Sally Hansen
Sally Hansen has the deepest DIY nail heritage in the category but a catalogue site that didn’t show it. We helped COTY reposition sallyhansen.com as a content-led discovery platform – Nail Color, Press-Ons, Nail Care, Beauty Tools, Airbrush and Hair Removal all sharing one “short. sweet. sorted.” voice.
Year
2024 – present
Project
DIY beauty content platform relaunch
Scope
Design strategy, full redesign, digital branding, design consulting, QA
Industry
Beauty, Nail Care
Technologies
Figma
Next.jsHeadless Commerce
Bazaarvoice
Google Analytics 4Highlights
- Color discovery module for exploring shades by hue and finish
- Content-led “Get Inspired” surface with trends, tutorials and campaigns
- Modular PDPs that carry shade, step-by-step DIY and Bazaarvoice reviews
- Category system covering Nail Color, Press-Ons, Nail Care, Tools, Airbrush and Hair Removal
- Trend and keyword-driven predictive search
- Mobile-first UX inspired by how the audience already browses DIY content
- Miracle Gel and Press-On campaign templates reusable across launches
Impact / What changed
Discovery model
Before: product discovery was mostly category-led. After: users can browse by shade, finish, trend, tutorial and product type.
Content and commerce
Before: inspiration and shopping lived too far apart. After: editorial modules sit inside the product journey where they can support purchase decisions.
Marketing velocity
Before: campaign pages required repeat design requests. After: reusable landing templates support Miracle Gel, Press-On and seasonal launches.
Briefing & Challenges
Client Brief
“We want Sally Hansen to feel like more than a product catalogue – it should be the go-to spot for DIY nail inspiration. A place where people can discover colours, follow trends, and find their perfect shade, while keeping the products easy to browse and right up front.”
Challenges
- Turning a product catalogue into an inspiration-first platform without losing shoppability
- Designing a system that stretches across nail colour, tools and hair removal without feeling generic
- Working within tight COTY corporate brand guardrails and a compressed initial timeline
- Balancing editorial storytelling with a flat, crowded SKU catalogue
Our Approach
Inspiration as the homepage
We rebuilt the landing page around discovery – color, trends, tutorials – rather than a generic carousel of hero banners, so first-time visitors immediately understand Sally Hansen is about DIY, not just selling polish.
One system, many categories
A shared section kit handles Nail Color, Press-Ons, Care, Airbrush and Hair Removal, with category-aware accents so each world still feels distinct.
Content with purpose
Step-by-step guides and trend stories live inside the PDP flow, not in a separate content silo, so inspiration and shoppability reinforce each other.
The Results
Project Highlights
Color Discovery
A playful picker that groups shades by colour family and finish, so shoppers can go from ‘I want something coral’ to the right Miracle Gel in a couple of taps.
Mega Menu
A discovery-led navigation that surfaces categories, trending collections and editorial – closer to a content index than a traditional mega menu.
Predictive Search
Sticky, always-on search that blends products, trends and DIY content into a single surface so users never lose their place while browsing.
Wishlist
A lightweight, no-account wishlist so users can save shades and tools they’re considering and come back to them later.
Landing Templates
A reusable landing kit for Miracle Gel, Press-On and seasonal drops – the marketing team can launch a campaign page without a design request.
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