BEAUTY // Introducing Little Ondine*

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Hello there!
Today's post is focused on a brand just launching in the UK called Little Ondine. They have designed nail varnishes with a non-toxic formula consisting of purified water, resins and colourant. There are none of those nasty chemicals, such as toluene and formaldehyde to name a few, in these polishes. I am always intrigued by natural cosmetics - being a curious chemistry student who works with these nasty chemicals on a daily basis. Come on girls, I'm wearing thick rubber gloves when I'm working with what goes in these nail vanishes. What are we putting on our fingers?!

Anyway, when they offered to send me a couple of varnishes to review I did not hesitate. Natural varnishes that dry quickly and peel off? Yes please!


As well as being non-toxic, so fantastic for those of us with sensitive skin, these polishes boast a quick dry formula and easy removal without use of harsh chemicals. They simply peel off in one go. 

This can be aided with the use of warm water or alcohol pads (e.g. the ones you use to disinfect a cut). Oh, and did I mention that they are odour-free? That's right girls - your house doesn't have to smell like a nail salon all evening!


The lovelies at Little Ondine kindly sent me colour Boom and Smack, a matte neon orange and yellow respectively. Whilst they aren't the most wearable colours whilst I'm at work, but they are perfect for holidays (neon toes anyone?!) or a festival. They have such a wide array of colours that there really is something for everyone, whether you want something bright and cheerful or my favourite - grey.

Instructions come in the box with every polish, which is adorable, suggesting how to achieve optimum wear.

1. Clean nails to ensure little natural oil is on the surface. This entirely makes sense from a chemistry point of view. If there's oil on the surface how will a water based product sit? Chances are - it won't!

2. Apply their base coat. It's the same non-toxic formula and why would you use a normal base and top, full of nasties, when you're using a non-toxic polish? 

3. Apply 2-3 coats of each polish. They dry super quick making application quick and simple.

4. Correct any mistakes before the polish dries. The entire nail is more likely to peel off if clean up is left.

5. Finish off with the top/base coat and voila - your nails are done!

6. Keep your hands/nails dry for the first hour after application. They'll be dry enough for you to go about your everyday life but cannot get wet.

Keeping the nails dry is a strange request but, I did as the instructions said and was really quite impressed with the results!

Like I said, the colours weren't exactly the most wearable at work. I paired an accent neon nail with my neutral work shade just to see how they wore. If I'm honest, I am rather impressed. After a couple of shifts I didn't really have much in the way of chips and even the best of normal nail varnishes cannot put up with my hectic work lifestyle (retail eh?!)


I found both polishes dry quickly although at least 3 coats are needed minimum. The brush is really thick and makes application simple although getting an even distribution without brush lines wasn't always easy with my neon yellow (although a good top coat would fix that pronto!) I found that I actually used four coats of the yellow and it still wasn't 100% opaque. I tend to find that issue with normal neon varnishes though - so it's nothing to sing home about.

They both were removed super, duper easily. I simply peeled off the super thick layer of polish and I was ready for my next shade.  That is a big plus for me. I hate taking off my nail varnish.  However, I would suggest that you use a nail cream or something between uses just to hydrate your nails. Mine definitely weren't hydrated after a couple of days wear but a little bit of hand cream and my nails were back to their normal selves. Either way, my room did not smell like the lab and that is a-okay with me.

At the end of the day, would I buy myself more Little Ondine polishes? Yes, yes I would! They apply relatively well, are nice sized bottles with fantastic brushes that make application quick and simple. Even better they are non-toxic and are easy to remove. Could I ask for more as a seriously lazy female who loves well done nails? No - I could not. Sure, they are a little pricey ranging between £7 and £9 but they are certainly a product that boasts a lot that the high street cannot offer.

Have you ever tried non-toxic nail varnishes? Would you like to try a Little Ondine polish? Let me know!

* Some items were sent for review but all views are my own.

24 comments :

  1. These sound like the perfect polishes and I love how you've worked some vibrancy into your look with an accent nail! :)

    Style Sunrise☀

    :)
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are so easy to use, that's for sure!

      :)

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  2. I think these sound so interesting! I read another blog post on these earlier and they look so good xx

    Jasmine || http://www.blogsallbeautyy.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was definitely intrigued when I heard about them!

      :)

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  3. Ooooh, these look brilliant, especially the orange one. I want to try one of these. I like that they peel off so you don't need to use nail polish remover. Such a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. The whole peeling to remove feature is just brilliant! If you get one chip you can just take everything off so quickly. No need to have chipped nails ever again!

      :)

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  4. I've never tried nail varnishes like this before, but I find it so satisfying peeling off nail varnish so maybe this the product for me!
    Jennifer x
    Ginevrella | Lifestyle Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's even more satisfying when the entire layer comes off in one!

      :)

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  5. These sound lovely - especially the fact that they are non-toxic. The fact you can peel it off when you are done is really interesting too - my only concern is that by pulling it off, it's tearing the top layer of your nail? I would definitely give these a go...do you know if they do a range of more neutral shades? :) x

    Brenda BusyBee | Win a Travalo Perfume Atomiser

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    1. I'm honestly not sure. They say to either use warm water or an alcohol wipe to help remove them more easily but my nails didn't look in any worse after peeling the layer off. I definitely used a nail cream afterwards just incase though.

      :)

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  6. These sound really intriguing, love that they just peel off - removing nail polish is not fun! xx

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  7. They're really cute! And I mean the price...I'm usually a cheapskate with nail polishes but the fact they're different from basically all the others out there on the market? That's a good price.

    And they peel off? Oh gosh I LOVE peeling nail polish off.

    Meg | A Little Twist Of…

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    Replies
    1. I'm awful! Any more than £3 and I'm like OOOH BURN!

      :)

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  8. I love how bright these colours are! x
    OhjustAlice.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. It is crazy pigmented which is so impressive!

      :)

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  9. Sounds like a really good brand! I haven't heard of the name before and I don't think these are available in my country :/ Followed you on bloglovin by the way, hope you can check out my blog as well :)

    xo, J | La Petite Fawn Blog

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    Replies
    1. That's a shame! They have only just come through to the UK worth a look if you ever see them!
      And thanks lovely - I'll have a look!

      :)

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  10. These look great, those colours are so bright and fun! x.

    nutmegdiys.blogspot.co.uk

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  11. These sound really cool! The peeling off part is awesome!
    Tegan xx - Permanent Procrastination
    Btw check out my sweet Lightbox Giveaway if you haven’t already!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's so satisfying - especially when it comes off in one big chunk!

      :)

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  12. These sound great but I'm never sure about a nail polish that says it peels off because to me that sounds like it will come off really quickly and not last very long

    Emma emhasrednails

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Thank you so much for commenting! I appreciate every single one of them and will get back to them as soon as I can :)