Minx Squared - Janice Jordan and Dawn Lynch-Goodwin Minx Nails Founders

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year you’ve undoubtedly heard of Minx… the latest Haute Manicure that “extends fashion to your fingertips” …literally. I’d heard quiet whispers about Minx here and there back in mid 2008 and decided to do a little research, and though at the time I wasn't quite yet convinced of the power of Minx I did see a re-emergence of an old trend and intuitively I knew this time it would be much bigger and far more glamorous than the nail trends of the 80’s. So much so that after six years in the beauty industry I decided to high-tail it back to school… Nail School.

Shortly after I ordered my Minx training kit and performed by first Minx Manicure… I was completely BLOWN away! There really is absolutely NOTHING like it!

My first set of practice Minx

I had to find out more about this incredible company and its founders. With the help of Lucien who mans (literally, yes Lucien is a guy) MINXDOTCOM on Twitter and Janice Miller who handles Minx’s pr I was able to get the inside scoop from Minx founders Janice Jordan and Dawn Lynch-Goodwin to find out how they're coping with the whole Minx craze and what exciting new things Nail Professional can look forward to from Minx in 2010.

Minx founders: Dawn Lynch-Goodwin and Janice Jordan

BEAUTYSCHOOLED! Did you even imagine that Minx would be this BIG? (lol)

Janice Jordan: Absolutely! When toying with the idea of developing Minx, I asked permission from my family because I knew launching a product like Minx would require years of sacrifice. My daughter Jahna told me if Minx did not work there was something terribly wrong with the universe and to go for it!

Dawn and I spent over two years doing product development, and setting up the Minx Factory before we went to market. We have a lot of “hard-time” stories, but we are also amazed at how the universe seems to help when pursuing a dream. Not once did we ever feel Minx would not succeed.

Minx is such a fun and fashionable product it is hard not to fall in love with the attention you get when wearing it, and if we felt that way, we knew millions of other women would, too!

Photo Courtesy of Naja

BEAUTYSCHOOLED! How did you come up with the idea for Minx?

Dawn Lynch-Goodwin: The inspiration of the product stemmed from Janice’s frustration with wearing down her nails. Janice was seeking a coating to better protect her nails. Once she found a solid coating, she realized that it could be developed in a variety of metallics and designs. And, besides looking amazing, it had other benefits such as no drying time, no chipping and not requiring any chemicals in the application or removal.

Minx: The inspiration of the brand came from Dawn, an expert in fashion and beauty. Dawn owned a salon in Australia when she received a call in the fall of 2006 from her friend of 20 years asking her help. Dawn flew to the USA thinking she was going to visit Janice and just give some advice, but she ended up spending two weeks conducting focus groups and experimenting with prototypes. Dawn realized they were on to something when they were walking by a trendy salon on Melrose in LA and the owner ran out to find out what she was wearing on her nails. She then realized she was totally hooked when she found herself buying a silver purse, which she wouldn’t normally do, to match her silver nails. Dawn immediately saw the way forward for Minx and how to take it to market. Being very excited Dawn returned to Australia after becoming Janice’s business partner, sold her salon and got on with starting Minx.

Dawn and Janice spent the next two years as typical entrepreneurs scraping for funding, working on R&D and setting up manufacturing.

BEAUTYSCHOOLED! What about the name, it’s very catchy why Minx?

Minx: A “Minx” is a woman who is a sly or playful young woman, and we feel the word expresses an attitude that crosses all demographics. Minx is basically for a person who loves life and wants to stand out from the crowd.

Photo Courtesy of VitalJuice.com

BEAUTYSCHOOLED! Why do you think Minx has fast become such a phenomenon?

Minx: Many people have told us that they were thrilled to discover Minx because there hasn’t been anything really new and exciting in nails for a long time. We have positioned Minx as high-end fashion accessory, and our tagline is “Minx extends fashion to your fingertips.” We believe that Minx will become a fashion necessity. Our vision is that the fashion-conscious will not feel their outfit is complete without their Minx.

