Because ella + mila nail care products are made in the USA, I wanted to give them a try to see what I thought about them. Keep reading to find out my conclusion!
Just before the holidays, I went to a local store to pick out some nail polish as stocking stuffers. I had tried many of the well-known polishes for myself but continued to be disappointed in their inability to last more than three days before chipping or fading. I was hoping something out of the ordinary would catch my eye, but I wasn’t feeling hopeful. I wanted something that would last long while also having high shine, rich color, and of course, made in the USA.
I came across a made-in-the-USA nail color brand I had never heard of before: ella + mila. Intrigued, I came home, did my research, and ended up buying not only stocking stuffers, but also a couple of colors for myself.
This is our personal opinion about the ella + mila nail products. ella + mila is not paying USA Love List to use its products, nor is the company paying USA Love List for this review.
About Ella + Mila
Named after the twins of Narineh Bedrossian, one of the founders, ella + mila launched in 2014 when the co-founder couldn’t find a polish without harmful chemicals.
Read the ingredients of other polishes, and you’ll likely find toluene, DBP, formaldehyde, camphor, acetone, and more. These ingredients are strong chemicals and can cause any number of problems, from skin reactions to possibly cancer or interference with pregnancy. ella + mila boasts of “17-free,” meaning all their products are created without using a total of 17 potentially harmful products. These nail polishes and removers are also vegan and are cruelty free.
Currently, the brand carries over 80 different colors of polish, and counting, as ella + mila tries to introduce new colors every few months.
Ella Milla Nail Care Products: A Made in USA Review
To get started, I purchased ella + mila Soy Polish Remover, ella + mila Base Coat ‘All About the Base' , ella + mila Fast Drying Top Coat ‘In a Rush', and two colors: ella + milla ‘Grey Skies' and ella + mila ‘Yacht Club'. I have fair skin and had been looking for a grey that wasn’t too warm or dark. I also wanted a blue that didn’t look too young on me, and at the same time, was a fun color. Both colors work great for my skin tone.
The Process
I like having painted nails, but I don’t necessarily enjoy going to the salon. Through the years, I have had my nails professionally done with regular polish, acrylic nails, gel, and dipped polish. I dislike how these processes leave my nails thin and uneven. For the last year, I’ve boycotted nail salons and have just been doing my own. Even then, oftentimes the polish lasts only two or three days before I have chips or fading.
First, I removed my old polish with the brand's soy polish remover. It smelled nothing like traditional nail polish removers, even the acetone-free removers. As the ella + mila website instructed, I applied some remover with a cotton round to each nail, then waited a little over 30 seconds to let the remover absorb. Then I finished removing the old polish with a clean cotton round with firm rubbing (not scrubbing). My nails didn’t feel dry; on the contrary, they felt moisturized.
After washing my hands, I applied organic jojoba oil to my nails and cuticles and let it absorb. I shaped my nails and washed my hands again.
Then, I applied the ‘All About The Base' base coat. I let it dry while I was checking texts and emails.
After the base coat, I applied three coats of polish, allowing a liberal amount of time to pass between coats and letting the polish dry really well. I also made sure to apply polish horizontally at the tip of each nail. It didn’t feel like I was taking a lot of my day to apply the polish as I continued working on the computer between each coat.
Finally, I applied the ‘In A Rush' top coat and allowed it to dry while finishing work on the computer.
The polish had a nice sheen even though the color had no shimmer. I was impressed! But the real test had just begun: how long would the color last?
The Results
The ella + mila polish lasted a total of seven days until I needed to remove it! It started fading on day six, but it wasn’t until day seven when I had my hands in water for much of my day that I removed it.
I can honestly say I have never had polish last as long as the ella + mila polish—not even salon gel polish that’s supposed to last two weeks!
I am extremely happy with the results.
I will add that when I am in a hurry and don’t allow my nails to dry completely before adding extra coats, the polish does not last as long as I experienced with my test. In this instance, patience proved to be a wonderful help to the longevity of my manicure!
Now that I’ve worn ella + mila for several months, I’m happy to report I’m loving this nail polish! I’m looking forward to trying new colors. Now that spring is near, I’m searching for a couple of pastels. ella + mila ‘Barely Pink' looks promising, or maybe I’ll go a bit out of my comfort zone and try ella + mila ‘Isla View' a nice, light purple.
How about you? Give ella + mila a try and let us know about your experience by leaving a comment below!
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