The Secret World of Nail Colors

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People buy lacquer for the color, but the name is what sticks in their memories.

— Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, executive vice president and artistic director of OPI Products

Fans just can't seem to get enough of their favorite stars and movies, and it's those huge fan bases that make the sales.

“And people really seem to love those 'punny' names that have great marketing angles,” said Nails Magazine managing editor Sree Roy.

Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, the executive vice president and artistic director of OPI Products, has the enviable job of creating those new shades and their memorable names. "These partnerships have been incredibly successful, and they bring a lot of excitement to the nail care industry," Weiss-Fischmann said. The key to creating a best-selling collection is working with licensing partners to create colors that truly capture a film's essence or a celebrity's unique personality.

In its first film partnership, China Glaze has created the "Colours from the Capitol" collection, which will play off the nation of Panem depicted in "The Hunger Games." In the movie, the citizens of the Capitol enjoy extreme cosmetics and body modifications, which are alluded to in the lacquer collection with names like “Electrify," "Agro,” “Luxe and Lush” and “Smoke and Ashes.” The company’s brand manager, Rachel Schafer, says the colors and the names have already generated positive feedback.

OPI’s collaboration with Serena Williams in the Grand Slam collection was also a well-suited partnership because Williams is known for her manicures. She loves nail fashion so much that she’s become a certified nail technician in Florida — and she actually gave Oprah a pedicure during her show.

Finding the right partner has to feel right, Weiss-Fischmann says. “Working with celebrities, in particular, we want to work with women who genuinely care about their nails and are fans of the product,” she said.

When Weiss-Fischmann sits down to create such collections, she always uses scenes or stills from the film or the celebrity for inspiration. And even though OPI has nearly 200 different lacquer colors, she says new shades can still be created.

OPI has also played with texture as well as color, introducing lacquer innovations, such as Black Shatter — which they launched with their Katy Perry and Serena Williams partnerships.

Black Shatter is black polish applied as a topcoat to a base nail polish color. As it dries, a crackled effect reveals portions of the bottom color. It rivals the work of any professional nail artist. The look was the company’s No. 1 selling product in 2011.

Naming the colors is one of Weiss-Fischmann’s favorite tasks in a motion picture licensing project. She says it always begins by looking at characters and plot lines in the film. Then she and a group of five staffers convene in a closed-door meeting to brainstorm ideas. For inspiration, they are often aided by lots of props, images and take-out food.

Coming up with the right name is essential because the names are trademarked by OPI. They also want a name that has resonance with the consumer. "Names help form an emotional connection with our customer, offering a literal 'message in a bottle,’ ” Weiss-Fischmann said. “People buy lacquer for the color, but the name is what sticks in their memories.” When choosing between two hues, often the name is what clinches the deal, she adds. "With our names, women can travel to places they might only ever imagine," she said. "Exotic locations and evocative names leave women feeling confident and sexy."

Sometimes, the names also hearken back to the consumer’s childhood. For example, colors from OPI’s Muppets collection include "Rainbow Connection" and "Fresh Frog of Bel Air."

China Glaze customers often suggest new colors and names, Schafer notes. For the most part, however, a team of employees from marketing, public relations and art departments sit down to brainstorm fun names that fit with any given China Glaze collection.

The brokers of such lucrative product-licensing deals seem to have tapped into a mutually beneficial partnership that is doubly recession-proof. Cinema companies have long recognized that movie attendance tends to go up during recessions, as do cosmetic items like nail polish, says Roy.

"Nails are an affordable luxury," she said. "So even when you're curtailing other stuff, like expensive clothes, you can still go to a nail salon and get a manicure. It’s still something affordable."

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