Nail art

Nail art is a creative way to decorate nails. It is a type of art which can be done on fingernails and toenails. It became commonly known in beauty salons and it is considered as fashion activity.

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Nail art techniques, cracked and matte effect

Nail art on toenails.

History

Nail art firstly emerged in Babylonia when males colored their nails with kohl. The nail color gave a clear indication of one's status. Men of the upper class wore black while men of the lower class wore green. From 5000 B.C. to 3000 B.C., In Egypt women used nail art to indicate their social status. They decorated their nails using the juice of the henna plant. For example, Queen Nefertiti used a red color to decorate her finger and toe nails. Compared to Nefertiti, Queen Cleopatra used deep rusty shades with an undertone of gold. Ordinary women were not allowed to use the same color as queen. In ancient China, during Ming Dynasty nail lacquers and varnishes were created from the mixture of beeswax, egg whites, gelatin, vegetable dyes and gum arabic. As in Egypt, the color of the nails represented class. In 600 BC, during the Zhou Dynasty, royalty used gold and silver . Later they preferred the colors black and red to indicate their status. The well known French manicure emerged from Parisian runways in 1976. Jeff Pink, the founder of cosmetic company ORLY, wanted to create nail style that would be practical and versatile. In the film Pulp Fiction, it's said Uma Thurman started the dark nail polish craze during the 90's. Her character in the film wore a dark red nail polish called Rouge Noir by Chanel.

Today nail art is used as a way of self exspression

In popular culture

In 2012, the United States witnessed a surging popularity of nail art. A documentary NAILgasm, was released to explore the growing trend of nail art from subculture to high fashion. In January 2014, Nailpolis: Museum of Nail Art was founded for nail artists and hobbyists to share their designs.

Techniques and tools

Manicurists start with the same techniques as for the manicure or pedicure:

• Acrylics: a chemical mixture of monomer liquid and polymer powder that can be directly applied on the nails or on artificial nails also called nails extensions or enhancements.
• Nail gel: a chemical combination similar to acrylics. Manicurist applies several layers on the fingernails or/and toenails and lets it cure under a UV or LED light. When the gel is cured it hardens the nails. Gel is also common in a polish form known as gel polish, and, like other forms of gel, also requires a UV or LED light to cure. The difference between acrylic and gel is that acrylic dries naturally but gel needs UV light to cure. Similarly, where regular nail polish will dry naturally, gel polish will remain tacky until cured by a UV light.
• Nail polish/Nail varnish: a lacquer applied to finger and toe nails to protect or as a base color. Nail manicurists also use a base coat to protect and strengthen nails, as well as preventing the natural nail from yellowing or staining.

Several options are available for decorating nails:

• Glitters
• Nail art pens
• Piercing
• Water marbling
• Adding accessories
  • Studs, rhinestones, miniature plastic bow-ties, beads, and aluminum foil
• Acrylic powder for 3D art. The powder used for 3D acrylic nail art is a polymer powder which is used with a monomer liquid to create designs.

To decorate the nails, manicurist use several tools such as:

• Nail dotters, also known as "dotting tools"
• Nail art brushes
• Stationery tape/ stickers
• Thin, colored striping tape
• Sponges (for gradient effects)

Do-it-yourself (DIY), is a new concept of doing nail art without the aid of experts or professionals. Several brands developed products to enable high quality results at affordable prices.

Innovations

Some brands try to innovate by creating new kinds of nail polish with surprising and fun effects.

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Velvet or Sugar Nails

• Textures: Microbeads or caviar beads are applied just before the nail polish becomes dry. These textures give a sand-like texture to the nail.

• Holographic effect: Polishes with holographic finishes give off flashy rainbow reflections when exposed to light.

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Hologram nail art

• Velvet manicure: Velvet fibers called velveteen are sprinkled onto wet polish. The excess is gently brushed off, leaving behind a fuzzy velvet feel.

• Crackle effect: Nail polish pioneer brand Sally Hansen created the first "crackle" effect polish. Acting as an overcoat, a crackle polish is applied onto already-painted nails and dries to a shattered or cracked effect.
• Thermochromic polish: The nail polish changes color when exposed to hot or cold temperatures.
• Matte effect: These nail polishes can transform a layer of glossy nail polish into a flat matte finish.
• Inverse French: Also called a "half-moon". The half-moon is created on the root of the nail in one color while the rest of the nail is painted a different color.
• Nail stickers: A form of Artificial nails, there is a large range of nail stickers, strips and wraps on the market used to mimic nail polish without exposing oneself to the harmful chemicals found in polish.