How Celebrities of the Past Century Wore the Hottest Nail Trends

From “moon manicures” in the 1920s to classic French tips in the early ‘00s.

By Ariel Wodarcyk
February 10, 2020
Grace Kelly / Marilyn Monore
While the most popular nail shapes and polish colors have evolved a lot over the years, a flawless manicure has always been an instant confidence booster and the quickest way to tie a look together. Whether you paint your nails yourself, hit the salon for acrylics or gels or just spend hours scrolling through nail artists’ Instagram pages, the options for creative manicures are endless. We took a look back at the century’s hottest nail trends, from the classic red ovals customary for ‘50s movie starlets to the ornamental acrylics spotted on rapper Cardi B.Getty ImagesBeyoncé wore a holographic manicure to the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010, which could be achieved using press-on foil nail wraps. In 2014, Sally Hansen released their Color Foil collection, a line of liquid polishes so blindingly shiny they left a foil effect on the nails. The polish came in standard metallic gold, silver and bronze, plus sparkling pinks and blues. Floss Gloss also released several holographic polishes chock-full of rainbow glitter.

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