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!

Nina Ultra Pro "Maple Syrup"

Continuing with the fall season color palette, I decided to go with a darker color this time. While keeping a bit the camouflage theme, going brown helps with my wardrobe selections a bit more. I found I had this color from last year, I got it for christmas 2012, so I went for it. 

This is Nina Ultra Pro “Maple Syrup”, It is a brown base with orange shimmer to make it stand out. Like, well.....Maple Syrup! I think the name is spot on. 

Like all shimmery colors, it stands out under direct sunlight. 

Under ambient lighting it tends to reflect less light, the shimmer is still there, but the color looks richer, more chocolate than maple, although not that dark. 

Under artificial lighting conditions though, the orange shimmer make the color take on a dark copper shade. 

To prove this, I took a picture on top of an orange colored rug, so you can look at the light reflecting on the toe nails and you will see what I mean. 

So in a sense, without being a holographic color, you can consider this like it is one of those 3 for 1 colors. 

I really like the thick brush Nina Ultra Pro uses on their products. Consistency is very good, two coats will do it, but as always, I go for three and top it off with Seche Vite top coat, my favorite. 

This color applies very nicely, it is not streaky. 

This color goes very well with gold, brown, beige, green, orange, brick red and all earthly colors. 

I absolutely love this color and would recommend it very much. If I had to rate it, I would give it 5 bottles. 

Even though it is a couple of years old, it is not that hard to get, you can grab a bottle at amazon for less than $5. If you are lucky, Sally’s might still have some. Reading some reviews on amazon I see that many people give it a bad rap, NOT SO. They probably don’t know how to properly apply nail polish. 

Remember to clean, file buff, prime, base, paint and top over for a long lasting beautiful non chipping application that will last up to 10 days. This is definitely a keeper. 

Happy Polishing!

OPI - At your Quebec Night & Call

Fall is here and I have been yearning for some olive greens and some browns to go with the season. I love camouflage pants, and I also like military themes. 

Not a weekend goes by where I am not wearing camo pants, when it’s fall, I wear them with sandals, when it’s winter I wear them with boots, either way, I love the tones of the olive green, brown and black that the green camo has, that way I can paint my nails black or brown shades, but my favorite color has to be olive green.  

I had been looking for an olive green for some time now but did not find any color that blew me away, until now. 

Doing some research for this, I stumbled upon OPI - At your Quebec Night & Call, I only have one word to describe this olive green, WOW! This is an old hard to find color, 2011 if I am not mistaken, luckily I found it on ebay. Since it’s a discontinued color, prices tend to go up sometimes if there is demand for it, and for what I can see, there is demand. Amazon had it as high as $20, I payed $6 for mine but average price was $13. 

This is an olive green base that has a golden shimmer to it.

When direct sunlight hit’s it, you can perceive it more as a metallic golden color with green shimmer, It never looses its olive green tone, but the golden undertones really make it shine outside. When under artificial lighting conditions, the color tends to look more olive not so much metallic but the golden shimmer evens the color. 

OPI - At your quebec night & call is a keeper. I have other polishes with dark green tones but this olive green is just fabulous. Application went on really smooth, three coats did it for me. If you apply it well, it does not even steak. Of course I did a base coat first and topped it of with Seche-Vite for durability and shine. OPI makes wonderful formulas, If I had to rate this polish, I would definitely give it 5 bottles. 

If you like olive greens, this should definitely be in your collection.

Happy Polishing!

VERNIS classique by CHERIMOYA - Red Velvet

This must be the forth or fifth red I have tried. When I finished this last one, I came to the conclusion that red is definitely my favorite nail polish color. Anything with dark undertones and bright shimmers will always get me. From a candy apple red to a deep dark burgundy, reds suit my skin tone much better than any other color I have tried until now. Even purples that I thought did not go well on me, I have tried and liked, it must be deep dark undertones.

