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misswallflower:

The Illustrated History Of Nail Art by Refinery29 (part 1)

1)  5000 BC — Although the exact origin of nail treatments is murky, many sources say it began in India as women dyed their fingertips with henna — a practice that continues to this day!

2)  3000 BC — The Chinese formulated a complex lacquer of gum arabic, gelatin, beeswax, vegetable dyes, and egg whites. Crushed orchid and rose petals helped to produce shades from pink to red, but the solution had to be applied to the nail for hours, and sometimes even overnight, to produce a properly pigmented effect.

3) 600 BC — Aristocrats during China’s Chou Dynasty preferred a showier gold or silver on their lengthy nails. Blinged-out and bejeweled nail guards protected their nails, which were symbolic of wealth and leisure.

4)  0 - 1800 AD — For a long period during the Middle Ages, manicures were more or less considered a thing of the past. The Dark Ages, indeed! It was during the Renaissance that the old tradition of manicuring nails was finally taken up again by wealthy European women — although they made sure to avoid any pigment. There was one bright spot in this period, though. Oceans away, the 15th Century Incas invented “nail art” as we know it — decorating their nails with intricate pictures of eagles.