Peacći Is The New Vegan Nail Brand Taking Over Instagram

From ombre lipstick-shaped nails at Charlotte Knowles to gem drop talons at Ashish, nail artists dreamt up lots of Instagram-worthy, totally wearable nail trends at London Fashion Week AW20. Whether crystal-encrusted or blanketed in a single bold shade, each look was entirely different from the last. But each show had one thing in common: every single nail polish shade was handpicked from brand-new nail brand, Peacći.

Founded by Daisy Kalnina, who also launched manicurist favourite, The Gel Bottle Inc, Peacći feels different from the cult classic nail brands spotted backstage in the past. "I felt it a shame that nails were never as creative as hair and makeup at fashion week and felt somewhat overlooked," Daisy told R29. "I wanted to create a brand that could match the creativity and levels of self-expression seen on the catwalk, delivering the same high-quality results people would expect from their favourite fashion designers."

It's fair to say that Peacći doesn't do things by halves. The current collection, housed in Instagrammable square glass bottles, boasts an enormous 105 nail polish shades. These vary from AW20's hottest hues, such as '70s yellow, red wine and baby blue (which Daisy thinks will be everywhere this year), to neons including pink, green and coral, catwalk-inspired sheer nudes and a collection of shimmer and glitter shades.

On Instagram, there are thousands of #Peacci hashtags, with nail art obsessives showing off their artistic creations, including animal print accent nails and pastel French tips (another look Daisy touts as one to watch). But it isn't just about aesthetics, as Peacći is as serious about its vegan and cruelty-free credentials as it is about trends. "With the continuing growth of the wider vegan movement, people will not only choose but demand that their beauty regime doesn’t come at a cost to animals," said Daisy. "We now realise the end result is not lesser by respecting animals."

Daisy continued: "So many brands which we buy today choose to sell and profit from foreign markets that still demand cosmetics be animal tested. This means they are profiting from an animal's pain. We won’t do that at Peacći. Safety testing exists at a gold standard without the need for animal testing, so we’re not okay with any other route – even if sales are involved."

Daisy acknowledges that being vegan and cruelty-free has no bearing on the toxicity of a product, which is why she suggests doing your research, especially if 'clean' beauty is your thing. "A chemical-conscious consumer should always check the ingredients list," she said. "Try and avoid toluene, DBP, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, TPHP and xylene. Peacći is free of all of the above."

So does the collection live up to the hype that manicurists like Simone Cummings and Ama Quashie conjured up backstage at LFW? Here's what happened when three Refinery29 staffers tried it out.

Peacći Nail Polish in Lime Punch, £10, available at Peacći.

"On application, my nails weren’t in the best shape. I had gel polish on last month, which destroyed my nails, and the damage is just starting to grow out. I absolutely love this fluorescent green shade; it adds an amazing pop of colour to a monochrome look. The polish goes on well but it’s a tiny bit thick to apply, so it took a very steady hand and patience in the drying and coating process. I applied three coats.

I received so many compliments on the colour, with people asking where I got my nails done. A day later, there were no chips, but three days in I noticed a small one and, because the colour is so bright, it really showed. After four days, I noticed quite a few chips and decided to redo my nails entirely. Confession: next time I’ll ensure I apply a base coat and top coat, because I didn’t this time. I'd definitely buy this particular colour again, though."

Peacći Nail Polish in Blue Lagoon, £10, available at Peacći.

"I’m pretty impressed with this and the colour is absolutely gorgeous: a really bold aquamarine. At first I thought the colour wouldn’t be so vibrant and that I’d have to apply various coats, but the first coat would’ve been enough had I trusted myself not to chip my nails. The second coat made my nails look even bolder and added a much-needed colour pop to my red floral dress. It dried in an instant and didn’t smudge! Result. 

Two days later, the polish was still going very strong (without a base coat or top coat) although, as predicted (with any nail polish if I’m honest), it had chipped on a few fingernails. That said, it wasn't noticeable to the point that I needed to redo the whole lot, so I’m pretty impressed. I’ve had so many compliments on the colour so that can only be a good thing! But for £10, it is pretty spenny. Looking at the variety of colours available, though, I’d definitely buy and add to my collection."

Peacći Nail Polish in Tiger, £10, available at Peacći.

"I usually wear moody maroon shades, whatever the season, but it's coming up to spring and this colour called out to me. It's a lot brighter on the nail than it is in the bottle and the colour payoff is great. I haven't yet found a nail polish that coats the nail seamlessly in just one go (and this did need two light coats to look flawless), but the end result was incredibly professional.

The brush is wider than most, which means the colour coats the nail in one single swipe. In terms of staying power, I'm incredibly impressed and four days in, haven't noticed a single chip. I think that's because my nails are much shorter than usual. I also haven't had the urge to pick at them like other nail polishes, which can be thick and clumpy. It's official. Peacći is my new favourite nail brand."

Peacći Nail Polish in Arabian Night, £10, available at Peacći.

"This nail polish was really easy to use and I only needed two coats. I think what I was most impressed by was how quickly it took to dry; I was going out that evening so I was a bit anxious but I think it took half an hour max to dry completely. But once I got out of the shower, one of my nails started to chip and the next day they started to chip dramatically. I loved the colour but was disappointed with how easily the polish chipped. I wouldn’t buy it again or if I did, I'd maybe add another coat."