BY KAREN W. BRESSLER — Scottsdale-born
Deborah Lippman was getting her nails done when her manicurist
suggested she learn to be a manicurist so she could pay
her rent while pursuing a degree in music at Tempe Mission
in Arizona. At the time, her mom wasn't too thrilled, but
ten years later, she is one of the country's most
well-known manicurists and an accomplished singer. Here,
she puts a finger on her success…
KB: How did you get started as a manicurist?
DL: I started by going to cosmetology
school and then doing manicures in Phoenix so I could learn
about the business. I was singing and doing plays at night
and manicuring during the day. I was making a decent amount
of money so I decided to move to Los Angeles where I worked
in the Elizabeth Arden salon, then New York where I could
pursue my music.
KB: How did you make it in such a
big city?
DL: I wanted to move to New York but
didn't have any money or connections so one of my best friends
offered to take me to New York for a week to go to the Grammys
so I could get a sense of the city and just have a good
time. Before I left for the trip, a client in Arizona told
me that if I was going to go to the Grammys, I should have
my hair done at Frederic Fekkai. I didn't think much about
it since that was only for celebrities, but as I was walking
down Fifth Avenue I walked by Bergdorf Goodman and realized
that was where [Frederic Fekkai] was. I walked in to check
it out and immediately loved the energy, so I applied for
a job and they hired me. Later, makeup artist Bobbi Brown
came in for a manicure and loved it, then had Allure magazine
come in to write me up.
KB: How did you get into doing fashion
editorials?
DL: A guy who was acting as my agent
in Arizona called a model booker he knew in New York to
introduce me. I invited her to come get a manicure and she
loved it. She was a booker for Mirabella magazine and booked
me for a lot of editorial work. Later, by chance, Grace
Mirabella became a client of mine at the salon. She introduced
me to Jade Hobson, whom I worked with editorially and to
Jade's husband, Martin Charnin, who let me sing his music.
KB: Is it important to have an agent?
DL: Yes. Eventually I left the salon
and signed on with Timothy Priano and I've been with him
for eight years. I really learned a lot about the business
through him.
KB: Do you have any advice to women
aspiring to become manicurists in the fashion business?
DL: First, you have to be in a mecca.
You can't live in Ohio; you have to be in Los Angeles or
New York so you can meet people working in high-profile
salons since that's where the editors go to get their nails
and hair done. Next, you have to do everything you can to
perfect your craft and be meticulous at what you do. Look
at pictures in fashion magazines to see what the trends
are and what works for nails. Every detail on a fashion
shoot is important. If nails are unkempt, the eye will be
drawn to them and that's what you want to avoid. Learn how
nail shaping can make a big difference and understand how
to recommend color to people. It's also important to be
willing to learn when you get to the set. There aren't any
rules and you basically have to figure out what to do so
bring a very full kit, be a little inquisitive, and learn
to listen. Finally, realize where the manicurist fits in
the hierarchy. Remember on a shoot, be humble: it's not
about you.
KB: How do you get into doing fashion
shows?
DL: I didn't start doing shows until
I had a recognizable editorial name. Once I did, the agencies
started booking me. It's important to test with photographers
and get pictures made for a book. Start by mimicking things
you've already seen. Don't try to do something too funky;
the hardest thing to do is a nice, clean, perfectly-shaped
nail, especially under a photographer's lighting where every
imperfection shows up. Once you get a book together, take
it around
to the agencies. There always seems
to be a need for a good
manicurist.
KB: How much creative input do you
have on a set?
DL: I work with the stylist and makeup
artist and we talk about different ideas with the photographer.
I get to present my ideas and see what they think. I try
to play with different color combinations and translate
the look into real life.
KB: How are your fees determined and
how much money can you make as a manicurist in the fashion
world?
DL: A manicurist usually gets paid
according to standards set by the industry and the fee is
negotiated through an agent. It can start at $75 an hour
and increase to about $300 an hour, depending on your job
and your level of experience. Sometimes day rates are offered
but a manicurist usually only works for a couple of hours
and can do a couple of jobs in a day. Advertising rates
are different though. You can make anywhere from $100 an
hour up to $2000 for the day on an ad campaign. When you're
getting started, you can't really say no because every job
is important.
