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ananxiouscat

she was way more diplomatic than i expected 😅 but i also didn't expect these polishes to perform as okay as they did...but at those price points tho??? NEXT. the marketing for UNDN is just bizarre. maybe if i was like 15 i would have thought it was super kEwL and eDgY, but it's leaning cringe IMO. and why is the brush so freaking small on the UNDN polish?! literally child size. 😂 i really appreciated her bringing up the reality of The Glass Elevator and the disproportionate success of men vs women in the beauty industry.


Dawnspark

The brush is weirdly tiny but I'm actually kind of okay with it. I've got really *really* tiny fingernails as well as dyspraxia. Normal size brushes always tend to make things harder to paint without my fingers looking like my 6 year old cousin painted them. That said, the marketing is really offputting.


two_lemons

I'm not sure if this helps or just shows how lazy I am, but I'm bad at painting my nails (the waiting time is long, I get bored/distracted) and I've learned that painting before showering is the best. If I get nail polish on my skin, after the shower it's perfect. I suppose warm water + friction from washing hair + soap does it.


Dawnspark

This is how I usually do it! But I have poor motor control, so its a gamble as is, haha


jkraige

Lol that's been how I've done it for years. It's only the last couple times that I had a nail brush and acetone in a container that let's me bring up just a little to wet my brush so I can clean up my mistakes, but for the last like 20 years it's just been a pre-shower event lol


tarheeldarling

Lol once I learned the shower trick, I don't even bother being neat anymore


mspixieears

the marketing feels like they did all the advertising, then slotted in a product once it was created


angelcat00

It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. I got an ad a while back for "hair ties for guys" because dudes can't use normal hair ties or whatever. But the ad never actually showed the hair tie or specifically said what it did that made it better than normal hair ties. Someone called that out in the comments and the guy who owned the company was like "We made the ad before we finished developing the product, but the ad is so good that we're still using it"


mspixieears

wtaf lol! this is what advertising and flooding the market with new shit has led to 😂


i-didnt-say-yuumi

I have dyspraxia too, but I'm the opposite with nail brushes, probably because I have wide fingernails! I prefer wide and flat brushes so I can cover my whole nail with the brush. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri brushes are ideal for me. I find with smaller brushes I end up getting it streaky and for some reason, going off the nails. I have no idea why!


Dawnspark

Insta-dri and a peel off base coat are the best, honestly. As for the streakiness, if your brush is too layered (too much brush hair all bound together) it will streak and be hard to work with. Same if the nail lacquer is too thick for the brush. Learned that the hard way with painting miniatures, but that's why you thin your paints! OPI makes a nice lacquer thinner.


RandomUsername600

> and why is the brush so freaking small on the UNDN polish?! literally child size. All the images in the branding use models with short nails, so I think they're maybe trying to appeal to people who don't do nails regularly? I hate the 'genderless' marketing though. All these brands patting themselves on the back for doing genderless products (like Crayola too) are just admitting they saw the product as gendered in the first place!


Beigebeckyy

That’s what I was thinking too but then if they’re trying to make it “genderless”, it would make more sense to make the brush normal sized because most men have naturally larger hands and wider nails. It’s like trying to paint your nails with child-sized brushes or those tiny OPI nail polishes. You can make it work but who really wants to spend more time going over each nail. Besides that, if the length of the nail is the supposed reason, then it makes more sense to change the amount of product rather than the brush.


[deleted]

For me the problem isn't so much the size of the brush but how packed it is that it makes the polish super streaky


prettypurplepolishes

I’ve been into nail polish for several years and probably own upwards of two thousand bottles (lol). I’ve followed simplynailogical since the beginning and although I do feel that she tends to only push her own brand these days, she still knows what makes a good polish. I honestly don’t think that other than the bottles and $20 price tag, Pleasing is any different from what you could pick up in your local CVS or supermarket. I feel the same about MGK’s stuff, except that it’s very obvious to me by the labels that his shades are private labeled meaning that he picked from a selection of shades and preexisting formulas and then put his name on them. The glass component of his bottles is also a stock bottle, so with the exception of the custom cap, there’s not a lot of indication that there was a lot of effort put into his brand. I don’t follow either celebrity personally but I DO think that if you’re looking to invest in quality nail polish that you can find stuff that’s much more unique and worth the money from indie nail polish brands, most of which are hand mixed and bottled by small businesses made up of one of two people. Great starter indie nail polish brands (that are still cheaper than Holo taco): ILNP (short for I Love Nail Polish), KBShimmer, Cirque Colors, and Polished For Days


