St. Louisan Kathy Ferrara used her 20 years of fashion experience—and passion for color—to create her nail polish collection, K. Ferrara Color, which launched this month. Ferrara began working on the line nearly a year ago as a beauty option for women on the go. She worked with a manufacturer in Los Angeles to perfect all 12 colors.

What inspired you to launch your nail polish line? I wanted to combine something that was healthy for women as well as very sophisticated and very elegant. My line is for sophisticated, professional women. These are amazing, smart women who just do not have the time to test out colors.
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Explain what went into choosing the colors in the line. We carry 12 polishes of very sophisticated color. Our colors have all been extensively tested, including on different skin tones. These are 12 colors you just cannot go wrong with. I definitely know color from my work experience in styling and the fashion industry. I think about colors all the time. I started working on this line 11 months ago. I work one on one with a manufacturer in LA to perfect each color to get it exactly what I want it to be. We constantly went back and forth to make sure each polish came out just right. Each of the colors are named after women in my life who are the inspiration behind them.
Tell me about the health aspect of your line. My polish is a 5-free formula, meaning it is free of the five most harmful chemicals in most nail polishes. They are also vegan and cruelty free.
What are your plans for expanding your color range? I do have a couple of colors I am excited to add to the line, but what I am working on right this second is an amazing base coat and top coat, which is not in the line currently. I am hoping at the end of July [they] will be included in the line. I want the base coat to be very healthy and also add nutrients to your nails. The top coat will be super shiny and wear-resistant to make your polish last as long as possible.
Do you have a favorite color for summer? In the summer, a lot of women love to wear nudes on their fingers and a deeper color on their toes. A lot of [our] orders have been exactly that! I have had a lot of questions about which two go really well together. A lot of people have been buying Rosina for their nails and either Kathryn or Alexandra for their toes. Vivian, which is the smokey blue, is also a super fun color to have on your toes for summer.
K. Ferrara Color is available exclusively online. Ferrara hopes to soon sell the line in stores.