As I struggled without internet and slowly unpacked polishes, I was pleasantly preoccupied by a new book about the history of nail polish and the things surrounding it, called Nails: The Story of the Modern Manicure.
Written by Suzanne Shapiro, a researcher at The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the book is, in my opinion, a must read for those of you interested in nail polish and nail art.
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| Image provided by Author |
It discusses how salons have changed, and how polish provided an escape for women in wartime situations. I loved learning about the different designs' popularity in various parts of history, and was humbled to learn that some designs' beginnings weren't on YouTube or a nail blog, but worn by our parents and grandparents alike.
Red polish or nude polish, a woman's hands told the world a lot about her, and continues to do so in the modern nail art-crazed world we live in.
Shapiro's writing style is very sophisticated, which helps elevate the book past others on the market that offer a cut and dry look at the history of the anything-but-drab beauty accessory that is nails. I respect her so much for taking that angle. The nail-centric images are also so wonderful to browse.
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| Image provided by Author |
I was also inspired by the front cover look and recreated it on my own talons!
Pick up the book, available now where books are sold and also on Amazon.
Giveaway!
Shapiro and her publicist, Samantha Waller, were also very generous and eager to get the word out about the book. They've provided me with two books to offer to my readers in a giveaway!I'll be sending one out internationally and one out in the US. Additionally, the US winner will receive a bottle of the limited edition OPI color created exclusively for the book's release. The color, called Switchboard Starlet, is not available for sale, so enter below to win this one-time semi-sheer red for your chance to own it.
Requirements for Entry:
- Last day to enter: Wednesday June 4 at 11:59 PM MST.
- To be eligible for the OPI polish, you must live in the continental United States.
- Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
- The winner must respond to my email within 24 hours or another will be chosen.
- Please be prepared to provide your home address where the prize should be shipped to.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I've never heard about this book til you post about it - I doubt it will be present in Hungary but I'd like to read though :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great giveaway!! Thank you! I would love to own the book for my own personal information, but also to help my knowledge with my blog. I am a book fiend - as much as I love computers, a book is still a treasure!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of that book before but it sounds very interesting. I'd love to get my hands on one since I'm a fellow nail polish lover & blogger. And wow, it would be awesome to own that O.P.I polish but too bad i don't live in the US. :D
ReplyDeleteAwesome giveaway!
I'd love to win please enter me.
ReplyDeleteSounds great. Can't wait to see the pictures in the book!
ReplyDeleteSounds great! Can't wait to look at the pictures!
ReplyDeleteThe book looks fantastic, and seeing how polish and nail art has evolved seems really fascinating.
ReplyDeleteLove the copy manicure! Would love to get my hands on this book too :)
ReplyDeleteLove this giveaway! And I'm delighted to see you back to blogging. :) I would love the book as a resource for the Nail Art Club I run at the school I teach at.
ReplyDeleteI really love the look of that sheer watermelon red, and the book is something I want to read regardless of if I win! Thanks for the shot!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds fascinating - I've been into nail art for just about a year now and would love the opportunity to learn more about my new obsession!
ReplyDeleteI would love this book for the history and the nail designs!
ReplyDeleteI have a daughter or two I'd love to regift these prizes to. Pick me! Pick me!
ReplyDeleteI'd LOVE to win the book because it seems like such an interesting read, & since I've started getting more involved and into nails the past few months, I think the book would be an amazing INSPIRATION, and i'd love to learn the HISTORY of the book!!
ReplyDeletePlus that sheer red is gorgeous. :)
I'd LOVE to have the book, I think itd be such a great INSPIRATION and i'd love to learn the HISTORY of everything, it'd be an amazing read, & since I've been getting more into nails the past few months, it'd be great to have the book!
ReplyDeletePlus that sheer red is GORGEOUS. :)
I think the book would be very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn about the earlier nail polishes and how the formula evolve until what it is now (like 5-free)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the giveaway, hun - so excited!!! :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I hope your work is going well <3
Thank you for the giveaway, hun - so excited!!
ReplyDeleteHope your work is going well <3
I would like to own the book because I'm learning to do lots of new colors and art with my nails and this would be a great inspiring read!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun coffee table book!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun coffee table book!
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in fashion and costume history, as much as in nail art, paints and polishes... this book looks soo interesting since it is more than a "nail art book" or a costume history book which mentions nails/manicures on the side. It just hits the center of my interest. Nail art through the times, how polish develops and how society ses it (thats what I guess the book is about after seeing it in reviews.. I'd like to find out :o)
ReplyDeleteAll the very best from Berlin! :-)
The book sounds really interesting. It would be such a great inspiration :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome giveaway! I think the history of nail art is super interesting and would love to see what has shaped it into what it is today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway chance and making it so easy to enter... I really want to read about the early history of polish! =)
ReplyDeleteI would love to see all the photos in this book!
