Blue nail polish is a hot trend for Fall 2011. It is a great way to switch up your look and add a dose of fun to any ensemble. There are many different shades of blue to wear, from sky blue to the darkest midnight blue. Many companies make blue nail polish including Chanel, Essie, OPI, Revlon and Sallie Hansen. You can get blue nail polish in matte, shiny or even glitter finishes.
History of Blue Nail Polish
There is no specific date as to when the first blue nail polish was produced, but nail polish itself has a long history spanning back to 3000 B.C. when the Chinese developed a lacquer made from beeswax, egg whites, gelatin and gum arabic. They used roses and orchids to add color, and after soaking hands in the mixture for several hours nails turned red or pink. Later in history, many cultures used nail polish to represent social ranking. Cleopatra loved a dark rusty red, while the lower classes opted for pale colors. In China, royalty wore gold or silver and red or black, while the lower classes were banned from using royal colors and could be punished by death for it.
Photo Gallery: Celebrity Nail Art
Nail polish as we know it today wasn't officially created until around 1920 after the invention of paint for automobiles. Yes, nail polish was based off of car paint! Michelle Ménard, working for Revson aka Revlon, is the person credited with the modern interpretation of nail polish. The first bottle was sold under the Revlon name in 1932. In the 1920s and 1930s, the manicure that had all the girls doing the Charleston was the Gatsby, aka a moon manicure. Polish was applied to the nail except to the moon area. The French manicure that looks so classic wasn't actually officially produced until 1978, although Max Factor developed an early version called Society Nail Tint and Society Nail White in 1927. In the 1940s, red oval nails were brought into popularity by Rita Hayworth, a pin-up girl.
Blue makeup has been documented as being popular in mainstream culture as an eye shadow as early as the 1940s, but it didn't make its way onto nails until the late 1960s, when baby blue and navy blue were popular among the hippies and mod girls. In the late 1970s as the punk movement was growing, an electric blue nail polish by Cinta was popular among the hipsters of the day. Blue polish had its moment in the 1980s, but it was in the 90s that cosmetic companies abandoned the concept of only creating colors that matched lips, and seriously ventured into the blue and green territory. Hard Candy, which was uber popular in the 90s, started the company with a baby blue shade of polish called Sky. That polish is still available in the brand's line of products. Nowadays, every nail polish company has at least one shade of blue in their lineup and there are dozens of shades to choose from.
Photo Gallery: Metallic Nail Polish
Celebrities Who Love Blue Nail Polish
Some of your favorite celebrities and fashion icons are huge fans of blue nail polish. Some like to go all out with a teal or aqua shade, while others prefer to be more subtle with a navy or midnight blue color. Check out who has a thing for blue nail polish!
Stephanie Pratt rocked a cobalt shade of blue polish at the premiere of Middle Men. It contrasted nicely with her LBD:
Mena Suvari added a touch of edge to her look with navy polish at the premiere of Somewhere:
Kelly Osbourne matched her navy clutch with navy blue nails at the American Music Awards:
Victoria Beckham was chic wtih a midnight blue manicure as she arrived in her hometown of London:
Alexa Chung started a trend with icy blue nail polish at the Inglorious Basterds premiere:
How to Pick the Right Shade of Blue Nail Polish
Picking the right shade of blue nail polish can be tricky. Darker shades are more universally flattering than lighter ones, with midnight blue being the most versatile. Lighter milky shades can, in some cases, give pale skinned women a pallid look so test the color on one nail before putting them on all of them. Blue nail polish is easiest to wear on fingers, but can be equally fun on toes if you pick the right color. There are many different color families within the blue nail polish genre including: pastel blue, bright blue, light metallic blue, bright metallic blue, neon blue, bright blue, dark blue and dark metallic blue. (Photos of Dark Nail Polish)
When to Wear Blue Nail Polish
There are no set rules for nail polish and usually all things go, but there are some general rules that should be followed:
For job interviews, avoid wearing blue nail polish unless you're in a creative field. If you are in a creative field, you have more leeway but darker colors are recommended-you don't want your nails to be distracting.
When going to a party, take into account the type of event it is. If it's a modern, fashion-oriented affair then you can choose whatever color you like. But if you're going to a conservative affair, stick to more classic shades of polish.
For everyday wear, think about who you will be interacting with most often. If you're in a creative field, wear whatever you like.If you work in banking, law or finance, where rules are stricter you might want to steer away from blue, especially if it's frowned upon in your profession.
Bright and fun shades are perfect for the beach or resort in the summer. Think aqua, teal and sky blue. For the fall or winter, choose somber shades like navy or midnight, and jazz them up with metallics.
Celebrity Nail Trends -- When it comes to the trends for spring, it's about both color and texture. Check out the stars who nailed it.
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