Annie Moore sat patiently as Anna Miller retrieved different nail polishes, brushes and Q-tips. Miller selected a light royal blue and began to paint Moore’s nails. She placed the blue on only one half of each of Moore’s fingernails. Moore glanced down at her nails, a diagonal line separated the polished side of her nail from the bare side. Miller then selected a white polish and a black polish. As Moore sat still, Miller started alternating between the white and black nail lacquers with a thin nail brush. Moore’s nails now displayed an eclectic zebra print pattern. From then on, Moore knew she wanted to get into nail art.

RHS junior Moore enjoys creating and selling her own nail polishes online because of the positive feedback she receives from customers and the creative process she experiences each time she creates a new shade. Instagram allows Moore to advertise her product and get opinions from her followers. In addition, Moore gets the opportunity to experiment with different nail designs on her nails in order to display her products online.

Moore paints her nails from two to four times a week. She uses stripers, really thin nail brushes to do intricate nail art with. Moore enjoys painting challenging designs with themes. She has painted galaxy, beach, Halloween and chevron nail patterns. Moore usually uses her own nail brand, Wanderlust Lacquer, or other indie brands. She discussed why she likes indie brands and her favorite nail graphics.

“I like a lot of indie brands. The hand polish is handmade, not from companies. I like them because they are more unique. They have thermals which I love. Thermals are nail polishes that change color with temperature. It takes me about fifteen to thirty minutes to paint my nails. I have particularly steady hands. I am really good at cheetah print and Aztec patterns,” Moore said.

Moore looks at other polishes for inspiration. She especially loves making glitter mixes and has a book of over fifty nail recipes. She comes up with nail polishes herself or asks her nail friends. She has met her nail friends through her business and social media platforms. Moore has acquired a loyal customer fan base. Morgan Bednarek, a devoted consumer of Wanderlust Lacquer polishes, supports indie brands. Bednarek paints her nails two to three times a week. Bednarek discussed her favorite nail color from Wanderlust Lacquer currently and why she likes indie brands.

“My favorite [polish] right now is Kanpachi, a gorgeous purple jelly polish packed with glitter. [Indie brands] are more unique than drugstore brands because they are unique, different polishes that are not mass produced. I like supporting small, indie companies. I will continue to buy Wanderlust polishes because I get great customer service, the polishes are gorgeous,” Bednarek said.

When it comes to the business side of her nail polish company, Moore does almost everything herself. Occasionally, she asks her cousin Abbey for her input. She keeps books with customer information, polishes that they have bought and her recipes. In addition, Moore tries to give back to a good cause. She owns two mastiffs and loves animals. She donates money from one of her collections to two organizations. Moore explained the line and how it works.

“One of my collections is Polish for Pups. The polish is $9, and $5 go to animal shelters. [The shelters] are Rescue Me Ohio and Lilly the Hero Pitbull. I have donated around $200,” Moore said.

Abbey Hughes, Moore’s cousin, loves Moore’s polishes and likes helping with whatever she can. She has watched Moore’s progression from painting her nails into nail art and then starting her own business. Hughes described Moore’s nail evolution.

“Annie is amazing with nails. She asks for my input which is always fun, but she does everything herself really. I am very proud of her. It is her hobby. She has a lot of fun with it. I love all the colors and textures. They turn out cooler than drugstore brands. I just love her thermal ones and glitter ones too,” Hughes said.

Wanderlust Lacquer customers often express their opinion or share photographs on Instagram with Moore. Moore explained why she likes to hear her customer feedback.

“It is really cool to have someone buy it and wear it. Someone used one of my polishes for their wedding which is really cool. I like to give them something they can brag about,” Moore said.

Moore’s business endeavor expresses her nail passion at a new level. She has been able to get many different opinions and input on her polish and nail art. Moore enjoys selling and creating her polishes and plans to continue making them.