Although not all colors are created equal, and the quality of the polish and applying brush varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer, If you prep the nail and apply it well, It should not matter what brand it is, It will last. Of course, prepping the nail is of outmost importance, you have to file, brush, clean and prime first, than, base coat them before applying at least two coats of nail polish, if your polish is too thin, go for three coats. Personally, I always, regardless, apply three coats. Finish it of with a quality top coat, and you can enjoy your nails like they were gelish.

This polish is not of great quality, it is very thick and tricky to apply. Fast drying nail polishes are a two bladed sword, they can be very good, or very bad depending on your point of view. This polish is definitely fast drying, but it works against it because you need to work nail by nail coat after coat. Even though I could have added some acetone remover to thin it out a bit, I decided to stick with the original formula to see how it applied of the bottle. The brush is also not professional quality and a bit difficult to work with. Putting all that aside, the color is just wonderful. I absolutely loved this red, but I am a sucker for reds, so I may be biased. 

Like blacks, reds can be dressed up or dressed down, and even though this is not the best quality, it is a very classy color shade. Like the name suggests “Red Velvet” is definitely  “velvety”.

This definitely lights up under direct sunlight. If you look closely under certain sunlight conditions, you can appreciate the orange sparkle shimmer. Under certain conditions, this red seems a bit on the orange side more than red, and that is the kind of surprise I like to have when trying new colors.   Under normal ambient light, the color does not get confused with any other dark colors, it still looks like red.

If you like reds like me, and don't get tired of trying new shades of red, I do recommend trying this out, I think you will like it.  

If I had to rate this, because of the quality of the brush and thickness of the polish I would give it a 2 bottle rating, but with the color being so strikingly beautiful, I will give it 3 bottles. Also, YOU MUST WEAR 2 COATS OF BASE COAT WITH THIS POLISH. I applied 1 coat myself and the color permeated all the way to the nail to stain it. I  don’t have a big problem with that, but if you do, consider it.

Happy Polishing!

China Glaze - Black Diamond

Every now and then, I like to unleash my inner rock-star.
I received a comment from a fellow nail polish wearer named CJ from Texas who is a professional drummer, his post is right there at the poll page so you can read it. 

Anyway, because of that and to pay him homage for leaving his comment, I decided to wear black this time. I also played some drums a while back, although not as a pro, so we have something else in common besides loving to wear nail polish. Sometimes, specially during the winter, I like to wear some leather jackets in black, as well as biker boots. I also have some leather trousers that I wear on special occasion parties. But in winter times, I just expose my fingernails, rarely my toes.

 
Anyway, it is still summer weather here where I live, so I will be wearing black with sandals instead of boots. I love summer and fall because I can wear sandals and short sleeves, it is more my style, I wear bead and chain bracelets and big rings with a big watch, so in the winter they are put away  because they can be cumbersome wearing jackets or sweaters. 

So, having said that, I picked a black that is not a pitch black color. Although I do have some black blacks like China Glaze’s own “Vinyl”, but this time I went with China Glaze’s “Black Diamond”. This is a very good dark black with silver shimmer. As you can see on the photographs, when the sun hits it, is reflects the light quite nicely. As with some other dark colors, this black, being shimmery and not metallic, it is the kind of black you can dress up or dress down. It is not matte, although it kind of looks a bit like it is. I applied Seché Vite Top Coat over 3 layers of the color. It applied very thin at first, so it is definitely a three coat. China Glaze makes wonderful colors, and even though black is the absence of color, this black really stands out with it’s silver shimmer. Depending on your attire, it can look elegant and chic, or It can look edgy, either way, it’s going to look awesome. 

I am looking for a dark green shimmer for my next post, kind of dark olive green with some shimmer, leaning for BB Couture’s “Posse” or something along those lines. If you have some suggestions along those lines, please let me know.

Happy Polishing!

