Girl, get your nails did
If you haven’t been thinking about your nails as an integral part of your overall look, maybe it’s about time that you did. “It’s the least expensive fashion accessory you can buy,” says OPI International spokesperson Joey Brown, who was in town recently to launch the line of OPI professional nail products at Rustan’s. “And it makes you feel wonderful.”
OPI the brand has been “spotted” on Hollywood red carpets, often being given as much credit as the artist’s designer gown, bag and shoes. “The movie stars and people in the record industry are very brand conscious, and they know by wearing OPI they’re wearing designer nails. They love to talk about what nail color they’re wearing, and 90 percent of the time it’s OPI,” Brown says.
The company originally started off, oddly enough, as a manufacturer of dental supplies. In 1981, OPI, which stands for Odontorium Products Inc., furnished dentists with instruments, crowns, and anything else the tooth might use. In the late ’70s and ‘early ’80s, nail technicians were going to these companies for their products; the problem was, they weren’t designed to be used on nails. George Schaeffer, the founder, partnered with a chemist and came up with a formula that was safe to use, and it is till the formula OPI uses in its products today.
OPI introduced nail lacquer in 1989, and are thus celebrating “20 Years of Color.” Brown explains, “Lacquer comes from the auto industry. It’s the same idea as the make of a fine car with a wonderful paint job. We wanted our product to be very chip resistant, with the color full of depth and shine. When you pick up the bottle, you’re going to get the same color as you see in the bottle.”
Nail trends have always followed fashion, particularly runway collections, and so the look for spring/summer is also bursting with color. “We’re seeing tangerines and pinks, and creamy reds,” says Brown. And are you still sporting Elvira-ish talons? Because those are so 10 years ago. “The trend is back to short, natural, very well groomed nails — even the dark colors look amazing on short nails,” she says, referring to the vampish hues that have been wildly popular for many years now. In OPI’s case, these would be colors with quirky and punny names like “Lincoln Park After Dark,” “I’m Fondue of You,” and “Black Cherry Chutney,” deep tones that OPI popularized and could barely keep stock of.
Another OPI innovation is its “green” formula — the company was the first to adhere to the strict guidelines of the EU. “We were not forced to remove DBP (dibutyl phthalate), toulene and formaldehyde — we did it ahead of time to meet the regulations, and now other countries are following in our steps. We have a global formula, and so we’re globally compliant.” Brown says.
Now, if getting and maintaining a manicure seems like a bit too much of an extra expense in these hard-up days, Brown has advice for prolonging the one you do get: “Most consumers buy a bottle of nail color, but they forget they have to treat the nail. You need to have a good cuticle oil, a good base coat, and a good top coat.” She recommends pushing back the cuticle, exposing the nail as much as possible, apply the base coat, two coats of lacquer, a top coat, and every two days, go over the nails again with the top coat. “At night, use cuticle oil and lotion to moisturize your skin,” she adds.
Even if you’re not into putting color on your nails, because you’re someone who works a lot with your hands — say a sculptor, a cook, or even a wirter — OPI has products created for the protection of your digits. “It’s not good to not put something on your nails,” Brown explains. “Our Nail Envy product is designed to strengthen nails and protect them from the pollutants our hands are exposed to.”
“Chipped nail polish is not a trend,” Brown laughs. “It’s sort of like having spinach in your teeth.”
