Today the Essie manicure is synonymous with quality and style all over the world, but did you know the history behind this famous beauty brand? Believe it or not, this world famous nail polish range began life in Las Vegas as a collection of just 12 shades. Find out about the vision of the woman who created it; how the brand grew to over 200 fashionable shades today.
All the nail polish is the creation of Essie Weingarten, who had a successful career as a fashion buyer but dreamt of following her passion for beauty and in particular, glamorous nails. In the early 1980s, nail salons offered very few choices as far as working women were concerned. When having beautiful hands mattered, there simply weren't the wide range of fashionable shades we all enjoy today. Weingarten created 12 new chip-resistant colours and began selling them to Las Vegas hotel nail salons. The Essie manicure was an instant hit.
Her phone was ringing in the next few days with salons impressed by her ability to create fashionable and 'classic' shades to meet the needs of glamorous working women. The take up was so great that from twelve colours, the range grew to today's' palette of well over 200 nail polish shades. Along the way, Weingarten gave each shade a quirky name to make it more memorable, such as the cult colours 'Ballet Slippers', 'Mademoiselle', and 'Wicked'. Weingarten has firm beliefs about what makes a good collection which has lead to her enduring success.
The key to success was Weingarten's belief that women have two needs when it comes to nail colours - there are times in every woman's life for elegance, and times for more daring, fun colours. The initial 12 nail polish shades were created with the needs of Las Vegas women in mind - working in a very image conscious city where a high standard of personal grooming was required in their daily professional life.
Manicured hands were just as much a fashion accessory as hairstyling, handbags and good shoes. It follows logically then that over the years, Weingarten carefully follows fashion runway shows to create shades that complement the season's new colours.
