LVX Nail Polish | Fall/Winter 2016

For years I have been interested in trying out new nail polish brands, particularly ones that are non-toxic and overall better for you. LVX was kind enough to reach out and offer me a chance to try out their Fall/Winter line *. LVX focuses on bringing out a range of shades each season that are on trend with the color palettes seen in high fashion. As you can bet, there are a ton of perfect shades for this crisp/chilly season ahead of us. This season's range includes the following (from top to bottom below) - Mink, Santal, Oasis, Vanille, Brique, and Ashe.

My uncle is really big on a healthy lifestyle and always lectures me on perfumes and nail polishes and all the toxins that will seep into my system. Years ago he did a quick search online and linked me to a brand called Scotch Naturals, which had water-based nail polishes. In short, these polishes were not great - they didn't last, they required you to file your nails down beforehand, and to use a specific nail polish remover - it was far too much of a hassle for me. I quickly reverted back to my typical O.P.I. and Essie polishes. Fortunately for me, LVX's polishes are 7-Free, Vegan, and Cruelty Free. When LVX says they're 7 Free, they're stating that they are free of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, Toluene, Camphor, Xylene & Parabens. LVX is also TPHP free and Gluten Free. The more I research these ingredients found in your typical polish, I'm even more keen on staying on this "safer" nail polish trend.

Keeping up with the theme of my blog lately, I've been clearing out my nail polishes over the last few months (post HERE) and after thinking about just how long I've had most of them, I'm getting ready to do another clear out and try a few different new brands. Although I still love O.P.I and Essie, I've been interested in trying out some five-free / seven-free / cruelty-free brands. Some brands that caught my interest were Formula X (Sephora's in-house brand), AILA Cosmetics, and Smith & Cult.

I was absolutely blown away by the quality of these polishes. So far I've tested out three of the six polishes and they have all held up incredibly well. These polishes are extremely opaque and two coats is the perfect amount needed. A top coat will definitely help as I've tried it with and without. With a top coat, I was able to get about 4 solid days with little to no chipping around the tips. Granted, I've been working out a few times a week with weights and these have more than held up. Without a top coat little chipping may happen at the tips, and that's just the gateway to larger chips coming off. But even then, it was to a bare minimum and nothing far too obvious.

The first shade I went for was Mink as it's Fall and I'm feeling the darker shades. Typically dark nail polishes stain my nails and leave them a bit yellow-ish afterwards. Fortunately for me, and my nails, there was no staining left on my nails after I took this off. I'm working my way off with the neutrals and don't see this changing any time soon. Brique and Oasis are darker than my typical shades, but I always love a good red (perfect for holidays) and I've been wanting to try a dark green polish for the last few years - so perfect timing!

I've been flashing snippets of my nails over on my Instagram Stories, so be sure to follow along to get close-ups and chip progress!

Have you tried any toxic free nail polishes? If so, which are your favorites?

*Products mentioned in this post have been sent to me for consideration. I have not been compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.