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N. Names
O. Of
D. Distinction
Every month
River + Wolf
curates a gallery
that pays tribute
to exceptional
brand names
Names of Distinction

To signify assent, approval, agreement by doing this. A sign of affirmation, assent, favorable decision, etc. A nomination or selection such as an Oscar nod.
Collins Dictionary

At River + Wolf, we love great brand names—not only our own, but also those created by marketing execs, company founders, and agency colleagues. To celebrate these magnificent monikers and, more broadly, the art of brand naming, we have created Names of Distinction (NOD), a monthly gallery that features the names of emerging and established products and companies that have launched in the last ten years or so.

This month features a romantic collection of chocolate and fragrance names, just right for Valentine's day. Have a look.

To brighten the dreariness of January (at least in some parts of the world), our gallery is featuring an elegant and edgy, poetic and playful collection of striking cosmetic shade names plus a few names of companies in the business of making these colorful products. And for a little insight into what makes them so great, have a look at NOD's January blog.

March Women's Brands
February Fragrance
January Cosmetics
December
November

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Smith & Cult

Smith & Cult
Nail Polish Company Name

Smith & Cult
Smith & Cult is a cosmetics company known for its blend of sophisticated beauty and rocker-like cool. Pairing two words–one simple and classic (Smith), the other dangerous and dark (Cult)–creates memorable dissonance. This dissonance is also found in many of their shade names, to mention a few: Demon Dazed (lipstick); Bitter Buddha (nail polish), and Ghost Edit (nail polish). Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Butter London

Butter London
Nail Polish Company Name

Butter London
We did a little test to see what the word “butter” evoked with 20 people and almost everyone’s list included “smooth,” “creamy,” “thick,” “spreadable,” and “rich.” These are great associations for nail polish. Finding metaphors that convey similar attributes to a large group of people isn’t easy, but Butter London, a nail lacquer brand inspired by the streets of London, did just that. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Scuba

Scuba
Jin Soon Nail Shade

Scuba
This deep teal shade from JinSOON’s summer Flagpole Collection is a wonderful example of a polish shade name that metaphorically maps to a color. As a metaphor, Scuba takes us deep into the sea, which evokes an opaque, blue-green world. Scuba also alludes to water which cues to shine and moisture, two great attributes for nail polish. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Petal Metal

Petal Metal
Highlighter

Petal Metal
Smashbox’s Petal Metal line of gel-powder highlighters weds two seemingly opposite concepts–the bright, reflective shine of metal and a bloom’s ultra-soft touch. This unusual pairing captures the higlighter’s ultra-flattering rose-gold radiance. In addition to the striking use of opposing textures and images, the name creates aural memorability through its use of hard rhyme. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Cloud Paint

Cloud Paint
Cream Blusher

Cloud Paint
Glossier’s name for its gel-cream blush evokes creativity and fantasy–the artistry of painting and the dreamlike, lightweight nature of clouds. The name makes it easy for us to picture the blusher’s hues as clouds naturally conjure up the rose and gold of sunset and dawn. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Photo Finish

Photo Finish
Foundation Primer

Photo Finish
While not exactly a color name, we wanted to include Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer because great color can be improved when applied over primer. Additional layers of meaning are created through pairing “photo” with “finish,” resulting in the term for a race so close, you need to look at a photograph to see who won. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Unapology

Unapology
Lipstick Company

Unapology
This lipstick company moniker takes a page from the #MeToo playbook. Women are done apologizing for being too loud, too strong, too big, or whatever else society has traditionally made them feel bad about. In an interesting twist, this company name also suggests that women need not apologize for wanting to be beautiful, sensual, or glamorous, things commonly associated with lipstick and cosmetics. Bottom line: the name taps into the zeitgeist of our time. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Juniper Water

Juniper Water
Lipstick Shade

Juniper Water
Burt’s Bees is known for its simple, clean products, as well as its direct naming style. While a little more metaphorical than most of their product names, Juniper Water is still right on brand as it themes to the natural world, an important part of the Burt’s Bees narrative. Too, mixing the berry’s dusky bluish purple color with water does double duty: the name covers both hue and hydration. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Dark Fiction

Dark Fiction
Lipstick Shade

Dark Fiction
By borrowing a term for a genre of fiction and media that revolves around the sinister side of human nature, this dramatic deep red shade name transports you to Old Hollywood dramas, replete with private eyes, femme fatales, and shadowy alleys. As such, it suggests danger is lurking just around the corner. And there is nothing like an imaginative dose of menace to add a rush of adrenaline to an otherwise ordinary day. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Scattered Light

Scattered Light
Eyeshadow Shade

Scattered Light
Hourglass’s Scattered Light is a glittering eyeshadow shade name that works on many levels. First, the word “scattered” is a wonderful way to convey diffusion. As a modifier of “light,” it creates a magical scene of bits and specks of light shimmering everywhere. Plus, the dual meaning of light–weightlessness and luminosity–gives the name even more power. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Clay Play

Clay Play
Eye And Cheek Palette

Clay Play
Sephora’s Clay Play features nine neutral-to-smoky shades in a single palette.Not only is the powder infused with clay, but the word cues to the earth’s warm tones. It also transports us back to childhood, an idea reinforced by pairing the word “clay” with “play.” In a subtle way, the name suggests that applying color to our faces is a form of creative play. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Moon Beach

Moon Beach
Cream Blusher Stick

Moon Beach
Referencing the moon is an effective way to convey iridescence and glow. And there is no better word than “beach” to usher in images of warm sands and sun-kissed bodies. But in this case, the name did not arise from a namer’s artful juxtaposition of unlikely words, but rather from an existing place–Moon Beach in Ibiza. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

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Review: Five Star Shade Names
Learn More
How Do Make Up Shades Get Their Names?
Learn More
An Abridged History of Red Lipstick
Learn More
I Named Your Lipstick
Learn More
Out Of Makeup Names
Learn More
This is How Nail Polishes Get Their Names
Learn More

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