Tracey with her glamorous range of nail polish. Tracey’s favourite colour is called Lollipop. She is also keen on Blossom from the new spring collection.
Tracey Smith was a farm girl, who after packing strawberries and driving tractors, noticed something always remained the same, her neatly painted nails always sporting an array of colours.
But neatly coloured nails were not enough for this ambitious and young woman.
Here’s her story.
Tracey was born in Goondiwindi at the local hospital in 1976.
She went to St Mary’s School from 1981 to 1987 which was followed by the Goondiwindi State High School for her final years of schooling.
“Growing up I always remember seeing ladies with beautifully coloured nails that I admired.
“Wearing nail polish has been a part of my beauty regime since I was in my teens and I do recall Mr Ezy sending me to the office to remove my nail polish,” said Tracey.
Tracey continued with life and in 1999 she moved to Toowoomba followed by Brisbane then the Sunshine Coast where she met her husband and settled on a farm in the hinterland.
In 2007 she had son Buster and three years later came her big idea.
With no former industry knowledge she began and exciting journey with 40 plus colours and over 30 stockists.
“I had an idea which lead to creating my nail polish brand.
“I was yet to find a nail polish that was packaged as beautifully as the colours inside the bottles, so I set out to create one,” said Tracey.
The original name for her line of nail polish was Oli-Pop Polish named after her first niece Olivia who affectionately referred to herself as ‘Olipop’.
However, the name was not to be due to trademark issues so Tracey thought of her new name Cate Ruby.
“The brand became a daughter of my own,” said Tracey.
She set out following a dream and successfully sourced a salon quality Australian made nail polish and began the decorating.
Her final product was a first class colour that is consistent with the world’s leading lacquers presented in a bottle adorned with a sparkling diamante ring which of course is wearable.
Tracey has gone head first and is busy creating new collections, press releases and all the while keeping a watchful eye on upcoming trends.
“This is by far the most rewarding job I have ever had.
“I am thoroughly enjoying every aspect of it and I am so pleased I followed through with the initial concept.”
Her entire collection of Cate Ruby is in the makeup department of Channel Seven studios in Sydney.
Since then, Melissa Doyle from Sunrise phoned Tracey to discuss Cate Ruby being chosen as an official nail polish for the WAGS (Wives and girlfriends of the footballers) and female supporters of the Greater Western Sydney AFL team, the Giants.
“After working with my manufacturer and the Giants board samples were matched up to the team colour,” said Tracey.
The “Giants Orange” will be released in August were it will also be available to stockists.
On top of this Warner Brothers marketing team has contacted Tracey with an offer to use Cate Ruby as a promotional product for the DVD release of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill throughout Australia.
“We are currently in negotiations as to what level Cate Ruby can participate,” said Tracey.
Cate Ruby will also be showing at this year’s Sydney International Spa and Beauty Expo in August.
Cate Ruby is selling in Adorne stores (which are her biggest stockists), in Brisbane’s Westfield shopping centres as well as the Myer Centre and in the coming weeks Darwin and Pacific Fair at the Gold Coast.
Many other salons are selling the product including Goondiwindi’s very own My Design.
“I want to continue to add quality nail care products and eventually open a Cate Ruby nail boutique lined with walls of sparkling Cate Ruby bottles,” said Tracey.