Fooled you! Kiehl's isn't doing nude; this is a backstage belle at Alberta Ferretti Autumn Winter 2014 © Showbit
Kiehl’s is dipping its manicured toes into the lucrative lacquer pool for the very first time – and it’s doing so with a pretty startling splash.
Well, maybe “pretty” isn’t an entirely appropriate adjective; make it “badass” instead.
Take it from the boss himself: “We’ve had motorcycles [in our stores] for 40-plus years, and we’ve always had that biker-esque image, so we thought black would be great,” says Chris Salgardo, president of Kiehl’s USA. “And our nails will look badass along the way.”
Besides the promise of a provocative product, intriguingly little information has been revealed about Kiehl’s new nail polish, although we do know it’s slated for a late July release.
Biker beauty: This is the 2014 emblem for Kiehl's LifeRide for amfAR charity drive
Alas, a little birdie has informed us that the as-yet-unnamed lacquer, which will be a gleaming obsidian hue, will not be carried in Singapore stores.
This bleak bit of news comes with an encouraging caveat: According to the good folks at our local Kiehl’s, the polish may just make it to our shores, subject to future directives.
In any case, the timing of the dark nail polish is oddly appropriate, given that the release date will coincide with the brand’s annual LifeRide for amfAR motorcycle convoy, a take-no-prisoners posse of 20 leather-clad bikers who will be zipping from Milwaukee all the way to Kiehl’s flagship boutique at Third Ave. and 13th St. in Manhattan.
The tough boys may not take to the opalescent nudes one usually associates with the feel-good “natural” skincare brand, but cool coal polish that resembles petrol? Infinitely more palatable. Keep a mascaraed eye out for the polish as worn on the grubby fingers of the Kiehls bikers themselves!
For more information on Kiehl’s, visit www.kiehlstimes.com and follow Kiehl’s Singapore on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.