How Nail Art Went from Tacky to Titillating
Nail fashion has evolved since its first appearance and even its resurgence in the late 20th century. It is now venturing into new territory with celebrities like Rihanna, Katy Perry, Beyonce and Nicki Minaj sporting nail art schematics on the red carpet!
Finely manicured, polished and decorated nails are seen as the ultimate finishing statement to couture! The likes of Betsey Johnson, Saunder and a host of other designers now feature nail art on their models and use it to effectively ‘finish’ the looks they produce.
Some male artists, such as Snoop Dogg and Adam Lambert, are even venturing to wear nail art and nail color.
Nails are now viewed at as the ultimate fashion accessory. Nail art is so sought after now that once difficult to produce 3-D sculptures are being mass market produced as stickers that can be easily applied by anyone. Decals and even fashion logo adhesives are widely used. There are nail art stamp machines sold around the world that allow the regular consumer to reproduce complicated arrangements with ease.
Magazines like ‘Nail It’, ‘Nail Pro’ and ‘Nail Max’ discuss salon practices and teach readers how to re-create looks at home. Their prominence also shows the huge demand for nail art and nail polish.
For the first time in television history, there is even a show, Nail’d It, solely dedicated to nail art, which appears on the Oxygen network and is hosted by celebrity Adrienne Bailon. The show is held in a competition format as nail artists showcase their skills.
Nail art has come such a long way! What was once seen as frivolous has turned into a lucrative aspect of the beauty market. The momentum of nail art and polish has increased drastically and sales reached over $760 million in the US alone in the year 2012 (Time Magazine). It will be colorful to see what happens in the nail world next!
What are your nail art and nail polish views and experiences? Do you embrace the nail art trend happening right now? Please comment below and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!