Ciate Velvet Manicure

I really think the Velvet Manicure is going to be the Marmite look of the season… when I last visited David Barton several weeks ago, he was all set to give my nails a pink velvet look, and I just thought, no – it’s like being a Care Bear and also it made me slightly shivery in a chalk on blackboard way. However, I think maybe pink was a mistake.. or any baby colours come to that because here is Ciate’s Velvet manicure looking really very stylish indeed. Above is Mink Cashmere and below is Berry Poncho. I don’t have too many details, other than they’ll be £9 each and will launch in the next few weeks.

Just going to add a PS in here because I see that the comments about Ciate claiming things to being their own idea have already started. You must bear in mind that a brand that watches trends, listens to trends and acts upon them is  a good thing, not a bad thing. This happens all the time. Velvet nails has clearly come from the flock trend which isn’t a new trend particularly, but bringing trends mainstream is all part and parcel of business. Just think of the many brands who will be so late to the velvet party (as in crackles) that they’re derided…so personally I don’t really want to hear negativity about a brand that was among the first. And, it is not compulsory to buy them. Or even look at them.

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Jane Cunningham

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26 responses to “Ciate Velvet Manicure”

  1. Emma Cossey

    There’s a hidden advantage with these – I’m a nail biter, but there’s no way in hell I could bite them with this varnish on. Like you said, nails on a blackboard feeling. Or iron wool *shudder*

    Also, the nails are pretty and fuzzy. So I’m going to get a bottle when it launches! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Hannah

    Ciate love taking a manicure and claiming it their own! It’ll be like the caviar nails all over again, but with flock nails this time. We shall see 🙂

    Reply
  3. Strawberry Blonde

    My initial thoughts are identical to yours. Not sure how they’ll affect hand washing either :-/

    Nic x

    Reply
  4. @princessbincat

    Loving the Berry!

    Reply
  5. CherrySue

    You’re 100% right, Jane, it really depends on the colour used. I did a rainbow ombre flock recently and they actually look great on the nail but yep, opinion was hugely divided.

    Hand washing just turns the flock dark but it dries back to its original colour and it actually lasts better than a lot of polishes.

    I’ll certainly be checking these out when they land.

    Reply
  6. Emma

    Lovely, but not for me. I’d feel like my hands were part of the sofa!

    Reply
  7. Carros Beauty – a Beauty Blog

    I think that Berry Poncho looks promising but I don’t know if I will actually buy any of them.

    Reply
  8. Joanna

    I don’t think people have an issue with Ciate claiming to be the first mainstream brand to bring a new trend to the forefront. They have an issue with Ciate sending cease-and-desist letters to bloggers because they’re in the process of trademarking something that they didn’t even invent themselves. It’s a big difference.

    But anyway, velvet nails make me cringe. The picture of them with the velvet lips in the background makes me want to vomit at the idea, and I’m all for quirky lip design. Funny how velvet provokes such strong reactions in people!

    Reply
  9. Lulu B

    Yes this is definitely a Marmite kind of mani! Personally its not for me, its not just the nails down a chalk board that velvet makes me feel, but its the matte effect! Im a gloss kinda gal! :o) xx

    Reply
  10. HSK

    I’m actually really interested in this concept! I think the purple colour is really chic and I can’t wait to check them out 🙂

    http://theconfectionmonsoon.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  11. Charlie

    Ciates behaviour towards bloggers is the reason I wont be trying this. I think that has gone a long way towards the attitude expressed in the comments, if the company themselves had behaved graciously instead of the disgusting way they have behaved, then their not so new ideas would be much better received.

    I do however like the look.

    Reply
  12. Nailgirl79

    I love the look of these! I tried the Caviar Manicure in the black and in the white and loved the look. It’s not an every day look for me but I love having it on my nails. I’ve read the blogs and know it wasn’t an original idea but I couldn’t find beads that size anywhere so am looking forward to seeing the different colours of flocking powder available in the Velvet range as, again, these aren’t that easy to get ahold of. I love what this brand are doing right now. We are clearly all beauty addicts and DIY-ers but to take a creative concept and make it commercial should be saluted not ripped apart.

    Reply
  13. emma

    I agree that these are definitely a marmite sort of thing! I love my nails being really glossy so I can’t imagine myself liking this one!x

    Reply
  14. liloo

    why is that everytime ciaté does something they get jumped at and criticised. i don’t get it. ciaté never said they were the creators of the trend, they are commercialising the trend, they are making the kit available to people and opening people’s eye to this trend. how is that bad? did people jump at, i dont know, say ‘nailene’ when they did a french manicure kit, (when you can also buy your white nail polish, buy your own tape and do the whole thing yourself and buy the equipment)? No, they didn’t jump at the company. Yes someone at the ciate hq did a boo boo about the caviar thing, but for how long are going to hold a grudge against them? For the record, you can call me ignorant or you can insult me saying that I have been living under a rock but before today i have never ever ever EVER heard of velvet manicure. For me, it’s now associated with ciaté and ciaté created it, just like I associate garnier to have been the first brand to have made a bb cream in the uk, just like barry m was the first for me to do crackle trend. You know what’s tiring as well, when people go ‘well I have seen this trend 5 years ago in such and such a country’ bla bla bla. Well good for these people, sorry they’re blasé about it, but don’t burst my bubble and tell me I can’t be excited about it. end of rant xx

