#179 finger art

There is nothing like nail polish to make me feel old.  For my whole life I have worn pinks, reds or French (another variation on pink only with white tips), mostly because that was all that was available.  And never in my life have all 10 nails been anything but the same color.  I am so dated!

Today, nail polish is available in more shades than paint.  It comes in glitter, "cracked", neon and swirl.  If that isn't enough, peel on nail coverings are available in every print imaginable:  leopard, striped, holiday, pictures of the Jonas Brothers and Twilight icons.  If you name it, I am sure it is available for your fingertips.

And if all that choice doesn't satisfy you, the trend lately seems to be painting different fingers in different colors.  Or four of one color and the fifth in a totally different shade on the same hand.  When screenwriter Zoe Lister-Jones appeared in a Time* feature, she had all five fingers on her hand with a different pattern.  Who has time for this?

I think nail polish is a symbol for today's consumer.  People want to personalize every product and have the flexibility to express their individualism in ways not previously considered. 

Are you making your customers or clients wear only red and pink -- because that is what you successfully offered for decades, or have you come to infuse teal and Disney princesses into your offerings?  One look at Seventeen's Nail Hall of Fame (www.seventeen.com/beauty/celebrity/crazy-nails) and you'll know that the expectations are more than they used to be.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

*June 11, 2012