Nail Art. It's a modern trend that's surprisingly not so modern, with historical roots dating as far back as ancient times, surprisingly. In fact, artifacts have actually been found that reveal that manicures (albeit rudimentary ones) were taking place 4,000 plus years ago, in southern Babylonia, with Egypt's royal tombs riddled with tools pointing toward being used in the beautification ritual. And in Rome? The people were known to adorn their nails with a colorful crimson concoction of sheep fat and blood! And those are just a few examples. Things have definitely come a long way since those times, but one main denominator has stayed the same: the affinity for beauty expressing itself in color. Gathered here are some of our favorite and all-over-the-place wondrous manicure and nail art creations, along with the pretty palettes they inspired. Feel free to add your own awe-worthy examples below in the comments, Colourlovers!
OOH LA LAVENDER
It's common knowledge that the color purple is noted worldwide as signifying royalty and nobility, but did you also know that the shade first originated from a dye created from the actual mucus glands of a tropical sea snail called the murex? Ewww! And no, that's snot a lie! We for one are glad that other forms of creating our favorite hues of this grape-inspired shade are available today, including myriad rainbows of nail polishes ranging from lavender blues, like below, to electric violets.
KITTY MATTE
By definition, matte signifies something that has a "dull or lusterless surface," such as matte paint, or a photograph with a matte finish. And although these nail polishes are not "shiny" per se, they--with their kitty cat faces front and center--are anything bit dull or boring!
CHERRY BOMB
Titled in honor of one of our favorite (and taboo!) childhood prank props--those round firecrackers that made such a loud kaboom at explosion they could make one's heart stop--these vibrant, oh-so-red nails stand out even more for the "explosion" of green, purple and pink that shows up on just one of the showcased digits.
RHINESTONE POWGIRL
Our cheeky title for this manicure is inspired by the classic 1977 TV movie Rhinestone Cowgirl, which features a dazzling Ann-Margret singing and dancing at the Grand Ole Opry House. Like the feature, this nail art is so bling-worthy and sparkle-yay that it also has us wanting to get up and dance and shout. Honestly, it's so hypnotic and mesmerizing, we can barely look away!
PRETTY IN PINK
Another cult classic movie, Pretty in Pink, which stars Molly Ringwald, had the1980's babies falling head over heels with it from hello. And another thing we're falling for? This nail art creation showcasing wildflowers in pastel shades of blue, green, pale, romantic pink, and more.
SHADES OF SHERBET
When we first saw this nail art creation, those childhood summer afternoons spent with a fast-melting cone of pastel sherbet instantly came to mind. Our favorite flavor was lime, what about you?
RAINBOW GLOW
According to scientists (who are pretty darn smart), the most bright rainbows apparently happen during thunderstorms or other heavy rainfall, because when the sun's light passes through raindrops, it shines brighter and gives off more color. Makes sense to us. And if this nail art below is any indicator, there's been a storm a-brewin' about this gal's salon.
PUZZLING
Most people attribute puzzles to things which are problems, or something that is difficult or confusing that one must figure out. All of the above are indeed true, but when it comes to this nail art creation, we don't even feel the need to figure it out, as just gazing at the happy, bright colors configured in its jigsaw-shaped patterns presents near limitless joy bubbles in our hearts. That's about all the explanation we need, to know that they're awesome, and pretty perfect.
SNEAK(ER)Y FEELING
Who could forget the beloved and iconic Chuck Taylor All-Stars (or "Chucks" for short) that pretty much the entire population once sported while growing up? We're definite fans, which is why we of course adore this unique and bright nail art creation!
BLING QUEEN
Merriam Webster defines this nail art creation to near perfection via its description of the word "bling": flashy jewelry worn. Yep, this manicure may be near blinding on regards to its bling factor, but it is also undeniably oh-so-fun!