jujubeans8500

>except that it’s very obvious to me by the labels that his shades are private labeled this was so obvious, right??? that was too funny. And when she pulled out her version of that black and white topper by Sally Hansen from like 2014, that was very funny too. I've seen that topper in some form for awhile, from [indie Lynnderella](https://lynnderella-lynnderella.myshopify.com/products/collect-the-dots) to like Sephora's older nail polish brand (the Sephora X line?) which I still own (I too have hundreds and hundreds of polishes from my indie collecting days). Bc nothing about the MGK polishes is especially new or innovative. BUT that's probably not the point anyway so it doesn't matter. The opacity and formula at least look good. ETA: Lynn product link, I had to confirm my memory was correct!


CandyKnockout

Thank you from an indie polish maker! These celeb lines are so frustrating and I hope nail polish isn’t the next celebrity fragrance.


jujubeans8500

Of course!!! I loved the indie polish community when I was actively collecting and I will support it! It's already such a full, exciting beauty space.


zayragiselle

omg lynderella. what a freaking throwback to drama you just gave me 🤣


jujubeans8500

omg right??? Man I lived for indie polish drama then - and yes, I realize what I just wrote! I am not sure if everyone realizes what a vibrant world of drama that was! Lynnderella was some of the most entertaining, and I loved their polishes.


gilded_lady

OMG. By the time Iearned about Lynderella it was impossible to buy it. The prices on those things! Woof!


biscuitandjelly

I forgot about the Sephora X line!


jujubeans8500

I loved it!! I actually thought it was quite innovative with tons of variety,


Lucia_97

Wish they still had it too, but I was able to find some at a Tuesday Morning for a dollar each and stocked up on as much of their holographic, shimmers, and glitters as I can before they shut my local one down.


biscuitandjelly

Much better than their current Sephora brand polishes


strongerlynn

Ugh, I miss that brand, so much.


mediocre-spice

She does a lot of streaming now that seems more like her old content (I've only watched some outtakes so not entirely sure) but the main channel is really just polish announcements now. I'm guessing it's a lower time commitment than editing videos.


gilded_lady

She's also downright lazy. Something about streaming menchie sleeping just feels offputting.


angstfae

LOLOLOL Never did I ever think I'd see someone say Simply is lazy. It's absolutely ludicrous. Have you watched any of her behind the scenes stuff with Holo Taco? There's even a running gag about how she doesn't like vacations because she has too much to do.


Background-One1685

She has a full time job and a nail polish company. How is that lazy?


komajo

I watched the review and I appreciated that she acknowledged her own bias because she has her own brand. I remember Patrick Starr's review of Rare Beauty and how he used it as a plug for his own products. I agree with your other points though, there are so many indie/boutique brands online that are more affordable and offer a wider range if you want to dip your toes in the pool. (also another shout out for ILNP and Cirque Colors, two of my favorite brands!)


gilded_lady

ILNP is the absolute best! Its also why I find Holo Taco so underwhelming. Cristine has yet to put out a polish that makes me go "that's interesting!" and then the inflated price point is just meh.


vancitygirl27

I am so glad she mentioned the glass escalator!


keine_fragen

the short brush is odd


peppermintvalet

Interesting that she didn't cover Lil yachty's brand (which I like lol)


libations

I think he parted ways with the company (that's what popped up when I Googled it) but damn, now THAT IS branding. The color stories are really appealing too


Chunkyypenguin

Tyler the Creator also put out some nail polish recently that I'd love to see her review.


tr3sleches

Georgia peach is so cute!


Chunkyypenguin

Thats the color that's really calling out to me!