CHANEL 583 "TABOO"

Before I begin, I would like to thank all the visitors who chime in with their comments. I have been receiving positive comments about the blog and that certainly motivates, but more than anything, what drives me to keep it up, is the fact that I can see the traffic and how it originates via the blog's analytics. Last Month I posted a small poll widget on the blog to see how many visitors were men. No surprise here, at least as far as the people who cared to put their two cents worth, 95% of visitors are male, just 5% are female. Of course those numbers will change, but the majority of visitors who voted, showed me that they wanted to interact. This blog has seen more than 10,000 visitors since it was created, and that is also a growing trend, so I see there is interest on the subject. Last but not least, the question’s and comments as well as the emails I receive show me this is not just a growing trend, it seems many men have been painting their toes for a very long time, they just don’t show them, so If I can put my two cents worth to help men shatter their fear and show their emotions and expressions thru nail polish, I will keep at it.

Purple, the color of royalty. There is something empowering about wearing this color. Since I am a Professional Photographer I see color a bit differently than most people. With my left side of the brain I see color as the reflection of light on different surfaces. Black is the absence of light, while white is the combination of all primary colors. It is my right side of the brain, that makes me feel the emotion that color brings out in me. It makes it even more enjoyable to appreciate colors when you understand and feel them at the same time. CHANEL does a fantastic job at combining different colors to create emotion when looking at their nail polishes.

With “Taboo” they have created, at least in my personal view, a very EMOTIONAL color. This to me is a POWERFUL shade. The base is a magenta and blue combination that turns out a beautiful deep cosmic violet shade. The kind you see on the Hubble telescope galaxy pictures. To top it all, they added bright red and blue sparkles that shimmer beautifully when the sun hits them, reinforcing even more the cosmic premise. I look at my nails and imagine small galaxies on each nail.

Under ambient lighting, it takes on a deeper purple, more absent of color, even though it looks nice enough, you will appreciate this more outside than indoors. This is by far, the best shade of purple I have tried, it is elegant, mysterious, edgy and classy at the same time. If you are a spiritual person, you will absolutely love this shade, it will help open awareness.

As with the other CHANEL colors I have tried, the formula is perfect, two coats will do, and it goes on smoothy. I love purple nail polish because it goes with just about everything, from blue jeans, to white pants, and it goes very nicely with  brown, gold, silver or black sandals. This is a keeper for me, I am sure it will be for you too. 

CHANEL - 667 - Bel Argus Limited Edition Summer 2013

Continuing with the CHANEL Sumer 2013 Series, this is Bel Argus, a Cobalt Blue that reminds me of a midnight starry summer night sky. There is something about CHANEL nail polish that is different from all the other brands. Aside from the price, which is very steep for nail polish, there is also the exclusivity factor, but it is really “unique” in some way.

Application is buttery, color goes on nicely and though it may seem very thin at first, it really goes on solid with just two coats. This is a relatively fast drying polish. I have worn my fair share of blues over time, but this one has to be by far, until now, the best of them, definitely a keeper for me. 

Like all dark blue’s, you can dress it up or dress it down. Since I “dressed down” the other blue’s I have worn on past postings, this time  I opted to “dress it up” a bit by wearing this polish with silver gladiator sandals and white trousers, a perfect outfit for summer that really make my toes in blue stand out. 

A particular thing I have noticed about CHANEL’s Summer 2013 line is the way they effectively catch the suns rays to “light the color up” when outside, as you can very well see from the pictures. 

When indoors under ambient lighting conditions during the day, the color seems a bit deeper, but still blue, no color change on this one.

When putting it directly under a fluorescent lamp, the color seems a bit more metallic, but I wouldn’t consider this a metallic color.  It is a very nice blue that really comes to life outdoors. 

Over time I have noticed that some nail polish colors are meant to be worn outdoors and other colors are meant to be worn indoor’s under fluorescent lighting conditions. I am personally not very fond of pictures of swatches under the lamp because even though it looks nice, unless you are always indoors and/or carrying a lamp with you, it can be deceiving. If you are a person who spends more time outdoors than indoors, than this color is for you. You will absolutely love how the sun makes this color come to life.