Colored nail polishes were invented in the 1920s and the first nail polish was launched by Revlon.
1920s Nails
If you really want to be accurate, a 1920s manicured nail look is a subtle way of showing dedication. In the ‘20s nails were only painted in the centre, leaving the half moon and the tip bare. This generally helped the nail varnish last longer and, since it is incredibly difficult to do yourself, showed you had the money to pay for a manicure. They were also filed into a round edge, which is more delicate by nature, and therefore showed the individual didn’t do manual work. Colours used were more often roses, reds and oranges, but there has been some evidence of use of a peaco*ck green colour.
In this day and age, it would be best to have this done by a professional manicurist. Prices are relatively cheap and it’s almost guaranteed a better finish. However if you do want to attempt to do this without a manicurist, don’t do it freehand.
How to Paint 1920s Style Nails
Before painting the nails make sure the cuticles are removed and pushed back, and coat the whole of the nail in a clear base coat. French manicure sticker guides can be used to cover the half moon and tip. However sometimes these simply aren’t sticky enough, so punch hole repair stickers tend to be better.
After the base coat is dry, place these over the half moon and tip and ensure they are completely stuck on leaving no gaps. If using punch hole repair stickers you will have to cut them in half so that it fits the tip of your nail. Take the nail varnish and wipe the brush on the edge of the bottle so that the brush has as little nail varnish on it as possible. If the brush is too wet, the nail varnish still somehow manages to creep under the sticky guides.
Paint the nails and apply as many coats as desired. Wait until the nail varnish is completely dry before removing the sticky guides and coat the whole of the nail in a top coat.
I also found this from The New York Times "Pulse"
“It is a very complex aesthetic technique that is practically impossible to create on one’s own,” she said, noting, too, that it requires a specific length, width and shape of the nail, which only a few people have (Dita Von Teese, among them). So what’s one to do? Well, use fake ones. “We applied them on every model at the show,” Ms. Deslande said.
