Coloriage : conseil – guide – choix Best vegan nail polishes for a cruelty-free manicure during lockdown

If your polish preference lies with deep reds and purples, you’ll love the shade “Amy” from award-winning British brand Maggie Anne’s range of more than 40 shades. It comes out as a rich aubergine – much less garishly purple than the marketing photos suggest – and left us with the glossiest finish of all the polishes we tested. Even the stubbornest gel aficionados will be impressed – and there’s no UV lamp required. The formula is fairly thick so we found two thin coats to be optimal, but you can expect strong pigment and no streaking from the first layer.

Our manicure still looked pristine nearly a week after application (we used a base and top coat, and lightly brushed along the tip of each nail, as usual). These polishes are all 6-free and have been given the Peta seal of approval. It’ll also last for up to two years once opened, unlike many other polishes that quickly go gloopy. We’ll take the lot, please.

Peta-certified nail brand Nailberry ticks a lot of boxes for any conscious shopper. Its extensive line of polishes is entirely vegan-friendly, 12-free and halal-approved. Nailberry’s USP, however, is its breathable formula that lets air and water vapour pass through the polish to the nail, keeping it healthy.

New to the range is the “it’s juicy” collection, comprising of three fun and fruity pink hues just in time for spring/summer 2020. Our favourite shade was “berry fizz” – a subtle glittering magenta that gives us that summer holiday feeling.

Nailberry’s formulas are sheer, meaning you’ll need to build them up for a stronger colour. This requires more time, but we love the glossy, semi-translucent finish it gives. The wide tapered brush neatly colours the nail in one sweep without blobbing.

Base coat and two thin coats of colour later, we were happy with our result. This polish proved durable too – run a top coat along the tip of your nail to keep them chip-free for days.

Beauty lovers on a budget will already know and love Barry M’s affordable vegan nail polishes. Four new earthy colours have just been added to its “green origin” collection – 70 per cent natural origin paints made with wheat, potato and corn.

We were sceptical about whether these unusual ingredients would translate to a high-quality nail polish but we were pleasantly surprised by the results. Our pick from the latest collection is the uplifting, sky-blue “Salt Lake” but we also liked “cranberry” (actually more of a pinky terracotta), which flatters all skin tones.

Expect exceptionally strong pigment from the first coat, so much so that we only needed one layer. This is just as well as the texture is thicker than usual, making it hard to paint a thin layer and more likely to smudge or chip.

The brush is big, which is helpful for getting a lot of colour on quickly but makes neatening up the edges tricky. Despite the downsides, this is a great value nail polish. Pair it with your favourite vegan base and top coat for more protection – both are available in this line.

Trendy new vegan nail brand Peacći has been the talk of the catwalks lately. It was launched in 2019 as the brainchild of nail industry icon Daisy Kalnina, who also owns the official London Fashion Week nail supplier The Gel Bottle Inc. There are more than 130 polishes in the collection, ranging from neon hues to glitters, and the square glass bottles with tall lids are an Instagrammer’s dream.

The bright and beautiful coral hue “sunshine” instantly stood out to us as the perfect summer shade. We found the colour to be highly pigmented and liked the wide brush that sweeps polish across the nail in one swipe.

The formula is on the thick side, so you could get away with just one coat if you’re not the neatest home manicurist. We didn’t find Peacći’s nail polish to be any longer lasting than other brands we tried but it lasted three days without any noticeable chipping. We’ve already got our eyes on the neon and nude starter sets, both £54 a pop.

Hip LA jewellery brand J. Hannah has a line of nail polishes that is still flying under the radar at the moment. The range is targeted at those who are “colour-resistant” and comes solely in muted shades that will complement a professional wardrobe.

The collection was inspired by artists’ palettes, natural elements and the muses the brand envisioned channelling specific colours of moods. The 7-free polishes are available to buy in the UK through contemporary high street fashion store, Cos.