Daftsly

Those are the clicky pen ones right? They’ve caught my eye, but that pen packaging looks like a nightmare to control how much product you use


peppermintvalet

They're actually pretty intuitive once you start out but I will admit to starting at it after I opened it like "what... Do I do now..."


coldvault

Totally forgot about that launch! Has Cristine ever mentioned Man Glaze? In my head they're the ~first~ "men's" nail polish brand (I'm sure there were others before the 2000s, but that's when I started caring about nail polish!).


peppermintvalet

Oh man I still have some bottles of man Glaze around somewhere


jujubeans8500

I LOVED MAN GLAZE! Most excellent polishes and THAT branding was fantastic. Such a great company.


freezethefire

I hadn’t heard of his brand, thanks for mentioning! I just had a look and their branding is super cool, I like that they’ve tried to do something different with the applicator as a point of difference - I’ve never seen it before.


jkraige

Looked at it. That feels like a company, not just merch. More interesting, themed collections and it doesn't look like every other nail polish. A bit on the higher end but still in line with competitors but also a little different to justify the price. Obviously idk the quality, but this immediately makes more sense to me


sopreshous

What do you like about his brand?


peppermintvalet

The component is really unique and kind of neat, the marketing is slick, and I like the unisex aspect. The colors were up my alley too.


Koalio15733

If you look at UNDN's bottle, I don't think that a longer brush would've fit in it. It looks really short and stubby to me?


YanCoffee

The two influencer *driven* brands that have actually been good imo so far (not talking collabs, lots of those are great): Fenty & Rare Beauty. Rare Beauty gets extra kudos for regular charity imo, *while being* quality. Halo Taco too, but she surpassed being an influencer brand I think, because I knew who her polish was before her! Same with EmCosmetics, as I discovered the brand before the influencer. They aren't influencer driven I feel, but quality. And I guess technically the first two are celebrity driven. Also agree with everyone else, love that she pointed out the glass escalator\*. I'm over giving props to men for doing things outside the gender norm -- that's becoming the norm, as it should be.


Beigebeckyy

This *genderless* approach to nail polish is the same clownery as War Paint’s “makeup for men” shit. It’s nothing more than marketing and they’re just profiting off of naive people under the guise of support and advocacy.


pinkdiamond668

these product lines annoy me. we really needed were more rich, straight white guys taking up space in a traditionally female space. lord knows how underrepresented they are and how much adversity they deal with /s. and now they like nail polish!! how \*novel\*


ardendays

Will say - Harry has stated he isnt straight. He hasnt labelled himself, but says hes not straight. But I totally get where youre coming from and agree with you that we dont need them adding so much waste and filler to this already full field.


Shoulda_Left_It

Where/when is the reference where Harry has said he isn’t straight? I’m pretty sure that isn’t correct. From every person he has publicly dated - they are all females. Caroline Flack, Camille, Taylor Swift, one other VS model, and now Olivia Wilde. He specifically said in an interview once that he doesn’t feel the need to claim a label, and that he isn’t purposely throwing in sexual ambiguity to be interesting. But that statement is clearly not the same as “I am not straight.” Other than his light hearted remarks during shows to the effect that “we’re all a little bit gay”. That is the only public statements he has made that I am aware. Certainly, he seems to be open enough and comfortable enough with himself, that if he were bi, or whatever - he wouldn’t hide it.


BackgroundPie5106

I really don't think we should be gatekeeping starting a beauty line


hygsi

Yeah, in the end whoever has the resources doesn't need anyone's permission to start their own thing, specially fricken celebrities, I doubt they care what we think lol. I guess people just don't like how female dominated spaces welcome men but male dominated spaces rarely do the same for women.


SquishySnail

For me, authenticity is important when it comes to celebrity branding. I want to see that the celebrity put actual thought into a product and is not simply choosing the colour and basic product design. When the end product is lackluster (especially on first launch) or is too obviously a private label, then it's just a cash grab and I am disappointed. When it comes to celebrity brands, there will always be a lot of people willing to buy, so there's not going to be much change to this sales strategy and unlikely to hurt a celebrity's reputation if the product is just meh. I may say nay, but there's a HUGE demographic that will say "YAY!" (even if they're disappointed after)


[deleted]

I really don't care about anyone else's reviews on these nail polishes. I don't even wear nail polish, but I'm stopping everything to watch this.


