Beauty School: Decades of Nail Trends
Hi everyone,
It's amazing to watch styles come and go. Nowadays trends seem to change with the seasons, but if we look back in history, beauty and fashion were relatively consistent for decades at a time.
When it comes to nail art and trends, some styles have been circular and made a comeback, while others fade away and are a stamp in beauty history. But since I love learning about and trying new nail trends, I thought it would be cool to take a little trip through the decades in nail fashions. So get your notebooks out and pencils ready, because we're going time traveling!
The Classic 50's – It wasn't long after nail polish was invented in the 20's, that ladies began to rock the red. Rosy nails with a natural oval shape and slight tapered point at the end were extremely popular, especially in women of the upper classes. It was also common to match red lipstick with your nails to really bring the look together.
The free spirited 60's – During the hippie era, nail polish really depended on a person's taste. Most women opted for a natural, chemical-free nail, but it was also common to sport soft, subtle shades and frosted polishes, too.
The two-sided 70's – You could pretty much sum up this decade in two parts: punk or glam. Punk stuck to black polish and glam tended to be long and natural. The square shape grew in popularity during this time and women started to play with solid colors. In 1975 when film and television needed a versatile nail to compensate for wardrobe changes, the French manicure was launched and trademarked by Orly, however the look mainly stayed in Hollywood until the 90s.
The dramatic 80's – Everything during the 80's was big including nail trends. The square shape was extremely popular and women wore really long and dramatic acrylics with bright/flashy designs. Press-on nails also became huge since you could apply new styles with a simple stick and push.
The French phase of the 90's – Classy white tips and the neutral bed that makes up the French manicure was the biggest craze before the turn of the century. Lots of women accented their nails with rhinestones and airbrush art during this decade, too.
Today's trends – It seems like nail art changes on a weekly basis. I don't even know what to expect next, but I'm excited to see new colors, textures, techniques and trends on the market in the near future! : )
What are your favorite nail trends of the decades?
<3 Mish
Related:
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DIY Nail Strengthening Treatment
Currently Loving: Art-Inspired Nails
Beauty Dare: Novel Nails
Photo credits: Fan pop, Fauxshionable, Woodstock Wardrobe, Cute Nail Stuido, Flickr, Nails Mag, She Knows
34 comments
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One of my earliest memories was of my mom's friends coming over to our house to do their nails. My mom learned how to do acrylic nails at home (We had very little money), with tips, glue, paints and rhinestones. It's funny how different the trends are now! I remember my mom's friends having super long acrylic tips (Which were in style then) and thinking "How can they even pick anything up???"
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The pastel and animal prints trend! I had the in my blog! Please check it out! http://blowarainbow.blogspot.com/
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Never been into nails until recently.
So I tried growing out my nails to get that pretty almond shape but ended up scratching myself, so I cut them short but square :P
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I'm sooo fan of the punk style of the 70's. And the french is really chic : it's natural and clean
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I like the classic french tips... It looks elegent, for me... Lately, I'm trying on new trends such as konad stamping, crackle polish and beads...
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love the 80's and 90's! i got a square shaped nails, the french white tip is really the best for me, cause it lokks so clean and fresh, and can rock all outfits! <3
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I have never been a fan of the square shape, as I have issues with ingrown nails on both feet and hands. My mom rocks it, but I like the natural curve. Though I had no idea that it was really big, as I've always seen the square shape!
I'm also a huge fan of the printed nails, where you use alcohol to get print from a newpaper onto your nails! Totally my fav, though it took me several tries to fingure how how to get it to stick (top coat for the win!)
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I think i like french the most and anything with a twist really =) I love nails that share a colorful story :D
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Audrey Hepburn<3 simple, elegant, classy :)
I'm not a fan of the caviar or velvet nails of now..Love metalics though!
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I liked the grunge/goth phase in the late 90s/early 00s! Especially in high school, haha :)
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I really love the classic Red 50's look, which i'm currently sporting. But I am really starting to love the holographic nail polish look and i want to try it! I just hope that my 3-year old neice doesn't see it...
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I like the square shaped nails^^
And as for designs I like the gorgeous rhinestones, 3D parts Japanese nail art^^ -
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I really love the free spirited 60's and the classic 50's. It makes me think of Brigitte Bardot who (to my mind) epitomized lightness, smartness and a little bit pert. It also reminds me of Béatrice Dalle in Betty Blue. Actually, always strong and audacious women with a lot of charm!
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I just everything, well.. actually, I'm not a huge fan of OTT nail art and tons of rhinestones...
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In the 70's, when my aunt was about my age, she would paint her nails every week in a different color. Then she liked to use wacky colors because red and pink were common. Now, I like to grow my nails long, paint them in wacky colors and designs, and do them every week. We both have a pretty large stash of nail polish.
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