"I've had two years to grow claws, mother. . .jungle red!"-Norma Shearer (as Mary Haines)
The Women, 1939
In the early-mid 30s, women
usually only painted the center of the nail, leaving the half-moon cuticle and tips bare with the underside tinted with a nail-white pencil or cream. By the late 30s, many women opted to paint the entire nail, half-moons and all, and were less likely to leave the tips bare in any case. Throughout the decade, the ideal nail shape was generally that of an almond.
Advice regarding nails in beauty and etiquette books from the 30s doesn't always mesh with what contemporary ads and photographs evidence women were actually doing. These books were intended to describe what was proper, not necessarily what was popular. Marianne Mead's book, Charm & Personality, originally published in 1938, stated that "neither the moon at the base of the nail, nor the whitened tip is covered with polish. While a few women will cover the entire nail with polish, this style is considered a little extreme, and the more conservative leave the moon and tip free of polish." Helena Rubinstein's 1936 book, This Way to Beauty, on the other hand, says that colored lacquer polish is most effective "when applied over the entire nail." She goes on to note, however, that if the hands are used a great deal, it is a pleasing effect as well as more practical" if you remove the polish at the tip of the nail for about 1/8 of an inch.For evening she suggested using a lacquer that is "quite a dark red. Remove it over the half moons and for about 1/8 of an inch on the tip of the nail. Touch the tip with a platinum polish."
Now, let's talk about colors. Some *vintage snobs* will INSIST that red is the only color if you want to be truly 30s period-correct. Actually a wide variety
of shades were used. All reds - from rosy to deep crimson - were popular, of course. But don't let anyone tell you that "they" didn’t wear pink in the 30s. Pinks were very much seen, as were nice peachy-browns and tawny colors that looked nice with suntans (the concept of changing one's make-up according to the season was not unknown to 30s women). Cutex color choices in 1932 were Natural, Rose, Coral, Cardinal, and Colorless. Revlon colors introduced for the summer of 1935 included "Sun Rose" and "Chestnut." Cutex named the
"smartest colors" for 1936 as Rose, Ruby, and Rust. Marianne Mead suggested in 1938 that, for everyday wear, nail polish ranging from medium pink to rose and coral was considered in the best taste… occasionally one may venture to wear red, ruby, or garnet with a gown of black, white, or gray, or with a dress of the same shade as the polish.
Helena Rubinstein advised in 1936 that natural nails were best with red and pastels; geranium shades with black, white and yellow; poppy colors with navy and purple; and terra cotta with green, brown, and rust. Women were encouraged to try to match their nail color to their frock. That is not to say if you had a green gown you were supposed to wear green nail enamel (although wild colors such as green, blue, black, and gold were indeed available). A 1932 Cutex ad noted that “the smart woman today…varies her nail tint with her gown.” Their Natural shade was described as “best with bright colors: red, blue, green, purple and orange.” Rose was recommended as “good with any dress, pale or vivid. Charming with pastel pink, blue, lavender…smart with dark green, black, and brown” and could make the simplest little dark blue frock look like a Paris original.
The Coral shade, “bewilderingly lovely with white, pale pink,
beige, gray, ‘the blues,’ black and dark brown. Wear it with also with deeper colors (except red) if not too intense” while Cardinal, “deep and exotic contrasts excitingly with black, white, or pale shades. Wear cardinal in your festive moods – be sure your lipstick matches!” Colorless was said to be “conservatively correct” at any time, and could be worn with “difficult colors.” Among their colors for 1937 were Old Rose ("lovely with pastels for both sports and evening"); Burgundy ("sophisticated with black, white, wine, carnelian, and above all, blue"); and Rust (gorgeous with green, beige, and copper, as well as gray. And it's absolutely
the color when you're suntanned"). Cutex colors for 1938 included Heather, a "deep, smoky rose with a hint of purple;"
Laurel, a "subtle grayed pink;" Clover, a "deep winy red;" Tulip, a "fresh, true crimson;" and Robin Red, a "true red." Glazo's "Misty Tints" for 1937, favored by "gay young moderns" included Shell, Old Rose ("a subtle, smoky rose...lovely with fashion's new 'off colors' and pastels"); Thistle ("a new misty-beige rose, perfect with sun-tanned or pale skin. Excellent for wear with gray, beige, green, brown"); Rust; Russet ("a misty red with subtle brown undertone. Becoming to almost every type of skin. Enchanting with light or dar
k colors"); Suntan; Dahlia; and Imperial Red. To paraphrase a 1930s Cutex ad, think of the nails as jewels: we wouldn't wear rubies with a green dress, but they are elegant with white - if we had any rubies.
