In Spades

Style... in abundance

Non-Toxic Nail Polish Review: Veque & Sundays

Veque nail polish reviewIf you’ve seen my past beauty must-haves, you know I love Veque nail polish.

The woman-owned, indie brand has an incredible lineup of 9-free, non-toxic polishes.  They were the ONLY brand I wore until I found Sundays.  I deviated simply because I wanted a cuticle oil (something Veque currently doesn’t offer) and stumbled upon Sundays in my fave green beauty shop.  After adding their cuticle oil to my basket, I saw they had the perfect cherry orange-red polish and decided to give it a whirl.

From there, I was hooked.

Here’s what you should know about each brand – application, color options and my favorite products from each.  Both offer non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free and 9/10-free polishes.

Veque Nail Polish

Veque’s polish has the perfect consistency – substantial, but not too thick – and does not chip.  The tips of my nails just rub off from normal wear after about a week.

The application is perfection.  The brush is wide (it covers the width of your entire nail bed) and the handle is the perfect size for gripping.

Their hero product is their base coat.  It’s white (as opposed to clear or nude) and makes colors POP.  If you’ve ever been frustrated by not getting a color to look like the bottle, GET THIS PRODUCT.  It works especially well with pastels and neons.

As someone who wants their nails done as quickly as possible, this is a quick extra step I always make time for.

FAVORITE COLORS

Lagrandiere – the best green ever
La Vie – grey-purple
Amis – grey
Rojo – cool red-purple
Rosso – deep plum
Opera – medium purple

Veque nail polishClockwise from top: 1) Au Revoir, 2) Bare, Lagrandiere, Seduisant, Rosso, Americano, 3) Lagrandiere, 4) Soiree

Sundays Nail Polish

Sundays application and consistency is almost identical to Veque’s.  Wide brush, thick polish, vibrant colors.  The main difference is the brush material – Sundays brushes have more synthetic bristles.  Veque’s are more natural fibers (like a makeup brush).  The handle is also thinner.  Not a deal breaker, but I much prefer Veque’s thick handle.

Sundays hero product is their fast-drying top coat.  I was a Seche Vite hold-out because it made my nails dry SO fast, but disliked that it wasn’t non-toxic.  Sundays top coat is the perfect clean beauty equivalent to Seche Vite.

I also love their cuticle oil.

FAVORITE COLORS

No. 13 – the perfect cherry orange-red
S. 01 – a shimmery rose gold

Makeup Bag Must-Haves

Makeup Bag Must HavesLast week I shared some beauty discoveries I’m loving.  They’re all fabulous products that work SUPER well.

Today I want to share the makeup discoveries I’m loving.  They’re a combo of recent finds and tried and true favorites.  The items your makeup bag can’t live without.

Bonus points: every single item is green/clean beauty!

Tinted Moisturizer

I got a sample of this and instantly fell in love.  I’m honestly considering replacing my foundation with it because it works THAT well.  It’s buildable, breathable and goes on buttery smooth.  No creasing or caking.  You can barely tell I’m wearing anything when I have it on.  I love that it has SPF 30 and you can buy it at Target!  The only way this product could get any better is if they offered a wider range of colors.

Color: Light

Smokey Eyeshadow

This shimmery powder eyeshadow is soooo pretty.  I have it in Mink (perfect for a smokey eye) and honestly need it in every color.  It also comes in midnight, onyx and blonde.  You can apply it with your finger or with an eye shadow brush – it’s literally foolproof and makes you look like a professional did your makeup.  I wear it from lashes to crease and like to line my lower eyelids with it for a pop.

Color: Mink

Everyday Lipstick

This color – C.R.E.A.M. – is the perfect everyday shade.  I constantly get compliments on it.  Creamy but it stays put.  They’ve updated the packaging to a tried and true lipstick tube and I love how easy it is to apply.  I don’t even need a mirror.

Color: C.R.E.A.M.

The Perfect Red Lip

This lip tint is heaven sent.  I would honestly own it in every color if it weren’t for the packaging.  I’m lazy and don’t like to use a lip brush, but I WILL for this product.  It’s moisturizing, highly pigmented, stays put and fades evenly.  One of my biggest lipstick pet peeves is when color fades only in the center leaving you with very pronounced “lip liner.”  This product won’t do that.  You’ll have beautifully stained lips for hours.

Color: Lover’s Choice.  I really want this deep berry shade too.

Lip Balm

I am a HUGE Burt’s Bees fan.  It’s honestly all I’ll use.  Until I found this lip balm.  Super luxurious and moisturizing.  You don’t need to keep reapplying it.  I love the subtle scent.  I want to try it in mint too.

Highlighting Powder

Full disclosure: I love Charlotte Tilbury’s highlighter.  The only reason I ventured out was because I wanted a green/clean beauty option.  This highlighter blends well and reflects light beautifully.

Color: Backstage Pass

Nail Polish

I’ve talked about this 9-free nail polish before.  It’s hands down the BEST nail polish on the market.  The brush makes application super easy and salon quality.  I have 10 colors and adore this deep green for fall.  This is the only nail polish brand I’ll wear now.

Color: Lagrandiere

DIY Home Manicure That Pops

Ciate London nail art cheat sheets When I discovered these nail art cheat sheets, I squealed out loud.  Not only are they super cute, but they seemed to be foolproof even for someone as novice as me.

Let me be frank.  I’m terrible at doing my own nails.

I don’t have any fancy nail tools.  I don’t push back my cuticles.  I don’t use a tiny makeup brush to clean up the edges.  I just paint my nails.  Plain and simple.

When I want a fun pop, I go for a bold color.  And now, I have these cheat sheets!

Ciate London nail art cheat sheets

Here’s a breakdown of what you get:

  1. 425 stickers for $18.  I love the protection eyes most, but the leopard spots, kiss faces and geometric shapes are awesome too.
  2. Most shapes come in black and white so you can use them with dark or light nail polish colors.
  3. They are SUPER substantial.  i.e. they look like real nail polish.  There’s dimension to them – they’re embossed.

There is an art to applying these for which I learned the hard way.  The first time I tried putting them on, my nails were only 80% dry.  I HATE waiting for my nails to dry and always rely on my topcoat to do the drying for me.  Since you can’t apply a topcoat until after you’ve applied these stickers, I was kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I wish I would have waited for my nails to fully dry.  I wasted 4 stickers because I couldn’t press them on firmly enough with semi-wet nails.

PRO TIP: wait for your nails to FULLY dry before applying.  You need to press each sticker firmly onto your nail and then finish with a topcoat for them to stay put.

I love this 9-free, vegan nail polish brand.  It’s women-owned and their colors are fabulous.  Wearing the color Buff here.

Shop the Post