This morning I have a guest post for you by Selina Torres, a free-lance writer from Glisten, a new skincare company.
Selina Torres is clearly obsessed with cosmetics as she’s officially lost count of her nail polish collection. When she’s not chasing after the newest glitter polish, she enjoys writing for Glisten, a fabulous new skin care company.
♥
A Brief History of Nail Polish
Modern manicures are something to be marveled at. Whether we’re marbling, bejeweling or
painting miniature masterpieces, we are spending more time on this beauty
routine than our forbearers could have ever imagined. But when did we officially start decorating
our nails? Well ladies (and gentlemen),
pull up a chair and I’ll tell you all about it.
3,000 BC
The manicure originated in China over 5000 years ago. The Chinese ruling class used nail color as a
way to signify wealth and social status.
If that were still the case, we’d all be royals, am I right?
Chinese polish started with an egg white, gelatin, beeswax
and gum Arabic base. Flowers were added
to for color and then the nails were soaked for hours until the desired shade
was achieved. As time passed, the royals
began to favor colors of the ruling dynasty, including red, black, gold and
silver.
The ancient Egyptians were not to be outdone. They also began coloring their nails during
the 30th century BC. However,
unlike the Chinese, people of all classes were allowed to paint their
fingernails. Egyptians used henna as a stain, and colors were used to
distinguish among the classes. The lower classes wore pale tones while the royalty
chose shades of red.
Then the dark times came.
For a very long time, not much happened in the manicure world. However, a look through period art indicates
that nail polish, in one form or another, remained common throughout the
centuries.
1800s
By the turn of 19th century, nail polish and coloring had
become more commonplace among the general population in France, England, Italy
and the United States. Hygiene
was a major indicator of class during the Victorian era, so clean nails were
essential. Nails were polished rather
than painted by massaging tinted powders and creams into the nail beds, and
then buffing them shiny.
1900’s
The 20th century is when things began to get
exciting for manicure maniacs. Would you
believe that high-gloss automobile paint is the mother of modern nail polish?
In the early 1920’s, Michelle Manard, a French makeup-artist
adapted the enamel used on cars for use on fingernails. Her employer, The Charles Revson Company, perfected
her formula by using pigments instead of dyes.
In 1932, the company changed its name to Revlon and
the rest is history.
In 1922 the introduction of Technicolor brought the makeup
and fashion industry into a whole new light.
Women began emulating screen goddesses such as Rita Hayworth by donning
her signature red lips and nails. Even
today, nail fashion continues to mirror styles seen on film and television.
Each decade has seen a trend in color. The 50’s saw matching lips and nails in
shades of scarlet. In the 70’s, the
French manicure made its debut on Paris runways and nude shades became all the
rage. Counterculture movements from the
70’s to the 90’s favored black nails to symbolize everything from music to
emotion. Neon shades had a giant upswing
in the late 80’s and early 90’s thanks to celebrities like Madonna.
Today
In the 21st century, the manicure went from a
beauty routine to a full time hobby. Modern
polishes tout texture, glitter, metallic sheen and even magnetic metal flakes. Nail art has become a major industry, with manufacturers
producing brushes, tools and embellishments so women everywhere can adorn their
nails in an extravagant fashion.
I personally can’t wait to see what the future holds for nail
polish. Who knows, we may see manicures
that feature augmented reality, LED lights and RFiD chips! Mind=Blown!
"Glisten
delivers skincare and beauty products with wit, wisdom and inspiration. Team
Glisten wants to help you not only look and feel your best, but also be inspired
to live your dream. That's
why we offer brands you'll love, exceptional service, and free
shipping."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for reading! I'll be back later today with more swatches...♥
*I have not personally ordered from Glisten yet. They do carry both cruelty-free brands and non cruelty-free brands. Please see my
Disclosure Page for information on guest posts. This is not a sponsored post.
If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!
.
