Essie Spills Her Nail Polish Secrets
By Kristin Tice Studeman
“If a woman’s nails aren’t done, she’s not totally dressed,” says Essie Weingarten. “And, being well-manicured makes us feel good—it’s better than any psychiatrist.”
Weingarten should know—she’s the founder and president of Essie Cosmetics, a.k.a she’s the reigning expert on all things nail-related. Since launching her namesake Essie nail polish line back in 1981, she has released over 900 polishes sold around the world and helped invent the industry as we know it today. (Nail polishes didn’t used to have clever names on the bottom of each bottle—they were numbered.) Weingarten has a new gig as AOL.com’s resident beauty expert, where she’ll be answering all your burning questions about nail shapes and the best polish color for your wedding, debuting on the site in mid-May. Before the video series rolls out, we caught up with Weingarten to get a few of our questions answered on the spot. Here, she dishes on the nail polish naming process, the color for summer, and more.
In your new AOL.com series, you will be answering some of the beauty questions you’ve been asked repeatedly over the years. What are some of the most frequently asked questions?
What’s the best color for me to wear for my wedding, my prom, or to a teacher’s conference? Or, what if I have chubby fingers? That’s a real issue for a lot of women and they need real answers. And, of course, they always ask about nail shape. Basically, everything that everyone has been telling you to do, it’s actually the opposite. For example, I always wore sheer colors, and now, I wear red all the time. When people look at the gorgeous red nails, they don’t notice age spots and veins, their eyes are just so drawn to the color. It goes with everything from the bedroom to the ballroom.
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As far as nail shape goes, what is your rule?
Follow what god gave you. Whatever your cuticle shape, you should mimic in your nail shape. That gives you the most feminine look.
You mentioned that you wear red nail polish. What is your signature red?
I go anywhere from Bordeaux on my nails and toes (I did that a lot this winter), and some days it’s A-List, She’s Pampered, or Aperitif.
Related: 40 NEW Nail Polish Colors Perfect For Summer
Do you always match your toe polish color with your finger color? What are the guidelines on that these days according to Essie?
Well, anything goes, but right now I am into match-y, match-y.
What is the most popular color to date?
It’s probably Ballet Slippers, Mademoiselle, or Sugar Daddy, but I don’t have the numbers in front of me right now.
In your opinion, what is the top nail color for summer?
This summer it’s all about pinks. If you want a bright pink, go with something like Madison Avenue, or if you want soft pink, do Fiji. Pink is back in a big way.
No matter what, my nails always chip within a few days. What is your best tip for maintaining a manicure so that doesn’t happen (if it’s not gel polish)?
We love to do one coat of base, then double that and do another half coat of base from the middle of your nail to the edge. Wait at least two minutes between each coat, and then apply the first coat of polish. Wait for two minutes again, then apply another coat and wait two minutes, then apply your topcoat. You must wait the two minutes between each time. That’s the key. Essie lasts one week to 10 days, no problem.
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How many minutes do you wait after leaving the salon when your nails are drying?
15 minutes and I’m out of the salon.
I think I am not alone when I say that I am thoroughly intrigued by the nail polish names. What does it take to be an Essie nail polish namer?
[Laughs]. Everyone wants to do it! It seems so easy, but it’s really not. You have to be inspirational, aspirational, and tuned in to what women love. I always try to tie into fashion. It’s the most important accessory a woman can wear. If a woman’s nails aren’t done, she is not totally dressed. It makes us feel good—it’s better than any psychiatrist.
What is the process like to name one nail polish?
You start basic. You feel Fall is going to be about a lot of faux fur or fur, for example. So you throw up some keywords on furs (and you have to be concerned about PETA so it’s not offensive), then you start to fill in the dots. Then, I ask the namers to tell me something they really love, but never had the money to spend it on themselves. They say, “A Celine handbag.” And I say, “No, something even more fantastic.” It’s a fairytale world. Then we write the names down and massage them and then, all of a sudden, things click.
How long does one name take?
Sometimes they come really quickly and you can wrap up a whole collection in a day, and sometimes you agonize over it for weeks. It’s fun, I feel like I’ve never worked a day in my life.
Photos: Getty Images/Essie
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