American Classics: Nail Polish

Top (L-R): Orly 'Haute Red' // Essie 'Ballet Slippers' // RGB 'Oxblood' // OPI 'Black Onyx'

Bottom: Zoya 'Evvie' // PRITI NYC 'Cherry Ingram' // NCLA 'Poolside Party, All Eyes On Me!' // Seche Vite 

I made a pledge to myself to wear something made in the USA every day. Some days that's more challenging than others, but when in doubt I can always turn to my favorite nail polishes to get me through the day.

I'm a slight nail polish hoarder. The hubs would challenge my parameters for "slight," but that's neither here nor there.

While I might be intimidated by wearing the color red, that intimidation doesn't carry over into my love for all red nail polishes. Orly's 'Haute Red' is my absolute favorite and that's saying something from someone who owns ten different red shades. I have problems.

Essie's 'Ballet Slippers' is such a classic that Queen Elizabeth's hairdresser asked for a bottle in 1989.  I don't know if the Queen wore the polish, but I know I did on my wedding day. I never let a Target trip go by without stalking the Essie nail polish section.

I know some folks are intimidated by black nail polish and to you I say get over it! The hubs is not a fan of the look, which means I paint my nails black the moment he's out of the house or the nano second he's in the dog house :) I guess my repressed emo teenager self is still alive and well.  I love the depth of OPI's 'Black Onyx.' There is no denying that my nails are black when it's on!

Now, I know you're thinking that nail polish is smelly and potentially bad for you. Actually things, have improved significantly over the last few years and I'm happy to report these nail polishes are among the safest out there.

This RGB 'Oxblood' is not only "Five Free" but it's also cruelty free.  Fall is my absolute favorite season and nothing screams "FALL" like a deep burgundy nail polish. The RGB colors are rich, bold, and adored by Rachel Zoe.

I first heard about Zoya nail polish during their annual Earth Day promotion a few years ago. They ran a crazy deal where if you mailed them in some of your old chemical-laden polishes they'd send you free healthy ones from their own line, in addition to recycling the chemical polishes in a responsible way.  Zoya was the first nail polish I ever heard of that was vegan friendly. I've been hooked ever since. I'm not going to lie, but I've purchased Zoya for all of my friends in their own names because a polish that names every shade in a female's name is awesome in my book.

PRITI NYC ups the ante and goes "Five Free" in addition to being vegan friendly, non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, and 100 percent biodegradable. These polishes are advertised as being safe for both children and moms-to-be, which means I'll be including bottles of these polishes with every baby shower gift I give from now on.

NCLA is also "Five Free" and never tests their products on animals. In addition to being a safe polish, the brand is known for it's bold colors and designer collaborations. Think California living for your nails.

Look, no matter which brand you go with for nail polish make sure you do yourself a favor and top off that hue with Seche Vite. I've tried other top coats, but that is the only top coat that gets the job done and then lets you get on with your day mere minutes later. You can do your nails at night, top them off with Seche Vite, and not have to worry about ruining your glossy nails with the imprint of your sheet as you sleep.  This top coat isn't "Five Free" but since it's not coming in direct contact with my nails I'm still using it :) It is free of formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate (DBP), so I guess it is better than a few other makeup items (gross!).

How about you? What are you favorite nail polish brands/colors?