How did you two come together to create Ginger + Liz?

Liz: Ginger and I were always acquaintances and knew of each other. Right after we met each other, Ginger created a lip color line which became very popular and garnered a lot of press. Ginger asked me to model for her line, and I absolutely fell in love with it, and I began thinking about starting a business venture of my own. At the time, Ginger was looking to re-launch a cosmetics line and so we decided that the best fit for both of us -- who were complete product junkies -- was nail color. Around that time, nail polish was becoming a necessary accessory for women, so our working relationship soon blossomed into a friendship and that friendship blossomed into our business, Ginger + Liz.

What roles do you each play in the business?

Ginger: It's definitely a collaborative deal. We do everything together. We do recognize however, that each of us has our own strengths. For instance, Liz is really great with graphic arts and the visual aspects of Ginger + Liz, whereas I have knack for coming up with descriptions for the product. Outside those two things, we generally stick to doing things together. From publicity to event planning – we do it all.

Would you still consider your cosmetics line a side hustle?

Ginger: I wouldn't consider it a side hustle. We've both maintained or careers outside of the business. I work in entertainment and advertising sales at a major network, while Liz models and acts full time -- but our business has always been our sole focus.


How do you choose where to sell your nail polish?

Liz: Sometimes salons or boutiques will contact us and tell us they've heard about the line through buzz on the Internet, or buzz at an event. Recently, we were lucky to be invited to have our polish be carried for manicure and pedicure use at Carol's Daughter the Back Room Hand and Foot spa. It's a great location that offers great mani and pedi packages. Then there are certain salons that we personally seek out. When we first launched Ginger + Liz, we loved everything the Polish Bar of Brooklyn was about. We loved the owner's attention to detail, the look of the salon, the lines she carried and her commitment to carrying nontoxic nail polish brands, so we reached out to her.

How is your nail polish different from other products on the market?

Ginger: We're a vegan friendly-line and we're toxin-free. Our product does not contain any nasty carcinogens that can be harmful to people, especially expectant moms. We focus on developing fashion-conscious shades, so when we add new colors, we add them with what is current in mind. We started with fun, bright colors with the addition of a few classics. Ginger + Liz has a little bit of a boutique feel in that we don't have 10 different shades of red or 10 different shades of orange. Instead, we focus on what is relevant with today's trends. So those classic trends and colors are what we hone in on. I think we also differentiate ourselves by really keeping our pulse on what's going on in fashion. We're lucky that we are our target audience so to speak and so we actually make it a point to speak to who are demographic audience is.

What are your future plans for Ginger + Liz?

Liz: I think we're just going to continue to really focus and develop the nail polish and gain a following and a loyal customer fan base. We love cosmetics, so inevitably we have to expand. I think over the next course of the year we're going to see what our G+L girl wants to see next. She may want us to create mascara that's never been seen on the market before or a hot new lip color.

Ginger: We're going to continue along with the nail trend for a little while as our fan base continues to grow. Like Liz said, we take our customers' opinions to heart. We really like to keep a pulse on what women are looking for when it comes to other types of beauty products. One of the things that we are probably going to do first is a manicure in a jar, which is similar to a hand-cuticle scrub. We've been toying with some great formulas, ingredients and different angles. We're just superexcited about possibly introducing it in next year.

What advice would you give to young women starting up their own business?

Ginger: I would say that research is essential. It's really important to spend the time researching the business you're looking to get into before you jump into it. Researching what suppliers you need to see your dream com into fruition and attend industry events. If you're looking to get into beauty, then you should be going to beauty expos. If you want to be a fashion designer, then go to fashion expos. They are great resources for information.

Liz: It's important to really immerse yourself in the beauty culture since it's made up of so many different facets. You've got to really understand all aspects of the beauty industry, whether it's marketing, manufacturing or just knowing what the hottest trends or products are on the market. Having that sort of depth of knowledge makes you a valuable asset to the industry.

To purchase products from the collection, visit the Ginger + Liz Website, or stop by Townhouse Spa, Polish Bar of Brooklyn, Aqua Beauty Bar or Henri Bendel in New York City.