July Issue 2013

By | Newsliners | Published 11 years ago

Nail-polish brand Essie hit the Pakistani market with a rainbow-coloured splash. The product was launched at a sparkling “Evening with Essie” organised at Olivetto in Karachi. A number of Karachi’s famous faces were present, including designer Saniya Maskatiya, actress Ayesha Omar, and stylists Peng and Shamal Qureshi and Meher Najeeb. Dressed to the nines in high heels, trendy outfits, and coiffed hair, they snapped photographs and exchanged air-kisses, while learning about one of the world’s leading nail care brands.

Essie, a brand of L’Oreal, offers an impressive range of over 250 shades that are available in 102 countries, and they are bringing 120 of these colours to Pakistan. The promoters touted Essie’s numerous benefits, such as a convenient bottle shape, professional brush, protective and chip-resistant formula, and numerous salon products and accessories. L’Oreal’s Sadia Shah said that Essie aims to create “a new standard of professional nail care” in the country and capitalise on the growing market for nail care products in the country.

The brand’s obsession with colour was the main selling point at the launch. Guests could order drinks and sample snacks inspired by some of the label’s famous shades, like “Capri” and “Spaghetti Strap.”

Creative product names were emphasized by Shah in her short, energetic presentation, which took place quite punctually by fashion industry standards — just two hours after the stated time! Display cases showcased various colours arranged with props to create mini-themes and vibrant nail-polish trees added to the whimsical atmosphere. High Tea at the restaurant wrapped up the event.

Essie 24The highlight of the evening was the nail bar; the women present eagerly took up a chance to get their nails professionally painted, while the men mingled and ate the cupcakes provided in goodie-boxes for the guests (of which there weren’t quite enough to go around!).

“Women love nail colour,” exclaimed Depilex’s Hafsa Haseeb, excited about having Essie accessible in the Pakistani market. In fact, the response was overwhelmingly positive. With so much hype already created, the future seems bright for Essie in Pakistan. At any rate, it’s a good excuse to go get one’s nails done!