When Franklin podiatrist Dr. Cary Gannon began her journey of healing, she went through a season in her life that she refers to as her “awakening.” She began eliminating both things and people in her life that were not healthy, from ingredients in food to products like the nail polishes she carried in her office. As a board certified podiatric surgeon, Dr. Cary is the creator of the award-winning brand, AILA Cosmetics. Her cruelty-free, made in the USA, vegan line of nail care products includes nail lacquers, base coats, top coats, cuticle oils, and natural soy-based nail color removers with argan oil.
As summer is heating up, and sandals or flip flops become the norm, Dr. Cary offers this advice. “Women, don’t leave your polish on your toenails too long, like months at a time. The polish will stain your nails and turn them yellow because most people don’t use a base coat or primer. Toenails absorb the pigment in the polish causing yellow staining of the nail plate. So make sure to start with a base coat, and change your polish every 3-4 weeks. Finally, use ethical products like AILA to ensure healthy nails for vibrant, chip-resistant color.“
Named after Dr. Cary’s youngest daughter, Aila, the brand symbolizes transformation. Here are our top AILA picks for this summer’s favorite nail colors.
1) Heal is a soothing periwinkle blue that represents hope and desire to heal the world. A portion of this color’s revenue goes toward helping a local small business recover and rebuild. It’s AILA’s way of investing in something bigger, one fingertip at a time.
2) You're Not Your is a true turquoise, and was inspired by one of Dr. Cary’s pet peeves. So she decided to create a color about it. As a medical doctor, she bristles every time she sees “you’re” spelled as “your.” Hopefully, this beautiful color will be a gentle grammar reminder to us all.
3) Supernova is a bold opaque purple-pink named after Cary’s friend's daughter, Nova. She was an adopted special-needs baby with albinism from China. Little Nova has endless layers of cuteness, class, diva and blessing all rolled into one. This color represents all of this in one pretty package.
4) The Perfect Bean is the perfect pale green and looks great with your toes in the sand. This color can mean whatever your imagination wants it to mean. So use your creativity and have fun with it!
5) Wheez is named after Whitney, one of Dr. Cary’s college best friends. Whitney played soccer at Auburn. On her first day of class, the soccer team kidnapped her, made her wear her underwear on top of her clothes, and painted her face and hair the school colors, orange and blue. After being forced to wear it to class, Whitney immediately walked over and introduced herself to Cary looking all kinds of crazy. This kind of spunk was the inspiration for this bubblegum pink that honors Wheez’s spirited approach to life.
6) Unillamapegadoodle is a mystical purple with blue micro glitter designed by Dr. Cary’s youngest daughter, Aila. After choosing the perfect color, they named it after all of Aila’s favorite animals: Unicorns, Llamas, Pegasus and Sheep-a-doodle (the family dog). Put all that together and what does it spell? Unillamapegadoodle!