For many women today, nail polish is more of a staple than a luxury.
Nail polish has been around for thousands of years, and is believed to have been created by the Chinese in about 3000 B.
C.
They first used a colored lacquer that was made from a combination of beeswax, egg whites, gelatin and Arabic gum.
They also used a formula of mashed rose, impatiens petals, and orchid combined with alum.
They would apply this mixture to their nails and leave it on for a few hours or overnight.
When it was removed, the color it left ranged from pink to red.
During the Chou Dynasty, Chinese Royalty used genuine gold and silver on their nails.
Black and red were also the colors of choice for centuries.
Ancient Egyptians used henna to color their nails and tips of their fingers.
They used nail coloring to delineate social order.
Royalty got to wear deep shades and shades of red, while women who were lower in social rank could only wear pale colors.
Queen Nefertiti liked ruby red, while Cleopatra went for deep rust tones.
There is evidence of Western indigenous cultures decorating their fingernails as well.
The Incas enjoyed painting pictures of eagles on their nails.
Even though it is not generally known how it started, there is evidence of Native Americans sporting colorful nails as well.
From there, it is not really known how the use of nail polish progressed, but there are portraits of people in the 17th and 18th centuries with shiny fingernails.
During the 19th century, nails were tinted with red scented oils, then polished or buffed for shine.
Cookbooks included recipes for nail paints, but polishing through buffing was still generally preferred.
Automobile paint inspired the creation of nail enamels as we know them.
This occurred around 1920.
Since then nail polish has greatly increased in its number of colors and varieties, but the principle remains the same.
Now, however, there are more nutrients available in nail polishes that can actually strengthen and improve the condition of nails.
Polishes are no longer simply paints.
There are base coats and top coats with different purposes, finishes and textures.
Virtually any look you can conceive for your nails can be accomplished with today's products.
In order to get some scope of the nail products that are available, consider checking out an online store.
That way you won't have to be on your feet for hours searching for the perfect product, which, believe it or not, is possible.
Plus, even though it looks like there must be all the colors in the world on the shelf, there are probably some that can only be found online.
Now you can join the ranks of royalty throughout history without ever leaving the comfort of your couch.