While I'm finishing up some spring collection reviews and working on a few other things, I thought I'd pose this question...
It seems that I'm not the only one who isn't particularly impressed by recent nail polish collections. My question is this: Are the collections actually boring/unoriginal/recycled or have we just maxed out on awesome stuff in the past few years?
Think about it. Think about all the incredible polishes that came out in the past two or three years. The greens, the glitters, the holos, the neons, all the exciting, edgy, fun and uncommon colors that are now cherished parts of our stashes. Have we seen it all? Can any new nail polish really impress us, or are we so overloaded with cool polish that nothing could ever top it?
I personally think it's a little of both for me. I do see a lot of recycled, safe colors right now, but I think my expectations are set so high from all the great stuff that's come out in the past few years that it may take more than just a little green polish to impress me.
Another thought I had.... Judging from the 160-ish of you that weighed in on my last post, most of us are wishing for the same thing. Better, more colorful holo polishes, better duochromes, lots of polishes in the 230/Toxin/Liquid Euphoria theme and more unusual colors.
If so many of us are saying that we want to buy these, that we would even be willing to pay more to have these types of colors, why don't the exist right now?
I've heard some speculation that they just can't make some of these colors anymore, specifically the 230-esque shimmer duochromes, because the pigments and minerals used to create them don't exist anymore.
Another theory I've heard (and I've suspected this as well) is that those types of colors don't work in the new Big 3 Free formula.
Are these colors impossible to make, or are they just cost-prohibitive? Are the materials exhausted or have they just forgotten how to make these types of colors?
Anyone with industry insight able to weigh in on this? Chemists? I'm all ears.
Anyway, those are the thoughts that have been kicking around in my head for a while. Wanted to see what all my fellow polish lovers thought. Please continue to list your wishes in the other post. I need to figure out a way to make it a permanent page so people can keep adding to it and using it as reference.
I SOOOOOO agree with you. Nothing impresses me. Nothing intrigues me. I'm just about maxed out.
ReplyDeleteI figure I'll just enjoy the polishes I have for a while and be a little more picky before I purchase. There are so many duplicate collections out there... not to mention, I have way to many unworns to try still.
I just posed a roundabout similar question on MUA. It seems that most of the polishes out there now are dups or very near dups of what I already own. I would love to see the return of some of the old/retired winners, like the 230s, holos, and duo chromes. IMO, it is obvious that the manufacturers are running out of color ideas so they are resorting to texture changes. i.e. shatters/crackles. Personally, I like smooth finishes, that is why my inventory does not include the crackles, shatters, and most of the glitters. Again, these are just my opinions. To each his/her own.
ReplyDeleteI think cost-prohibitive is a big thing. I've noticed in other countries, their holos tend to be pricier and one company stated it's because of the materials used. Not sure if they are 3 Free though but yeah.
ReplyDeleteSo far, the Spring colors are pretty nice from most collections but none have WOWed me. I'll have to see them personally but I'm pretty sure only one shade or two will WOW me from any Spring collection.
I had been thinking the same thing, there are only so many colours and finishes, it's like ALMOST everything has been done before.
ReplyDeleteNfu-oh makes strong holos and flakies, and they are 3-free. Also, while they are more expensive than, say, salon brands, they certainly are cheaper than premium brands (Lippmann, Chanel, Dior, Nars, etc.). Can it really be so difficult/expensive?
ReplyDeleteFor me I think it is a little of both as well as some brands seem to have similar shades to each other and you may only get 1 or 2 shades in a collection that are unique. I agree that I would like to see more duochromes/unusual shades and finishes and better quality of polish. I am no formulations expert but with the advances in technology I find it hard to believe that they cannot be more creative with shades.
ReplyDeleteI believe you are correct. The collections I've seen so far are dreadfully boring and repetitive, I'm actually shocked. I'm still looking for a collection to WOW me.
ReplyDeleteMy favourites are glitter, holo, and duochrome but i cannot find a lot of these or they are way too expensive to buy. Only creme finish are more available and they are not my favourites.
