offers polish removers in a variation of gentle yet effective options.
Lauren B.’s line, which was born, raised, and inspired by Los Angeles, combines every desired effect for a perfect color, with long-term wear–ability that doesn’t break the bank! With her uncle, hair-care guru Philip B. as her mentor and guide, Lauren B. brings a collection with Pantones and color variations to meet a full spectrum of manicure styles. This brand definitely exudes the youth and unapologetic boldness of LA, which happens to be right up my alley. www.laurenbbeauty.com
AILA was created by physicians focused on eliminating toxic ingredients in the products you put ON our bodies to complement the same focus as what we put INTO our bodies. Their brand symbolizes transformation and no longer needing to sacrifice health or values for beauty and function. Their collections are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they also launch in tandem with the fashion lines each season – which I appreciate since I like to pair my nail styles with the trends of the day. www.loveaila.com
Sparitual designs their products with specially sourced and selected plant essences that are Certified Organic and Fair Trade. Further, their products are packaged responsibly and are designed to “complement an enhanced multisensory experience.” For me, the draw here is the variation of some of the top-trending nail styles and effects that would otherwise make me second guess the ingredients in my bottle (i.e. glitter and cracked nail styles). www.sparitual.com
I began with a solid coat of Lauren B. on one hand and AILA on the other. As impatient as I tend to be, I made sure to wait a good few minutes for the first coat to dry before considering a second. Both of these polishes actually yielded an easy application. Neither was too thick or conversely too runny and the first coat dried very quickly. After the first coat was dry, I went over the nooks and crannies around the cuticles and tips that I may have missed. Once dried, both colors looked exactly like their bottled color, which made me ever-so-happy since that isn’t always the case with polish.
Like I said before, tip-chip is basically unavoidable with any polish, even from the salon, so I was not surprised to see a few blemishes and chips on the tips of my nails when I assessed damages days later. Overall, however, all of these polishes received my gold star seal of approval. By week’s end, I was administering some touch-ups, but really that was the extent of my needs. These three withstood my typical weeks’ worth of wear and tear and delivered on their mission to provide enviable results.
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