Today's topic is centered on nail polish brands, and their image (bottle design) .I know we all have our favorites and our not-so-favorites as far as formulation and other areas. I'm curious to know if you think there is a nail polish brand out there that could use a little update as far as their image?
Do you find any brands bottles to be outdated, not so flattering, cheap looking, and in need of a makeover? What are they? What is it about them you don't like?
Does the look of this brand(s) bottle of polish deter you from purchasing from the brand?
How could this brand(s) change to make them better?
My answer:
Revlon- This is my instant gut reaction to this question. Revlon seems to have the same exact bottle design forever. I know my mother has some Revlon bottles from 1988 in the back of closest somewhere that look the same. Perhaps, this is the intention. This is what they want, the timeless look, the tried and true. However, I think it's ugly, dated, and unappealing. I love the Top Speed bottles, just adding the silver writing and the silver caps does wonders! It totally freshens up their look. I think doing something as simple as changing the color of their caps, font, and color on their bottles would do wonders. I would be less likely to pass them by!
NYC- I barely shop this brand because their bottles are so well, cheap looking. I'm not enticed at all to look through their nail products because of this. I also think they have too much writing on their bottles. Simple is better. I understand they are on the lower-end of drugstore price-wise, but I feel a more uniform look would do wonders. Remember Love Letters? I would of never picked this one up if it hadn't been blogged about, based on the look for their bottles.
Nicole by OPI- These are the worst bottles ever, not to mention difficult to use. I saw Cris from Let Them Have Polish describe it best, referring to these bottles as "saggy boobs". The bottle is absolutely ridiculous. It's not functional. That's my main problem with this brand.
What your thoughts? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Tuesday!
You got me! lol... OMG I hate the NOPI bottle. I love their colors, formula, brush.. It's really a shame the bottle sucks so much. I'm also not a fan of the Julep bottle. It's to tall and too norrow.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing that's so frustrating is NOPI has great colors, but I often just say "screw it" based on the bottle.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Revlon I find myself wanting a weightier cap. I judge applicators (the cap and the brush) like I judge pens; I don't want something that is cheap, weak, and too lightweight. I want a bold brush of reasonable width and a cap with a little substance to it to work with, like an OPI cap. Or at the very least a small cap with grips on it, like Butter London's. NYC definitely needs a makeover, the basic line seems to have taken up the old Wet N Wild bottles of yore. Their 10 day polish has a nice bottle, but I don't see nearly as many of those as I do the other boring cylindrical ones.
ReplyDeleteThe most impractical award goes to Julep, though, for their skinny, tall, teenybottomed bottle. They look neat, and probably store great, but I'd have to lock my cat in another room to keep it from getting knocked over.
My first thought was Nubar...just something about them I don't like. I totally agree with you on the Revlon - the silver are so much better than the boring black. Also I agree with you on the Nicole by OPI - HORRIBLE! I also really don't like Milani - I don't mind the black capped ones as much as I hate those faded gold capped bottles - I feel like they look really cheap!
ReplyDeleteI hate Jessica bottles I don't know why. I actually like Nicole by OPI bottles, but they are a little hard to hold.
ReplyDeleteFor quite a long time, I refused to buy NOPI because of the bottle. It doesn't look good to me, doesn't feel good to hold, and doesn't store nicely because it's got that one flat side and the one saggy side.
ReplyDeleteBorghese needs an update; those bottles are very dated, and switching to a white cap for the fast dry ones didn't help at all.
Revlon doesn't bother me; I rather like that all their lines have the same shape and just the cap/writing changes (unlike Sally Hansen, who seems to think the more bottle shapes and sizes the better).
defintely agree with all you girls ..nopi bottles are so annoying.. but im pretty sure its for the younger audiance to maybe think they are cool....i dont know how young maybe 6? lol
ReplyDeleteI totally co-sign with you on Nicole by OPI's bottle design. It's just.....bad. I'm not a fan of itty bitty polishes either. Essence's are just SO small. Maybelline's look so throwback. Julep's are too narrow. Zoya and Orly win with best bottle designs though.
ReplyDeleteFor me I don't have a problem with how bottle of nail polish look.If I like the color and I think the brand is good and I have a good application I get it!I also think NYC bottle look okay I don't see it cheap looking or noting like that.Now Revoln does seem to have the same shape bottle from years ago.Anyways great post!
