Butter London “Disco Biscuit” Niuton Chavez Felix

Even though we are just finishing February, I wanted to express the feeling of this beautiful month. The month of Aquarius. The unconventional. The month of Love.

I was browsing thru Pinterest and came across a photograph of a swatch from Butter London “Disco Biscuit” and I was awe struck.

Only one other nail polish color has moved me so much as this one, and that was Chanel “Taboo”. This is my first time wearing hot pink nail polish and I have to say, I love it. I have pale pink shirts and pink ties, but aside from the light pink base used for french manicures, this is my first pink nail polish. The first thing I just loved about this polish were the blue sparkles that it has. The contrast of the blue with the hot pink of the base, works extremely well.

This is my first Butter London nail polish, so aside from the color, I did not know what to expect. The verdict for me is not so great. The color is very thin, I usually apply 3 coats of polish, but this was so thin that I had to apply 5 coats on top of the base coat for the color to really come through like you see it on the bottle.  That poses a problem because there is not enough time for the polish to dry and the later coats become chewy. Three coats definitely wont cut it unless you are ok with partial coverage. The square bottle is ok to hold and the brush is fairly decent. Color is absolutely wonderful if you can get full coverage. One of the things I noticed is that the polish dries to a mate finish, so if you like mate finish you will love it. I opted to apply high shine Seche Vite high gloss top coat. All in all, I ended up with mixed feelings about this polish. The color is extremely beautiful but the quality of the polish itself  is not as good as the color. The mate finish was also unexpected. Color wise it is a keeper, but it is definitely nothing I would buy again. If I had to give this a rating, I would give it just 3 bottles. Until next time, happy polishing!

Morgan Taylor's "Time to Shine" and L.A. Colors "Blue Lagoon" Niuton Chavez Felix

I guess it’s a little late, but Happy New Year! Being January still, I think it is in order. Better late than never.

Anyway. Something curious happened to me a couple of weeks ago. My 5 y/o daughter, like most 5 year olds, Is a fan of Disney's Frozen.  So I wanted to surprise her doing a Frozen inspired nail color combo. I gave some color combos a thought. Aqua Blue, White and Deep Blue. I also thought about getting some white and silver. I ended up using an old favorite called “Blue Lagoon” from L.A. colors and a previously unknown to me  called “Time to Shine” by Morgan Taylor.  

I did not want to get too elaborate with nail art, I just wanted it to be enough to get noticed by my daughter and just enough to try to get as close to the Frozen theme. When I finished applying “Time to Shine” I was awestruck. I just discovered that I LOVE GLITTER! Wow! I have to say, I did not get why so much people love glitter, I guess the child in all of us goes into hiding. Now I get it and I am not putting it away. Combining it with “Blue Lagoon” makes it pop even more. I applied it on two nails as accents and I have to say, I just loved the way it looks.

“Blue lagoon” is my “go to” color when I feel I want to wear a dark blue nail polish shade. It really applies very smoothly, perfect viscosity, great nail brush. Three coats to make it last. When it came to “Time to Shine” I thought that it would be a 4 or 5 coat. Many glitter formulas come in transparent polish so It you want to get full coverage of glitter, it can be tricky. Fortunately, “Time to Shine” comes with a grey-silver base, so I just used the usual 3 coats on top of my base coat. Finished it of with “Seche Vite” top coat and used “Fast Dry” drops from Orly. I encourage you to try glitter on at least one of you nails if you have not done it already. At least you will know if you like it or not. Believe me, it is not the same looking at some one else nails with glitter that looking at your own nails with it. I have become a fan of glitter. Until next time, Happy Polishing!

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!

ORLY - LIQUID VINYL

I am anxiously waiting for the fourth season of my favorite TV series. One of the things I like about Game of Thrones is the contrast that exist between the different kingdoms.

From the desolate ice wall near Winterfell, to Kings Landing or Qarth’s grandeur to the darkness of Harrenhal. With a few exceptions, Game of Thrones is as dark a TV show as they come. Crude, Rude and to the bones. And as always, the books are better. 

This is the first time I have worn pure black nail polish. I chose Orly’s “Liquid Vinyl” because I wanted to somehow look a bit dark without having to look like a rock star or an emo, I thought I could achieve this by wearing very glossy instead of matte. This was to pay homage to my favorite TV show and the black three eyed crows. This polish wears more like a rubber cat suit, goes on very nicely, with a creamy wet finish. As always, I topped it of with Seché-VIte Top Coat. Looks very edgy.

