When! I! met! with! Ariana! Pierce! for! an! interview,! the! weather! was! much! like! today’s,! which!warranted! comforting!layers!and!refuge! to!the!nearest!Starbucks.!Pierce!was!in!town!for! Mercedes@Benz!Fashion!Week! in!September.!(I! know.! It’s! been! a! while.)! Here! we! are! in! April! and! New!Yorkers!are!being! teased!with! spurts! of! spring! but! no! sure! sign! that! the! dreadful! winter!is!behind!us.! We! may! not! be! able! to! control! the! weather,! but! we! can! spring! into! the! season! with! pastels! and! vibrant! hues! from! Pierce’s! Superstar!Nail!Lacquer!collection.!The!23@year@ old! Michigan! native! launched! her! nail! polish! line! in! 2008! when!she!brought!her! Rising! Star! collection! to! the! annual! Women’s! Success! Conference! she! hosts! with! her! mother,! life! coach!Dr.!Stacia!Pierce.!! Once! the! polishes! sold! out! at! the! conference,!Pierce!knew!it!was!time!to!expand.! She! has! been! selling! her! products! locally! in! stores! near! her! Florida! residence! and! online.! Thanks! to! social! media,! with! features! on! popular! nail! pages! of! Pinterest! and! Instagram,! the!international!orders!are!on!the!rise!as!well.!! “I!was!thinking!about!what!I!wanted!to! offer!through!this!polish.!I!wanted!women!who! wear!my!polish!to!feel!like!they!are!celebrities.! You!know,!like!they’re!a!superstar,”!Pierce!said.!! She! selected! colors! for! her! line! and! brainstormed! names! to! go! along! with! her! superstar! theme,! such! as! Rising& Star& Razzberry,! It& Girl& Orange,! My& Stylist& Loves& Pink,! and! Walk& the& Red& Carpet.! Although! some!women!may! never!have!a!stylist!or!walk! the!red!carpet,!Pierce!said!she!wanted!them!to! feel! fabulous! and! create! these! experiences! through!wearing!her!fast@drying!polish.! Pierce!is!inspired!by!random!colors!she! sees!every!day,!but!the!shades!in!her!line!often! come!! from! the! runway.! She! cited! Kaufman! Franco,! Marissa! Webb,! and! Betsey! Johnson! as! some! of! her! favorite! designers! to! see! during! fashion!week.!While!Pierce!is!passionate!about! keeping! her! polish! couture,! she! enjoys! setting! new! trends! and! creating! new! standards! based! on!the!beautiful!shades!she!handpicks.!! !
What’s! even! more! impressive! is! Pierce’s! entrepreneurial! spirit,!which!she!says!is!in!her!blood.!This!isn’t!her!first!business! venture,!and!it!probably!won’t!be!her!last.!Pierce!is!a!motivational! speaker,! author,! blogger,! and! online! boutique! owner.! (Visit! StyleShoppe.com!)!! At!18,!she!created!a!company!called!the!Billionheir’s!Club! that!sold!t@shirts!and!accessories!for!young!girls.!She!also!sold!