ReplyDeleteYeah I haven't seen anything from a current collection to really WOW me. I am interested in a few colors, but nothing is amazing.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I am still catching up from last years releases so it's good there aren't a lot of new things, but there are also a lot of neat things from earlier (like the OMG collection for example) that are HTF now...
I agree, I have always wondered if the $$$ was the issue. I think we are bored because it SUCKS to see the same idea over and over again. CMinN, Charla, WnW, Essence, alll the same. cosmix dupes of MAC dupes of Claire's. Its draining. I have stopped buying in bulk, and buy the more unusal (read: more expensive) stuff: Chanel, Dior, holos from Catherine whoever, Ozotic Pro duochromes, etc.)
ReplyDeleteThere are so many colors that are so *almost*...but we all want MORE. LOL Either way, you know that old "build it and they will come" saying? I think that applies here, only it would be make it and they will buy it. And it seems that once one company makes a hot color or finish or whatever, the others soon follow suit. I know cost is an issue, especially right now, but they've got to know that there's a market out there!
ReplyDeleteI think what gets me the most is that EVERYONE is releasing the same freaking polish all at the same time. I'm thinking at least 5 versions of Zoya Charla/OPI CMIYN etc.. came out last year. Like Jbrobeck said, it's draining. I'm finding myself buying the more expensive stuff also because those companies seem to be trying to give us different stuff.
ReplyDeleteI've also stopped buying a lot of the new collections in bulk, I find myself hunting down old awesome polishes instead.
I don't necessarily think there is a ton of new or unique finishes/duochromes/colors companies can give us...but at least give us some variety!
P.S. I think I drooled a little at the picture you used. I need to find a way to own Toxin!
I'm happy with the 30 polishes I already have. They are fabulous! I guess I'm just not looking for something new anymore, it's so tiring to want, want, want.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we're maxed out on exciting colors, I just think these polish companies are playing it safe. They have the ability to listen to their consumers and create these amazing/different shades, but they don't.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all thank you Scrangie, for this great opportunity to speak our minds and share.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that my stash is not even comparable to those of many bloggers here; however, that’s also because I buy only what really impresses me.. which actually means that I’m spending time and money hunting old htf discontinued stuff I see on nailgal! I hardly buy more than one or two polishes per season. This is because most of what I see now is extremely boring, let’s not even talk about what is available in Italy (even more plain and boring!), and I also agree that it’s mostly cremes (zzz…).Though much have been done, I don’t believe there’s nothing more to do.. companies (at least in part) want us to want what they think we should wear. They give me pink cremes, and I want Nubar Shock Sea Green!? I have few polish ideas that might be impossible to realize, but who knows. What I can say is I still can feel excited about some cheap drugstore stuff if it deserves attention; my expectations are high, but I still can feel the shiver down my spine when I fall in love with a polish, that I-NEED-THAT sensation..and I still find some pretty little gems around, even if not so many as before.
My stash is probably only a few hundred, but I feel like I have enough variation in it that most everything coming out is dupe-ish to something I already have! I suppose the exception to that is the Lippmanns from the past year or so - I love the jelly + hex glitter combos and have most of them. I used to get so excited about new polish releases and now everything seems so blah and repetitive.
ReplyDeleteReally? They can't make shades like Clarins 230 anymore cause the pigments ran out??? That's crazy, I hope someone knows more about this & can share.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely bored with what's been coming out lately. I've been a polish hoor since my very early teens. I'm 30 now & I remember being 16 or 17 & having all the Liquid Euphorias, the Street Wears, the Magical Nail Makeups, "mood" polish, the Chrome Nail Makeups, the original CG crackles, the Nail Prisms, and every other head-turning, unusual polish I could get my hands on. I was in heaven, until I began to notice the gradual trickling-out of these types of colors. I never could understand why companies phase out all the GOOD shades in favor of a million pinks, reds, and pastel cremes. It's obvious that we LOVE these unusual colors, why not bring them back and make a ton of money?! I just don't get it. I'm to the point where I'm frankening a lot of colors, just because I can't find what I want in stores anymore.
