NUMBER GAME: Give the corresponding

letter of each number to form a

word/s.
14 1 9 12

1 20 22
NAIL
ART
Beautiful nails are
considered to be a
precious gift to be
treasured and cared
for.
In Greek mythology Eros is
identified as the first
manicurist. He cut the
goddess Aphrodite's
fingernails while she was
sleeping and scattered them
Seeing what had transpired,
the fates collected the
clippings and turned them
into the semiprecious stone
onyx-that is Greek for
fingernail.
In folkloric beliefs, the nails
are often said to continue
growing after death,
temporarily evading mortal
decay.
Thus, long nails are
characteristic of vampires,
revenants, and others of
"undead" status.
Women in biblical times not
only dyed their hair but also
painted their fingernails and
toenails as well as hands
and feet with henna juice (as
mentioned in the Song of
Solomon), a practice that
Chinese noblemen and women of
the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were
well known for their
extraordinarily
long fingernails,
which were sometimes
In the Western Hemisphere
colored nail polish was
uncommon until the twentieth
century. Etiquette guides from the
1800s recommend a little lemon
juice or vinegar and water to
whiten the nail tips.
Such fastidious treatment of the
nails was in keeping with the anti-
cosmetics stance, which professed
a belief in the transparency of
inner beauty and continued well
into the early 1900s.
 The Innovation of Nail Polish
Hollywood film did more than
any other visual medium to
popularize the wearing of nail
polish in the West. Film actresses
of the 1920s looked exotic,
symbolized modernity, and
flaunted nails that were painted
One early method of making nail
polish was to mix cleaned scraps of
film with alcohol and castor oil and
leave the mixture to soak overnight.
The first tinted nail lacquers were
produced in subtle shades of pink
and had names like "rose," "ruby,"
"coral," and "natural" in an attempt
both to downplay the chemical
Deep color polishes like cardinal
red were unavailable until the
1930s, when Charles Revson and
his partners developed a method
to add opaque pigments (rather
than dyes)
to polish so that it would coat
Their company, Revlon Inc., still one
of the leading producers of nail
polish, became particularly famous
for its legendary 1950s "Fire and
Ice" advertising campaign. These ads
for a range of matching nail enamels
and lipsticks were groundbreaking in
their use of dramatic visuals and
Painted nails were part of the self-
scrutinizing feminine masquerade
that was dependent on male
approbation, but they were also
associated with increasingly
liberal ideas about a pleasure-
seeking modern woman.
 Nail Art Today
Manufacturers have created quick-
drying polishes targeted at women
with active lifestyles, and the range
of colors available has multiplied.
From the 1980s onward brightly
colored polish has been available in
unusual colors ranging from ice-
cream pastels to gunmetal gray,
In 1995 Chanel brought these
colors firmly into the mainstream
when it launched a deep black-red
polish. "Vamp" continued the
Hollywood connection when the
actress Uma Thurman in the film
Pulp Fiction wore it that same
Men as well as women are now
regular clients since well-kept
hands are considered to be an
important part of a professional
image. New technologies have
also resulted in more realistic-
looking acrylic nails and nail
At the fantasy end of the market,
fingernails and toenails have
become a natural canvas for the
expression of creative
imagination. Nail art is often
stunningly elaborate-nails can be
sculpted, stenciled, pierced, and of