It seems like everyone, everywhere, is coming out with a line of nail polish these days. Kate Spade, Katy Perry, Serena Williams, even Obama (ahem, see here)—they have all released their own lines of nail lacquer in recent months. In addition, nail art is consistently becoming more and more extravagant. Finger nails have, quite literally, become works of art. But what is responsible for this sudden surge of nail polish? What’s at the root of the recent nail polish craze?
According to some experts, the answer is pretty simple—blame it on the economy. We all know that Americans nationwide have fallen on hard times in recent years. As expected, the economic decline has forced many women to limit their budgets. And while many fashion and beauty companies have lost revenue over the past few years, nail polish sales have actually soared.
This trend mimics what Leonard Lauder used to refer to as the “Lipstick index”. Economists have observed that in the past, women tended to purchase more lipstick during an economic downturn. They attributed the increased cosmetic sales to the fact that lipstick and other cosmetics are cheaper than clothes—a woman can still feel pampered and beautified without having to shell out hundreds of dollars. These days, however, nail polish tends to be more affordable than lipstick; thus, women now stock up on nail lacquer when economic times are tough.
The appeal of nail polish is salient. It is inexpensive (for the most part), easy to apply or remove, and a fairly subtle way to play with color. As Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, executive vice president and artistic director for OPI, points out, “a woman can make a new and different fashion statement simply based on the color and look of her nails.” For the price of a bottle of nail polish (which might be as inexpensive as $1!), you can really take your look up a notch. The ability to make such novel yet subtle fashion statements is particularly important for working professionals, who might have to dress more conservatively for the office. A bright shade of polish can liven up even the most mundane uniform, so that even in a pantsuit a woman can feel fun and fashionable.
Ultimately, it is the combination of the playfulness and price of nail polish that makes it such a big draw for well-minded consumers. Don’t like the color of your manicure anymore? Change it—it will take 30 minutes, tops. And because nail polish is so inexpensive, you don’t really need to feel guilty about removing it just hours after application. By contrast, if you buy a $200 shirt and never wear it, you might have trouble justifying that.
So dare to wear nail polish. Summer is the perfect time to play with colors—bright and sunny weather just demands bright and sunny nail colors. Take advantage of the nail polish craze, and snag some of those inexpensive outfit-makers that are just flooding the market right now. And by all means, be as crazy as you want.
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Info source: http://www.thirdage.com/skin-nails/nail-color-makes-style-statements-in-tough-economy
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Image sources:
OPI Polishes: http://complimentcloset.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/all_brights_opi.jpg
Kate Spade Polishes:
http://sidewalkhustle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Kate-Spade-Nail-Polish-Spring-2012.jpg
Nicole Miller Nail Art:
http://media2.onsugar.com/files/2012/02/06/5/192/1922153/38264a32199a5841_CND-Nails.xxxlarge_1/i/Nicole-Miller-Fall-2012-Beauty-Look.jpg
Essie and Butter London Polishes:
http://bycelina.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/nail-colour-laquer-2012-trend.jpg