Polished & Perfect: Vintage Pedicures to Soak Up the Last of Summer

Summer is still here, even if store shelves are already sprouting Halloween decorations. And I’m finally going on a much needed beach vacation. But you wouldn’t be able to tell by the sad state of my toes.

So I will be giving myself a little pedicure treatment this weekend, which got me to thinking about this. Some of my vintage beauty salon magazines have spotlights on pedicures and toe polish styles from the 1930s and 1940s.

How about a few highlights to inspire your own footsie self care?

Jump to go:

1934 2-tone Toe Perfection
1939 Beach Feetsies
1941 Pretty Half Moon Polish
1941 Tanned Tootsies
Vintage Polish Ads

Let’s kick things off (pun intended) with a peek at some 1930s toe trends.

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I may earn a commission.

2-Toned Toes for the Sandal Season

June 1934 Modern Beauty Shop Magazine

The 1930s woman sometimes wore the unique polish style with both the half moon at the base of the nail by the cuticle and the tip of the nail free of polish with nail white under the tip of the nail.

In this 1934 manicure article from the June issue, the toe nails are painted the same way.

The article describes the nail polish steps this way:

Nail white is applied under the toe nail tips much as it is under the finger nails, except that the orangewood stick must be wrapped in cotton before it is dipped into the nail white.

The final step of the pedicure is the tinting of the nails. The excess polish is removed from the tips of the nails just as it is in manicuring.

Most patrons prefer the same shade of enamel for the toe nail and the finger nails, thus creating a toe and finger ensemble like that shown in the illustration.

For beach wear the darker shades of red are very popular, while any number of interesting color ensembles may be achieved for evening wear.

Summer Beach Feet

July 1939 Modern Beauty Shop Magazine

My July 1939 issue of Modern Beauty Shop features this mani/pedi spotlight. The nail polish is done in the vintage half moon style and the toes are painted solid in the same shade as the finger nails.

Not much salon direction, but clearly a lot of visual inspiration.

The inside of the magazine did not offer much of note… just some basic mani/pedi directions that we all learned in beauty school. But the cover of the magazine is still a stunner with the little embroidered Dutch motif.

Take a Tip… From Toe Tips

July 1941 Modern Beauty Shop

We’re back to the half moon pedicure polish in my July 1941 issue of Modern Beauty Shop Magazine. Seeing this more, I think this may be how I paint my toes fro my beach vacation.

I’ve always loved the look on fingernails. And the toe look is starting to grow on me. But I’m not going to do the clean tip like the 1934 pedicure. To me, on the toes, it makes it look like the polish is worn off.

This 1941 issue reads:

Pretty little toes carefully groomed, gayly splashed with flashing color that matches lovely fingertips…. have an important spot in the fashion picture this season, thanks to the clever open sandals and play shoes worn by smart women everywhere.

The word gay or gayly is used a lot in these magazines when writig about pedicures. I get it. Gay’s original definition means carefree. You’re wearing sandals on the beach. You are full of joy and carefree.

Something that happens in these old magazines is a mismatch between what the article reads and what is illustrated in the photos. The magazine did not describe the methods for the half moon polish unfortunately.

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The article reads like a full polish is applied. But of course, as pretty much every vintage mani/pedi piece of literature suggests in the way backs, the toe color matches the patrons fingernail color.

Although, it does suggest, like the 1934 pedicure suggests, that “a darker polish is particularly attractive with Summer play clothes.” I wonder why darker is the suggestion for toes in the Summer? Because it looks nice with a tan?

Tanning for Summer Salon Patrons

June 1946 Modern Beauty Shop Magazine

This month’s gay cover, typifies the carefree and colorful spirit of vacation time. It is representative, too, of two of Summer’s most popular beauty vogues… the vogue for suntanned legs and prettily pedicured toes.

So just so we are clear, pretty toes are gay, i.e. full of joy and carefree.

The article goes on to suggest to the beautician…

If she’s a “barefoot girl,” she’ll be more at ease on the beach or wherever she wears her carefree, open sandal shoes if she has a professional, long-lasting pedicure.

Tell her about your pedicure services. Announce this foot grooming treatment with little signs placed at strategic spots in the reception and drying rooms, in the booths, and at the manicure tables.

Sell her soothing, smoothing lotions and creams for roughened foot spots. Sell her nail polish to touch up her pedicured toe tips.

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Leg Makeup Still in Supply

With this article coming out after WWII has ended, I find this little tidbit interesting. Nylon was rationed during the war, so women could access leg makeup to pretty their bare legs.

This article, in 1946, suggests:

She can save her precious nylons for other seasons if she wears liquid hose during the Summer months. And she will be spared the inconvenience and expense of experimenting with a great number of different kinds of leg make-up if she takes your advice about one that you know is good.

Keep your stock of leg make-up complete, and display samples throughout the shop. See that every operator knows about little tricks of applying it successfully so that she can pass these along to patrons in selling conversations. Operators who can wear leg make-up becomingly should “model” it in the shop so that patrons can see its effect.

Since the article puts it this way, I’m gonna go out on a limb to suggest that women were still working on stocking their nylon collections up at this time. Possibly factories weren’t yet transitioned back to post war production levels and $20 black market nylons were still the only option.