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

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1800-1900

1800s - 1900s — Manicures were popular once again during the Victorian age with a simple treatment of a light tint of red oil, accompanied by a chamois cloth buffering. This minimalistic treatment was in part due to the Victorian ideals of transparent inner beauty, physical hygiene, and moral purity. Etiquette guides recommended just a tad of lemon juice or vinegar to brighten the nail tips while Flaubert's most famous novel (1856) described Emma Bovary's nails as "scrubbed cleaner than Dieppe ivory".

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