I paired it with my Game of Thrones sandals and love the look. Two coats will do to cover well but three are much better. I seldom wear cream colors, but this black is a cream that I can wear many times over.

Orly polishes are professional grade, they apply very well. This nail polish, based not on color but on consistency, brush, and finish deserves a 5 bottle rating.

Love the finish,  It should work great as a base for nail art or to combine with other top coats with sparkles or shimmer as well as for stamping, the kind of must have for all occasions. Until next time, Happy Polishing!

OPI - Deutsch you want me baby? Niuton Chavez Felix

November, the last month before we enter the years end. There is something special about November. The final stretch you could say. All around the world there are special rituals and festivities in the month. It all starts on the sunset of October 31^st with what we know as Halloween, but in actuality it started as “Samhain”, which is still celebrated to this day and is a pagan celebration that marks the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter, or the “darkness” season and is an Irish/Scottish tradition.  

India has “Diwali”, and although it may fall between the middle of October and the middle of November, that festival of lights is one of the most important festivities of the whole year. It celebrates the good over evil theme, hence the “light” will always prevail over darkness. 

The same can be said for Mexico’s “Dia de Muertos” (day of the dead), second only to Guadalupe’s Virgin Day and Christmas in importance, it is where people remember their family members who have departed from this world. 

Spain celebrates San Bartolomé de Pinares Festival every November and the British have Guy Faukes Night every November 5^th.  

Of course there is the American tradition of “Thanksgiving” where as with Mexico’s Day of the Dead tradition, Thanksgiving is next to Christmas and Easter, the most important Holliday in America, if not the most. 

It is also celebrated in Canada, Puerto Rico and Liberia. One of the things I like most about “Thanksgiving” is that this celebration is mostly non-religious, even though it is rooted by the Protestant Catholic Church, today we have Roman Catholic Thanksgiving Mass, but everything was inspired by the church from England. It has since morphed into a mostly non-religious good harvest celebration that can go cross religion, which in my personal point of view, is a good thing.

My personal opinion is that it can be celebrated by all religions because it really does not really touch on any religious themes, except for the fact that we give thanks to “The Lord”, “God”, the “Creator” or whatever name you want to give it. We can give thanks to our neighbor, our family or whom ever we want. It is about being “Grateful”. 

Even the Japanese celebrate “Labor Thanksgiving Day” influenced by the American occupation after the second World War.  

What do all these festivities have in common? Orange! They have in some way or another the colors of fall and fire. Red, Orange, Yellow or any combination of these. 

That is why I picked OPI - Deutsch you want me baby? As my last fall season color.

This is for my taste, the best burnt orange color yet. Not a new color though, it is from OPI’s Germany Collection introduced in 2012. 

The more I use OPI’s line of polishes the more I like them. Their quality is consistent. It is a burnt orange color with a very visible red saturation. The photograph where I hold a tomato tells it more than words can.  

It reminds me very much of Sally Hansen’s “Unbreakable Heart”, although it has some orange shimmer to it, I would not consider this a shimmery color, looks more metallic than shimmery, specially under artificial lighting.  

The kind of metallic that reminds me of christmas tree ornaments. What I like about this color is the fact that it maintains it’s color and does not morph into other shades like other colors I have tried. it preserves it’s color consistently across all lighting conditions.  

Application went on very smoothly, not streaky at all. Three coats are needed to achieve total flawless coverage. This is a keeper for any collection. 

Five bottles as a rating. Get it while you can if you don’t already own this. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and Happy Polishing!

LA Girl METAL line, "Obsidian"

There are few colors I like to repeat often, this is one of them, It's called "Obsidian", It is a metallic black that shimmers. I like black very much, and as with the other color I really like, the Burgundy Red of the last post, you can dress it up or dress it down. Since I wear color on my nails all the time, I try to pick out colors that will match my everyday clothing. Black is great to wear with a tuxedo dressing it up, or with a short sleeve cotton shirt dressing it down, It goes well with almost everything.