At least it seems that holos are making a comeback. Those are my favorite, so I'm happy about that. I want some more 230-types though :/
I think it's more a cost thing than anything else... when I worked in production for a spa cosmetics business, keeping costs customer-friendly was the most important thing. Sure, you could use Attar of Roses in a lotion but at $55 for 1.5 mL retail, is it responsible and would the customer buy it? I think the same idea applies for nail polish. Regarding holos, it could be that the materials/import costs/production costs have increased to a point that the company would have to raise their price point at least 50% to make it profitable, which could raise the cost of the finished product 50-100% and possibly cut down on the amount of supply released to the public for sale.
ReplyDeleteAs for the spring colors... it's the economy. If it takes a year to develop a color collection, what we're seeing now was initially envisioned in '09-'10, when consumer confidence was low. Companies would go for the big sell as opposed to the wild collection... and what usually sells are colors and formulas that would appeal to the largest consumer groups: cremes, pastels, and soft shimmers in more traditional shades. This is just my opinion (and it's based on some semi-informed assumptions so I could be completely off-base) but I think that once the world economy (and political atmosphere) settles down we'll start to see cosmetics companies taking more color risks again.
I totally agree with Kristel - yes, companies are playing it safe.
ReplyDeleteBut let's be honest - we STILL DO BUY those colors in general. Maybe this is the problem too - we polish junkies are not excited about some collections, but still buy polishes from them. So why would the companies even make the effort of getting new, exciting colors if they can sell dull ones too?
Just for example - I am VERY dissapointed over ChG Tronica and I read similar stuff all around the blogging world. But still there are sooo many polishes sold from that collection! So ChG wins actually, because they can sell these polishes even if they are NOT even holographic as promised in my oppinion.
Another example - CMinN, Charla, WnW, Choose me, Halley’s Comet... We KNOW they are the same but still buy them to make comparison on our own. So maybe it's a little bit of our fault too. If we would all be more picky and not grab everything they throw out, maybe things could change.
I don't really know, but this thing just crosses my mind many times...
The newest (to me) effect I love is the glass fleckiness of colors like the Orly Cosmix FX/Zoya Charla/Mimi/Ivanka etc. Other than that I really haven't seen anything new or different.
ReplyDeleteI would love polishes like the Liquid Euphorias most of all, or even better, polishes that change every color of the rainbow (that would look he same on your nail that Charins 230 looks in the bottle).
I've only been avidly collecting polish for just about a year, but I do think I may just be burned out on most stuff.
After hearing about the holo pigment disappearing too, I'm trying to attain every strong linear holo possible so that I won't ever run out (I know I'm crazy :P)
I also have to think though that most of us np hoors are not the intended market for most of these companies...but I'd be willing to pay way more than the usual for truly unique polishes.
Great post, thank you. I do agree and think part of it is that we have pretty much seen it all, but those of us that haven't been in the lacquerhead game for a long time yearn for awesome comebacks from before.
ReplyDeleteRE: your statement on: "Another theory I've heard (and I've suspected this as well) is that those types of colors don't work in the new Big 3 Free formula."
Although I'm thankful for the almost universal switch to "Big 3 Free" formulas, I have to say that for the right colors and/or collections (Clarins 230, etc.) I will GLADLY look the absence of a Big 3 Free formula over. Most nail polishes overseas aren't Big 3 Free and there are some real gems with excellent performing formulas. Case in point: Illamasqua and Models Own -- application, dry and wear time are amazing.
So, lacquer companies, if you are listening and if the Big 3 Free formula issue speculation is true: IT'S NOT A DEAL BREAKER! :-)
"Oh no! We ran out of unicorn pee and we have no more virgins to entice new unis! "
ReplyDeleteYeah, whatever.
I think it's a mixture of both.
ReplyDeleteI feel like many mainstream companies have forgotten how to make really good holos. Like to this day, OPI has been unable to replicate MPJ's holo incarnation, and look at the mess that china glaze made of the tronica collection.
