SNIFF AND POLISH

Lisa Barbash can thank serendipity and her three-year-old daughter for the idea behind Tuff Scent-ence, her line of scented nail polish.When Barbash, the owner of Fine and Funky, a chain of four high-end shops based in Reno, Nev., saw her daughter coloring her fingernails with scented pens, she sensed the toddler was onto something hot. She took the idea to her chemist-friend and business partner, Suzanne Toupin. They patented the formula and are now enjoying the sweet smell of success.They’re banking on such fragrances as lilac, chocolate, peanut butter and pineapple-kiwi, among the 40 luscious scents that characterize this nail polish line. They estimate first-year sales of $2 million to $5 million for the polish.Fine and Funky, with two women’s stores, one shoe shop and one men’s store, generates $1.6 million a year.The three top sellers are Kiss, an almond-scented, frosty, khaki shade; Addiction, a rich chocolate, and Decayed, a spearmint-scented iridescent blue with gold undertones.Alanis Morrissette wears Juiced, a dark orange polish that smells like orange juice.Small clear vials with signature round dog tags that dangle from the bottles’ necks showcase the 40 vibrant colors of the collection. The polish retails for $12 a bottle.“There’s everything from really fun sparkly colors to really mature colors. It hits the whole spectrum,” said Rosa Antazo, assistant at Joanne Fiske Showroom, Tuff Scent-ence’s sales representative here.Since its initial shipment of 7,000 bottles in January, Tuff Scent-ence has gone international, entering Canada, Japan and Germany.“Let’s just say if we send out a shipment on Friday, they’re reordering on Monday,” Antazo said. A line of scented lipsticks should be available in June, and plans for scented T-shirts and hats are being developed.