Wicked

I tried out yet another nail polish on my toes: Essie in Wicked.

I love it! The color is just this rich, deep, beautiful burgundy. It's not too in-your-face red but it's not too dark it almost looks black. It takes about three coats to get the color right, though. If you only put one coat on, the dark hue won't show so you have to layer it on. Once you do get it right, the resulting shade is just glamorous and ultra sexy. I like how it offsets my feet. As my pedicurist/manicurist Sherlyn (from Nail Loft in San Juan) says, the color is "nakakaputi." True true! My feet don't look washed out. This shade really suits a whole range of skin tones. I like the shine too. It's only my second day so I have yet to see how chip-resistant this product is.

I'll do a review of Nail Loft in San Juan next time, when I get pictures. I've been meaning to do it for the longest time but whenever I go there, I always forget my camera or my phone's low batt, which means I can't take pictures. For now, I'd just like to say that Nail Loft, along J.A. Santos in San Juan is my nail spa of choice these days. What I love about that place is it's really value for your money. The service is fantastic and the prices are uber-reasonable. I spent only 550 bucks for a foot spa with hydrating mask, french tips manicure (as always) and a pedicure. They have other packages, including packages for guys. All of them are pretty inexpensive. The place has this charming, girly-girl ambiance which I also like. Anyway I'll do a more comprehensive review next time.

Nail Color

When I was young, my mom gave me an important bit of advice: always keep your hands clean. You can tell a lot about a person with her hands, just like what Forrest Gump's momma said about feet. You can tell a lot about where that person's been, where that person's going to, what the person does and what she doesn't do. "You don't want people to think you don't keep your hands clean, do you?" she asked. I never forgot that. So when it comes to nail polish, I always just stick to the ones that I feel will really make me look clean and presentable.

Unfortunately, that's also how I become really boring when it comes to choosing nail polish color. Usually I just have French tips on my nails and something clear on my toes. The other day I decided it was time to chuck out my traditional clear polish for my feet and experiment with colors that are a little more exciting. I still couldn't bring myself to go for anything other than french tips for my hands but at least my toes would be a start! I found myself gravitating towards deep dark reds, maroons and plums. Just like with red lipstick, I was apprehensive at first about trying something dark. I don't want to have gnarly feet with nails na mukhang patay. I don't want to look like I stubbed my feet on something rusty either or as if some small animal just died and bled all over my feet. But surprise surprise, rich dark colors contrast well with my feet, making them look even whiter. They look classy and elegant too so they go with just about anything.

For my first attempt at having dark colored toenails, I settled for Orly's Naughty, a deep dark brown shade that resembles my mom's Chanel's Vamp. It's such a deep dark red that some people have asked me if they were black. I don't mind though, it still looks so elegant. If I'm feeling on the safe side again I'll just go back to my traditional Orly Platinum, which also makes my feet (and hands) look whiter. It's just a neutral, pearly platinum shade that also goes well with my feet.

I'll try out Orly's Manic Monday and OPI's Suzy Loves Sydney next and write about them here. I dunno if OPI still has the Russian Collection around but I heard it's got the nicest maroons, reds and plums. That and the Holiday Collection. It really doesn't hurt to go beyond your comfort zone when it comes to choosing colors. If you find the colors are too off on you, then keep looking until you find something that does make you feel pretty. I was never really bold at choosing colors because I've always felt there were too many rules on the "right" or "proper"colors for morenas. I thought morenas only have limited colors to choose from because of our skin tone. Man, that's so not true! Hopefully this little experimentation with nail colors will also extend to experimenting with bolder colors for eyeshadows, lipsticks and other makeup products.


Here's an article that can help guide you in choosing nail colors. It was written way back in 2003 but some of the tips there regarding choosing nail color might still be able to help you. It even has some brands you might want to check out. Plus, the consultant there is none other than Allure's editor-in-chief Linda Wells so you're pretty sure she knows what she's talking about. Have fun reading!