So This Is How Nail Polishes Get Their Names
Because OPI's "I Have a Herring Problem" is simply brilliant.
By Christina Heiser
Feathers & Flesh. The Girls Are Out. Towel Boy Toy. No, these aren't the titles of X-rated films—they're nail polish shade names. But how do bottles of pinks, reds, and blue end up with such out-of-the-box monikers? We went to the source to find out.
How Polishes Actually Get Their Names
Generally, naming polishes is just one facet of a person's job. The majority of the pros we spoke with say full-time employees from different areas of the company—primarily marketing and product development—come together to pitch ideas for a future collection, and they usually devote an entire day to hammering out all of the names.
At OPI, "there is a small group of people from different departments who participate in naming meetings," says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, executive vice president and artistic director for the brand. "This group dynamic is very important to the creative process. We're able to tell which names get the biggest laughs and which ones really resonate." Weiss-Fischmann says those involved brainstorm ideas beforehand, so everyone comes in with their funniest and most creative stuff. "The name for a single shade might happen very quickly, or it might be deliberated [on], shelved, and revisited throughout the course of the day."
Things work similarly at Orly. "It's very much a group effort," says Elyse Piwonka, senior product development manager for the brand. (She studied cosmetic marketing at the Fashion Institute for Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, for anyone interested in this kind of gig.) She says that within a week, they'll usually have all the names for a new collection sorted out.
But sometimes, the team responsible for naming polishes might think of something that's not necessarily a perfect fit for a hue right away, says Piwonka. In that case, they'll hold onto ones they like until they find the perfect shade match. That's what happened with "Pretty Ugly," which finally got paired up with a shimmery aqua for Orly's Summer 2013 Mashups Collection, where the names of the colors were all contradictions, like "Harmonious Mess" and "Sparkling Garbage" (you get why "Pretty Ugly" was a fit).
Where the Inspiration Comes from
"I find inspiration everywhere," says Dineh Mohajer, founder of Smith & Cult (she previously launched Hard Candy 20 years ago). Unlike some other brands out there, she names all of her polishes herself. For example, she named the opaque turquoise came up with "Birdie Num Num" for an opaque turquoise, a multicolored parrot from the 1968 movie The Party starring Peter Sellers.
Pop culture (anything from food to fashion to art) is a huge influence for most brands. At Faby, an Italian family-owned company, one of their recent collections was centered around music. "My daughter really likes rock, so we named one shade 'Are You AC or DC?' after the band," says Alessandro Viale, product manager for the brand (his mom started the company in 1979). The polish is a deep green glitter. Faby first consults with stylists at Milan Fashion Week to see what's on-trend before whittling a seasonal collection down to 12 shades and then beginning the naming process, says Viale.
OPI releases two destination-based collections a year, one of the most recent being Venice. "For those, the group will play upon unique, interesting, or noteworthy elements from the country or city in question to come up with hundreds of names for consideration," says Weiss-Fischmann. "Be There in Prosecco," "Baroque…but Still Shopping!," and "Tiramisu for Two" are just a few of the cheekily-named polishes they ended up releasing.
Overall, customers have a great response to anything tongue-in-cheek, says Weiss-Fischmann. "Their favorites are the ones that make them smile or evoke a specific memory or emotion," she says, citing "I'm Not Really a Waitress," "You Don't Know Jacques!," and "Lincoln Park After Dark" as major fan faves. So the next time you go buy a polish, take a look at the bottom of the bottle—you just might get a kick out of the words on the label.
Tell us in the comments: What's your favorite nail polish shade name?
Christina Heiser Christina Heiser is a health reporter and writer specializing in overall wellness, nutrition, and beauty and skincare; she has held previous staff positions at Women's Health, Everyday Health, and Webedia.
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