I know that holo pigment is expensive, so maybe they just don't wanna pony up the money (which dumb, because they'd make it all back in like one day) or they've just forgotten how. The recipe got lost or something.
It is also possible that they can't make the colors work in a Big 3 Free formula. I think for the holos, that's not the issue. But for the clarins, id, etc. type ones, it's entirely possible.
If they had to revert to the non-big 3 free formulation to bring those kinds of colors back, then I'm all for it. With all the people smoking in my face, the microwaves, the cell phones, the diet coke, the stuff in food, the hair products, global warming, armageddon and shit threatening my existence, I feel like nail polish-related sickness is gonna be the least of my worries. It's not like I'm eating it or bathing in it.I'm just putting it on the dead plates of keratin on my hands.
You know? For me part of it is the nail bloggers. I love you, Scrangie, but after a year or two of reading everyone and her sister talking every new release up and everyone needs this polish or that polish (which the blogger who says I need it got free, and she'll post about how fabulous it is so that she keeps getting free stuff which she'll then post about how fabulous it is, rinse, repeat)-- eh. It's the emperor's new nail polish. If everything's supposed to be great, none of it looks great.
ReplyDeleteIMO.
(As for pricing, I'm not going to pay $20 for a bottle of polish that will be last week's news a week from now. I have enough Essies and OPIs that I had to have that I got tired of pretty much immediately.)
I really wish they would bring back the OMG silver holo. =/
ReplyDeleteNail Polish is sort of boring right now. The crackles had me excited but now I'm ready for something else.
ReplyDeleteI have been collecting now for 4 years strong. I think my collection has come to an end with all the magnificent texture, holos, glitter, jellies, and crackles.
Maybe we can get more colored crackles made with glitter, holos.
I have resorted to finding great glitters at wig type beauty supply stores. You be surprised what you might find in these stores.
I've also started looking on ebay for those very HTF's.
It would be SOOOO nice to talk with someone from the nail polishing world and they could tell us how they make their decisions to make certain colours.
ReplyDeleteYou'd think that with the craziness over SH Hidden Treasure last year that they would come out with variations on the flaky. If they are afraid it doesn't appeal to the masses these collections don't need to be huge - just a couple. PLUS why is it every time I go into a salon or drugstore the "crazy" duochromes or awesome glitters are gone?
I also wonder if OPI thinks the first Justin Beiber collection and the Katy Perry collection did well because of the celebrity behind it or because the colours were actually nice?
I also wonder if SH wouldn't want to re-release the nail prisms because they didn't sell well in the first place. I mean, if they sold well originally, why are they always showing up at discount stores? Obviously there were issues with it when the first came out.
I also think the 90s where the years of outrageous colours. I remember when HC Sky first came out and it was the first time mainstream women started wearing colours that weren't red or pink. Then every single clothing store carried their own line of polish with wacky colours and finishes. Gone are those days. I wonder if nail lacquer isn't profitable enough or trendy enough?
I think kleancolors has some really unique glitter polished, unlike any I have ever seen before! The one glitter polish they have called "Afternoon Picnic" looks similar to Lippmans "Happy Birthday" but has HUGE silver hologram shaped pieces thrown in too which is really quite stunning. Check on it on their website! http://www.kleancolor.com/nails/nails.html
ReplyDeleteI found really interesting the comment about the economic crisis. It makes so much sense. If that's correct, I believe we'll be seing greater colors in the near future.
ReplyDeleteBut it's also true that our eyes have changed and that we've gotten used to colors and finishes that would've impressed us in the past.
Judging by all the nail blogs out there and the love of nail polishes on message boards like MUA (although I know the bloggers repeat there) it seems like it wouldn't be an issue of this or that being profitable. There seems to be a market for most shades. I don't know why everyone keeps playing it so safe. Spring collections are coming out now... and oh surprise surprise... soft pastels. Just blow my mind will yah cosmetic companies lol
ReplyDeleteIf you wanna give me a soft pastel... how about switching it up. Duochrome the crap outta it or something, I dunno. Add in some fun glitter. Hell, give me a pastel colored glitter or holo... I dunno.
