Spring - Finally!!!

Yeah, the snow is finnnnnally melted around here and there is a hint of green creeping into the landscape. So, I guess it's time to shift to some fun spring colors!

I have two colors for you today that I really like. The first one is from Orly and called 'Bailamos'. It's an eye-catching tropical aqua with a deep shimmer. It's beautiful! I only wish I had some sun to photograph it in, but you can still get the idea of how cool this one looks. I see this as an ultimate beach and sand-kickin' color that will make your toes happier than heck!

Outside in subuded light, it still looks tropical!

The color is amazing - deep, lucious and cool!

You can see the shimmer in this picture. Imagine how it glows in the sun!!

Okay, this color is a bit more earthy and just says "spring" all over it. It's called "Irene" from Zoya. I tried it with a matte topcoat and I really like it. You will be the envy of all your tree-hugging friends wearing this one!

Matte - very smoooooth color!

(sorry about the smudge on the fourth toe)

The shimmer is subtle and adds a lot of depth to the color.

This is actually closer to the true color. It's brighter than my pictures, but you get the idea. Nice green!!

Hey, get out and enjoy the warmer weather! The sun, the fresh air, the exercise and your polished toes are all good for you!!!

Hang in there... Jake :)

Jenna Lyons and J. Crew are too cool!

I suppose everyone's heard the hubub about Jenna Lyons, President and Creative Designer of J. Crew painting her son's toenails bright pink... Pretty darned cool!!! I mean, paint is not going to hurt a little boy - it doesn't hurt girls. His mom and he are obviously enjoying their fun personal time together and getting a little creative. There has been a lot of publicity on this one, and most people as asking "why?" because they don't see it as anything newsworthy - or is it? I'm thinking maybe this will help give this style for guys a little boost! Well, I think it's pretty cool that Jenna and J. Crew decided to go ahead and use this in their ad capaign. I think it demonstrates that the company is open-minded and forward thinking. In fact, it makes me want to shop there even more!!! What's your opinion about it? Was it worth all the attention? Do you think this will hurt the boy's future and turn him into something he isn't? Is Jenna cool for doing this? I'm interested to hear what you have to say about it... Jake

Contest - Free Nail Polish!!!

Hey Polish Fanatics, BB Couture just announced that they are giving away an entire set of six FREE POLISHES to the winner of their new contest!

Here's how it works: enter your best picture of guy's toes painted with polish - that's it! It can be your own toes, or you can 'use' a friend's. Just make sure you do a great job on them and it could be the BIG WINNER!

Guys: time to show your stuff! Maybe a good time to get a pro pedicure too (hint).

Gals: what an opportunity to introduce your guy to nail polish (even if it's just to win a set for yourself!). And who knows, maybe he'll end up liking it (but then you'll have to lock up your own collection...).
It's good, clean fun - see how far you can get him to go with this!

The prize is set#1 of the BBC men's collection including Grenade, Night Ops, Widow Maker, 45 Caliber, Blue Steel and Military Blues.

To enter, simply become a fan of BB Couture on Facebook and post your picture. Enter as often as you like. Get crazy! The winner will be announced April 1, so better get busy...

More details at http://www.bbnailpolish.com/ or you can use this direct link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BB-COUTURE-FOR-MEN/181152689887

Cool stuff!

Hey there you fellow nail polish fanatics – let me present more of the new BB Couture Men’s Wild West Collection, a unique collection of colors that are reminiscent of the days when life was wild and the pioneers forged their living from being bold and daring!

Gals and guys, you are going to really like these polishes. There is something for everyone here, so saddle up your nail-painting skills and let’s get on the trail!


Here is Gunfighter – a Medium Bluish-Gray Metallic
This is a surprising color because when I saw it in the bottle, I thought “Oh, another silver-gray metallic…”. But when I tried it, it turned out to be a fascinating steel-blue with a very attractive micro glitter semi-matte finish. One coat is really all that is required and it produces a nice neutral looking gray that anyone would be comfortable wearing. Two coats darkens it a bit and then the blue tint begins to show up more.

This would make a a very attractive fingernail color for gals too!

Check out how awesome the grainy texture makes this color look. I love these polishes that don't look anything like the others!

Next, meet Rustler - a true semi-sweet Chocolate Brown
Another color that looks even better on your nails than in the bottle. A very pleasing warm brown that, as is true of many good-quality crèmes, spreads and dries as smooth as glass. It has no red or purple tint to it either, which in my experience is difficult to find in a brown. A great choice for toes!

Heads up, pardner! Here comes Sundance - a Shimmery Reddish-Orange
A brighter, fun and definitely noticeable color! It’s a bold shade of orange – even leans a little toward red, and the metallic shimmer gives this polish a lot of depth and intrigue. What an awesome color to help you melt away the winter ‘blahs’.

This picture shows the result with three coats, so it's a bit darker than it would normally look. I wanted to demonstrate here the incredible depth this polish has to offer!

And as you can see, this is a real head-turner. If we had any real sun around here (don't get me started...) I could show you how this one really 'pops' when it's illuminated.

Last, but certainly not least, Bandito - a Deep Blackish-Purple
Mysterious and classy, this is a really great color for those who like darks and want a little variety from just black. The purple is subtle enough that guys can get away with it while gals will love the way it gives nicely shaped nails an attractive vampy look. It also has a mischievous duo-chrome look to it in the sun and the finish is like glass!

Wow, how's that for a roundup?

