• Nail Polish
Jan 21, 2012 7:30 AM EST
0
The Illustrated History Of Nail Art

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0-1800AD

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.

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