    Reply
  15. Emma

    I like the idea of this, and I completely agree with you in your PS… realistically most of what we see in today’s nail (and other beauty) markets – crackle, magnets, rhinestones, fimo canes, striping tape etc. has all done the rounds at least once before. I really dislike the negative hype that’s been created by bloggers towards Ciaté, particularly as they are not just another faceless brand. And as for the cease and desist letters argument, fair play to them, I’d be pretty hacked off if I’d just launched a brand new product and bloggers all over the globe are telling everyone essentially not to buy the Ciaté Caviar Manicure brand and do it yourself at home, when they haven’t even tried the branded product. Anyways, as for the velvet manicure, I really rather like the name they have come up for it, not sure how keen I am on the idea but I’m looking forward to seeing what it looks like! 😀 xx

    Reply
  16. Anonymous

    The issue I take with Ciate is that they take ideas from blogs and TRADEMARK them as their own. I’m all for drawing inspiration from blogs as they seem to create trends lately. When they decided to trademark something that was not their idea then send Cease & Desist letters to the people who actually innovated the idea I felt that they crossed the line. When Ciate did that they were dead to me.

    I can’t believe that they would do this AGAIN after the nightmare they created for themselves with the caviar kit and bloggers. You think they would have learned from that but clearly they haven’t.

    Perhaps Ciate should hire people who can come up with ORIGINAL ideas for them to trademark and market to consumers. Then I might consider spending my money on their products again, I am not holding my breath for that ever happening.

    Reply
  17. britishbeautyblogger

    The C&D was a huge mistake, I could not agree more. However if what you are saying is that nail bloggers aren’t getting enough credit for being creative with ideas, why not contact some nail brands you’d like to work with with your ideas – you never know what might happen. If staying passive and angry is okay with you, then fine, but if I was a fraction as creative and innovative as some of the nail bloggers, I’d be onto the brands like a shot.

    Reply
  18. Teacup Kitty

    Not so keen on the grey but I think the purple looks lovely.

    Reply
  19. Vanity and Vodka

    Wow this is really beautiful. I love it.

    Reply
  20. Marina(Makeup4all)

    I think I’d actually want to try that berry manicure to see how it looks like on. x

    Reply
  21. Anonymous

    I already have a some OPIs (released a couple of years ago) that have this matte sort of finish. I like it, but I dunno, when I look at it, there’s a feeling of granite, like if I scratched along the surface, that’s what I would feel. It’s a really weird feeling and like you said, nails on chalkboard.

    Velvet nails are nothing new, all been done for a while now, in fact, Ciate are pretty late with it. Chanel already did velvet topcoats last year, OPI’s suede range was done well before that, Essie already has a mattifying topcoat and there are plenty of others that don’t come to mind right now. Even the name velvet (among others) has been used to describe this manicure before and is nothing new.

    Like a few people above have already noted, it’s not the fact that Ciate is bringing a trend mainstream (that’s absolutely fine), it’s the way they try to trademark names and concepts that they didn’t even come up with, as their own and stop others using it. That’s the problem and rightly so. I’ve read a few very good articles from bloggers who have proved that certain terms have been around way before Ciate even came up with the product. If their behaviour wasn’t so awful, then there really wouldn’t be any backlash against them, they completely brought it on themselves.

    Also, bloggers will come up with DIY ways to do things, because it’s fun and people who don’t have access to a brand can get the look with items more readily available to them. That doesn’t mean they don’t want you to buy the product. For every blogger who says don’t buy something, I’m sure there’s another who says buy it, so I don’t see why DIY is unfairly being criticized.

    Anyway, I do like matte(suede/velvet/whatever you wanna call it) finish manicures, but they just have a weird feeling. Well, you can always put a glossy top coat over it if it gets too much 🙂

    Leila

    Reply
  22. Holly

    Love this post! i saw a cheaper version of the velvet nail in Body Care i think its the Technic range you call it, it was £1! Anyways, love your blog and ive followed you, id love a follow back 🙂

    http://www.hollys-beauty-box-blogspot.co.uk

    x

    Reply
  23. Holly

    Love this post! i saw a cheaper version of the velvet nail in Body Care i think its the Technic range you call it, it was £1! Anyways, love your blog and ive followed you, id love a follow back 🙂

    http://www.hollys-beauty-box-blogspot.co.uk

    x

    Reply
  24. Rachael Wilkinson

    I think they both look gorgeous! I love a matt nail and particularly neutral colours, they look professional enough for work but still fun and pretty. I wonder how well they last?

    Rachael x

    madeupoflittlethings.blogspot.com

    Reply
  25. Bare Faced Chic

    Personally, I don’t like the look of the velvet nails but I didn’t like the caviar nails either. I’m a glossy or nothing kind of gal on the rare occasions when I actually wear nail polish.

    I completely understand where a lot of bloggers are coming from when they say they will be boycotting this because of Ciate’s previous actions. I think that what they did was a massive mistake in terms of PR and they forgot where they sourced a lot of their ideas from. As a result it generated a lot of bad feeling among the blogging community.

    But I do agree with BBB’s comment that the creativity in the nail blogging community (which I am completely in awe of, given that I can barely paint my own nails without creating a hideous mess) could give rise to some great collaborations with brands. So, given that Ciate are making some of these techniques available to the mainstream, if you come up with something you think could be marketable, it might be worth approaching them to see whether a collaboration is possible. After all, what have you got to lose?

    Reply
  26. Francesca

    I’m big on my nail polish but i had never heard of this brand before. Just on the velvet thing, not quite sure i understand how it works, but this moderately-priced, high-quality Italian brand does something which i think is similar
    http://www.laylacosmetics.it/english/mani/smalti/velvet_effectEN.html
    I’ve used their nail polish for as long as i can remember and for me they are the absolute best!
    think it’s available in the UK, too. Love the blog btw 🙂

    Reply

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