Nina Ultra Pro Burgundy

Keeping the tradition, still winter, so this week I felt like going back to reds. I found this burgundy red at Sally's, it is a deep burgundy, very elegant, you can dress it up or dress it down. Very thick, though easy to apply with it's wide application brush. These are 3 coats over the primer and base coat, to finish it of, it has a Seche Vite fast drying top coat.

Hand holding the bottle has direct sunlight, 3 fingers and toes have ambient light on them.

Nail Polish and Color has no gender, Painting ones nails should be the same.

Hello world! Since I am so much for the movement that nail polish, colored nails and the fact that one likes to paint their nails is genderless, from this day forward, I will do my best to be true to what I belive in. 

So in the spirit of equality, I will refrain from comenting on this topic (nail polish) from a man’s point of view. I will insted do  it from the point of view of a person that enjoys nail polish. 

I think that stating that I am a man, that I an not gay, trans, bi, cross-dresser or anything that referes to sexuality and-or gender issues, is not in the best interest of the comunity and is irrelevant.  

I know the title of my blog says otherwise, but that was the way I felt when I first started it.  Although I understand that there are many people out there who are all for the new wave of marketing nail polish for men, I don’t think it should be that way. In a certain way, it contradicts what many polished men, including myself say, and that is that nail polish is genderless, that coloring ones nails is also not exclusive to females and that the fact that men who like to wear nail polish may do so at free will. 

That should not be limited to color selection either, and I say this becasue I see that many nail polish companies that market their product have a very limited color selection. Most of these companies have what society considers “manly colors”, and that is where I disagree. Color is genderless, and as such, it should not be limited to a certain selection for a certain gender. You don’t have to be a female, a male rock star or male celebrity to wear nail color, you just have to be you. Once you get nail polish and what it is all about, one of the things any polish addict is waiting for, is color selection, so limiting ones color selection seems stupid. The mere fact that companies market “male color selection” is again puting the male in a box, as if we were not boxed enough already. They are saying, ok, men can wear nail polish, but it should be limited to these color selection because they are “manly” colors, It's so ilogical. Nail Polish, you either get it, or you don’t, and you don’t have to be a certain gender to get it or enjoy it. 

Gelish vs Polish

Hi there, I just want to see what all the polish lovers out there think about this topic.

I for one, am for regular polish over gelish. I have found out that if applied on a propperly prepped nail, regular polish can last for weeks. Gelish is harder to remove than regular polish. You don’t need the special light and it is cheaper to change every other week. Here are 7 steps to perfect colored nails.

1.- Make sure you remove with acetone all the nail polish you might have.

2.- Use a buffer block to smooth out all the ridges on your nails.

3.- Once you smooth out the ridges, do another acetone pass to remove all the white residue from the smooth buffing

4.- Apply one coat of nail primer

5.- Apply one coat of you favorite base coat

6.- Apply 2 or 3 coats of your favorite nail color, depending on how thin of thick the polish might be, you may need up to 3 coats, metalics usually are thiner.

7.- Apply a Fast drying top coat

There, that will give you 15 or more days of perfect, non chipped colored nails. It might even give you more, but since your nails will grow, you need to repeat so the growth won’t show. Even if you go to a nail tech to change your polish, make sure to tell them these 7 steps because not all techs use primer or base coat.

Live Happy!

How perceptions change

Hello y'all!
This is my second post this year, since I decided to be more active with this blog., I will keep it short. Yesterday I had a visit from a friend of mine to the house. He comes every other week and we chat a bit about things going on in our lives,  you know, the wife, the kids, the workplace, typical guy stuff. We were talking about some job related things and he suddenly stopped, then he looked at me and said "dude, what's up with the color your wearing".  I told him "what about it" he said "your hands look like a woman's" "you should not be wearing red on your fingernails" and "stick with the dark shaded colors" he even went on to say "try a dark purple".  I immediately replied to him, "look, a while back I remember very accurately that you told me the same thing when you looked at my nails polished with color, and now it is not the fact that their polished, now it's about the color shade?" so he replied: "I was already accustomed to see you with nail polish on your fingers and toes in dark colors, now this?" so I responded "So now your ok with the fact that I polish my fingers and toes, your just not ok with the colors I choose?". And he said, "well, it's your thing isn't it?" to which I replied "EXACTLY!" "I do it for me, not to show it of, when it comes to my style I make my own rules".... and we kept talking about other subjects.