Crawling into the mind of auteur extraordinaire Wes Anderson sounds like what Bess & Color’s Founder Jessica Bellinger did, more than a few times. Drawing from Wes Anderson’s color palette, set design, and even characters from his films, she became inspired to create a vegan, cruelty-free nail polish line. And, this nail polish is 10 free which means her line does not contain any of the 10 most toxic chemicals normally found in traditional nail polishes. We chatted with Jessica to find out how she became a nail polish entrepreneur, her interactive way of naming the polish colors, and what’s next on her colorful agenda.

Where did the idea of creating Bess & Color come from and have you always been obsessed with manicures?
Actually no, I was never one to paint my nails all the time. I started because I knew I wanted to venture into e-commerce and start an online store. I was wanting to get into the beauty or fashion industry. After some research, I realized there was a gap in what most generic nail polish companies offered. I wanted to help fill that gap and create a product that spoke to people who wanted a healthier and more modern touch as a lot of nail polish brands have never really evolved into what new consumers are wanting.

We love the idea of creating colors and names around Wes Anderson films (because we totally love his films, too!). Is there a film that is the ultimate WA film or are you equally in love with them all?
I think they all equally are inspiring. But I would have to say I probably enjoyed Rushmore the most. I loved the characters and found it romantic and funny.

The names of nail polish colors are always super creative and yours are especially unique. What was the process of naming each color?
Funny thing. I went to the Wes Anderson nerds themselves! I found a dedicated Facebook group of Wes Anderson fans. I listed my colors and asked them to come up with names and reference what movie they related to. They came up with so many clever names and I used mostly their suggestions.

Have you ever reached out to Wes Anderson’s team to let him know the impact his films have had on your brand?
No, I have not. I feel like so much art is inspired by his films that maybe mine would have no significance? I did not choose to be inspired by his color palettes to build a name off of his, I never want it to come off as me trying to ride off the art he created with his hard work. I truly just loved the color in the films he used and how pretty they are. I found myself always trying to replicate the color schemes he used in my own art, that I naturally found myself gravitating to those colors when choosing a palette. It only felt right to name the colors after whatever in the film it was inspired by.

What’s next for Bess & Color?
Scaling the business at a larger level. More wholesale order to stores. More products and more colors to offer. I really want to offer a huge assortment of color products eventually where we can be a one-stop shop for any color or accessory you need for your manicure. Right now in terms of what is next (which is more short term), just bringing value to my customers and hearing them out about their experience.