Find the collection online or at Hampden, Me Time Botanicals, and Local Love CHS
Anne Lauren Jolly founded Azalea Drive, a line of nontoxic nail polish.
As a former makeup artist and aesthetician at salon Stella Nova, Charleston native Anne Lauren Jolly saw a gap in the market for nontoxic nail polish, a priority for her as someone sensitive to chemicals and dyes. “Growing up in a big family with lots of women, one sweet and simple pastime we shared was painting each other’s nails,” she says. “I wanted to create a brand that was cleaner than most mass-produced nail polishes that anyone could use, whether that’s my sister’s daughter or a friend undergoing chemotherapy.”
Jolly launched Azalea Drive, a sustainably sourced nail polish line, at the end of 2020. She relaunched the business post-pandemic, in July 2023 with 22 colors and a nail-care collection. “Azalea Drive is truly a color catalog of my life,” says Jolly, who grew up in the Lowcountry and Pee Dee. Made with organic, botanical, and earth-derived ingredients, the line comes in shades inspired by nature, such as “Cotton Blossom,” as well as Southern landmarks, such as “Highway 41“ and “Seabrook.” The Matriarchs color collection honors her grandmothers: “Bobbie Jean,“ with a red reminiscent of lipstick from the ’50s, and “Patricia Pink,” inspired by the crepe myrtles surrounding her grandma’s swimming pool.
Jolly is focused on establishing wholesale connections with Southern-based nail studios, as well as growing the e-commerce business on her website, azaleadrive.shop. Select products also are available at Hampden Clothing, Me Time Botanicals, and Local Love CHS.