We are also hoping to escalate the importance of the manicurist, similar to what happened in the hair industry nearly 20 years ago. Two decades ago, a hair cut was “just” a hair cut until Vidal Sassoon came along and changed history. Now a celebrity rarely goes anywhere without their hair stylist. We want to help develop “nail stylists” and see that they also have their place as an integral part of the fashion and beauty team.


BEAUTYSCHOOLED! The first question most people who’ve never heard of Minx ask is…. “What is it?” How do you describe Minx to someone who’d never heard or seen it before?

Minx: Minx is a flexible film that is applied to the nail using heat and pressure, just like a shrink wrap. However, because it’s a film and not a polish, it is available in a wide variety of metallic, designs and graphics that have never before been available to the nail industry.

Photo Courtesy of Sweet Squared

BEAUTYSCHOOLED! I have quite a few friends who are in the nail business that are reluctant to get into Minx for fear that the market will become over saturated and they may find themselves competing on price thus not making the service profitable enough for them to offer, what are your thoughts on that?

Minx: Minx is still a very new product – it was introduced less than two years ago – so there is much more demand than supply right now, and it will be quite a while before there are nail technicians skilled in Minx applications in all of the major cities in the U.S. With so much interest and publicity focused on Minx, the demand is growing exponentially, so the opportunity for manicurists is also growing. And, the initial investment of a Minx starter kit is quite small – you don’t need to purchase hundreds of templates in order to get started. You can order just a few templates at a time if you want.

Also, just as regular manicures can range in price from $9.00 to $60.00 depending on the salon, there will be opportunities for talented Minx manicurists to draw in the type of client they desire. There is plenty of opportunity for a skilled manicurist to introduce a luxury Minx manicure that includes an actual dry manicure, the Minx application, aromatherapy, reflexology, or other components that set them apart from their competition.

BEAUTYSCHOOLED! Some techs are boasting that Minx to last up to two weeks, and many people are disappointed when they don’t and take to their twitters and blogs to complain, as a nail professional I realize that in some cases it is the nail professional’s applications but in some instances it could also be client’s care for example I’ve found that other nail techs who use acetone regularly or hairstylists who shampoo or use oily products aren’t a good candidate for Minx Manicures so I suggest Minx Pedicures for them. What are you doing as a company to protect the brand in this case? Are Minx techs prepared to educate their clients about Minx and aftercare once the service is complete?

Minx: We have suggested that Minx should last 4 to 8 days on the fingers, and up to 4 weeks on the toes. However, like nail polish or any other nail finish, there is no way to guarantee longevity as you cannot control what each person does with their hands. As a high-end fashion accessory, the appeal of Minx is that it looks spectacular, and is a must-have for a special occasion. We have never stated that Minx lasts longer than polish, because that’s not a selling point. The selling point is that it looks completely unique and unlike any other nail polish or product currently available, and brings fashion to your fingertips.

BEAUTYSCHOOLED! How does a Nail professional who is interested in becoming trained to perform Minx services become certified?

Minx: If you purchase a Minx Starter Kit through the www.MinxNails.com Web site, you will receive a free training video that will show you how to apply Minx. There is also a “Minx Q&A” tab on the Minx Web site that provides application and removal tips, and a customer service line that nail technicians can call if they have any questions.

BEAUTYSCHOOLED! All of my nail professional readers want to know what’s next for Minx in 2010 and beyond.

Minx: We are very excited to be finally introducing a formal training program across the U.S. in 2010. We know it’s been a long time coming, but frankly, when we launched Minx in January 2008, we didn’t expect it to grow so quickly!

Also, we will soon be introducing our first complete new line of Minx, called “Teasers.” This line was inspire by the colors and energy at the Alexander McQueen fashion show in Paris this fall, where we Minxed all the models for his Spring/Summer 2010 collection.

Backstage McQueen photos copyrights of Phillipe Ardoudin

Thank you Janice and Dawn for such a great interview, we wish your company much success in the coming new year. For more information on Minx and how to become a certified Minx specialist visit their website. If you're already a Minx'r please leave a comment and let us know how Minx has transformed your nail business.

Also be certain to check out the following interviews from two of my favorite Minx'rs, Athena and Tracylee

Ciao for now... Class is dismissed!