I know many of you may think that I am BB Couture-crazy, but there is a good reason. BBC has been instrumental in creating unique colors that you just can't find anywhere else. And from the first introduction of the men's collections almost two years ago, they made a bold statement that it's not only okay for men to enjoy wearing nail polish, but it really does work for guys! Many women love the fact that these colors are new and vibrant too, and they can give gals a very cool masculine edge to their look that says they are open-minded and willing to try new ideas.

I try to look for nail polishes that a no tthe norm - there are plenty of other bloggers who do a fantastic job of reviewing those for you. I see it as my job to bring you an alternative to the mainstream so you can have fun with your nails and express your unique self!

I whole-heartedly encourage women to do what you have to to get your guys to try this stuff because it is just darned cool to share this interest with them!

And men, get out of your dang society-induced box and learn to enjoy some freedom to do something different and fun too! Wearing nail polish won't kill you and it may in-fact change the way you preceive others, giving you a more open and accepting mind about life. And you might even enjoy it too - many other have before you...

Okay, I am stepping off of my soapbox now. Enjoy yourself and have an awesome day!

Jake the Toepaintguy :)

OPI Lucertainly Look Marvelous

Hey fellow polish fanatics, I discovered a really cool color the other day in my wife's polish collection. Now I realize that those are 'fightin' words' to many of you who cringe at the thought of your spouse rooting through your coveted collection of nail polishes! In my case, my wife and I have a mutual understanding that we can borrow each other's polishes, as long as we treat them as our own (don't spill them, leave the bottle top all gooey or let them dry out). As it turns out, I am not particularly interested in wearing many of the colors she has, and the same applies to she of mine, so it works pretty well for us.

This color caught my eye the day she bought it. It's from the OPI Swiss Collection released last fall. It is pretty glittery and full of really cool texture when closeup, but from a distance it looks a lot like a really intriguing 'black chrome'. That is why I really like it!

And, it changes it's look depending on the lighting you see it in (which is true of many polishes that have depth or shimmer to them), another reason why I like it so much.

Here is 'Lucerne' in overcast daylight. It looks kind of gray and grainy here - different than many others.

Under a flash (or sunlight, but we haven't seen any of that around here for a number of days) it looks more black and chromy. I think this is probably the way I like to see it the most!

This closeup shows the grainy texture to it. Those are actually silvery specs that really catch the light.

And here is a good picture of it with some indirect daylight.

Let me know what you think, especially if you have already tried it!

Jake

Hey fellow polish fanatics - I'm back! Yeah, it's been a while since I posted anything new - it's winter here and I haven't been polishing up a storm like usual.

But, the good news is that I have some awesome new colors for you to drool over (and buy)! These are the latest from BB Couture and the theme this time is 'the old west'. Six for guys and six for gals, though I found I especially liked a few from the gal collection too!

My favorites are listed first (since I swatched those as soon as I opened the box). I will post these in sets because I am doing them when there is good daylight (not every day around here lately...) so you can really see the truer colors.

We'll start off this roundup with "Posse", a very pleasant deeper olive with just a hint of gold in it. I used the word 'pleasant' because this is a very comfortable color for anyone - not too bright or 'loud' and a really earthy and natural-looking shade. You could wear this one any time of year and the more I wore it, the more I liked it.

Indoors, under artificial light, the olive hue is quite evident.

Outside, in overcast light, the color is a bit more subdued, and very 'pleasant'.

Here is a closeup so you can see the incredible micro-shimmer and texture.

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My next choice is "Wrangler", a slightly washed-out blue that looks pretty close to the color of denim or blue jeans. Notice how much the color of this one changes from outside vs inside. The color appears a bit bolder in my indoor picture than it actually is. I tried to mess with the light settings in my camera in an attempt to get it closer, but this is about the best I could manage. One coat coverage and with a very smooth subtle shimmery look.

Outside, in overcast light.

But very different indoors under artifical light (it's actually lighter than this looks).
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"Outlaw" is an intriguing shade of, well, I guess you could call it purple, but it has so many other colors in it that it entirly depends on the light you are viewing it in. This one is packed with lots of micro-shimmer in a rainbow of colors; reds, greens, golds and blues. Depending on the angle and light, it changes to various hues of all of these. My pics just don't do it justice. Very cool color!!

Outlaw - Indoors

Outdoors (overcast)

Outdoors (sun)

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Okay, if you are getting tired of seeing basic black on nails everywhere (like I am), here's a great alternative: "Pistol Packing Mama" is really a very dark warm brown with brown micro-shimmer hidden in it. The finish is super glassy and smooth and it covers in one coat. I didn't even use a topcoat for these pictures. I really like this one because it's not so stark as true black would be, it is a richer color that looks better than black IMHO.

Indoors, you can just see a little of the micro shimmer - and compare the color to my black sandal.

Outdoors in the sun it really 'shines'.

This closeup shows you how incredible the brown shimmer comes out. Subtle, but it sure adds depth to the polish!

Wow - BBC has proven once again that even though there are probably a zillion colors of nail polish available, there is still room for more variety and unique shades.

And kudos to BB Couture for keeping us guys in mind too. Yeah, maybe men don't need special nail polish, but just the fact that BBC acknowledges that men can wear it too is pretty cool in my opinion. And some of these so-called 'guy' colors look pretty sweet on you gals too!!!

Okay now, back to my 'polish lab' to swatch the next exciting batch for you all to enjoy!

Jake