Aquired Aesthetics: Zoya Nail Polish
I have a love-hate relationship with nail polish. My entire day-to-day life is predicated on the use of my hands: I take dictation at work, I do dishes at home, and between my time with the dog and my time taking out with my friends, I wash my hands a lot.
And I just do not get how people can use drugstore nail polish. It chips, it peels – peels! – and it’s also one of the least eco-friendly beauty products ever. (Nail polish even smells toxic, you know?)
Enter Zoya Nail Polish. Like Butter London, Zoya is free of phthalates (as well as toluene, formaldehyde, DBP and camphor, a.k.a. not toxic), but unlike Butter London, Zoya guarantees that their polish is “specifically formulated to deliver the longest wear possible on natural nails.” (A side note: as Lisa mentions in the comments below, truly “natural” nailpolish will not stick to nails. It takes harsh solvents to do that. If you’re going totally natural, no nail polish for you, period.)
When I found Zoya’s site, they were having a “two for the price of one” sale. Their polishes are only $6 each, and I used this website as an excuse to pick up a couple of bottles: Christinna, a sheer polish in metallic dove grey, and Jane, a pale pink. (“But honey, it’s for a review. I have to buy it!”)
Please excuse the untamed nail beds. Like I said: lazy.
When it comes to non-toxic nail polish, I’ve typically found two common problems: it smells repulsive and takes forever to dry, or it dries quickly, but doesn’t “stick” to your nails. (Again with the peeling. Ew.) Zoya, on the other hand, smells like normal nail polish (an enemy you know…) and stays on like normal nail polish – think OPI or China Glaze. It also dries really smoothly, without those uneven lines of color that some sheer polishes get when you don’t paint them perfectly. (This is important, because I am lazy.)
Zoya also has a surprising number of colors to choose from: 300 regular shades (every thing from basic pink to forest green) as well as Seasonal Collections that usually compliment whichever color scheme is currently on-trend. They even list a desciption of each shade and its opacity, so you know exactly what you’re getting before you buy it.
Their Spring 2010 collection is called “Reverie,” and features six colors, including a cool grey, a bright red and even orange. (I kind of want to rock the Gwin shade, but my boss would kill me.)
I still want to try their polish remover and Color Lock System (the less chipping, the better) but for the moment, I’m happy with my six-dollar purchase. Maybe I can do orange on weekends?
Which nail colors are you into right now?
Do you have a favorite brand of polish, and is it eco-friendly?
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Zoya is a nail polish Powerhouse! I absolutely love their products (specifically Remove+, their polish remover and prep) and they’re so fun to interact with on Twitter.
Plus, they have the BEST deals!
Jaime´s last blog ..Guest Blog: William Rast’s Vanity Sizing
I’m kind of obsessed with nailpolish and my nails are painted 90% of the time and my toes 100% of the time or I will not wear opened-toed shoes. While not eco-friendly, my favorite brand is NYC, specifically their New York collection:
http://www.newyorkcolor.com/products/index.cfm?item=561
It’s under $2, dries super fast, never bubbles and never ever chips! Plus the colors are awesome. I love strange colors like mushroom greys and dark emerald greens, but I really like bright colors like coral oranges and neon pinks. (This is one of the reasons I really like Essie and OPI, although I really dislike their prices. lol)
I have never heard of Zoya but the colors are REALLY pretty! I might just order some to add to my collection! “Laney” and “Adina” will probably be the firsts.
I was hoping someone I knew had used Remove+! I’m glad to know you like it – it will definitely be my next purchase.
I support any brand that has a polish named after me ;D
http://www.artofbeauty.com/scrpt/scr.dll/Item?Item=2097&brand=2&d=Zoya_Nail_Polish_|_Brie
But honestly, I had a pedicure done at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa (fancy schmancy *pinky up*) here in Chicago, and they were using Zoya polishes. I’m sure pedicures normally don’t chip quickly, but this one seemed to be EXTRA sturdy. I was happy with the colors and the longevity.
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Hi!
Just saw this artical – but i think you should be aware Zoya nail polish isn’t natural at all!!
Don’t be fooled by the clever marketing! Although it’s free from the ’3 free’ and dosen’t have the chemicals you metioned ( some are babbed anyway) it’s still packed with harsh solvents…hence the solvent smell!
There is no such thing as ‘natural’ nail polish. By it’s very nature – no nail polish can be ‘natural’ and stick to human nails.. The closest you can get to ‘natural’ polish are water based formulas.
Try googling toxic free nail polish and you’ll find some brands which are water based.
Lisa
Thank you! I can’t believe I wrote “all natural” in that post. I’m aware that nail polish is still chemical, and yet I just became a part of the group that perpetuates misinformation! I’ll go change the post to reflect that though Zoya is one of the least toxic nail polishes around, it’s not even remotely a “natural” product.
Thanks again for calling me out on this. I really appreciate it when people point out misinformation…including my own!