ReplyDeleteI am an amateur history buff. I love it, but not enough to have majored in it or anything and I love learning about my favorite cosmetic products!
ReplyDeleteI think the book would be a very interesting read, for sure :-)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like THE perfect book for me! I love nails and learning about history so this sounds right up my alley! Thanks for the opportunity :D
ReplyDeleteI want the book because I love everything nails, it's my obsession ~ Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love nail art and I love history (even majored in it as an undergrad!), so this book seems right up my alley! I think I'll be trying to get it even if I don't win it here!
ReplyDeleteI love doing my nails and learning about the history would be super cool. Also always love to get inspiration for new designs.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this book before, but I am very interested in it. I want to get it either way. Just bookmarked it in Amazon too. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this book before, but I am definitely interested in it. I want it either way. I just bookmarked in on Amazon. Thank you for having this giveaway.
ReplyDeleteWould sit well with my Ultimate Nail Tech book :) thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI want this book because I finally found something I love. I'm passionate about nail polish and nail art, so I want to get my hands on everything related and this book will be definitely worth having. Even if I don't win, I'll still get it I think!
ReplyDeleteI want this book because I finally found something I love. I'm passionate about nail polish and nail art, so I want to get my hands on everything related and this book will be definitely worth having. Even if I don't win, I'll still get it I think!
ReplyDeleteI want this book because I've finally found what I love. I'm really passionate about nail polish and nail art, so I want to get my hands on everything related and this seems like it would be definitely worth having. I think I'll still get it even if I don't win it!
ReplyDeleteVery interested in seeing the evolution of nail art.
ReplyDeleteI love to read about anything, but to read a book about something you have a passion for is always a plus! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love to read about anything, but to read a book about something you have a passion for is always a plus! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this giveaway!! I'd love to win the book because I'm interested in becoming a nail technician and manicurists need originality in their designs,which is something that the book surely shows. In addition, in Argentina books of nail art and issues related to that are not available, so this could be a great opportunity for me :) apart from that, the history of nail art must be really interesting!! I hope to win, thanks for this opportunity :)
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds really interesting and I would love to have it to learn about nail art from the past and present. I'll admit I'm also very interested in looking at the images in the book. :P Thank you for the chance to win it!
ReplyDeleteThe book was already going on my wishlist, but that special OPI is great! I want to collect all the reds, haha.
ReplyDeleteThe book was already on my wish list, but that special OPI is great too! I want all the reds, haha. Especially squishy ones like that.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to win the book because I enjoy flipping through books or magazines about nails and nail art and drawing inspiration from such :)
ReplyDeleteI have several books for nail art inspiration but none of them tell me about the history of nail art/polish so I feel it would be an interesting discovery for me. Nail art was how I got out of my bad habit of nail biting so anything that revolves around the world of nail art draws me in!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
I'd like to own the book because it would be really cool to see the history of nail polish.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this review! I think I will be getting this book, it looks so interesting! Nails and history, two of my favourite things!
ReplyDeleteI would love to own the book because I love learning about the history of all kinds of cosmetics. I think it would also be incredibly interesting to learn about nail trends through time and how they reflected greater social trends.
ReplyDeleteI would love to own the book because I love learning about the history of all kinds of cosmetics. I think it would also be incredibly interesting to learn about nail trends through time and how they reflected greater social trends.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review and the giveaway! I'd love to own that book because I'm a nail polish addict and I think it would help me with my new nail art blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the review and the giveaway! I'd love to own that book because I'm a nail polish addict and I think it would help me with my new nail art blog!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I can finally explain to my husband how colors are similar but NOT the same and that it's not crazy to own so many nail polishes that they're all over the house lol
ReplyDeleteHopefully I'll be able to finally explain to my husband how not every red is the same...and that I don't have a million bottles of the same polish!! LOL
ReplyDeletei love nail polish and nail art. I would love to learn more about the origins of manicures and how it's evolved.
ReplyDeletei love nail polish and nail art. i would love to know more about the origins of manicures and how they have evolved.
ReplyDeletei love nail polish and nail art. I would love to learn more about the origins of manicures and how it's evolved.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by the history of nail polish. From the Egyptians to the French to Marilyn Monroe's matching lipstick and nails, seriously I think it's all fascinating. The fact that someone took the time to research this and write it out is amazing to me. I would be thrilled to own this book!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of being linked to a tradition of adornment and creativity - though our tools and materials have changed so much, the idea of decorating ourselves is very ancient. I'd love to learn more about that history!
ReplyDelete