No where is fashion more prevalent in the USA than New York. And no one in our industry is more attached to NY Fashion Week than Jan Arnold.

While her father invented Solar Nails and her brother Jim managed the growth of the company, Jan was always “out there” on the cusp. Jan never bowed to what others wore in clothing, shoes or makeup. Rather Jan has always been a walking billboard of individuality, healthy living, shopping and how can we not mention. . .nails.

So it was no surprise when Jan and Jim sold their company to Colomer, that Jan wanted to stay on as their “fashion advisor.” Truthfully, I don’t know Jan’s title but when it comes to nail creations, no one does it like her. John Heffner, Jan’s just retired boss even introduced a polish line to satisfy Jan’s intense creative (how do you like use of that word!) needs, Colour & Effects. Truly artistic people use these products religiously. But fame and notoriety didn’t come from this and that didn’t stop Jan’s fashion parade for a second. She was doing NY Fashion Week before it was even a week long.

Jan’s true talents and perhaps one of her top highlights of her career came with the launch of Shellac and the totally unexpected media coverage the line received. Jan as flamboyant as can be (who else can get away with bleached white hair, 6” heel patent boots and a dress you don’t find at Barney’s on any given day) became a sensation and came into the limelight naturally. Shellac was not only revolutionary but it gave Jan creative freedom to explore design like never before. Even though Shellac launched in only 12 colors, Jan figured out a way to “layer” colors to create many more custom colors and with the launch of the next 12 shades, figured out a way to perfect nail art using Shellac exclusively.

The results are impressive but if you talk to Jan, she hasn’t changed one bit. She loves what she does and always has. Who else can do a daily blog at NY Fashion Week complete with photos and commentary AND be backstage for hours on end? Here are some of my favorite pics posted, please visit http://cndfashionweek.com/Spring2012/category/day-1/ to see her entire post:

Day 2

Day 5

Day 7

If anything, Jan has brought nails into the fashion scene and onto the runways. While the focus is still on legs, breasts, and hair, at least nails are big enough for designers to take notice. And if sales of Shellac are any indication of fashion success, then we can only imagine than Jan will be doing what Jan does best for a very long time.

Happy Tuesday!

Oh, oh. Don’t look now but the economy is on a very dangerous edge with the teeter-totter ready to go the wrong way. Unemployment is back to 9.1% and only 54,000 new jobs were created in May. As former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan pointed out, “This is the first recovery from a recession ever without construction leading the way.” Not a good omen.

Home prices are the lowest in 2002. How long is this foreclosure issue going to haunt us?

Out of nowhere, gas went up $.30 a gallon in Michigan. Why? Because they could. The lame excuse of some pipeline being shut down was the culprit. Just another reason how fragile everything is.

The U-M vs. OSU rivalry will never be the same. With corruption and cheating in sports, politics, religion and business, is anything sacred anymore?

OK, enough of all the pessimism. Time to be optimistic! The sun is shining, 74 lovely degrees today and Kid Rock is playing Comerica August 12 (and most likely August 13 too).

Another way to escape pessimism is to run to the movies. My kids and virtually everyone else saw Hangover 2 last weekend. Problem is paybacks are a bitch.

Tell me it isn’t true. Colomer Group, owned by private equity group CVC Capital Partners, is up for sale. Personally I would love to buy it but am short a $1 Billion or so. Among the brands Colomer owns is CND and American Crew. Here’s an idea, George can buy it and hire Max and Essie to run it.

I got the very first glimpse of OPI gel color and wow, this is going to be exciting. Launch won’t be until late fall but we will start taking orders July 1.

What is the perfect shower temperature? The BUB has her shower at least 10 degrees warmer than I like. And how long do you stand with your hand feeling for the perfect temperature before you dive in?

I know I mentioned this before, but what did we do before Greek yogurt? It proves that something new can literally change our habits and preferences overnight.

I’m thinking pizza this weekend. Thin crust, burnt edges, simple toppings. YUM!

Why do we open doors for women?

Borders will be done in a month. Hard to believe another Michigan-based retailer gone. Ouch.

How many pre-order copies of Kwame’s book did you order? With him getting out of prison early, he might even sign your copy.

And Dr. Jack has died. I wonder if it was suicide.

Happy Friday!

 

Welcome to Mardi’s Gras or Fat Tuesday. It’s also the day of eating 500 calorie fat bombs known in the Polish community as Paczki’s.

Recently I strolled through ULTA to see what their latest signature brands were. As I walked through the store (there was one other customer), I noticed that a good 25% of the items  were out of stock. ULTA is no Sephora when it comes to merchandising.

Pro hair care represented more than half the store which makes ULTA the biggest threat to salons. Their signature brands were all L’Oreal especially REDKEN and MATRIX adorned on the back wall. They had more hair dryers and flat irons than some of the manufacturers we buy from. Signature brands were Helen of Troy and Revlon.

OPI was certainly the signature brand when it came to nail care. The Hong Kong collection was displayed at the entrance and at the polish section. OPI itself was larger than all the other nail brands combined. Essie had many colors available but  mostly out of stock. CND color was not sold but their treatments were.

Skin care was a hodge podge and they are certainly weak in this area. DDF and Dermologica was the signature brands but neither stood out well. Make up also seems to be a work in process but certainly Bare Essentual’s was their signature brand.

Most surprising was their private label. In all categories, it was scattered and not well stocked or merchandised. I wonder what percent of their business is in this category.

Oddly, they are also carry many Target and Wal-Mart beauty brands and these too are not well stocked. What is odd is that prestige brands have allowed themselves to be sold with mass brands. Perhaps desperate times call for desperate measures but long term, I wonder.

No doubt women walking into ULTA are looking for salon wet goods, nail color and appliances. This is where they shine. Salons have the ability to compete by offering bi-monthly deals and having a nice, tight retail area. ULTA pricing on open stock items is the same as salons so salons can’t complain in that area. The complaint is the constant promotions ULTA offers. We offer plenty of the same promotions ULTA does so the resources are available.

ULTA is a work in progress. More importantly, ULTA is a wake up call to our industry. It’s time that we respond.

Happy Tuesday!

 

Finally, 2010 is here. Memories of the previous year and decade will linger for far too long but at least it’s over. We can now focus on the next decade and especially this new year.

This is the year that we need to move our outer lips in the up direction instead of the down direction. This is the year in which we can’t wait for something to happen, we have to make it happen.

This is the year of renewed optimism. Consumers see the first half as still difficult but see the second half with bright eyes and the sun finally breaking through the clouds. If you were ever in Florida on vacation and all it did was rain, then you know the feeling the first day the sun shone bright.

thebeautybook Spring 2010 is filled with renewed optimism. We reinvented the book and the look. Early responses have been terrific. There are new lines such as Spa Ritual and Ceripil, perennials like OPI (new Hong Kong collection), CND and FPO. And there is a brand new product called Forever Natural that’s bound to be a major hit.

More importantly, thebeautybook Spring 2010 brings the arrival of a new year, new decade and new inspiration. This week I’ll write about more stuff we are doing to help make 2010 the year to remember on the "happy" side.

Happy Monday and welcome back!

 

 

 

I wish we were an Apple store. We could sell tons of Mac’s, i-Pods, i-Phones and soon, their new book reader that will make the Kindle seem like a VHS player.

People love new technology and when it solves a problem, they buy it. Apple didn’t invent any of the categories it dominates, it just designed its products better.

As I meet today with CND to take a sneak peak at their new secret technology, I’m hoping they took the Apple approach.

We saw what happened with matte. One company introduced it and now everyone has matte. We saw what happened with Soak Off gels. One company introduced it and now everyone has Soak Off gels. But no one as of yet has taken design into the equation.

That’s why I’m so excited about this new product launch. CND needs a home run. Their Colour and Effects launch has been OK, but they need nail techs to get excited about their core category. I’m hoping this is it. Stay tuned.

Happy Thursday!

 

 

Some events you try once and decide to move on. Luckily, the Manicure & Pedicure Summit is not one of them.

In the ultra casual environment of our Global Logistics Center, the perfect backdrop for exhibition space, lectures, eating and shopping all came together. It was a fun time for all.

CND was busy showcasing their new colour and effects line. Manicurists loved the way the effects worked over the colour and how dramatic the change was. Many shades sold out.

Steve Wallace from Medicool was busy showing off his drill collection (John Barth was ready to assist buyers). As mentioned yesterday, OPI was swamped with Soak-off demos and we had to steal their Suede’s collection to satisfy the demand.

China Glaze was doing a demo that seem to mystify everyone. Linda Woods took a glass bowl, filled it with water, and then explained the secret to nail art using polish. She took one bottle of a deep hue and dropped 3-4 drops into the bowl. They dispersed magically. She then added drops from 3 other bottles. Linda then took a straw and made swift strokes through the color. It was almost like a kaleidoscope effect. Then the fun part. She submerged a nail tip into the mix and the polish stuck to the nail tip in the same design. It truly was mystical!

Dave Albers from Graham Medical used every trick in the book to make nail wipes and towels attractive. Whether it was his logo shirt or aura, many Graham products were sold.

The lecture area was busy in the morning and it was great to see so many actually listening and paying attention.

Lunch from Jimmy John’s, chips and soda, all complimentary were enjoyed by all. After lunch, many took the tour of the facility and were amazed to see the technology at work. One manicurist commented, "Now I see why we can’t add on to our order after it is placed."

Lots of fun, lots of learning, and lots of meeting and greeting all helped to make the event successful and it will be back in 2010, September 26. Now let’s hope that is a long ways away!

Happy Friday!