Hangin' With Nicole Schaeffer of Nicole by OPI

 

It’s not every day that you get the chance to spend time with a teenager who not only happens to be the daughter of one of the most recognized faces in the nail industry, but also has a polish line named after her. Well, I did just that.

On a typically sunny Southern California afternoon, I hung out with Nicole Schaeffer, daughter of OPI president George Schaeffer. Nicole and I met up at Hands On, a nail spa in Beverly Hills. (We were accompanied by NAILS’ managing editor Hannah Lee, who served as photographer for the day.) I admit, it was a little awkward at first, but I was determined to get to know the real Nicole, the one who lives a typical teenage life — not the one everyone associates with polish.

Nicole was nattily dressed for our meeting — decked out in a leather jacket, dark blue denim jeans, and black boots. On her nails was her favorite polish shade, Nicole’s Fave, a light coral.

We didn’t have much of a chance to talk while we were getting our nails done, since she was sitting across from me and our nail techs were busy talking to us. Afterward, we compared manicures. I opted for I Won’t Commit, a shimmery mauve, while Nicole went with Blue leans, a sheer blue. After lounging around the salon’s comfortable waiting area while our polish dried, we walked to a nearby restaurant. That’s when the gabfest began, and the real Nicole emerged. I discovered that she’s a fairly typical, level-headed teenager who loves to shop, listen to N*Sync, watch TV, and talk on the phone.

Nicole, who will turn 16 in May and will be learning to drive in January, says her typical weekday is spent practically all day at school, a private school in Los Angeles that begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 4:45 p.m. Although the hours may be long, she says she enjoys it. Not only does she take math — her favorite subject, by the way — she also studies Hebrew. Evenings are usually spent doing homework, and weekends are devoted to more homework and talking on the phone.

With such a busy schedule, does Nicole ever get a chance to visit the OPI offices? Surprisingly, she does manage to drop in on Dad and company fairly often. In fact, she’s usually quite visible during the summer and whenever she’s off from school. And when she’s there, she shares her opinion on what’s hip and what’s not. “I constantly read magazines so I can keep up on the trends,” she says. She can often be found sitting in on her dad’s meetings or visiting different departments. She’s fascinated with the nail biz, and she makes no qualms about it. “I’d like to run my dad’s company one day,” she says. Nicole, who says she’d like to attend either UCLA or Stanford and possibly major in marketing, thinks she’d be fit for the job. “I have my father’s brain and his heart” she says.

Nicole’s Faves

Favorite TV Show:

“Dawson’s Creek”

Favorite Store: Gap

Favorite Musical Group: N*Sync (J.C. Chasez is the cutest she says.)

Favorite Actors: Ben Affleck, Freddie Prinze Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachael Leigh Cook

Favorite Polish Shade: Nicole’s Fave

Favorite Place: Hungary (She’s visited her parents’ birthplace many times.)

Favorite School Subject: Math