You've seen it on a slew of celebrities — Lindsay Lohan, Posh Spice and Gwen Stefani, just to name a few. They wear this accessory as they would a hobo bag or stiletto heels. Black nail polish, once considered rebellion in a bottle, is now responsible for making a hot fashion statement. As the colder weather approaches, more and more women are veering toward darker nail polish to match their winter wardrobes. But is this trend fabulously chic or tragically goth?
History lesson
There is a rich history to this dark shade. It got its start in ancient China where dark polish implied regal royalty and lavish lifestyles. Western culture didn?t quite catch on, and for centuries thereafter popular nail colors ranged from pleasant pastels to fierce neons. Then, in the 1970s, black polish hit the scene on the fingers of rockers such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury.
A polished look
Charm sat down with Jennifer Wilson, a nail technician at Rumours Spalon, to get the skinny on black nail polish. She said that while it's still enjoyed by goths and rockers, black has become mainstream in recent years thanks to popular celebs.
"The thing about the polish is that anyone can wear it, no matter what age or stage in life," she said. "I don't think it's goth at all anymore! Used to be that's all you'd see, but it's far from goth (or emo) today. Today I have women of all ages coming in for manicures in all kinds of colors, whether it's black or bright yellow."
For those ladies out there who may be a bit timid about caking on the dark color, Jennifer shared some salon secrets on how to ease into it.
"If you want to try it out, start with black as your base color, and apply 'louder' colors on top of it," she said. "Try designs for a fun look — polka dots, swirls, etcetera."
However, there is no need to force yourself into liking the deep hue. If that's just not a color you really like, go for deep purples or blues.
"If you don't want to wear black, there are colors that are almost black that you could try," Jennifer said. "They have a little bit of color in them, but from a distance they look black."
Above all, have fun with it. Isn't that what wearing nail polish is all about?
