How do you get a prestige product in the hands of a consumer not necessarily willing to make a pricey investment? Rent it to them!

Lacquerous, the newly-launched online nail polish rental club based out of Manhattan, hit a chord with consumers two months ago when it announced plans to launch a site renting out bottles of nail polish from luxe brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Tom Ford and NARS.The members-only site instantly received international attention and reaped more than 3,000 global member requests practically overnight. In fact, demand was so high the startup continues to struggle to keep up.

“[People really like us] because we are making luxury nail polish affordable,” said co-founder Ashlene Nand. “Our target market is women 22 to 34 who want a quality product in their life without having to spend $23 on a bottle of nail polish that she might only use a few times.”

Ashlene, a NYC-based marketing executive, whose LinkedIn profile lists marketing director at Anvil Knitwear as a former employment role, explained the site’s rocky launch, which is still in beta mode.

“We’ve only started shipping in small quantities. It’s tough because we have a great idea, a great brand and a great demand. We were just featured in People magazine and we get about 150 new member requests a week from all across the country. We are looking for an investor right now to take advantage of this opportunity,” added Ashlene, who’d like to parlay the site into e-commerce, as well.

For now, members can rent up to three bottles of nail polish a month for $18. The company asks members to use each bottle no more than three times, and encourages them to snap pictures of their creations and post on the site’s blog. The bottles are then sent back in prepaid packages and are tested for viscosity and product quality.

“A lot of people have said, ‘What happens if someone swaps [Lacquerous’ luxe] nail polishes [with inexpensive look alikes]? How will we know?’ But we test all our bottles. Each brand has its own consistency.”

Customer satisfaction is paramount for Ashlene, who consulted with a microbiologist to ensure that polish sharing was even sanitary. The Lacquerous website fully addresses questions about hygiene, including: The cocktail of ingredients in nail polish is really tough to be resisted by microorganisms including bacteria or fungi.…Therefore nail polish is safe to share.

“We want people to trust in the company,” insists Ashlene, a nail buff in her own right. “Our customers love nails and so do I. We really stand by this.”

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