The olive green and mustard yellow shades would look striking on dark skin tones, but our favourite is the universally flattering midnight blue. This polish has a shine to it but is less glossy than others we tested – a positive if you’re after something subtle. The brush is the thinnest we tried – three sweeps per coat were required, meaning application took longer than usual, but the smaller tip came in handy for touch-ups and the polish dried quickly.

Pastel fans looking for a new shade for spring will enjoy US nail polish brand Zoya’s latest collection of mellow hues. The gentle sage “leif” is a bestseller for a reason – it has a creamy tone to it and will make even the lightest tan pop, but we also like the baby blue “Emerson”.

Two coats were enough to achieve a professional, opaque finish that lasted four days without chipping. This polish goes on fairly thick, but not so much that it smudges or takes ages to dry. The brush is on the thin side which helps to control coverage but does take longer to apply. It’s breathable and 10-free, which will appeal to shoppers looking for a non-toxic manicure.

Everybody needs a classic post box red nail polish in their collection. Our go-to is the “double decker” from Cienna Rose, which has also recently launched a range of ice cream and sorbet inspired shades.

The 12-free formula is infused with nourishing vitamins and essential oils to help keep your nails healthy while colouring them. The pigment is powerful, the finish is satisfyingly shiny, and the polish has a subtle lemony scent to it that’s much more bearable than the usual chemical smell.

The brush is shorter than the others we tried, making it easier to control the application, yet the polish is thick enough to apply one coat in a single sweep. Go for two, thin coats if you want it to last longer than a few days without chipping (thicker coats chip more easily) and expect your nails to be fully dry in around 15 minutes. Made in the UK, these nail polishes come in cute glass bottles with round lids that’ll sit nicely on your dressing table.

Exclusive to Wilko, this bargain nail polish brand is a steal for the price. Named “shine, last and go!”, this polish promises a lot, but our expectations were low given each polish costs less than £2. While we don’t think it rivals more expensive products on this list (understandably), we were pleasantly surprised by how well it lived up to its claims.

The shine, in particular, is wonderfully gel-like and the colour of our favourite bright pink shade, “endless summer”, came out strongly from the first coat and dried quickly, making application speedy. While this colour is currently sold out, we love the look of “millennial pink”, an equally great choice for spring/summer.

Regrettably, this polish chipped after two days, but if you’re happy to carry one of the pleasingly shaped bottles with you, then administering the odd touch-up here and there isn’t a hardship. Plus, its durability will improve greatly if you have the time to add a top coat and run it along the tips of your nails.

M&S might not be the first shop you think of when looking for new nail polish, but we were excited to learn that all the polishes in its acclaimed own-brand Autograph range are vegan. We tried the all in one formula, which combines a base coat and top coat with the colour and is infused with argan oil and vitamin E to help protect your nails from drying out and flaking.

The flat, wide brush got an instant thumbs up – it makes application much easier for those without a perfectly steady hand and stops the polish from blobbing as it can’t collect as easily. The first coat of our chosen shade, the deep raspberry “amaranth”, came out a little streaky but by the third thin layer, our nails looked professionally done. We were impressed with the durability of this polish, with our shiny manicure lasting for five days before small chips began appearing. It’s great value at an affordable £6 a pop.

The French word soigné translates to “dressed elegantly, well-groomed”, making it an appropriate name for such a chic brand. It also means “to take care of” – each polish is appropriately 5-free and made from up to 85 per cent natural ingredients.

Soigné’s large range of shades will especially appeal to fans of a nude nail – our hue of choice is “crème au beurre”, a creamy pale pink that’ll match your manicure to the spring blossom outside, but there are lots of delicate neutrals to browse.

The brushes are long and on the thinner side of some of the others we tested, so you’ll need a steady hand, but the polish dries within 15 minutes and two coats is enough. Soigné also does an extra tough top coat that can either be cured under a UV lamp or left to dry naturally, but it’s so popular it keeps selling out, so you’ll need to strike lucky.