Fanatic Feedback – Too Many Collections?
While I love my giant nail polish stash and having so many color options, I sometimes wonder… is there a saturation point where it becomes too much? So I pose this question to you.
How do you feel about the constant barrage of new collections? Is there a point where you feel overwhelmed by all the choices? Is it all just a big competition between brands? Are they recycling colors to keep up?
Or do you love the endless amounts of new shades to choose from? Do you believe there can never be enough? Tell us what you think! I’m dying to know.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
I dunno, really. I’m feeling 1/2 and 1/2 about a lot of it. I really do have a hard time keeping up- and I feel like I’m one of the one’s “in the know”…but I sure do love the selection lately.
I guess I think keep the new collections coming (but no more than 6 per year per company)…but stop recycling colors (and re-naming or just keeping same name) and stop collections that have more than 10 colors!
Crazy is crazy! And I’m sick of having a whole box of colors I love but haven’t even been able to wear yet!
I love my stash, but I HATE that so many “new” colors are just duplicates of something another company has already done. And the bigger my collection gets, the more I risk buying one of those duplicates. So I love the fact that I have a lot but at the same time I dislike the fact that I am starting to get colors that are very close to ones I already own.
I love the new colors, it would be really boring if we didn’t ever get any new collections.
But I do get sad when companies seem to lose their creativity and start reusing the same colors over and over again.
I started my collection after reading your blog few month ago. Now I have 9 colours, which is actually lots of money – 14 euro each for OPI here in Stockholm. Of course all this is a trap to suck out money from clients so we buy a stuff we do not have time to wear instead of… for example contribute to the animal defence organisation or at least developing our own creativity and improving health. This is capitalism. So I always feel a bit guilty to buy new nail polish.
But at the same time this is my only hobby for now. And it is almostly the only cosmetics I buy, exept simple face cream and tonic – one at the time. I also do not buy any accessories. I think nail polish is my decoration. But anyway I plan to buy further not more than 4 new colours a year. I think American and some Swedish girls spend a bit too much money for cosmetics and cloth. They are trapped. But your blog I mostly consider as a professional journal, so I do not see problem that you buy lots of nail polish. Maybe one day it will pay back and you will get a interesting work as a nail polish consultant in some fashion company. if it is already such a passion as yours – it is already an art! I also like your literature style and wonderful description of colours.
Team Morris – I hear you. I always want the new thing, the Bigger Better Deal (BBD) so to speak but it’s becoming more and more rare that something truly astounds me. And I think over saturation by the brands is the reason. I still get excited trying new colors, even if they are dupes.
Anon #1 – That’s my biggest issue. The size of my stash. I try very hard when I review a color to think of the girl that only has a few polishes and what she might think of the shade. That the new cherry red shimmer might be the first one a new nail fanatic has seen but my old cynical self wants to say, “been there, done that!”
Faith – There has to be some new technology, finish or pigment/shimmer/glitter combo coming along to revive us. There just has to be
Anon #2 – Seriously, your comments choked me up. You are way too kind. And even if all my accumulating polish is for “work” I still have way more than any person should. So I give a lot of it away. Though now you make me want to run out and up my yearly donation to the ASPCA.
I feel like some shades are really just recycled. I’d like to see less recycled, and more new shades.
thinking logically, there’s only so many colors to be created and at some point a company will start recycling colors (with or without renaming them). the more collections that are released during the year will only speed up that recycle time. so while it’s nice to see so many beautiful colors coming out so much more often, i’m also starting to see more colors that are twins or cousins to older colors coming out more frequently. that last sentence was a jumble but i think you can get what i mean! i think i’d rather see fewer collections come out per year (or even fewer colors in each collection) and know that it will be a longer time before the company starts recycling. this way you get a whole new generation of ladies who will be experiencing those colors for the first time instead of saying “o yeah, i just bought that one two years ago”.
I love it when the brands come out with their new colors for each season. I feel like I know what I like and don’t feel overwhelmed by too many new colors. However, I found out the hardway that OPI usually puts out the same shimmery red every year for a new cause or collection. Only after collecting 6 of the same red (with different names) did I learn! I wish I had started reading your blog years ago! I’ve learned so much!
-Beth
I have 115 nail polishes in my collection…me = nail polish junkie…so I am also finding new collections are not very unique or if so only one or two colours in the collection…I think sometime they put a collection out just for the sake of it..but a spose they are a company and have to make money somehow..