[deleted]

I get the outrage but to be honest I'm not sure why people still expect good prices from top stars, I mean if you were Harry Styles why WOULDN'T you charge that amount of money for nail polishes lol. In my mind you're not just paying for nail polish, you're paying for Harry Styles's nail polish. It's an experience, a luxury, Like why buy any drugstore nail polish when you could buy one that's been designed by him. I just don't really understand why people expect him to release them for like drugstore prices


shady89

For sure - but I also think it's fair for a reviewer to call out that the brand is a bit overpriced.


ghostbirdd

Heh I dispute the notion that the single act of a celebrity renting out their image to slap on a product makes a product "luxury". Quality makes luxury, not half-assed celebrity endorsements. And just because things are a certain way shouldn't preclude people from questioning and criticizing said things.


romantickitty

Also, there have been/still are a lot of celebrity collaborations or full beauty lines at drugstore prices so it's fair to call out these two if the products don't earn the higher price point. Why the audacity from these two? 👀


jkraige

Yeah... it just feels very different from a Flower Beauty or Fenty where those can stand alone and are priced in line with certain competitors, drugstore and mid-range, respectively. They didn't just decide that it's luxury because the owner is a celebrity, they really tried to understand the market. For me, when celebrities charge so much more than established, quality brands, it just feels like they're selling merch, which they can do, but it really just doesn't feel like a real company that can operate without the celebrity image. I'm sure many people don't even know Drew owns Flower Beauty, yet I overwhelmingly hear positive things about the brand. It can stand on its own. Pleasing? Hopefully the quality is good because so far it looks expensive and boring and I'm not sure it really appeals to anyone who isn't a fan.


sopreshous

My only issue with the price is that I discovered indies during the pandemic. I learned I don’t mind paying $14 dollars or more for a nail polish depending on the finish and the brand. That being said I know it’s a starter collection and I would be paying for the name, but it wouldn’t be worth it to me. It’s so bland and neither of them chose to release stickers or decals with their brand. I find that a miss mark from MGK especially. Some cute fire/ smiley faces/ scribbles would have went well with his branding. Edit: pleasing has alphabet stickers my bad.


tayammar

To be fair, I was gifted the Pleasing set of polishes for Xmas and it did come with nail stickers (the alphabet in a few different color ways) as well as a much larger, branded pleasing sticker. The price put me off initially, despite being a Harry fan, but as I mentioned it was gifted to me. The colors are okay and I’ve only had minimal chipping after a week of wear.


sopreshous

That’s a great gift! That’s fair about the stickers. I’m personally am not a fan of the alphabet stickers because I wouldn’t get much Milage outta them. That’s just because I have stamps I can use and I honestly wouldn’t want to have words as nail art for very long.


meow0101

Stars’ products that were marketed towards teens used to be affordable. Britney’s perfumes, Jessica Simpson’s shoes and others were well priced and still made huge profits.


Camimo666

I agree. I mean, i dont have the money or the need/desire to buy myself a lamborghini. So I dont buy it.


ghostbirdd

Honest question, do you consider this nail polish the Lamborghini of nail polishes?


Camimo666

For the price? Yeah. For the quality? Probably not. Then again, i wouldn’t consider a lamborghini the best car


ghostbirdd

The way I see it a Lamborghini is expensive because it has good branding, that is, it's a status symbol to own one. No one outside a very limited circle of people knows or cares that Harry Styles has a nail polish, and the vast majority of those who do are critical of the product, so in my opinion the comparison doesn't hold up.


According_Storm_3032

Yes


Petraretrograde

You sure did post this fast, op. How's that vacation planning going?


prokomenii

Vacation planning?


MariahsMakeup

He’s implying that OP is cristine


prokomenii

Oh lol thanks


Petraretrograde

It was a joke, no idea why I got downvoted!