Retro Nail Trend: Matching Lip And Nail Color

In the early 1950's, it was a sign of sophistication to match your red lips to your red nails. The trend is now back in full-force so we've compiled some of our favorite matching lip and nail collections. Check 'em!

The Revlon Campaign That Started it All

In the early 1950's, it was a sign of sophistication to match your red lips to your red nails. Beauty legend has it that the trend was born following the 1952 ad campaign for Revlon's Fire and Ice Collection. It featured one of the first supermodels, Dorian Leigh, with a Mad Men-worthy tagline:

"For you who love to flirt with fire... Who dare to skate on thin ice...

Revlon's "Fire and Ice" For lips and matching fingertips.

A lush-and-passionate scarlet...Like flaming diamonds dancing on the moon!"

Best Matching Lip and Nail Collections

The matching trend is finding its way back on to the runways, the beauty blogs and the cosmetics aisles. Beauty brands are launching matching lip-nail kits, here are a few collections that make us want to dance on the moon:

Best Matching Lip and Nail Duos

Other brands are launching themed lip-nail duos. Vampy, dark berry lip-nail shades are growing in popularity, as we've seen with Chanel's Provocation Polish/Lipstick set and Deborah Lippmann's True Blood Forsaken Nail Lacquer Set. If dark lips and nails are a little too goth for you, nude colored lips and nails make the same impact in a more understated way.

If we can thank True Blood for vampy-gothic beauty trends, we can perhaps turn to shows like Mad Men to understand the resurgence of a 1950's trend. In the decades in between, the look was largely perceived as too prim and proper. Perhaps with the overabundance of nail and lip product choices came a desire for a constraint around which to exercise your creativity.

In this picture I'm wearing Essie's "Forever Yummy" on my nails and MAC's "Russian Red" on my lips. Show us your lip nail duos!