I know their might be some issues in color mixing and getting the desired effect but I refuse to believe it isn't possible to mix up a lot of shades we have yet to see.
So many shades these days are pretty... but boring. Pretty boring is just a step up from ugly boring. I only buy polishes these days if I find them truly unique.
recycled colors not meeting high expectations... some companies need to think outside the box and stop following trends so closely. one company does nautical, here comes the rest. a company does metallics, here comes the rest. give SCRANGIE her own polish line! SCRANGIE! SCRANGIE! SCRANGIE! ;)
ReplyDeleteDon't know about you all, but I don't tend to see ALL the new lines due to time constraints. I can always find a bottle of something I want to try when I go looking, despite I have maybe 300 bottles. I seem to find the same thing you all have said, the dups of dups out there every few years. So I just lay off buying polish for a few years, enjoy my collection I have. Then seems I miss some great group that is all but gone but for the $50+ price range, and then I start up again to refresh my collection. I go through phases of liking nail art options, then turn back to my more classic purist look. Don't know about you all, but I always seem to have my top 10 shades and return to those a zillion times over. If they don't end up in the classics collections, I am sad if I did not get 4 bottles at least of one that is a fav.
ReplyDeleteMy pet peeve right now is polishes that are too sheer to get coverage, and many that are too watery that I have a mess trying to get through my application too fast. Maybe it is the big 3 that has done this? That's been my thought.
I agree with Yummy411 to some extent. But without following some trends, where would the entire cosmetic industry go? I have to say the nauticals being done for spring however is a sign of the economic times...give 'em something comfy and familiar. I have to admit - OPI spring TX collection surprised me. They are not at all typical spring shades. They once again have too many creams (but then maybe they are on the rebound of the rash of sparkles and glitters they did recently). Only 1 in that TX collection that I might even buy - but probably not. Talk about underwhelmed!
ReplyDeleteI've found that having to cut back on polish purchases means I'm much fussier about where I spend the money. A color definitely has to be unique for me to get it. All the "safe" and "boring" colors are easy to get from inexpensive brands generally so it's hard for me to get excited about them. I think with the high demand from the polish community for holo's and flakies and such perhaps more brands will be looking into that, I hope we see more soon. Then again, it's easy for us to forget that we're only one part of a polish company's demographic, a huge part at salons and such actually prefer the safe and boring colors.
ReplyDeletePrice is a huge factor. Everyone loves halos right? So if companies know that they have a market for halos, what one reason could there be for them not to make it? Money. Maybe they think that the cost of creating really awesome halos wouldn't be made back by the consumer buying it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think we get a repeat of colors every season now. Or at least a theme. Pastels for Spring. Bright, bold colors for Summer. Vampy, dark colors for Fall. Holiday red/green/gold colors for Winter/Holiday. It's the same every year. It's what is done with those colors that's different. And there's only so many times you can shimmer/glitter/duochrome them and they don't get boring.
I will say this, pastels usually bore me so I'm with you on this Spring collection. But maybe something amazing will come out this summer or this fall that will get everyone excited.
I agree w/Rikki! With Hidden Treasure going like hotcakes, you'd think that Sally Hansen would have snapped up a winning idea an ran with it!
ReplyDeleteI also want to say that there is some nerve of some companies to come out with some colors and pawn them off for the prices that they do. Illamasqua Bacterium? Hello? I think I can round up some dupes from my Dollar Tree Rejection Pile of toffees/coffee frosts. It falls under the "are you kidding?" category for me, especially when people are jumping through hoops to buy old 230/2077/Euphorias and old or Australian duochromes and holos.
Well, that's my comment.
Also, thanks so much for morphing your blog into eyeshadow and stuff, it's always fun to look at the shadows. I can't wear too much shimmer, but I still love to ogle it!
