Liebster Award Nomination

Angela from http://olderladieslikecolortoo.blogspot.mx has nominated this blog for the Liebster Award.

NOMINEE

I am grateful for the opportunity she has given this blog with the nomination, it will serve as another way to create consciousness about the fact that nail polish is for everyone to enjoy and is not exclusive to women.

She gave me 11 questions to answer, so here they are:

1.- What was the inspiration for the name of your blog?

Since I am very straight forward guy, the name of the blog says it all I guess.

2.  Do you have a dedicated nail/beauty room or just a small space?

small space I guess, I just do it at my home office desk or go to my friends nail salon.

3.- What is your favorite mainstream polish and your favorite indie polish?

Mainstream OPI, I find the quality and colors to be outstanding, as well as the price. Indie, I have yet to purchase one, though I have several Generic Brand or No Name polishes.

4.  What are some of your hobbies?

Nail Polish of course!

I have been getting into nail art/designs lately, sandal shopping and studying about the origins of humanity and its behavior.

5.  If you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Montreal, Canada. I just have to go there, don’t know why, I just need to go.

6.  Do you see yourself blogging 5 years from now?

Yes, creativity and imagination are things you just don't shut off.

7.  Do you like it quiet while you blog or do you need background noise?

Neither, I find it easy to adapt to any circumstance. I do like background music however, I choose the kind of music depending on what I am blogging about.

8.  What do you want to be when you grow up? (I believe we are all kids, at heart, and it's never too late to be what you want to be!)

Not to sound pretentious, I think I am and do what I like and what my heart tells me to do. I like to constantly push boundaries. I am a Professional Photographer, A web marketing specialist, a Certified Network Engineer, a Small Business Owner, Entrepreneur, a Nutrition Counselor, Tech Support Specialist and Lecturer. I think I can even handle more, but I have yet to find something else that I feel passionate about to do. As humans, I have found that our potential is limitless.

This is the kind of work I do in Photography

9.  Morning person or night owl?

Night Owl, I can do more when the kids are sleeping.

10.  Any special plans for the summer?

Nothing Special planned for this year, but things can change at any given time.

11.  And last, but not least, what lead you to starting your own blog?

My own experience. 

I have always kept my nails groomed, both fingers and toes. 

I have always liked pampering. 

As a male, when I stated to contemplate wearing color, like many men, I searched the internet and found very little information on the subject. 

I had been looking for an excuse or a solid argument for me to wear nail polish. Then I realized that the only thing keeping me (and other men) from wearing nail polish was fear. I really didn’t need any ones approval to do it. To me, fear is a choice, it is a negative emotion about a future event. As far as I have concluded, the future does not exist, we construct it ourselves in our present.  So I decided to be fearless. To live the now. 

I started the blog to create consciousness about it. As I have stated many times in my blog, painting our nails is an emotional form of self expression. As men, we are programed to suppress our emotions/feelings because we are mentally conditioned that doing so makes us vulnerable, especially if those emotions/feelings are so called “soft” emotions/feelings, like crying, compassion and self expression (among others) unless it is what a society/group deems "acceptable".  
We are thought that it is OK to “fit in” and not “stand out”. We are thought that it’s OK to be part of a group and not stand out as “individuals”. Because when we do, we are “conditioned” that acceptance by others can be cruel, so we tend to hide our insecurities within a group. We tend to "blend in" to hide.

Another thing we are mentally programmed/conditioned into is that, we are “given” choices to choose from, but we are not allowed to “explore” other choices other than those “offered”. 

As humans, we have the right to express, explore, think and act with freedom as long as we do not attempt on others rights and freedoms. When we respect others choices and/or right’s, peace reigns. When we try to impose or violate other choices or rights, there is conflict. It’s as easy as that and you can take that to any level. 

Well there they are. Feel free to comment, ask, elaborate, interact or comment on this post, that is what is all about.

I will list my nominees in my next post, so stay tuned.

Cheers and Happy Polishing!

L.A. Colors "Aquatic"

Spring is in the air, sunny weather, easter eggs, chocolate, swimming pools. I rarely post twice in a month, but this time I just could not resist this blue. It reminded me of some blue shirts that I have. I also have a blue watch, some blue shoes and many blue ties. 

So I was walking down my local drugstore and this shiny blue bottle caught my eye. My first impression was that it was too bright a blue. I usually don’t go for bright colors on nail polish, but this time, there was something about this blue that begged me to try it on. 

With the easter festivities coming I thought, why not!. I mean, we paint our cars blue, we wear blue clothing, so why not paint my nails with this blue. After all, blue is a color for boys right? Riiiiiight…. 

Anyway, I have to say that I just love it! I think I have not had so many compliments on my nails since I wore Malice from Chanel.

The brightness on this tone is an attention getter, but in a good way. It is the kind of color, that even though it is not a holographic, metallic or shimmer, you can contemplate it again and again. Several people even thought I was wearing Gelish.  This cream based blue is called Aquatic from L.A. Colors, it’s from their color craze line. I have to say, until now, I have not had an L.A. Colors nail polish that I do not just love.

It is a three coater, goes on smooth and does not streak, as you can clearly see from the photographs. It is a keeper for me, I am sure you will love it too. Until next time! Happy Polishing!

Nail Designs for men? You Bet!

I have been wanting to get some nail art done for some time now, the only thing that stopped me from doing it is the fact that most nail art designs I saw, were not appealing to me. 

I like subtle yet elegant designs. Something with meaning that at the same time will capture attention but won’t be a distraction. Something that would express my style and personality, and not something that I would just have done just for the sake of following a trend.  

If you are a guy and are new to nail polish or are exploring the idea of painting your nails, think of it this way, If you were contemplating getting a tattoo, would you just pick any design? Of course not!. 

I get that a nail polish design is not permanent, but still, having it done just because I could, was just not me. I like things with meaning. 

Liking symbols and their meanings, one of the most influential symbols I love is the “fleur de lis”, so I got inspired for blue and gold from a picture I saw that let me to other blue/gold combinations, like a neck tie and a Rolex watch, like I said, capture attention yet not distracting. 

I also like medieval themes, I like medieval clothing, the fabrics and designs with embroidery. Being Easter time, I decided to have this design done to be in sync with the carnival festivities around the globe. 

I used three different nail polish colors to achieve this. Orly “Lux”, L.A. Colors “Blue Lagoon” and OPI “Alpine Snow”. I wanted something that looked modern, medieval, carnival, kind of a harlequin design and elegant at the same time.

I first applied all the colors on their respective nail and went thru all the drills, you know, file, buffer, prime, base, color and top coat and waited till next day. 

To achieve the design, I used some strips with adhesive to form the diamond design and I painted inside each diamond with the respective colors, Orly “lux” and L.A. colors “blue lagoon”. I let it dry and removed the strips, revealing the white under it. I then applied two layers of top coat to seal it and enjoy it for at least two to three weeks. Remember, decision is the power that you have over anyone and is what determines our destiny. I have worn this for the past two weeks and have gotten only compliments. The feeling you get when you look at your painted nails and nail design is pretty difficult to describe, I would just encourage you to try it. Forget about what people think, forget about what people might say, believe me, It is a pretty awesome feeling. Don't miss on it!