AWESOME media today!

Hey guys - I think "men wearing nail color" might be reaching a tipping point, and poised to take off in a big way!

Just today, the New York Times posted this column: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/fashion/manly-manicures-end-in-color.html

Then, I saw this from Yahoo! Shine - also posted today: http://shine.yahoo.com/beauty/manly-manis-men-now-requesting-color-shellac-nails-214300474.html

And, finally, this tweet from "The VIEW": https://twitter.com/theviewtv/status/345198269703536642

If The View discusses this tomorrow, or in the near future, I think a whole lot of women will be suggesting nail color to their men... and we'll be seeing it more often.

My thoughts on this should be obvious (I AM a male nail blogger...) but for the sake of those who haven't read back, basically this:

•  It's REALLY just paint - reserving it for one gender only, makes as much sense as applying a gender exclusion to hats... or sweatshirts.. or painted cars. 
•  It looks good, it has the ability to improve the look of one's nails - and generally, men's nails need the most help in the appearance department. 
•  It has no magic powers - it can't "make" me anything, or change who I am, or define me in any way. It does convey some information about who I have always been - committed to gender equality, intolerant of sexism and prejudice, and defiant of "herd mentality" (where people blindly follow customs that they assume to exist based solely on observation of others blindly following them). 
•  In a society that is dedicated to equality, what is OK for anyone is OK for everyone. 
•  Some people see my nail color and make assumptions about me - but I know they are wrong, and I know that their inaccurate assumptions do not define me. 
•  I wear nail color as a man - I do not consider this "crossdressing" in any way, nor is it "an expression of my femininity" (I do not see any inherent femininity in a bottle of paint) - and as I see it, if my masculinity was so weak that it would be threatened by a few drops of paint (or dependent upon the opinions of strangers), then it would be too weak to carry a "man card". 
•  Nail color is fun - mine has inspired many interesting conversations and interactions with people, which has enriched my life in many ways.

Snakeskin Nails! & Snakeskin Redux

Snakeskin Nails

OK... I've been wanting to try this for a long time. There are a bunch of youtube tutorials out there about creating a faux snakeskin look on your nails - basically, they all involve sponging accent colors over two different sizes of mesh. I used a piece of tulle (fine mesh, to simulate the scales (OK, they're not really scales like fish have..)) and a piece of woven (macrame?) mesh like is used for laundry bags, to create the color patterns.

I used a base of OPI "Alpine Snow", then sponged Sally Girl "Grape" (really, a light tan) over the tulle mesh, then alternated CG "Hook and Line" and Essence "Chic Reloaded" (an AWESOME green duochrome with maroon flash) with the sponge over the coarse mesh

I'm not totally happy with the outcome, but it was my first attempt. I will definitely try this again with my airbrush instead of the sponges. Anyway, here is the result:

  

  

 

Also, my toes have been rocking CG "Flying Dragon" for about a week. I think it's my favorite purple... And, I just love these shoes. Men's sandals are always so bulky, they conceal the foot way too much.Flip-flops are more revealing, but I hate the sound they make, and the feeling like they could fly off at any time. These shoes are women's thong flats, with an enclosed heel and ankle strap, $20 at Payless, and I think they look great!

Snakeskin Redux

I said I wasn't quite happy with the outcome above, and I would try again with my airbrush. After wearing that for a day, I was almost content with the thumb, but seriously annoyed by the rest. So, I wiped it all off, and tried again. This time, I skipped the fine mesh tulle, I left off "Hook and Line", and I used the airbrush thru the coarse mesh. After the base white, I sprayed the whole nail, all 5, with Sally "Grape" (it's a TAN!!), removing the mesh from each to dry. Then, I mixed up some "Chic Reloaded", realigned the mesh on each finger, and sprayed some highlight areas. I got a kind of ombre effect, but in shapes - a couple of chevrons, a couple of lengthwise stripes. (This mani would have been much easier if I had two airbrushes set up, one for each color, to avoid realigning the mesh patterns on each nail.) Finally, I removed the mesh and VERY LIGHTLY dusted the whole nail with the "Chic Reloaded" - not enough to darken the tan or white parts, but enough to get a little duochrome flash on everything. What you can't see in the photos is the gorgeous, shimmery maroon flash from the "Chic Reloaded", which really makes this look like a snakeskin.

(I had considered "Just Spotted the Lizard" instead of "Chic", but "Lizard" is a bit more foil-ey or flakey - I was worried that larger flakes might not pass well thru my airbrush.)

I am much happier with this version - THIS is why I own an airbrush!!: