Do you wear nail polish? Always or occasionally? Do you go for manicures or do it yourself? I used to go for manicures… almost every week. And then it just got to be too much: too much to schedule and too much time (much as I really… liked the woman I went to) and then too much cash. It just didn’t seem necessary. So now I usually do my own, except for the occasional treat!
But what color?
The sheer number of colors produced each year, by so many different companies, is amazing. I would love to sit in on some of their color meetings…. Obviously, there is a market for so much variety: just think of how many retail outlets carry nail polish. There’s a huge variety in price also: from $1.00 to over $20.00 a bottle. It would be interesting to see the demographics by brand, by color story, by matte vs. shimmer vs. opaque and so on. I wonder how much the name creates the sale: “Bright Tights”, “Ballet Slippers” and “Vendetta” sound too interesting to pass up! Just as in home furnishings (i.e. fabrics, paint colors, bedding, tableware) there is that constant demand for new. “What can you show me that’s new?” is the refrain I hear from my licensing customers. They are hearing it from their retail customers who are hearing it from the consumer. And so it goes….
Above is part of my Essie collection and below is from a local retailer. The blue above was my very….favorite toe nail polish last summer and always drew lots of comments!
These below were in a huge bin at Urban Outfitters in Georgetown. Love the square bottles!
And what is new for 2010? This wonderful “Jade” from Chanel made it’s appearance in October 2009.
Now, word has it that the new Chanel color to be seen on the spring 2010 runways will be “Particuliere”, a gray/mauve! It’s sedate, understated and calm.
Next time we meet we’ll be checking out each other’s nails!
