This year, I had the opportunity to meet the owners of the nail lacquer brand, Ginger and Liz while attending the BET Awards Gifting Suite in LA. After about five minutes of chatting with the two young entrepreneurs, I immediately wanted to buy up all of their products.  I was now, not only connected to the brand by their amazing product, but I also felt connected to the brand creators. The line was started by two young friends who had a mutual love for nail polish and a desire to own their own business. They eventually quit their jobs and started the collection of nail lacquer which is toxin free and vegan friendly. The polishes also hold cute titles like ‘I’m Over Him’, ‘Swagger’, ‘Got My Groove Back’, ‘Hold The Drama’ and ‘Who’s The Boss?’.
After meeting the two ladies, I contacted them to find out more about the new line. Check out our interview:
1.  What inspired the creation of Ginger and Liz?
Ginger: We are both admittedly product junkies (from skincare to hair care to fragrance) but our friendship fast became an unbreakable bond when we discovered that we both have an irreparable addiction to nail lacquer.  We had that “aha!” moment when Liz stopped by one day while I was in the middle of digging through bins of nail polish looking for a perfect purple.  In years past, we casually talked about doing a project together in the beauty industry but we wanted it to be a product that would bring a new vibe to the scene and felt that our favorite beauty category, nail polish, could use some new zeal. And, considering that we’re both health conscious it is important to us that in addition to providing our customers fabulous product that we also spread the message that your nails are a window to your overall health and like the rest of your body, your nails depend on sufficient supplies of protein, minerals and vitamins to grow healthy and strong. Strong healthy nails assist in a more long lasting manicure.
2. Once you guys came up with the idea, how did you get the product launched? How long did it take?
Liz: A combination of passion and a zest for the business coupled with past experiences in the beauty industry helped us from day one with what our first steps should be.  To start, Ginger’s previous experience with her lip gloss line was pivotal with helping us to lock down a manufacturer and packaging at a negotiable rate.  Also, identifying our target market was essential.  We decided to target the increasingly discerning beauty buffs that are predominately influenced by fashion, arts, travel, and entertainment. After we honed in on who our customers would be, all the creative pieces started to fall together. Knowing, understanding, and even being our target market has been pivotal in our brand development.
Ginger: Although we wanted our line to be respected as fashion forward it was for more important that we were seen as a classic brand in the making. Prior to our launch in 2010, We spent about seven months perfecting our first ten colours which include Boss Lady, Swagger, Half Naked, Boy Toy, and other G+L classics. We spent another 4 months on website development, packaging, photoshoots, etc to prepare for our launch.
3. What is different about your nail line compared to others?
Our product is considered a small ticket luxury item and our formula long lasting, chip resistant, rich in colour and is toxin-free (no formaldyhyde, DBP, resin, or tolune). We also have a 398 strand brush that allows for smooth application.  In addition, our bottles feature a “Control Top” cap that enhances the G+L experience with its comfortable smooth grip feel. We also differentiate ourselves from other brands because we don’t simply use colour trending reports to create new shades. We rely heavily on real time lifestyle trending and are heavily influenced by fashion, art, travel and entertainment. We listen to and watch our customer base closely to determine what colours they are craving. Whether your style is Bohemian Hipster, Rock Glam, Casual Chic, or Modern Luxe – Ginger + Liz Colour Collection has a colour(s) that speaks to your aesthetic.
We are accessible to our customer base and they appreciate that we are not just the face of the line but we live, breathe, eat and sleep G+L.

5. How often do you create new colors?
We create new colours seasonally…as few as two and as many as five. The number of shades will depend on our influences and inspirations that particular season.

6. Who comes up with the titles of the polishes and what are the titles influenced by?
The names come from our real life experiences and joys. We wait for a colour to “move” us in a particular direction mood wise and then go from there. Some colours were named the same day it was created, the others took a couple weeks to name but we always like to keep it fun. Liz named ‘Reality Check’ after some amazing advice that her mom gave her, ‘Hold The Dram’a is in reference to one of Ginger’s ex-boyfriends, ‘Keep Me Interested’ got its name after a string of boring dates we’ve both had at some point, Goin’ Back To Cali was named in honor of our California based customers and is a bright neon. Boss Lady was inspired by focused, hard working, driven, women who know what they want and are the master of their domain.
7. Did you ladies quit your day jobs to go for your dream of launching the line or was it a process?
Ginger: Leaving my job at MTV was a monumental decision for me.  Not only was it a damn cool gig but I also had the security of a steady income, paid vacation, and all those other corporate benefits.  Leading up to and during the launch of Ginger + Liz I was very fortunate to have the support of my boss, the network EVP.  At some point however, the G+L workload kicked in heavily and just one year after our launch I made the leap of faith and devoted all of my time, energy, and resources to our company.
Liz: I am a full time model/actor with the hopes of releasing a book detailing my spiritual journey as a young person in the next couple of years. Having “day jobs” definitely fostered discipline and drove our motivation to get Ginger + Liz over the “hump”  so that we can work on our company around the clock.
We were lucky to have the support of our peers at our “day jobs” and fortunate to work in environments that regularly allowed us to rub elbows with many influential beauty and entertainment contacts. As a result, we are not “breaking into” the beauty biz in a traditional sense.  We love what we do and are fortunate to have the support of not only our families and friends, but our fab customers as well.

Me holding ‘Keep Me Interested’
Find out more about Ginger & Liz at GingerandLiz.com
Shop the Collection Here
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