ReplyDeleteMy two biggest bottle fails are Nichole by OPI. That bottle is one of the most awkward bottles I have ever seen or held in my life. They are impossible to store in a neat fashion. I have passed up their colors because of this. My second one is Borghese it's not as bad as Nicole but almost as bad. The top is really wide and the bottom is really narrow. That just makes it awkward for me. My total win in a bottle alone is the Orly bottle. Easy to store and easy to use and they have the rubber grip. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteRevlon had the same shaped bottle in the 60's! I cannot quite recall if it was around in the 50's. Maybeline was as was MaxFactor. I would have to look up when Revlon started to be mass marketed. But I recall that same shape bottle when I first started to buy polishes for myself in the very start of the 60's. Mom always bought Maybeline...so if Revlon had the same bottle in the 50's I would not know from it being in the house.
ReplyDeleteBottle I don't like: Nicole by OPI - the shape always has bugged me because it does not fit well into any stash. It just wastes space. And yes, it does deter me from buying it - also not that often that I want a Nicole shade...was hard to find them for some time - then they showed up at WalMart and I guess Target though I don't have a T. to go to. They are always half used up at Walmart from folks swatching the 1 or 2 of any shade left on the shelf. But yes, the shape alone and how it does not fit into my storage well deters me from buying that brand. Easy fix - just make the bottle distinctive - but change it from that bulbous bottom lump that it is now. Love to see it in a nice square, modern shape a la Rescue Lounge - something simple - well balanced and easy to store.
ReplyDeleteWow...I left my comment before I read the other comments. Seems N-OPI needs to listen and make a change. I would think that's an expensive bottle to produce as well too. Origionally N-OPI when it first came out was in part of the proceeds from it for a donation to ???? I cannot recall what cause it was. And I am not even sure if the cause was a tie in to the daughter Nicole it was named for.
ReplyDeleteTo tell the truth I don't have a problem with any of the brand bottles. I'm fond of square bottles but if all the brands had square bottles they would not be unique in themselves. Now if you talk about the brush I would prefer all to be pro-wide like OPI's...I guess this could be another topic for you. Lol! Great talk it out :D
ReplyDeleteI kind of want to say Maybelline bottles.. not because they're fugly, just because they're like.. ehh. You know? Not bad, not outdated, just whatever. But they've been like that foreverrrr. Second pick would be CoverGirl polishes. Their bottles have always either looked outdated or cheap to me.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have to agree that NOPI and Julep take the cake for the worst bottle designs ever. I also agree that the smallest changes completely modernized the Revlon bottles.As far as a favorite bottle design, I'd have to go with anything similar to CG/OPI because I like the tapered bottles and Zoya because theirs are just so sleek. ♥
Definitely NOPI and I'm glad someone mentioned Borghese, because I despise their bottles too. They're too awkward to hold! Revlon doesn't bother me, though I must admit to liking the small upgrades they've done with the quick dry line, it is a little jazzier.
ReplyDeleteBorghese definitely. They look like something from the 80's, like outdated Avon bottles or something. The cap puts me off buying every time.
ReplyDeleteWe need more like illamasqua or butter chic and easier to use.
That's a good point. A weigthier cap would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteI only have one Nubar, and I don't mind it. Milani, I'm with you there the pale gold is tacky.
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried Jessica bottles, maybe that's a good thing :P
ReplyDeleteYou're right about Borghese, I've gotten rid of most of mine just for tht reason.
ReplyDeleteI don't even get how that bottle design would correlate with age. It doesn't even lookcool!
ReplyDeleteI agree about tiny bottles! My biggest problem with small bottles is I completely forget about them , and they usually go untouched.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had this mentality, I used to think I did. I do notice that if a bottle isn't as aesthetically appealing I tend to pass it up. I'm not proud of that, but it happens.
ReplyDeleteI love Orly bottles too! Plus you get an extra .1 oz!
ReplyDeleteI like the pro-wide brushes too!
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the CoverGirl bottles too..blech. I always forget they have nail polish.
ReplyDeleteNOPI bottles are awkard to package too!
ReplyDeleteI agree about Avon too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know Cover Girl made polish anymore. Lol
ReplyDelete