1916: Cutex introduces clear nail polish Back in 1911, Northam Warren struck gold with his side hustle—a cuticle remover called Cutex. He has since offered more nail products, including the first nail polish, which is actually a clear nail lacquer.

In other words, disease-causing organisms, which are called pathogens, cannot live or grow inside nail polish. This includes fungi, bacteria, and viruses.

The Nail Polish The trendy Selfridge's London is selling a bottle of Azature nail polish, prices at $267,280 or 160,000 British pounds. The reason for the steep price? There are a whopping 267 carats worth of black diamonds within the nail polish.

"The shelf life of an unopened polish can last up to five to eight years, and after opening the polishes last up to two years," Ling Lin says. Forgetting to screw on the top tightly or exposing your bottles to variable temperatures can speed up the expiration process.