As I painted my nails a cool steel gray last night, I became curious as to how and when bizarre polish colors came about. I came to age in the mid to late 90′s, a memory comes to mind of a favorite outfit from this time: satin wide-leg neon green pants, a velor mint-green top completed with flat pale green nails (spice girl platforms are a given.) As a 6th grader I didn’t yet wear make-up but I did do up my nails. The girls I sat next to in class and I would change our nail color each week trying to one up each other on the sunniest yellows and ickiest greens. I also remember piercing one of my nails around this time, yech, was I alone on that trend? I’m trying to take better care of my nails lately as I am an avid nail chewer so here, I am sharing the resources that have helped me. And as a child of the 90′s I obviously have a soft spot for nail hues in every color of the rainbow. If you do too, then this round-up of all things nails is for you.
Facts and Tidbits
- According to Internet sources, nail polish originated in China around 3000 B.C. Although it is said that Cleopatra wore nail polish as well, probably dyed with henna. In China it seems the colors that were favored were royal colors, a few being black, red and metallic gold and silver.
- Modern nail polish as we know it today wasn’t invented until the 1920′s. Flappers favored bright red and red nail polish boomed when retro Hollywood starlets wore bright scarlet nails and lips on the red carpet.
- In 1944 a reporter wrote a piece about going to work wearing -gasp- black nail polish!
- Fashion and Beauty articles from as early as the 1930′s detail wild shades of high fashion nail varnish including deep green tips.
- In 1967 a hip London boutique came out with a popular black nail varnish.
- In the glam rock 70′s we really began to see men wearing nail polish. Freddy Mercury only wore black on a single hang but David Bowie rocked all kinds of polish.
- In the 90′s, student Dineh Mohajer began nail varnish company Hard Candy after craving a baby blue polish to match her new sandals. Mohajer created the hue, named Sky, which became a polish cult-classic. Sephora recently re-released the original Hard Candy colors with Sky quickly selling out.
- In 1999 black nail polish made it’s couture appearance as models in Gucci ads sported short, immaculate black nails.
- In 2006 Chanel’s black polish, “Black Satin” sold out and caused a hysteria of shoppers paying $100 per bottle on Ebay!
- The 2009 Chanel must-have polish is a luxurious jade green. It is on my wishlist!
And now some Mani-Inspiration:
Personally I’m dying over A2, C5 and A1. What about you? (Click for bigger image) Extra love to Desboobs and M.I.S.S. for the images.
Ultimate DIY nail-do’s
- DIY cuticle oil
- Ultimate hand and nail care guide
- A guide for properly painting your nails
- How nail polish is made
- DIY 60 minute mani-pedi
- Agent Lover’s awesome Nails on Film quiz
- DIY guide to color and design tips
- DIY gray nail polish, funny as I did this one a few years ago myself!
- A professional resource with hundreds of fancy nail art tutorials
While I love going to a manicurist to get my nails done, I usually do them myself. So with all these tutorials, here are a few extra polish ideas to get you started:
- Flat white with holographic glitter
- Holographic or metallic anything.
- Go contemporary goth with gold cross decals on black nails. I once bought a ton of silver confetti crosses at a party store which I used on my nails and face.
- Candy Cane nails in summer: alternating red and white between fingers.
- Halloween decals on neon nails. I once did neon green with Frankenstein decals in the middle of Spring.
- Nude colored nails are a personal favorite and are immaculate when well manicured.
- Lavender! I am in search of the perfect flat lavender, but am willing to make my own from purple and white if can’t find it.
- Simply clear on nails and toes.
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6 Comments
wow B1 is intense. i mean, they look cool but i would never wear them. actually, any of the nails with an excess amount of things attached to them (A6, B3, etc) is too much for me haha
abra´s last blog ..Lately in LA (and Other Places)
Nail Love – D2, A1, A4, B1. I love crazy nails, and certainly have a soft spot for hues in every colour of the rainbow. Which reminds me, it’s about time to repaint my nails.
Miss Peregrin´s last blog ..What I Wore Today, Volume Nine
my faves are A2 & A4! i’m sort of dying!
Pretty Robotic´s last blog ..On the Fence? Ask Pretty Robotic
PR, do you remember the luscious lipstick spread in Teen People when we were in 8th grade? For whatever reason I thought it was nail polish and was looking for it everywhere, then I remembered it was lipstick and still couldn’t find it. Seriously, that lipstick looked delicious.
OMG! yes, i remember those lipsticks! especially a purple glitter one! we were obsessed w/ that spread! so delicious! beauty junkies till we die!
Pretty Robotic´s last blog ..On the Fence? Ask Pretty Robotic
Sooo wish I still had it!!