It might come as a shock to some people that the first nail polish to ever hit the mass market wasn't a bright shade of cherry-red — it was pink. It wasn't until the early 30s, when deep red lacquers popped up on the fingers of European socialites, that Revlon responded to the trend with a collection of crimson polishes. By the 40s, when leading ladies could show off their manicures in technicolor, red nail polish had cemented itself as an iconic part of American culture.