:D
I just think that all of the recent collections have been repeats of what we've already seen. Has any company NOT done the same kind of mint green now? Or dusty taupe/purple? It's getting kind of boring, and I'd like to see something different and unusual, and that just isn't happening. I'd love more colorful holos and unusual glitters. Until then, I'll probably just stick with what colors I have. :S
ReplyDeleteLuckily, I just got into nail polish last year. Don't have a heart attack,but I'm 22 and I never painted my nails before last year. It became quite the obsession and I started painting them every day and finally cut back to every 3 days. I have about 80 polishes now but there are still so many more I'm looking for. I actually really liked Essie's spring collection this year. Zoya's was so-so and I only liked 2 polishes from the OPI Texas Collection. I'm not really into shatter polishes either. My favorite are jellies and creams, I like the super shiny finish!
ReplyDeleteI think it could be some sort of nail polish overload going on, it's hard to constantly top the previous collection and impress us harsh critics all the time.
ReplyDeleteI think there are good points made here, about costs and formulas, but on the other hand, aren't there any ways to go around these: make a special formula for one collection that isn't 3-free, or have a collection only with mini lacquers, where the prize of an indidual bottle wouldn't be prohibitive, even if there were less polish in it?
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I think that the problem isn't so much the lack of range in colours, but the lack in hues. So even the colourful collections end up resembling each other because the hues tend to be very similar, so in the end, there are not that many shades of one colour to choose from. And that's where it gets boring. That is probably the thing that is making me not buy a lot of polish this spring, I have a good collection of my favourite colours and finishes, and I wouldn't mind expanding it, but there just isn't any more range to do so, and with the endless amount of hues you can get within a colour, that is very disappointing.
On some way it also might be true that since we've seen so many great finishes and ideas lately, we're always on the lookout for more. But on the other hand I think that the ideas in the previous post were actually very particular, so it wasn't just a general sentiment of needing to see new things, but rather a sentiment of wanting to see certain things that people think look nice, even if those have been seen before.
Haha, and of course if all the wishes in the previous post would come true at once, would people then be reminiscing about the good old spring collections of 2011 and wanting to see something like that again? :)
Ihave to absolutely agree. Spring colors are so boring this year. Besides the katy perry colection nothing has screamed buy me. More duochromes glitters flakies jellys with rich pigments please....
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't buy the "the pigment doesn't exist anymore" bull. If they were able to create it to begin with then its possible to recreate. It may not be able to be B3F but really, how many people consider that when they're throwing down $140 on ebay for 230?
ReplyDeleteYouknow what I want more than anything? A TRUE chrome polish, like on those chrome nails Scrangie posted about some months back. I wonder if that could even be done. If I ever saw a polish like that in the store, I think I would literally soil myself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the woes about the economy. Everything out there is set to go up in price at least 33% this spring. Raw materials are in short supply due to cost.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone out there could get an interview with a nail polish line developer, it has to be you, Scrangie. I think you ought to bounce it off the PR folks who send you samples.
It seems like alot of them are going around ie Mac's VV-polished and Orly's fall collection had some identical polishes.
ReplyDeleteThere are also too many polishes in one collection in my opinion, it's impossible to buy them all so in a way it is good that some of them are coming back or are similar.
Here in Sweden OPI are three times as expensive as it is in the states (around $25) and we don't even have some of the brands here like Essie so we are missing out on lots of the good ones!
Thank you for posting a challenge to the nail polish world!
ReplyDeleteHonestly I don't really buy that the shimmer in 230 or those kinds of polishes doesn't "exist" anymore. I just don't see why it couldn't be replicated.
I also agree with some of the commenters that collections are too large. Do we really need 12 new colors all the time? I would be happier with 4 or 6 awesome shades.
This is a really interesting post. It makes me think of when OPI did Colorcopia last year, bringing back their best selling polishes. And what did it contain? Pinks, corals, and a few more pinks.
ReplyDeletePeople who read and write nail blogs are in a minirity as far as the general consumer goes. I am sure that one of the reasons polish is a bit boring at the moment is because the companies are producing what 99% of the world will buy. Not everyone is able to wear green flakies during the working week - hell, Essie built an entire product range around similar shades of the same thing, and they still sell like hot cakes. Ditto OPI Soft Shades.
