Designers pair up with celebrities, companies
There’s a new art to the manicure.
Girls have abandoned the weekly trip to the salon for a more cost-effective and creative routine. They scout out their favorite colors — some kooky, some classic — and stockpile.
Some stick to the traditional colors, an apple red or soft pink, while others are in it for the hunt: colors that match accents in their outfits or fall into the latest red carpet trend. They sprinkle the top coat with glitter or gems, or stick on patterned prints. There are long nails and short nails, mismatched and frail nails.
There are nails that shimmer and nails that shine, and nails that so truly reflect a personality with only a glance at the painted hue.
Now, celebrities and shows and movies and musicians are in on the nail game. Polish artists have pitched in to match colors to on-screen characters and appeal to fans with wearable colors that bring them closer to their favorite star — or at least their favorite star’s style.
“Girls”
We know them as the struggling and sometimes self-involved starlets of Brooklyn. Lena Dunham has painted four very different girls tangled up in very different emotions that fans of HBO’s “Girls” can’t help but love. They relate, and that’s the magic of the series. Nail artist Deborah Lippmann has now crafted a set of four polishes, one to reflect each personality. Hannah is Hapless Hunter Green, Marnie is Prim and Proper Pink, Jessa is Bohemian Burgundy and Shoshanna is Virtuous Vivid Violet. Take away the names, and the colors are enough to identify each of the post-grad Girls. “Deborah Lippmann’s colors are irreverent and classy and I’ve always coveted them. I’ve been wearing Hannah like it’s going out of style,” said Dunham on Lippmann’s site. The set of four bottles is now available for pre-order for $45.
New York City Ballet
OPI dances the line between designer and drugstore polish. It’s not Wet ‘n’ Wild, but it’s cheap for the designer tones it channels. The company has partnered with the Kardashians, as well as Selena Gomez and “Modern Family.” But one of its best is the New York City Ballet collection. The six shades are soft and understated and are meant to capture the essence of the “urban ballerina.” A pearl-like nude shade, called Barre My Soul, is the most neutral on the spectrum, while the minty green Don’t Touch My Tutu! falls in the middle. Pirouette My Whistle adds flecks of silver to a darker gray. Each bottle runs about $10.
Victoria’s Secret
The luxury lingerie house, which has grown its brand to stylish sweatpants, string bikinis and body sprays, is covering one more market: nail polish. Victoria’s Secret will unveil its new line of polishes this month, with pinks, purples, a few neutral tones and metallics. Each bottle will cost around $10.