Should we be dedicated to one brand in our business?
When Gel polish first started entering the Nail industry I was using Nsi as my Gel and Acrylic Brand so automatically I chose their Gel polish Brand ‘Polish Pro’ to try. I was amazed by it. I only bought the one colour – Red. I loved how I could paint over my acrylics and instantly my nail polish was dry and no longer would I get bed print on my nails.
Then I discovered Shellac. There was such a hype over this brand. I tried it and I loved it. The shine was amazing. The NSI polish pro just couldn’t compare. From then on all my future purchases were Shellac. I was dedicated to the brand. I had all the latest collections and would even queue for hours at the Professional Beauty shows to get my hands on them first.
Client posing with Shellac
Queuing to purchase the latest Shellac shades!
As time went on, Shellac would release more colours but I found it was much of the same. Similar colours with a slight change of difference in tone. I stopped getting excited over the colours. I needed something more.
More brands were coming out of the woodwork with their own versions of ‘Gel Polish’ so I felt the need to try something else. Something that Shellac just wasn’t offering. I went with ‘Gel 2’ as they had Reaction Gels. Gels that changed colour from hot to cold. Just Amazing. I also bought some ‘Gelish’ colours as their colours were so bright and vibrant, shades I just couldn’t get from Shellac.
A set I created using the Gel2 Reaction Gels.
I still have my Shellac gels, some of them anyway that have lasted. But now I mainly use the brand ‘iLac’ from Ink London. When I discovered their gels I loved their range of colours too. The polish painted beautifully and the price point was great too. My clients actually even got better wear from it that I was getting better results.
I don’t think you should keep still with your brands. To keep your clients excited about what you have to offer I believe that you should always look to find that next thing for them. As time has gone on I thought, right, so Ive got nudes, reaction gels, brights I need something more!!!
I then discovered ‘Diamond Glitter Gels’ from The Gel Bottle. The sparkle you get compared to loose glitter was intense. I needed more. I found more from brands like Madam Glam, Halo and Premier Gel so they have been added to my collection too. Whilst browsing at Madam Glam I also discovered their Metallic Gel Polishes so I have a couple of those as well. I’ve probably got a couple of other random brands that I haven’t even remembered ??
Selection of my colour choices. A lot more have been added since this picture was taken.
Semilac was a brand I found at one of the shows where I bought their ‘Cat eye gels’ – again something that not every brand can give you so you have to go to another brand to get it.
This set along with the Red /Black Ombre , I used the Green Cat Eye Gel Polish
Morale of this story – you can’t stick to one brand if you want to offer something more to your clients, if you want that next thing you have to go out there and try it. You will get stuck in a rut and behind the times if you don’t try something different and brands should also take this on board, they need to up their game if they want to stay ahead of the competition. Twice a year that I attend the trade shows my clients get as excited as me as they know that I’m going there to look for something new to bring home and they can’t wait to see what it is – and that’s what it’s all about.
I can’t wait to see what the next thing will be.
Until next time. Xx