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Get This: Eco-Chic Nails!

March 11, 2010 by 11 Comments

Amidst all the glitz and glamor of the International Beauty Show and the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference, I found an up-and-coming brand of eco-friendly and organic nail polishes and removers, called Karma Organics!  While the products are 100% organic, that doesn’t mean they’re just for the eco-friendly gals who love to paint their nails! The line, created by a husband and wife team from New Jersey, offers over 100 different colored polishes, as well as a top coat, base coat, strengthener, cuticle oil, cuticle remover and a nail bed healer that are all-natural and chemical free. In addition, the polishes are free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP, making them great for everyone (including women who are pregnant)! The Karma Organics line is great for the environment, right down to the 100% recyclable glass bottles that the polishes come in! The coolest part of the line (at least to me) is that there are several glow-in-the-dark shades, which are marketed towards children, but I love anyways! (I mean, c’mon, who doesn’t love glow-in-the-dark?) Another advantage to this organic line is that because it’s chemical-free, the polish will actually last longer!

karmaorganics Get This: Eco Chic Nails!

In addition to the polish line, Karma Organics also sells three different organic soy nail polish removers. The polish removers come in Unscented with Vitamin E, Tea Tree scented or Lavender scented (and let me tell you: they smell really good!) The polish removers are 100% biodegradable, 100% soy and corn-based, non-toxic and non-carcinogenic. They are also free of any petroleum ingredients or by-products and are derived from American produced farm crops. Like the nail polishes, the bottles are 100% recyclable including the label!

I left the booth with a bright pink shade of polish #330, “So Berry Sweet” which I polished my nails with last night. One stroke of the brush left a bright, opaque coat on my nails which I then covered with their top coat. My nails dried in five minutes flat and I didn’t smudge them! I’m a serial hand-washer and from what I’ve seen so far, this polish is showing zero signs of chipping any time soon!

I also got a bottle of the Karma Organics unscented polish remover with Vitamin E, which I used to remove my old coat of polish. The polish came off effortlessly (I’ve had to scrub hard with some acetone-based removers in the past) and left my nails looking clean and healthy!

Karma Organics was recently featured on WNBC Weekend Today in the “AskMelissa” segment as one of the Top 10 Lifestyle Picks for 2010! The brand has also been featured in some popular magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine and Health and Allure, where it was chosen for the Allure Editor’s Choice Award! Karma Organics is currently only sold at the upscale women’s boutique Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue in New York City.  You can read more about Karma Organics products by visiting their website, or by visiting the Karma Organics Spa, located in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Read more of my wrap-up of the IBS/IECSC here!

Reporting for the The Makeup Girl – Erika Belezarian

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Erika is a college student living, working and playing in the concrete jungle of New York City. She is extremely passionate about fashion, beauty, style and so much more! Follow her on Twitter @_ErikaLeigh and read about her NYC adventures, fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice on her blog Shoes, Shirts and Other Sh!t. And who knows...maybe you'll run into her around NYC!

From time to time, various brands, PR companies, and marketing firms graciously submit product to The Makeup Girl for editorial consideration. Just like any magazine, The Makeup Girl readers can take comfort in knowing that gratis product has never nor will it ever guarantee a mention on this blog/site. For the full disclosure, click the tab in the upper right hand corner labeled "Disclosure".

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  • http://twitter.com/Get_Lippie Get Lippie

    “Another advantage to this organic line is that because it’s chemical-free, the polish will actually last longer!”

    Um … organic doesn't mean “chemical-free”. Nothing – literally, nothing – is “chemical-free. Do you think you could explain how something being “chemical-free” means it will last longer, too, please? I'm finding that statement more than a little confusing. I think I know what you're trying to say, but I'd like the statement explained, please!

    Sorry to be a pain, the varnishes look great, and very interesting, but there's a whole heap of “green wash” around organics and chemicals … synthetics and chemicals aren't necessarily bad, but neither are they interchangeable terms.

    Thanks much!

  • http://www.liannefarbes.com/about Lianne

    Hey Get Lippie,

    I did not attend this event, BUT I spoke to my correspondent Erika and she had this to offer…

    “The husband and wife who created it (they were the people I spoke to) told me that because its chemical-free (no formaldehyde, no toulene and no dbp) and organic (it's organic because all materials are naturally derived from local organic farms), the polish “bends” and stays bonded to the nail longer than traditional polishes. All of the ingredients in the polish are listed on the company's website http://www.karmaorganicspa.com and they told me any questions can be directed to their sales/customer service department, which I believe can be reached at sales@karmaorganicspa.com.

    Hope that helps and I agree there is a lot of “Green Washing” out there, but there are a lot of companies that are legit as well. Thank you for bringing it to my attention so I could check it out a bit further for you.

    -Lianne

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  • http://twitter.com/Get_Lippie Get Lippie

    Um … so it's actually 3-Free (like 90% of all nail varnish these days, actually), rather than “chemical free” then. I think you missed my point slightly … Claiming something is chemical free is greenwash at it's most reasonable-sounding, but pernicious, worst. Sorry!

    Sure the varnishes are lovely, but there's some misleading claims being made here.

  • http://www.liannefarbes.com/about Lianne

    Get Lippie,

    You are certainly entitled to your opinion on the subject.

    I would hope that readers check things out thoroughly if this is a concern for them and contact the company directly and address it in that regard.

    -Lianne

  • http://twitter.com/Get_Lippie Get Lippie

    Thanks, Lianne. You'll notice I've not posted my “opinion” on the polishes, I'm actually certain that the polishes themselves are great, to be honest. Many three-free formulations – of which this is certainly one – are.

    However, stating that nothing on earth is chemical-free is a provable FACT, not an opinion ;) I'm aware it wasn't the thrust of your article, but saying something is great because it's chemical-free is an untruth, albeit a – no doubt unintended – one in this case. I like blogs because we're free to be truthful about products, is all …

  • http://www.liannefarbes.com/about Lianne

    I never said you stated your opinion on the polishes themselves, only the “subject matter”. And I am aware that nail polish itself is a chemical, however ones that are free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP are indeed “chemical free” maybe not of ALL chemicals but the ones that most consumers seem to be concerned about the most.

    While you may view it as “green washing”, I looks at it as a step in the right direction. Oh and by the way, Erika saying that the “polish is great because it is chemical free” is her opinion not an “untruth”. Thanks again for your comments.

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    Now this is what I call the power of Eco! Don't you guys think we had enough of the chemicals in make up kits? It's time to go Eco. Just what I needed, chemical-free nail polish.

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    Now this is what I call the power of Eco! Don't you guys think we had enough of the chemicals in make up kits? It's time to go Eco. Just what I needed, chemical-free nail polish.

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    I want that collection! amazing and chemical free.