KB: Tell us about some of your favorite
jobs.
DL: I did a great Italian Vogue cover
shoot with Steven Meisel where I got to do a really neat
reverse French manicure—the half-moon part of the nail was
white and the rest of the nail was red. I also did a Versace
campaign in Fall 2000 with two models in over-the-top glamour
clothes. I created ‘The Duet,' a French manicure using beige
and brown and I created the opposite look on each girl.
KB: Why did you decide to create the
Lippmann collection?
DL: I found that I'd go to work with
a suitcase full of products and people would say that I
didn't have the right shade of yellow so I'd start mixing
colors on the set until I came up with something that worked.
After Chanel launched Vamp, women of all ages were waiting
for their back-ordered bottles to come in. I realized that
there are lots of lines featuring young, funky colors but
there was a need for a collection of sophisticated colors.
I wanted to do something beautiful, not trendy and funky.
In September 1999, I launched the Lippmann collection. It
was a real grassroots production. My husband, brother, and
I do everything ourselves from packaging to sales to production.
None of us knew anything about business, but we read every
book we could get our hands on and went with our gut and
God has blessed us. We have a great response from our customers,
our sales are growing, women even write me on our website
with their nail problems.
KB: What can you offer customers that
other nail companies don't?
DL: If you go to the cosmetic counter
at a department store, the sales staff shows you how to
apply the makeup or skincare products. But there is no such
information on nail care. I have so many years of listening
to women talk about what they like and don't like about
nail products. So I opened a manicure bar in Nordstrom's
in Seattle that's run by a manicurist I've trained with
my nail colors, nail care, and treatment products. It's
an opportunity for women to get educated about how to choose
a color, how to determine the best treatment, so when they
go somewhere else they know that what the manicurist is
doing is right or wrong. At the same time, I wanted to offer
a salon where people can totally relax and be nurtured—an
art form which has been lost with the creation of so many
quickie nail salons. I love touching and connecting with
people.
KB: Which celebrities have you worked
with? Any interesting stories?
DL: I've worked with Sarah Jessica
Parker, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Martha Stewart, Julia
Roberts. I work with Mariah Carey a lot. She was going to
sing a duet at the Oscars with Whitney Houston and I created
a color for her called Satin Doll (opaque flesh pinky beige
with silver running through it). It was very pretty for
evening yet soft enough to wear in the day time. She loved
it. A couple of years ago, she was the musical guest on
Saturday Night Live and wanted red nails but the outfit
she was wearing eight or nine minutes later needed a sheer
color. I was up to it if she was and it happens that she
was talented enough to walk on stage with wet nails and
not mess them up. There were a lot of closeups of her holding
the microphone and we both got calls the next day about
her nails. Another time she was in a diva concert and we
changed her nails four times in a short period of time in
a shaky trailer. Every time someone took a step, the trailer
rocked. We were laughing pretty hard.
KB: Are you still pursuing a career
in music?
DL: People are just finding out I'm
a singer. I sang on Donny Osmond's Christmas album, the
Rosie show, and the Today show. I sang the national anthem
at a New York Knicks game and I sang at the wedding of Donald
and Marla Trump. I got a great review in Billboard magazine
when I sang Martin Charnin's music—that was definitely a
highlight. I've been singing in clubs a lot more. I have
a small CD already and right now I'm getting ready to record
an album. Music is my passion and, hopefully, music and
the nail line will always be a part of my life in one way
or another.
KB: Does your music inspire you as
a manicurist or vice versa?
DL: The names of the nail polish colors
are all names of songs—Fever, Makin' Whoopee, Sophisticated
Lady. I wanted the names of the colors to evoke a feeling.
I didn't want to have to tell people a color is magenta
if it's called wine. If that happens to me, I get confused
and won't buy it. A color is to you what it is to you.
KB: What does your mom say about your
success?
DL: She's not a magazine person. I
used to call her up and tell her there was a story about
me in Vogue and she thought it was about my music. She was
so afraid that I'd given up my dreams. Now she's totally
proud.
