What's the Deal With These Kamala Harris-Themed Nail Polishes?

Collage: Bella Geraci; Source Images: Getty, The United Colors Project

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We’re less than two months out from Election Day, and there are many ways to support your chosen candidate, but a new brand called Colors for Kamala is using beauty— more specifically, selling nail polish—as a way to raise funds for Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign.

And there are a lot of polishes to choose from. There's the Joyful Warrior set, a colorful collection that includes a lime green shade called—you guessed it—Kamala Is Brat, in reference to Charli XCX's now-famous tweet; an orange color called The Prosecutor; and the creamy purple Say It to My Face. The three-piece America the Beautiful set is red, white, and blue, of course. Then there’s the nude collection, called Neutralizing Name-Calling, with names inspired by insults Donald Trump has aimed at women, including Have You Heard Her Laugh? and Not That Smart. (The owner of one of Harris’s favorite D.C. nail salons during her time in the Senate told Allure last year that her personal go-to colors are pale pinks, like Zoya’s Bela and Sabrina.)

Colors for Kamala’s six-polish sets retail for $86 each, a reference to the year in which Harris graduated from Howard University, while the three-piece America the Beautiful set costs $47 (a nod to Harris’s potential to become the 47th President of the United States). All net proceeds will be donated to the Harris-Walz campaign. The brand says the polishes are entirely vegan, cruelty-free, and made here in the U.S. at a California-based manufacturer.

Are these polishes official Harriz-Walz campaign merch? No. Where did they come from? A brand-new organization called the United Colors Project, “a diverse coalition of artists, activists, and citizens unified by our efforts to create a more equitable future.” The organization’s founders, designer Amy Rosenthal and political advocate Kate Friedman, came up with Colors for Kamala on July 24, the day President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Harris. Rosenthal and Friedman are childhood friends who grew up in Long Island, which they call the “the beauty and fashion capital of the suburbs.” The two were raised by activist parents and brought together these two aspects of their upbringing with the United Colors Project.

This certainly isn't the first time a beauty brand has gotten involved in an election or been created for the sole purpose of fundraising—in fact, the industry has become increasingly involved in politics in recent years, especially in support of Democratic or left-leaning causes. In 2020, Lipslut donated all the earnings from their F*ck Trump liquid lipstick to a variety of organizations that support voting rights;The Lip Bar and Michelle Obama teamed up on a $13 red lipstick to support the nonprofit organization When We All Vote that same year. There was also Biden Beauty, an anonymously led brand that launched in September 2020 and supported the Democratic National Committee via the sales of a blue makeup sponge.

In 2020, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many beauty companies, like E.L.F. Beauty and Benefit Cosmetics, made significant contributions to organizations that support reproductive rights, such as Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. Others used specific products to raise funds. Dieux Skin, for example, said that moving forward $1 from all sales of its Instant Angel Moisturizer would go to an organization fighting for reproductive justice. Saie spearheaded The Every Body Campaign, with participating brands repackaging a best-selling product in a limited-edition "Every Body Green" carton, inspired by the green bandanas often seen at abortion rights demonstrations. All proceeds went to SisterSong, a national activist organization that works to protect those most impacted by anti-abortion legislation.

So why did the United Colors Project choose nail polishes in particular as a fundraising tool? “Beauty, especially nail polish, is an intimate form of self-expression that speaks to both personal and public identity,” Rosenthal and Friedman told Allure via email. “We wanted to create something that is both personal and public and that reflects the refined power, inspiration, and glam that is Kamala Harris.”

The referential names of the polishes are, of course, very intentional. “We wanted to connect the names and their associated colors to the idea that politics shouldn't feel so far removed from everyday life because it shapes everyday life,” the duo explain. “Our colors and names help bring these big, often abstract issues down to a more personal level, and wearing them feels like an everyday act of support for something bigger.”

As any beauty enthusiast will tell you, beauty brings people together, whether it’s via a visit to the nail salon with a friend or a viral TikTok trend. Rosenthal and Friedman cite nail salons, barbershops, and beauty parlors as “cultural and community hubs where conversations flow naturally from local tea to family life to politics.” These spaces can become homes for meaningful change through conversations among neighbors, friends, and strangers; the Colors for Kamala founders saw nail polish as a simple, effective “in” to start those conversations.

“By choosing something culturally relevant like nail polish, we can bring politics to people in a fun and approachable way,” Rosenthal and Friedman say. “The polish line is part of a broader idea: that self-care, style, and politics intersect. After all, what better form of self-care is there than standing up for your rights?”

Election Day falls on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. If you haven't already made a plan to vote, there's no time like the present.

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Originally Appeared on Allure