BEAUTY // Introducing Little Ondine*

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.