No such thing as too much, as long as there aren’t too much pinks and reds!
There are a lot of collections – and there is quite a bit of overlap (across brands) with them. I would rather see smaller collections than large ones with very similar colors. Two notable examples would be the dozens of navy and vampy black/purples on the market. While each is unique, it would take a “trained” eye to notice the differences.
So to answer your questions in order:
1. How do you feel about the constant barrage of new collections? I feel overwhelmed
2. Is there a point where you feel overwhelmed by all the choices? I am there
3. Is it all just a big competition between brands? Yes! Just like makeup and clothes, people are brand loyal. Small variations across brands means you can find a dupe in your brand of choice.
4. Are they recycling colors to keep up? Yes, companies are making very small changes in order to keep a customer interested. OPI’s LPAD and LPAM come to mind.
5. Or do you love the endless amounts of new shades to choose from? Do you believe there can never be enough? I love the color choices and appreciate the work that goes into developing them. However, sometimes less is more.
Being a major nail polish junkie, I am definitely glad for the constant updates with new collections, etc. So for me too, I don’t think that it’s too much.
As for companies having very many similar shades (with or without renaming them), again it is annoying, but I choose the see the good side of it. That being – sometimes you buy a shade say 3 years ago, you’re almost through the bottle (surprisingly, despite having close to 70 bottles I do actually finish colours at least till there’s 30% left in the bottle) and you want to buy it again. EXCEPT that you don’t want to be boring to buy the same colour so the new options with maybe a SLIGHLY different twist provides the solution for me.
Also, I think it helps personally that when I buy nail polish (apart from just liking the colour and wanting to test it), I really make sure I do use it otherwise I give it to someone who will so there’s no waste…
And besides, I think some of the brands/collections of nail polishes are not readily available everywhere (in the world), especially speaking for someone living in Asia. That kinda help reduce the problem…
-P
I don’t really mind there being so many collections. I’m super picky about nail polish, (I don’t like cremes at all) so it’s nice to have a wide variety to choose from. Although I think OPI has several recycled colors.
I just started collecting. For me I think after awhile I will start to notice everything is repeats. Example I already have like 3 gray polishes all of them are different shades but how many do I need? I’m having fun now with my collection.
I must admit that, with a collection of several hundred polishes, I love every single one I own. But trying to keep up with the trends can get…exhausting. Not only that, I am seriously running out of np storage space.
I think that the companies should invest more time in the collections themselves, perhaps only have 3 per year, so that they can make sure formula and colours are as good as can be, as that seems to be slipping of late and companies producing some great colours but which are impossible to apply right…
I have joked to friends that in order for me to “need” a new bottle of nailpolish someone would need to invent a new wavelength of light, because I’ve got all of the colors you could possible create. One friend then said maybe we could come up with polish that is only visible to insects, or birds.
I like all the new colors, but find myself resenting it when I realize I’ve paid eight bucks for a new bottle of something that looks almost identical to something I already own. I probably need to weed the old collection and get rid of some chunky bottles and some duplicates, in order to get more familiar with what I’ve got and to stop that from happening.
As a starter, I find the array of reds/pinks/nudes overwhelming — too many colours from different brands make it REALLY touch to decide on a colour.
For example, up till now I have only 1 red which I don’t really use cuz it doesn’t look good on me. I try to look for another nail polish so I often go into a store to stare and compare — I’m quite sure the sales recognize me by now — but i just can’t seem to find something that stands out. To me, they are just reds. And I don’t want to get a colour just to see if it works on me and then discover that it’s not for me.
Brands competition – definitely. I just bought a Nicole by OPI with red hearts in it and 2 days later I see another brand carrying the exact same thing, cheaper and with more hearts. That is frustrating!
However, I think there can be more colours other than reds, pinks, and nudes. I’m trying very hard to find some of the other colours from Essie and Orly, etc etc, but have not even seen a single one. I think stores just don’t carry them because they’re not “mainstream” enough.
Hi Sweetie!
Great question.
First, allow me an an ‘older gal’ to offer some perspective. Back in the ‘old days’ of the ’60s and the ’70s, seasonal collections were quite rare. Sometimes a beauty line would come out with a new look (like REvlon, the great granddaddy of nail enamel)… but on the whole, there were few choices available. Most companies had a ‘stable’ of dependable colors for consumers to choose from. But most were limited to some bold cremes, some pale frosty looks, and clear. That was it.
