The first time Olive & June came into my life was last year, when I wrote up a small piece for the Cut about their foray into an at-home manicure kit. I received the Spring 2019 collection and The Everything Box for free a few weeks after that article went live. While I remember thinking that everything was very cool, aesthetically pleasing, and fun to use, my obsession didn’t really start there. I was getting so much PR from beauty brands at that time that everything kind of blended together.
That Everything Box became my nail polish storage container and I always pulled it out to paint my nails but never really used any of the tools. Then, the entire world shut down. A lot happened very quickly, and the least — but most annoying — of my problems was that I couldn’t get my gel manicure removed or fixed. In a fit of frustration and desperation, I ripped my gels off, severely damaging my nails in the process. It was a sad (and painful!) day, but then again all of March was very sad.
Within weeks, I lost my job and had to move back in with my parents. With nothing but time on my hands, I pulled out my trusty nail polish box and sought out the Olive & June Instagram to see what they had been up to. There were a lot more colors, they had changed their polish naming convention from using first names (“Tara”) to initials (“TT”) and there were all of these little IGTV videos that showed you how to paint your nails. There’s one that focuses on shaping and another one that shows how to “cap” the ends of your nails with polish.
Founder Sarah Gibson Tuttle is frequently on Instagram Live with her coworker Liv, showing off new colors or giving tips. They call their fans “besties” and Gibson Tuttle encourages fans to slide into her DMs to talk about anything and everything related to manicures. Last week I hopped on an IG Live where they were showing all the products from their advent calendar. During that, someone in the comments wrote that she works at the Boys & Girls Club and all the little girls are always begging her to do their nails. Gibson Tuttle read the comment out loud, exclaimed that it was super cute, and then immediately told that person to DM her so she could send out a kit just for her to use with the kids at the Boys & Girls Club.
[ID: A screenshot of Olive & June founder Sarah Gibson Tuttle during an Instagram Live]
From a branding perspective, the appeal of Olive & June is mainly a combination of millennial Instagram aesthetics and a hyper-casual relationship with fans. I have a background in both marketing and beauty writing, and even I am a little in awe of the successful implementation and consistency of branding employed by Olive & June. The laid-back “bestie” vibe which they so masterfully employ is probably one of the hardest things that a brand can pull off in an authentic way. And yet, they successfully make it feel like the entire Olive & June community is one big group of friends, texting each other about their nails during the pandemic.
I know that I am a die-hard O&J bestie, but I’m not the only one who has been wooed by their manicure (and marketing) magic. I put out a call on my own Instagram stories for other fans and talked to three of my friends about why exactly they loved Olive & June so much.
How did you hear about Olive & June?
Alli Baird: I remember when you received that promo package from Olive & June when you were working for the Cut. I really loved the packaging and colors.
Kelsey Fehlberg: You posted about the cuticle pen thing being a game-changer and I investigated from there. I’d always wanted a more complete kit of things to do a manicure so it was perfect.
Chloe Vollenweider: My mom and I kept getting Instagram ads for Olive & June. One day I had to run into Target and saw a completely sold out section for Olive & June and realized that we probably had to try them. After obsessing over Instagram posts from them for several months, we took the plunge and ordered four polishes at once.
What do you like so much about Olive & June?
Alli: The packaging – I LOVE the box that the manicure set comes in. Also the naming convention which, to be honest, kind of annoyed me at first, but now I really love reading about who every polish is named after. And bonus, it’s easy to text about the different colors because of the abbreviated names. And the Poppy! Game changer! It makes it so easy to paint and also makes me feel fancy?! Or more professional while I’m painting? Idk how to explain it but 10/10. And Olive University – so many helpful tutorials! I REALLY love that they break polish colors down by Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Kelsey: I LOVED getting a whole kit. And the products themselves seem really good. The polish dries quickly and nicely, and the polish remover is unreal. My mom ordered a kit after seeing the polish remover in action. I also like that they really do help you learn to do a great at-home mani. It’s also not crazy pricey which is a boon — $8 for a polish is cheaper than Walgreens! And it’s vegan!
Chloe: I have consumed a ridiculous amount of nail products in my life, and I think what stands out about Olive & June is the quality of both the product and the company as a whole. I think what makes them unique is the ability to customize their mani kits. Several nail companies offer sets, however, I usually end up really hating one of the colors and it feels like a waste of money. I think the kits are an excellent gift as well. Olive & June’s packaging and social media are both so aesthetically pleasing that I think it is a driving force as to why I keep buying more.
Beyond the product, I love that Olive & June is a female-owned and female-led company. I love a good “About Me” page and the fact that Olive & June was named after the founder’s great-grandmother and grandmother really got me.
What was your nail care routine like pre-pandemic? How has it changed? How does Olive & June fit into it?
Alli: Pre-pandemic, I had gotten into a routine of getting a gel manicure at a salon. I’d always schedule them for a Sunday afternoon, get some Starbucks, and treat myself to a nice manicure. I have a bad habit of chewing my nails and picking at hangnails, so paying for a fancy manicure helped me leave my nails alone.
I stopped caring for my nails once the pandemic started and salons closed. I couldn’t sit still for long enough to do my own nails and it felt really tedious to do them myself. But when you sent me a coupon code for Olive & June, I was like “Okay, your nails are miserable, and you love getting mail.” It’s been fun to get back into an at-home manicure routine!
An added bonus is that you got a ton of our friends to try Olive & June, too. It’s helped us stay connected and keeps us talking to each other – showing off our new nails in the group text and obsessing over which shade to buy next.
Kelsey: I liked doing my nails myself but always felt like I could do a better job. For a while in 2018 I got manicures fairly frequently but found it was super hard on my nails and had to stop. I started doing my nails WAY more during the pandemic, I think because it’s a presentation thing that really does make ME happy. I think a lot of my self-care and makeup before was for covering perceived flaws or catering to other people and trying to be cute. I don’t know why, but my nails feel like something that’s very much just for me — which has been born out in pandemic practice, because I’m still doing them. Also when I’m in sweats and t-shirts every day, having a pristine manicure makes me feel like an off-duty kpop idol and not a trash woman.
Chloe: Pre-pandemic I had been getting acrylics for about seven months, and my nails were completely wrecked. Once we had gone into lockdown it became pretty clear that I would need to get my acrylics off myself which involved around four hours of work. After giving my nails a break for a while to heal I tried out Olive & June, it is all I have used since.
What ultimately got me to make my first purchase was a specific manicure from Olive & June’s Instagram. I fell in love with it and bought everything I needed to recreate it:
[ID: A close-up of a grey, black, and white ombre manicure from the Olive & June Instagram]
[ID: A close-up of Chloe Vollenweider’s recreation of the Olive & June ombre manicure]
In speaking with Alli, Kelsey, and Chloe, I realized how successfully Olive & June has created a really wonderful little nail polish community. It’s a comforting thing to have when we’re all separated from each other. Turning nail care, which is typically a solitary endeavor, into something that can be shared and even admired by your friends, is a gift. Plus, the ritual of actually sitting down to paint your nails is a nice grounding activity, and it feels equal parts soothing and productive.
So, yes, consider me an official Olive & June “bestie.” From now until the end of the pandemic, and probably much longer. Longer than my nail polish lasts now that I am actually taking care of my nails — and that’s saying something.