When Vanessa Ungvarsky, founder of Taylor Made Polish, made the choice to adopt a cleaner and healthier lifestyle, she began by switching out many common household products that included toxic ingredients. She soon realized, however, that some of the worst chemicals in her life were right at her fingertips—her acrylic nails.
As a small business focused on nail polish and nail care, Ungvarsky’s local Easton business Taylor Made Polish, therefore, offers customers a variety of vegan, cruelty-free and paraben-free nail polishes, including DIY color kits and nail care products. The business’s most well-known products are its custom nail polish kits, which encourage customers to unleash their inner artist by creating their very own nail polish color.
Taylor Made redefines not only artistic expression but also what it means to be a small business with an important message. The company’s mission is to provide clean beauty products and experiences to all, which it accomplishes through its transparency and use of only non-toxic ingredients.
Ungvarsky was initially inspired to create Taylor Made Polish after her own experiences with acrylic nails.
“Once I removed my acrylics, I was horrified. To put something on your body that causes that type of look and [damage] to a piece of you is scary, [and] that’s what we are trying to change,” Ungvarsky said.
In addition to products being non-toxic for consumers, Taylor Made is also more environmentally friendly than many other nail polish brands. The business uses sustainable and biodegradable boxes and ink for packaging.
Ungvarsky emphasized that nail care can be a communal experience for a lot of people. This inspired her to create Polish Party Packs, which are group custom nail polish packages.
“When I did wear acrylic nails, I would get them done with my best friend. It was a bonding thing for us [and] I didn’t want to lose that,” she said.
In addition to making memories, Ungvarsky hopes the custom color aspect of the nail polish will allow people to express themselves creatively. Ungvarsky encourages people mixing their own polish colors “to not be afraid or intimidated.”
When the Covid pandemic hit, Taylor Made had to pivot from a local, in-store experience to an online and portable product. Ungvarsky explained that Covid brought hardships, but emphasized that resilience and listening to the needs of customers allowed the business to bring the idea of custom kits to fruition.
“During Covid, we started putting [nail polish kits] in whatever packaging we could find,” Ungvarsky said. This practice eventually evolved into the custom nail polish color kits, which are now their most iconic product.
Now shipping to 39 states and five countries, Ungvarsky sees a silver lining to the challenges that Covid presented.
“We’ve been able to connect much further than we thought that we would,” she said.
Interested customers can find Taylor Made Polish downtown on 60 N 4th St, at www.makeyourownpolish.com or on Instagram @taylormadepolish. Taylor Made Polish products will also be available for sale at the Fourth Street Block Party on Sunday, May 15.