Phoebe Steinfeld won't mind if you lay it on thick.
The 16-year-old borough resident with a knack for entrepreneurship knows every coat of paint increases the chance that cancer will be cured.
Phoebe created her own line of nail polish under the brand name Color Me Cured in memory of her father, Dr. Ned Steinfeld, who died in October 2009 after a four-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 59.
All proceeds from the sales of Color Me Cured nail polish go to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where Phoebe's father was treated. Her mother, Nancy, and sister, Hallie, 20, volunteer there.
Phoebe said she didn't want to simply donate money to the cancer center but "do something" - because that's what her father did.
He always "did something," Phoebe said, proudly.
"I wanted to do something besides write a check, and starting my own business seemed like a great way to honor my father's legacy," said Phoebe, a sophomore at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack.
Dr. Steinfeld was an optometrist with practices in the Bronx and Westchester County, N.Y., whose patented inventions in polarized lens technology were renowned, Phoebe said.
"He always taught me that if you have an idea, you should run with it," Phoebe said. "So, that's what I did. I love fashion, and I just really wanted to give back."
Phoebe said she conceived the idea in June and spent months searching for a wholesale cosmetics company before developing the brand. She said she eventually hit upon Florida-based Diamond Cosmetics to manufacture the nail polish.
A website, colormecured.org, was launched in April. Since then, Phoebe said she has reached more than $1,300 in sales. A bottle of nail polish is $9. The brand also includes necklaces and T-shirts.
In addition, a coming-out party to promote the brand was held this month at Studio 450 in New York City. More than $10,000 in donations and sales was raised at the party, Phoebe said, adding that about 100 people attended.
Notwithstanding her recent success, Phoebe said she still relies mostly on word of mouth and social networking to market the brand.
"We also are sending out press kits and product samples to various fashion editors and bloggers in hopes of being featured in their magazines and blogs," Phoebe said, adding that her story was covered this month by Seventeen, a teen fashion magazine.
Phoebe said her nail polish is not made with "cancer-causing chemicals," such as camphor, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde and toluene.
"Everyone I talk to is so wowed by the idea," Phoebe said. "It's awesome to have such great feedback."
Nancy said she has guided Phoebe along the way. Color Me Cured is the platform of a charitable trust called the Ned J. Steinfeld Foundation, she said.
"I haven't had to use my veto power yet," said Nancy, a former advertising executive. "I offer Phoebe suggestions to solve certain problems, but she has complete creative control. I think [her father] would be unbelievably proud of her."
Richard Naum, the cancer center's vice president of development, said Phoebe's contributions will expedite the advancement of more effective, less toxic cancer therapies for "countless" patients.
"Phoebe's sincerity and dedication to this cause are truly inspiring and will move so many to become involved in finding a cure," Naum said. "Memorial Sloan-Kettering is privileged to be the recipient of this meaningful tribute."
For now, Phoebe said, Color Me Cured comes in seven colors: Walking on Sunshine, Power of Pink, Glimmer of Hope, Banish the Blues, Orange You Glad, CuReD and Lovin' Life Lavender.
Phoebe said she plans to introduce a new set of colors in September and that she hopes the brand will be available at local boutiques and salons soon.