I take my hat off to Nars, for bringing back their range of discontinued polishes last year. But now that everyone can get Zulu, no-one's talking about it any more.
I'm impressed at OPI's Pirates range for not having traditional pastels for a spring/summer collection. I do think that some of the companies are listening, and are reading blogs, but I also think that for every awesome polish that WE all love, they will sell ten more work appropriate shades.
We need to look to smaller brands. Illamasqua are bringing out FIVE polishes in their new collection. They had three new ones in a Valentine's mini collection. I heard it direct from the Director of Product Development that they rate bloggers as being an honest source of feedback. We want nail polish, they give us nail polish. But they are an edgier brand who can afford to take more of a risk with their products.
I'm starting to think that maybe we have seen it all. Perhaps that is why many of us are enjoying playing with our makeup right now, because we haven't seen a polish to go ga-ga over for a while. People also want what they can't have. I did a post on a pretty boring and generic red polish before Xmas and just because I mentioned it was being discontinued, I received a barrage of tweets and comments from people saying they simply HAD to get it before it went away forever. Do people (myself included) hunt HTF polishes because they are genuinely better colours and formulas, or just because they want to own something that is rare? (genuine question).
Anyway - that's my essay over and done with!
Awesome, everyone!
ReplyDeleteAllow me to just step in for a moment and remind new commenters to please express your thoughts in a calm, respectful manner :)
I spent my evening painting my nails and reading both this post and the one previous. I do agree that there are numerous dupes out there and that te Spring colours have been pretty bland however one thing I've also noticed is the common brands that are being named.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit ever since collecting polishes at least 2 years ago, I've been moving away from brands such as OPI and China Glaze because they spend so much time duping each other or worse yet simply recreating old colours and renaming them (OPI is notorious for this). Whenver I go to a salon to get my nails done I'm overwhelmed yet underwhelmed but the tired colours and dupes that these two (and a couple of other brands) try to sell to us consumers. I find that i almost feel insulted by it.
Perhaps that's why I've been shelling out the the few extra dollars to get brands such as Chanel's limited editions, or RBL's amazing colours, or even Illamasqua (so hard to find in Canada) to get something more original, better quality (IMO), and more uniqueness. Thus why they sell out and become coveted.
In my eyes what makes these companies so coveted is that they are going against the grain and doing things unique ~making myself and other polish lovers do a tail spin in their direction (RBL Spring collection for example). They become the leaders, selling out popular colours or maintaining their limited status, while other brands are simply out replicating themselves or trying to create dupes. Just my opinion.
Yes I love the holos and the chromes but for now I'll enjoy what these unique brands are selling in the mean time.
Great post! I agree that I have been thoroughly bored with nail polish collections. I have not been wowed since the OPI Hong Kong collection. I think that companies should focus on bringing out maybe 4 max colours in a collection rather than 6-10 colours that are all the same. I love RBL as she brings out 3 colours or so that are always covetable. I think that there is a lack of diverse minds at some of these companies, so everyone thinks the same so you end up getting a bunch of collections that are dupes of each other. I don't think that its impossible to bring out more unique finishes, the companies just like playing it safe sometimes.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. I've been thinking about this a couple days ago too! In all the new 2011 collections there wasn't anything exciting for me and if it was, I could already name 3 brands that made it. So all I've bought lately is old polishes on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a bit of both. We have everything. Every possible finish is there, even the ones that crack (which surprised me when I first saw it) and magnetic polishes that get a pattern with a magnet.
And I don't know about how hard it is to make cool finishes, but if the brands still want to be successful they should come up with something new. Very good post!
I feel like more expensive brands, like Rescue Beauty Lounge is definitely trying to give us different colors though. For example, I simply can't wait for that International Klein Blue that Ji is going to make despite it making only 4th place. (BTW, it's supposed to a a blue so bright it shocks/blinds people for a little bit, PERFECT!)
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