A Revlon ad in a trade magazine in 1935 indicated that there were then 19 Revlon nail shades available. By December 1939 the lineup included 22 shades: Shell, Lancer, Windsor, Savoy, Sun Rose, Riviera, Sudan, Sierra, Amoa Red, Jueltone 1, 2 and 3; Ascot; Suez; Triangar 1, 2, and 3; Mahogany; Bravo, a "clear, unabashed scarlet;" Chilibean, "an exotic, brown-seasoned rose;" Shy, "a wistful, mauve-tinged pink" and Red Dice, a "glorious red." These last four were apparently new shades introduced for 1939.
Matching lipsticks to nail color: Revlon is often cited as having invented the idea of matching lip and nail colors. That is not exactly accurate - Cutex, a major Revlon competitor, had suggested this idea as early as 1932, and sold matching lip and nail colors by the mid-30s (Revlon didn't sell lipsticks at that time). This Way to Beauty advised this in 1936. According to Fire & Ice, the biography of Revlon founder, Charles Revson, Revlon popularized the concept, though, beginning in 1939-40 when lipsticks were added to their line.
Recreating this look: It's easy to achieve the bare half-moon took today using the little strips that are sold for French manicures. Just put the strip over the half-moon (or where the half-moon is supposed to be - if you don't have one, no worries, as the strip will create one for you!) and wrap it around your finger. Press down firmly to make sure that it is really adhered to the nail. Then paint the nail as usual, overlapping the strippy. Wait until the nails are completely dry, then remove the strips. The strips can also be used on the tips, more or less as they are intended. To be authentic, avoid frosted, sparkly, or metalic shades - but you need not be limited to red.
These are Cutex home manicure instructions from 1932: First, scrub the nails. Then remove old, lifeless cuticles and clean beneath nail tips with Cutex cuticle remover and nail cleanser. Remove old polish with Cutex liquid polish remover and brush on the shade of Cutex nail polish that best suits your costume. End with Cutex nail white, pencil, or cream, under tips for accent. Before retiring, use Cutex cuticle oil or cream to soften the cuticle.
Movie Moments: Carol Lombard is delightful as a swanky holtel beauty salon manicurist in Hands Across the Table. And Rosalind Russell and Norma Sheerer have their nails done "Jungle Red" in 1939's The Women.
UPDATE March 2009: The current "fashion era" article on the Model A Ford Club of America's website concerns manicures of the Model A era - 1928-1931. The ladies of MAFCA always do a good job in their research, and their information is reliably accurate. Read it
here.
Images:
Red nails: from Vogue cover, December 15, 1939
Society women...Cutex ad, 1932
These 3 were voted smartest...Cutex ad, 1936
New, richer polishes...Glazo ad, 1934
Must match...Cutex ad c.1935
Sponsors for late spring...Cutex ad, 1938
New smoky nail shades...Cutex ad, 1937
Glazo's misty tints...Glazo ad, 1937
Sources included:
Vintage magazines, including Vogue, Harper's Bazzar, New Movie Magazine, Delineator, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, and Modern Beauty Shop, 1932-1939.
This Way to Beauty, Helena Rubinstein (1936).
Vintage Face, Daniela Turudich, Angela Bjork (Streamline Press, 2001).
Charm & Personality, Marianne Mead (1938).
Fire & Ice: The Story of Charles Revson - the Man Who Built the Revlon Empire, Andrew Tobias (1983).
In the early 1930s, mascara (also referred to as “eyelash beautifier” and “eyelash darkener”
) generally came in a solid “cake” that was activated with water and applied with a small, separate brush. Maybelline, one of the leading manufacturers of the product (founded by a chemist, T.L. Williams for his sister, Mabel), began marketing their mascara product around 1917 according to the comp
any history. Originally, their mascara could only be obtained through mail order, but proved so popular that about 1932 they began selling it in drugstores. By the mid-1930s, an alternative to cake eyelash darkener was cream mascara that came in a tube and did not need water to activate. It was likewise applied with a small, separate brush. Cream mascaras were advertised as more “natural” looking and claimed to 
avoid the eternal mascara pitfall, clumping. It was available in waterproof formulas, and came in various colors: black, brown, blue, and green. Helena Rubinstein advised in her 1936 book, This Way to Beauty, selecting eye shadow and mascara to harmonize with the color of the eyes. Some period beauty books also suggested that women with naturally dark lashes could get away with simply applying a dab of petroleum jelly to the lashes for emphasis. For an "exotic look," This Way to Beauty noted that blue mascara used to tip the edge of black lashes gives "a charming effect." The lashes would be curled by curving them back with the applicator brush, or by using an eyelash curler, available at any drugstore (as seen in the Kurlash ad from 1938 above, the technology of this item has changed very little). 
Brands such as Winx and Lash-Kote had been selling a liquid mascara in the 1920s, but haven't come across any reference to it in the 30s. Near the end of the decade, Helena Rubinstein used the occasion of Billy Rose's Aquacade at the 1939 World's Fair in New York to promote her new waterproof mascara (it is not correct, however, that this was the first waterproof mascara; waterproof formulas, or at least claiming to be waterproof, had been around since at least the 20s).
