NAILS Readers' Choice Awards 2009

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

You took a stand. And you shouted from the mountain tops (well maybe just from your nail tables) when we asked you to tell us about your favorite products. We heard you loud and clear, and here we present you with the sixth annual NAILS Readers’ Choice Awards.

The NAILS Readers’ Choice Awards takes us inside the minds of nail care professionals to offer us a look at what you think about the products used in salons every day. For a professional nail product manufacturer there is no greater honor than landing on the top five list — voted on by the people who are actually using their products!

We asked nail technicians to let your voice be heard. Ours are not “editor’s picks” or a “best of” roundup; they’re simply a fun look at what product you and your peers love right now. So what are your favorite products? We’ve tallied the votes and are happy to announce the winners of the 2009 NAILS Readers’ Choice Awards. (The votes for products were very close, so we are listing your top five favorites in each category. We’re also highlighting the top 20 favorite new products for 2009.) 

Now for the small print: We sent out nomination forms to every major product manufacturer in the nail industry. They nominated themselves (NAILS did not select the products for voting). In September, we sent readers online to vote for their favorite products. If your favorite products weren’t listed, you could write them in. Readers were not required to vote for every category. 

If you have any comments or would like to see additional categories in the future, please let us know. You can e-mail Hannah.Lee@bobit.com.

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Tags: AKZENTZ, BACKSCRATCHERS, CHINA GLAZE, CND, COLOR CLUB, CUCCIO, ENTITY, ESSIE, EZ FLOW, FOOTSIE BATH, GIGI, IBD, KUPA, MEHAZ, MINX, Nail Tek, NSI, OPI, SECHE VITE, TWEEZERMAN, YOUNG NAILS

Enter the Holidays Retail Ready

As the winds start to chill and the holidays return, stock your shelves with new retail products, and see how much you can earn. Manufacturers have come out with a ton of new products for this upcoming holiday season to help techs and owners increase a little on retail and get a boost in a tough year. Here’s a sampling of what’s out there.

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Tags: RETAIL

The Ultimate Nail Tech Toolkit

“Toolkits” don’t always have to include hammers, pliers, and screwdrivers (which, coincidentally, all have a way of ruining the nails you work so hard to protect). NAILS presents the ultimate guide to implements specifically for nail techs, plus a handy list of manufacturers that will help you complete your own collection.

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Tags: BRUSHES, FILES, MANICURE ACCESSORIES, NIPPERS, TWEEZERS

Super Soak-Offs

Soaking off faster than a speeding bullet while staying stronger than a locomotive, these soak-off gels will have clients believing you’re the Wonder Woman (or Superman) of nail techs in no time at all. From bright colors to clear builders and even glittered gels, there is a myriad of options waiting for techs who want to try out these super soak-off services.

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Tags: SOAK OFF GELS

NAILS Readers' Choice Awards 2005

The results are in for the second annual NAILS Readers' Choice Awards: your favorite products in every category and the Top 12 Favorite New Products, as voted on by the readers of NAILS Magazine. If you'd like to see Readers' Choice Awards winners from years past, you'll find them here: 2008, 2007, 2006.

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Tags: ANTOINE DE PARIS, BACKSCRATCHERS, BELAVA, CHINA GLAZE, CND, CUCCIO NATURALE, DEPILEVE, ENTITY BEAUTY, ESSIE COSMETICS, EUROPEAN TOUCH, EZ FLOW, HAKEN, HELEN OF TROY, IBD, INM, IT'S SO EASY, KUPA, LASCO DIAMOND PRODUCTS, MEDICOOL, MEHAZ, Nail Tek, NAILTIQUES, NSI, NUBAR, OPI PRODUCTS, ORLY, POSHE, PROLINC, SALLY HANSEN, SALONTECH, SECHE VITE, SOFT TOUCH, STAR NAIL PRODUCTS, TWEEZERMAN, YOUNG NAILS

NAILS Readers' Choice Awards 2008

In addition to voting in this year’s national presidential election, we asked you to rock the nail product vote…and you made us proud! From Acrylics to Wraps — and everything in between — NAILS announces the winners of our fifth annual Readers’ Choice Awards. If you'd like to look at past years' winners, see the Winners' Lists here for 2007, 2006, and 2005.

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Tags: ART CLUB, BACKSCRATCHERS, BELAVA, CHI, CHINA GLAZE, CND, CUCCIO NATURALE, ENTITY BEAUTY, ESSIE COSMETICS, EUROPEAN TOUCH, EZ FLOW, FOOTSIEBATH, HELEN OF TROY, IBD, INM, KUPA, LASCO DIAMOND PRODUCTS, LIGHT ELEGANCE, MEHAZ, Nail Tek, NAILTIQUES, NSI, OPI PRODUCTS, ORLY, PEDI-SOX, PERFECTSENSE, PNI WORLDWIDE, SALONTECH, SPARITUAL, STAR NAIL PRODUCTS, TWEEZERMAN, YOUNG NAILS

Here Come the Holidays - Gift Ideas and Giveaways for the 2008 Season

With the holiday season right around the corner, nail manufactuers are promoting their new seasonal specials. From nail polish to pumice files, your favorite nail manufacturers have offered up cute and celebratory ways to increase your bottom line -- while spreading holiday cheer.

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Tags: BACKSCRATCHERS, BEECH SANDALS, CHINA GLAZE, CHRISTMAS, CND, CUCCIO NATURALE, DURI COSMETICS, HOLIDAYS, JESSICA COSMETICS, KAMI, LINDEN LEAVES, Nail Tek, NUBAR, OPI PRODUCTS, ORLY, PNI WORLDWIDE, POSHE, RAM PRODUCTS, RETAIL BOUTIQUE ITEMS, SOFT TOUCH, SPARITUAL, TWEEZERMAN, VB COSMETICS, YOUNG NAILS

The Boutique: Cool Retail Items

This gallery showcases unique goods available for retailing in your salon.  General information and website links give you the scoop on cool items to enliven your retail business.

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Tags: AROMATHERAPY, LCN, OPI PRODUCTS, RETAILING, SKIN CARE