Nicki Minaj, a repeat player in celebrity fragrance, is setting her sights on a new beauty category.
The rapper has teamed with celebrity nail artist Yvett Garcia to introduce Pink Friday Nails, a direct-to-consumer line of press-on nails featuring 11 designs that range in price from $19.99 to $29.99.
Aiming to bridge the gap between custom press-ons — which can cost hundreds and in some cases, thousands of dollars — and those presently available in the mass market, the line offers its debut styles in five lengths and four shapes, from short rectangular to Minaj’s signature XXL stilettos.
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The line’s matte, chrome and gem-embellished offerings feature nods to some of Minaj’s own past styles, including the rhinestone-covered set she donned during her 2022 MTV Video Music Awards performance and other references that may seem obscure to most, but trust a Barb — the nickname given to Minaj’s fan base — to connect the dots.
Like Minaj’s debut 2012 Pink Friday fragrance, the line pays homage to Minaj’s most-decorated album (and its 22-track sequel, “Pink Friday 2,” released in December). Unlike that fragrance — or the nine that have followed since — Pink Friday Nails marks a first solo beauty foray for founder Minaj, whose myriad fragrance licensors have included Luxe Brands, Give Back Brands and Elizabeth Arden.
The rapper-entrepreneur introduced her Pink Friday 2 Eau de Parfum, $42, at JCPenney in December, one of many recent celebrity fragrance launches including Beyoncé’s Cé Noir Eau de Parfum, which launched in November; Millie Bobby Brown’s “Wildly Me,” and a first fragrance oil from Drake’s Better World Fragrance House, which mainly offers candles.
Pink Friday Nails will continue to steadily roll out new designs, Garcia said, hinting that a pink, pearl-ornamented set inspired by those Minaj wore in last year’s “Princess Diana” music video is on the way.
“When I became a mom, I couldn’t spend as much time getting my nails done as when I only had to worry about me, so it became a necessity to create fly, quality press-on nails,” said Minaj, whose son is 3 years old, in a statement.
Landing in retail doors is an eventual goal, though Garcia did not specify where she and Minaj envision the line launching. “We want to see this all over — we think Pink Friday Nails can unlock a whole new standard to the [ready-to-wear] press-on nails game.”
