Woman Plans Museum For Record 11,000 Nail Polish Bottles

Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN

A young woman with a world record 11,000 bottles of nail varnish on display at her home is planning to open a themed-museum called ‘Nail Polish Wonderland’.

The unique collection belongs to 39-year-old Carolin Gorra from the northern German harbour city of Hamburg.

With 11,027 bottles of nail varnish from 54 different countries, she has been given the award for the world’s biggest nail polish collection by the German Record Institute (RID).

Pictures Credit: CEN

Carolin said she bought her first bottle of nail polish at the age of 15.

She said: “Back then, there was the first ever blue nail polish. It cost me 2 DM (0.90 GBP) and I was so happy with it.”

Carolin has kept her first bottles of nail polish and given them a special place in her home.

She designed dozens of shelves, boxes and other exhibition spaces to showcase all 11,027 bottles.

Some of the shelves are even marked with labels stating where the nail polish hails from.

The bottles come from countries as diverse as Sweden and Afghanistan, with many given to Carolin by her pals.

She also has various nail polish memorabilia at home such as posters and even lamps made out of nail polish bottles.

One of her most special bottles is a bottle produced in the 1920s.

Carolin said: “Back then, nail polish had a consistency more like lip gloss or chalk.”

Her boyfriend said: “She has done it very well. She began with only very few bottles (on display), perhaps 100 or 200, and the rest were hidden away. Then all of a sudden, shelves sprung up everywhere.”

“She would go out to buy bread and return with two baps and 30 nail polish bottles.”

Carolin estimates she spends between 100 and 200 EUR (88 and 175 GBP) on new bottles every month.

She hopes now to open a nail polish museum with an on-site cafe called ‘Nail Polish Wonderland’.