Orly for you

Many things in contemporary culture have been attributed to and carry the label of the French – undeservedly so. French fries, for example, according to recently unearthed historical evidence, were first served to North American soldiers, fighting during World War I, in the Belgian part of the European trenches; these soldiers mistakenly thought they were in France (thus, the rightful name for the popular dish should be "Belgian fries"). Then there’s the French kiss, the origins of which are unknown, but just attributed to the French for their supposedly liberal sexual reputation. Finally, the French manicure.

The Original French Manicure was not French-born, as its name suggests, but was instead created in the ‘70s by a man named Jeff Pink, CEO and owner of Los Angeles-based nail-care brand Orly International. Inspired by the runways of Paris, and created with a movie producer, the clean, natural, white-tipped nail color style was made to complement the entire "on set" wardrobe of a Hollywood star. The product was an instant hit and immediately propelled Jeff Pink and Orly (incidentally the name of Jeff’s wife) "to the forefront of popular culture." For 30 years, Orly continues to come up with new innovations and new colors to jazz up the French manicure. The Orly French Manicure Kit includes Orly’s Top 2 Bottom (a top and basecoat in one), a bottle of White Tips lacquer for French tips, and one of three sheer lacquers. It also includes Orly’s "French Manicure Look Book," a guide to the ultimate French manicure with style suggestions and complete manicure instructions.

Since the success of the Original French Manicure, Orly has created more professional and innovative nail colors and nail care products. Some of the company’s bestsellers include In a Snap, a topcoat that dries polish in minutes; Bonder, a rubberized basecoat (which means that the nail color expands to a certain extent to accommodate nail growth) that grips polish to the nail surface for adhesion and prevents nail color from peeling, chipping or wearing off for up to two weeks; and Smudge Fixer, which amazingly smoothens out smudges and those irritating nail color bubbles even hours after the polish has dried. Another new nail care product that’s sure to be huge hit is the Nail Whitener. Handily contained in economy packets, the Nail Whitener gently soaks away unsightly stains on both fingernails and toenails.

Orly’s nail colors are also musts for a woman’s boudoir. The recent collection includes colors for work (pretty, practical colors for the cosmopolitan woman), brides (sweet colors in sheer pastels), and the fashionista (bright and bold shades for the glamorous style puss). A personal favorite is "Two Hour Lunch" from the Work collection, a pretty enticing pink that goes well with a tan or a rosy skin tone.

Fall 2005 has Orly coming up with the Truth or Dare Color Collection. Inspired by Hollywood’s much-loved duos such as Paris and Nikki Hilton, Ashlee and Jessica Simpson, and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, the color collection consists of six complementary color duos with a sweet pastel paired with a bolder dramatic shade.

These nail treatments and nail colors were recently introduced to ladies – and some select gents – of the media in an intimate gathering at the Nail Spa in Gamboa St, Makati. The gathering also introduced Vicky Ornellas, Orly international educator and nail technician as well as Nadia Deering, Orly International Marketing, who regaled the group with the latest trends in nail care.

The launch also showed Orly’s latest award-winning breakthrough called The Gripper Cap. The Gripper Cap is "a revolutionary new bottle cap created specifically to help nail technicians (and consumers too) get a grip." Created using a unique molding process, the cap is made of rubber with easy-grip dimples that make the bottle easier to open. The cap’s modern and cool rubber coating make it more comfortable to hold, so lacquer or treatment products are applied with ease. The results are smoother, more even strokes, and, in true Orly fashion, simply perfect nails.

Orly is available at Rustan’s Essenses and in key salons like Nail Spa in Gamboa St., Makati and Shangri-la Plaza, Nail Tropics and Gloss Designer Nails in Eastwood, Tips n Toes branches, Britanico-Forbes, and Nail Loft in Quezon City, among others.

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