Michelle Obama’s Gray Nail Polish Creates Buzz

Michelle Obama's Gray Nail Polish Creates Buzz

Michelle Obama has done it again. With unlikely nail color and a few dramatic hand gestures, the First Lady has catapulted a new beauty trend into the mainstream.

On Tuesday during her impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention, the First Lady's blue-gray nails got as much buzz as her Tracy Reese dress. Equal parts Katy Perry and high school goth, the color was an unusual choice for a political figure, no less a woman over 30. But Michelle Obama doesn't follow style rules, she reinvents them.

By the second day of the convention, Michelle's gray nails were still intact and beauty bloggers were on a mission to identify her polish of choice. Was it Chanel? O.P.I?

A Wall Street Journal reporter confirmed the answer with the White House. Michelle was wearing the Artistic Nail Design Soak Off Colour Gloss in "Vogue."

The bad news: It's a kind of polish mostly available in salons only. The good news: Salons are stocking up on it.

By Thursday morning, Artistic Nail Design's U.S. headquarters was flooded with requests from manicurists interested in "stocking the Artistic Colour Gloss color that Michelle Obama was seen wearing," according to the beauty company's spokesperson.

"We’ve seen a 90% increase in calls, for this color alone," the rep told Yahoo! Shine on Thursday. "At this moment, we currently have around 1,000 bottles in stock and we will be getting stock up to at least 5,000 to prepare for the influx of orders that we are receiving."

Because the $15.95 polish is a long-lasting, chip resistant gel that requires a UV light source for drying, it's mainly applied by the pros. While many women are converts, the chemical ingredients in the formula have been criticized for their potential to cause allergic reactions and nail damage.

On the plus side, your nail color lasts for 21 days without chipping. That's a big selling point when you and your hands are about to step up to a podium in front of millions.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Sunday September 09 2012, 3:24 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0