EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Brandie of NAIL HOOT



FOREWORD : 


Hi there, my darlings! As part of the current indie featured Instagram giveaway with Nail Hoot, I will be posting a review of some of the new brand's polishes shortly! But in the meantime, here's an exclusive interview with the maker, so people can get a little glimpse into the world of the face behind the brand! How can one get to know a brand without getting to know the maker a little, right? So, I present to you my interview with Brandie of Nail Hoot! Read on for a peek into the woman behind the brand!





1. How did you first get into making polish?


I had been making nail polish jewelry for about a year (https://www.etsy.com/shop/CollinsCustomCrafts) and building up quite the nail polish collection to work with. Then I discovered indies and a whole new world of possibilities opened up - colors and finishes and sparkle and fun that I just hadn't seen anywhere else. One day, the idea popped into my head that I would love to create polish - I have always loved colors, and this was a natural extension. I researched it a bit but talked myself out of it, mainly due to the serious financial commitment starting an indie line would take. I just couldn't get the idea out of my head, though, and one night I found myself ordering the basics to begin creating. It took me about an hour of playing to create my very first and best selling polish - Genesis. From then on I knew I had to pursuit this - it felt so right and came so naturally!



2. What was the inspiration for the name "NAIL HOOT"? Is there a story behind the name?


I knew that I wanted a brand with a cute label that would draw people in. There are a LOT of indies, and I needed my brand to name and logo to help me to stand out amongst the crowd. I knew that I wanted to incorporate a combination of things that I loved into the name and logo. My first choice was cats, but there are already a few indie cat brands. Then I thought - Owls! - and instantly the name Nail Hoot popped in my head. It was a fun combination of two things I love - nails and owls.



3. What inspires your collections (or where do you look for inspiration)? What inspired your latest collection? Any hints/ideas about upcoming collections?


I get inspiration from many different things. My first collection (The Beginning) is inspired by my faith - the polishes are named for the first five books of the Bible. For my other collections, I get inspired by an idea that pops into my head (like the Candy Land collection) or I get inspired by a pigment I have on hand (the Space Galaxy trio was inspired this way). I keep a long list of inspirations/ideas for collections. So many ideas - so little time to play and make that happen!

In September and August I was part of an indie box with 9 other makers. I created a polish called "Summer's Demise" for that box. At the same time I was creating that box polish, I also created a collection to go with it. My Seasons collection will go on sale on December 1st (presale will open a few weeks before). It has four polishes - Summer's Demise, Fall's Charisma, Winter's Kiss and Spring's Revival. Sneak peaks for these polishes are going to go live in my Facebook fan group soon! I will also be releasing 1-5 additional polishes on December 1st. One of these will be my Christmas special, a crelly glittler called Star of Bethlehem. I'm putting the finishing touches on the other polishes, so I don't have hints on those yet.




4. Do you have a favorite indie maker(s)? Favorite mainstream brand?


As strange as it is to say, I don't own a lot of indies. My favorite brands from what I own so far have been Crows Toes and Emily De Molly. My absolute favorite top coat is HK Girl. My favorite mainstream brand is Zoya, hands down!



5. What are your go-to products for nail/cuticle care?


I love my Bliss Kiss cuticle oil and use it all the time. I also love stamping and nail art, and for that reason I love liquid latex to protect my cuticles and fingers. I will be releasing a Nail Hoot liquid latex soon. I also love glass nail files for quickly and effectively shaping nails.



6. What are your favorite colors? In general? For summer? For fall?


Purple purple purple purple. Must own all the purple! My second favorite color is blue. I don't typically paint my nails by season, and a lot of time my collections aren't really suited for the season they come out in (for example, my Candy Land collection is definitely fall colors, but it came out right in the middle of summer). My clothes are the same way. I like bright colors - both for clothing and for nails.




7. This may be hard--but which are your 3 favorite creations so far?


Genesis - The very first color I ever created, and it turned out exactly how I wanted it to. It's been my best seller ever since.
My Green Plum - This purple/green shifting polish took me so many hours to perfect, and it's everything I wanted it to be.
Jeepers Creepers - This one completely surprised me. I never wear chunky glitter polishes, I've never liked how they looked. I put Jeepers Creepers on for a full mani last week (I'm still wearing it now) and I surprised myself with how much I love wearing it.



8. Do you have any other hobbies? Are you involved with any other clubs, associations, or recreational activities?


I have a lot of stuff on my plate already - besides Nail Hoot and my nail polish jewelry, I have a full time job, 4 kids (ages 1 - 15), and I am obtaining my master's degree in Organizational Informatics. Aside from that I like app development (I have an iPhone app available in the app store). I love jigsaw puzzles - my house is decorated in finished puzzles. I also love to sew and make special dresses for my girls, and clothing for myself.



9. What is your most favorite thing about being an indie maker? What are some of the challenges? What advice would you give to people considering starting their own brand? Overall, are you happy with your decision to get into the indie polish world?



My favorite thing about having an indie brand is creating the polishes. I love it when I create something beautiful that I haven't seen before. The biggest challenge is creating brand awareness and gathering a following. I do stuff almost every day to interact with my customers and spread the word. It's working well - I just hope at some point I can focus a little less on promoting constantly, and more on my customers.

My advice for those wanting to launch a brand is that it's far more expensive than you realize! I did my research and I saw several people say the same thing. Despite my best efforts, I am still working on climbing out of the debt and breaking into profit. I know that point will come - I am finally consistently bringing in more money than I am spending on supplies. It's a long road, so just be aware of that and make sure you have the funds to stay afloat for awhile. It's not a way to make a quick buck. For me it's totally worth it - everyday I see people wearing and loving the polish I created. That makes me want to continue even more!



10. Fun facts

Astrological sign : Pisces

Favorite comfort food : Bread

Favorite beauty item besides polish : Dior Airflash

Favorite fragrance : Love Spell (Victoria Secret)

Favorite vacation destination : Cancun

Favorite candy : Kit Kat

Favorite celebrity : Will Smith

Favorite family member or friend (you can pick one of each) : Family: My Aunt Shari Friend: Sabrina and Charlotte (sorry, couldn't pick just one!)

Most recent read : Stop Asking Jesus into your Heart

Most recent movie you loved : The Shrine

Favorite TV show and character : Desperate Housewives / Bree

If you won a million dollars, first thing you would buy is : A house in Florida




So there you have it, my darlings! A little glimpse into the world of Brandie of Nail Hoot!


I will have a review of some of her polishes very soon but in the meantime, don't forget to enter our giveaway on my HERE!


As always, I'm thrilled to hear from you, so don't hesitate to leave me your thoughts in the comments section below!




Until next time,
<3
B

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