I would like to start by saying I am not sponsored by any company and do not receive any money for referrals of affiliate links. My reviews are all my own opinion but I am more than open to products being sent to me for review.
So probably not too high on people’s agenda but this is a product that seem to warrant not too much research and I fancied some new nail varnishes so I looked for a better option. And I found Cienna Rose.
Nail varnish has been shown to include some chemicals that can be very harmful to your health. And if you think about it you are easily absorbing them through your nails. You may have guessed that I am already not a fan of fake nails, they are made from plastics, they are a throw away item and again include dodgy chemicals, take note of the fact that many manicurists wear face masks. But I do like to paint my nails, as a form of self expression I suppose and it stops me peeling them, I am not a biter but I do love a good split nail.
As usual I started with a google of eco friendly nail varnishes. There are a lot of articles available and actually quite a few brands that offer reduced chemical nasties and I came to understand the labeling of 3- free, 5-free and so on. It denotes how many of the usual nasty chemicals the product does not contain. Now 3- free seems reasonably standard and I found lots of reviews of varnishes that have a higher number but the I decided to try the one with the highest number 12-free from Cienna Rose and I like their story see below:
Inspired by all things floral, Cienna Rose is a 12 Free Formula Nail Lacquer, enriched with Pro Vitamin B5, Vitamin E and infused with Lemongrass Oil to nourish and enhance your nail experience.
After moving to Africa, I had limited access to nail lacquers and became interested in ways to make long-lasting, colour rich formulas, creating home blended colours – this led to the creation of Cienna Rose. The Cienna Rose branding is inspired by my daughter, Cienna and her fascination with flowers – and has since grown and become an established brand, with all products manufactured in the UK.
Cienna Rose provides innovative, high quality and playful colour options with a nail care twist. The stylish and fun core shades are of exceptional quality and beautifully presented and packaged for a totally premium colour experience.
The superior Cienna Rose formula does not contain any harmful chemicals and all products are of a 12 Free Formula and free from Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde resin, Camphor, DBP (Dibutyl Phthalate), Ethyl Tosylamide, Xylene, Toluene, Triphenyl Phosphate, MEHQ/HQ (Hydroquinone Monomethyl Ether), MIT (Methylisothiazolinone), Animal derived ingredients and Parabens. They are also vegan friendly and cruelty free.
So I placed an order, the website is easy to use and I had e-mail updates regarding dispatch.
The above is what I received, immediately disappointed with the DPD plastic bag but happy with the cardboard box, tissue paper and shredded paper inner packaging.
The packaging feels very luxurious and I felt I had received a treat. I ordered four nail varnishes and three came in the display box and the extra one in a separate cardboard box. However the white insert in the large box is polystyrene. The bottles themselves are glass but with plastic lids. I decided to e-mail them for some more information on their packaging and I received the response below:
Ok so not much to be done at the moment but at least it is something they are looking into and I like to e-mail companies with feedback because how else would they know what customers want and I am pleased I won’t get the display/gift box again.
Prices start from £9, more than I would normally pay for a nail varnish but that is because I would normally buy what ever is on offer. And delivery is free if you spend over £30 otherwise it is £3.99 for standard delivery which really pushes the cost up. I am planning on buying more, I really want the nail care treatments which includes a top coat that was out of stock at the time of my original order but I feel I will have to wait for some spare cash or get them as a present as I will want to order over £30 worth to avoid the delivery charge.
I ordered four colours, two that I thought were sparkly and two matt finishes but all the ones I received had a sparkle in them which I am normally not too keen on but in the end I actually liked all the ones I received. The full on sparkle ones have real bling but are not lumpy or full of large clumps of glitter which was a pleasant surprise. I noticed straight away that the smell was not as strong as my regular nail varnishes. The applicator brush is easy to use but the varnish itself is quite thin and requires quite a few coats. However it dries quick, the first time I used it I unintentionally started washing the dishes about 20 minutes after applying the varnish and it did not smudge.
Some of the colours last better than the others and I would say I get 5-7 days out of it, but that is without using a base or top coat. I asked a friend to try them and she applied it much thicker and is used to gel nail varnish so wasn’t happy with how long it lasted before chipping but she did comment that the condition of her nails felt better.
I also find the nail varnish easy to remove, even with the glitter.
The product has a way to go regarding packaging to tick all my boxes but I do like it and I would recommend it.
Eco Lass 