Every now and then I receive a product that gets me a little bit excited! Little Ondine is one of those products. I thought this formula was not only water-based, not 3­ 5­ or 7­ free but ALL free, completely non-toxic nails, as well as a formula that really works. However, once I received the ingredients list there was one ingredient on there that doesn’t float my boat: triethanolamine. This is a potential releaser of nitrosamines – carcinogens. That said, it is at a concentration of less than 2%, and walking down the street in London you are exposed to a lot more chemicals and carcinogens than this so I’m not going to worry *too* much about it. Also, I use Zoya Anchor Base Coat underneath which acts as a layer between colour and my nails. So, my search for the purest of the pure nail colours that has superb staying power continues – watch this space!

The formula is different from other water-­based products I have tried in that it is thicker. It’s also very quick-­drying, which is perfect for me as one of the reasons I don’t paint my nails as often as I would like is time. Sure, I can stick a coat on, but I firmly believe in doing things properly which means it can take 40 minutes to an hour to manicure my hands.

The Little Ondine products are heavily pigmented, which means you can *almost* get away with just one coat! If you were in a hurry you could definitely get away with a single layer, but for optimum coverage, I would recommend two layers.

The first thing I noticed about the Little Ondine products is the packaging ­ very cute but also practical, for contained inside the packaging are the how to apply instructions and more information about the brand.

The next thing I noticed is that the nail polish doesn’t smell at all! That means ladies that yes you can get away with painting your nails on the train, bus or at your desk without creating an offending odour!

In terms of staying power, with a couple of coats I’ve found the nail polish to last several days at least, and then I touch up my tips to make it last a few days more! As this is an almost truly natural nail polish without any harsh chemicals to bond the product to your nails the lasting power of this product is not as long as you may experience with mainstream chemical­-laden products. It’s just not possible for a water-­based “polish” for non-­toxic nails to last *as* long.

Now here’s the genius bit in my opinion. When the time comes to remove your nail polish, there’s no need for nail polish remover ­ the coat simply peels off! So if you make a mistake, just peel it off! If a nail chips ­ just peel it off and repaint the one nail! Very clever indeed if you ask me.

All in all, I am loving Little Ondine’s nail polishes and can’t think of a bad thing to say about them.  It’s difficult to create a product that offers long-lasting 100% non-toxic nails without any potentially harmful chemicals in it. With Christmas party season and general mad busy­ness in full swing, my nails are looking beautiful and if I do chip one I can very easily touch up so that nobody would ever know!

Next on my list to try from this brand is one of the glittery options, such as Fireworks. If you’re wondering why you should switch to a non toxic nail polish, read more here