Sources and original illustrations

Primary references and the limits of this educational collection.

Primary references

• FDA: Nail care products — Cosmetic scope, following labels and warnings, ventilation, ignition risks and reactions.
• Essie: Mastering nail art — Conventional polish tools, controlled dots, stripes, sponge gradients and compatible finishing.
• Essie: Beginner nail art — Using regular nail polish, allowing layers to dry and adapting beginner designs.
• Essie: Pebbled polka dots — Dots as a flexible motif with organic shape variation; the articles use their own compositions.
• Essie: Floral nail-art ideas — Manufacturer examples of floral motifs with ordinary cosmetic polish.
• Getty Museum: Principles of design — Spacing, repetition, emphasis and visual rhythm in original miniature compositions.
• Getty Museum: Elements of art — Line, shape, colour value and negative space.
• OPI: Conventional nail-lacquer application example — Manufacturer example of base coat, thin colour layers and compatible top coat; no adoption of wear-duration claims.

Original visual material

The diagrams in this edition are original SVG illustrations explaining the sequence or decisions in each guide. They do not show a laboratory experiment, a personal trip or a tested product result. No photographs from the linked sources are reproduced.

Check the source in context

References were consulted during preparation of this edition. A source may cover a broader or narrower question than a particular guide; the support notes above explain why it is listed. Read the original for methodology, exceptions and updates.