The
Incas decorated their fingernails with pictures of eagles, but it is
unclear how the practice of coloring nails progressed following these
beginnings. Portraits from the 17th and 18th centuries include shiny
nails.
By the turn of the 19th century, nails were tinted with scented red
oils, and polished or buffed with a chamois cloth. English and US
cookbooks of the 19th century had directions for making nail paints.
When automobile paint was created around 1920, it inspired the
introduction of colored nail glosses. Nowadays not just nail polish is
available but many other related products including fake nails, ground
coats, top coats, stencils, decorations, glitter, frosting, and so on.