Behind the Seams: Nail Polish (2024)

Before there were dozens of designs that women could use to decorate their fingertips, nail polish was slicked on by the elite in ancient Egypt. Evidence shows that queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, frequently used nail polish to demonstrate her status as queen. Joining her in the ranks of elites, upper class Egyptians used a pop of red fingernail polish to show off their status, while lower classes wore toned-down nude colors — way to blend in with the crowd.

Fast-forward to Britain in the 1800s and nail polish caught on again, mostly because of the Victorian obsession with cleanliness and purity. Manicures were a must for every proper woman – a standard that some might say carried over to today. Brits also believed that less was more, as the most popular type of manicure was extremely simple; women would apply a pink-tinted oil after their nails were properly buffered. Although these Victorian manicures might be considered… well, severely basic… by today’s standards, they were extremely in-demand among the ladies of Queen Elizabeth’s court.

In 1920, French make-up artist Michelle Menard changed the world of fingertip fabulousness forever when she was inspired by the high-gloss shine of car paint. The vehicle varnish steered her down the path of adding a glossy look to her customers’ nails. The company that Menard worked for perfected her formula and began selling the popular polish in stores. The little company that Menard worked for would one day become the modern make-up powerhouse known as Revlon.

With the popular nail polish hitting the shelves of several stores across the United States, it became incredibly popular among Americans when color films made their debut in the 1940s. Golden Age gals of Hollywood, such as Ginger Rogers and Bette Davis, donned red nail polish, which soon became synonymous with glamour. Some might even compare them to the elites of Ancient Egypt (except with more drama and longer lashes).

The ’40s established nail polish as an international symbol of high fashion and glitz, but it wasn’t until 1976 that Hollywood makeup artist Jeff Pink created the French manicure. Pink needed a neutral option for nails that could match the many wardrobe changes that Hollywood actresses’ went through, thus creating the simple French manicure. So, like French fries, the French manicure isn’t French at all.

Nail polish today comes in thousands of colors and is experimented with by all types of celebrities, from YouTube make up sensations to superstars like Rihanna and Taylor Swift. Whether keeping them simple or going all out, nail polish is still an easy and convenient way to add style to any outfit or look. So keep those nails polished, because who know what the next trend in nail art will be.