Now, the nail care market has blossomed, and its great for the economy (because many of us can’t afford to spend big bucks on new wardrobes every season) but we can buy a few new bottles of nail polish to spice up our recycled looks! Now beauty companies are more creative with technology, and even the consumers who do their ‘franken-ing’ to broaden the fun with looks.
And I love the possibility of trying new looks.
Although some of your readers deplored the recycling of colors by companies, I like it.
Sometimes a color will be offered, and then it’s discontinued. So re-introducing it is a good way for those of us who took a pass to try it. Some of those ‘hard-to-find’ colors are so enticing.
I still wish that major companies would not limit collections to specific times and places… I’m speaking of OPI, and the Yokohama collection only sold in Asia. I’m sure there are others that do that, and I think we all should have a chance at all their offerings.
Love your blog! YOu know you were on the cutting edge by your nail fanatic blog, and now so many girls have them. But Michelle, you are still the gold standard!
I like the new collections, but would be happy with one big (10-15) or 2 smaller (5-6 colors) new collections per year from any given company. I don’t think the “season” really matters with new colors. We wear spring colors in the winter when we’re tired of the cold, or fall colors when they’ve just come out in the summer because they’re new and beautiful.
I would like to see re-releases of the very hard to find discontinued/limited edition colors. I like what OPI is doing this year with their re-release of old colors, just wish more of them were colors fanatics posted about all the time.
I love that you post as much as you do! I think what a lot of people here are missing is that just because a new colour comes out does NOT mean that they have to buy it. We have your blog so we can see all the colours and then make our own decisions!
Hello all:
I’m hoping you ladies can help me out. I’m looking for two shades of polish both from movies…The Red Cream Samantha was wearing in the Sex and the City Movie and the Vampy Blue/Black Emily Blunt was wearing in Devil Wears Prada. I had the girls over for movie night recently and they challenged me to find out what they were. Can’t find any info about either on google. Perhaps one of you read it in one of the mags after their respective releases and can recall? Any help is appreciated. Cheers!
I defiantly feel overwhelmed by all the collections! I don’t have enough time to change my polish often enough to even try out all of the shades from all of the top brands. I’m thinking I might find one brand, get devoted to it and go from there. there’s no way i can keep up w/ all.
I like having tons of choices. When it comes to recycling colors, however, I feel like companies should really try to stay original & self-edit.
I’m quite overwhelmed by all the new colours! And still, they are SO hard to resist. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my wallet) many of the brands and colours aren’t even available in Sweden. Nowadays I order most of my nail polish online at a way better price than I’d pay in the Swedish stores.
I have polished my nails 99% of the days I have been alive from age 15 to now (51) I have about 30 bottles of polish. Many are very similar to others I have. I do not get to use them all because they go bad. I did give some away. I have been getting more particular and haven’t bought as many in recent years. I always like shimmery polish and now that I prefer matte there isn’t as much selection.Although I have polish like OPI, much of my polish is much cheaper and I usually wait for a sale. It’s a small amount of money for a nice pick me up but I have slowed down on my purchases.
When new collections come out I get excited but in general it’s recycled colors for the most part.
There are days when I becomed overwhelmed by my collection and wonder how in the blue blazes did I end up with so many red cremes, etc. I know part of the reason my collection is so large is because I have the tendency to acquire backups and dupes to colors that are faves of mine that are discontinued.
As far as the bombarding of new collections…I really don’t feel compelled to “Pokemon” them and try to catch them all. I already have hundreds of them stored in plastic shoeboxes I got from Dollar Tree that I can’t use as much as I’d like. I only tend to go ga-ga over fall and Christmas collections, and within the past year I really had to scrutinize the swatches of pictures lovely bloggers like yourself have posted before I decided to enhance my polish collection.
Oh, and as far as recycling colors— they just hadn’t recycled all the right ones yet. I am glad to see that OPI is rereleasing some colors this year– but IMO as an MUA nailboarder, most of the colors selected for that are pretty but lean more toward the mainstream market (with the exception of Sahara Sapphire). Nothing wrong with that, but there were better colors that could’ve been chosen for mainstream appeal for rerelease. I would’ve included Vampire State Building, Russian to a Party, Symphony in Gold, and maybe even the original Bubble Bath. People do seem to miss that one. I am very hopeful for China Glaze rereleasing the Wizard of Oohs Ahhz collection (I may have misspelled that). All that glittery goodness!