BB Couture Spam featuring Saints of Ruin, Men's Formal and Cantina Nights

I'm really not happy with how some of these pics turned out. I've re-done a few of them a couple times and I still don't like how it came out... But, I already have the pictures taken, I may as well post. I think this is the last of the BB Coutures I have left to post! Well, except for that one collection from last fall but I haven't been able to bring myself to post it... It's just... so... yeah, let's just get on to the post.

Cantina Nights Collection - Summer 2010

Adios Mofo

Blue Bahama


Cosmopolitan



Dirty Mother


Grasshopper



Hangover Blues



Huckleberry Martini (not as blue in real life)



Kamikaze


Kiwi Margarita



Pina Colada



Sex On The Beach


Tequila Sunrise



Men's Formal Collection - Spring 2010

Award Medal

Ceremony

Dinner Jacket



Dress Rehearsal



Incognito



Tuxedo Night

Saints Of Ruin Collection - Summer 2010

Ashes



Dark Tommy




Dying Time



Fairy Tale



Nightmare



Ruby Ruin

(These were sent to me for review.)

Man Glaze Mayonnaise

It's been a long time in the making, but now it's finally here. ManGlaze has released their newest shade: Mayonnaise.

Over a year ago ManGlaze sent some of us a teaser picture of a white matte prototype topped with some silver glitter and it looked amazing. Now I can see it with my own eyes. I like.

ManGlaze Mayonnaise. It's a matte white- a nice clean matte white without yellow tones in it like actual mayonnaise would have. It has a slight pearlescence to it to keep it from looking like pure white-out.

He sent along a bottle of Hot Mess so I could duplicate that original white/glitter look:

One coat of Hot Mess over three coats of Mayonnaise.

And with topcoat, just because:

The formula on this was pretty good. If it were normal polish I'd probably say it was too thick, but since it's a matte it has a different set of standards for me. I didn't have any trouble with application- it was thick but not unmanageable. Since it's white it can get streaky and that's why I did three coats. As long as you have plenty of polish on the brush and never let the brush or nail get too dry while applying you won't have a problem. It was easier to apply than KO White which is the only matte white I can compare it to. Not as easy as OPI Alpine Snow matte, but that's basically pure white-out so, apples and oranges. The only complaint I have about the formula of Mayonnaise is that it takes a lot longer to dry than Fuggen Ugly or The Death Tar. I wasn't prepared for that and ruined my first manicure. Just give yourself a little extra time with this one.

Another thing that seems different about Mayonnaise compared to the other ManGlaze shades is that the bottle is tiny. I don't know if it's a mini or if this is the normal bottle size for this shade. I can't find any info on the size or volume of the bottle online to know for sure. I wasn't expecting such a petite bottle- no Costco industrial sized drum of Mayo here! EDIT: Mini is a mini, the one you'll purchase from the website will be normal sized.

In case you've never used a matte polish before, or maybe you're just having trouble with them, here's how you should apply mattes:

Apply basecoat and let it dry COMPLETELY. If it's not completely dry it will cause the polish to crack like those old Cover Girl crackle polishes. Though, you should try it at least once, cause it looks pretty cool.

Get a really big bead of polish on your brush- it will seem like too much, but trust me, you'll need it. Apply the polish in a gentle pushing motion, as if you were pushing the bead of polish down your nail instead of a painting motion. If you use Seche Vite topcoat, this is also the same method you'd use to apply that, if that helps you imagine the motion. Don't stop the brush, don't press down hard, don't go over the same spot twice. You want it to be one fluid motion, from cuticle to free edge, for each stroke you need to make to cover the nail. Aim to cover the whole nail in two to three brushstrokes keeping the brush wet at all times (you may need to add more polish to the brush between strokes).

It is very important not to press down too hard with the brush. It'll cause streaks and ridges. You want a very light touch and you want the brush to stay very wet. Try to use as few strokes as possible. This will give you a smooth, even, ridge-free matte application.

Overall, I'm rather impressed with Mayonnaise. Application was easier than I anticipated. It's not yellowed looking like KO White, but it's also not a stark white-out creme white. It's definitely wearable. It doesn't remind me so much of mayonnaise as it does of royal icing. But, royal icing doesn't sound as nasty as mayonnaise so I don't think that name would have stuck.

(This was sent to me for review.)

BB Couture Regular Guys, Tools for Men and Mechanics 101

Making progress on my backlog! Yes! Three collections in one post! All are from the BB Couture Men's line, 2009 and 2010. Awesome!!

Regular Guys

Blue Collar. Sky blue/baby blue with silver metallic shimmer. Reminds me of nail polish from the 90s. Actually, a lot of things in this line remind me of the 90s- which is a plus in my book! This color is really cool looking, soft with an edge. If it takes all night to be just who I am... Well I'm gonna be a blue collar man...


Bullfighter. Deep bloody red jelly with shimmer. This one changes color depending on how many coats you do. It's lighter and brighter with one coat and deepens to this red/maroon color with three coats (I have three in this picture). Jelly shimmer is a really cool effect. Looks deep.


Coal Miner. In the year of 98, the mining trust became our fate... The weight of work now breaks the backs of the dirty black leg miners... I love when a polish reminds me of a song. Especially one of my favorites. Anyway. Coal Miner is a dusty blue charcoal type of color in the base with a speckled blue shimmer on top. Very unique and I'm quite fond of it.


Cowboy. This one also reminds me of a song, but it's a song I really really hate! Also reminds me of another song that I like more.. You see us comin' and you all together run for cover.. We're takin' over this town! Man, everything reminds me of a song. But about the polish. It's suede colored. A soft suedey taupey brown with secret shimmer.

Golf Pro. This one looks like it could be Kelly's Green's brother! A muted dusty jadey green with silver shimmer and black microglitter. You may need to enlarge to see the black glitter, but it's there.


Mariner. Really frosty dusty evergreen color. A deep green with tons of silver frost. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I alternate between liking it and being disappointed by it. I like it better in sunlight than indoors, indoors it looks dull and dusty.

Mechanics 101

Drive Shaft. Hehehe.... Shaft. *ahem* This is a really unusual pick for a men's collection. Sort of a peachy-coppery-mauvey frost. A little dated looking. Not my favorite of the collection. Wish I had more to say about it! Frosts just aren't my thing.


Fuel Injector. Fuel injection makes you high... (Maybe I shouldn't listen to my iPod when I write reviews.) This color is AMAZING!! Vibrant grassy, leafy yellowy green with tons of gold shimmer. This is what I love about BB Couture. Millions (okay, maybe... dozens?) of awesome kickass greens.

Stick Shift. ... And safety belts? Bucket seats have all got to go. Seriously, I'm on a roll now. I wonder if they do this on purpose to get songs stuck in my head? Oh yeah, the polish. Everything about this polish is love. It reminds me of this guy I had a crush on in like... 3rd grade. He used to wear shorts this color. It's a murky mustardy yellow with a crazy weird pink flash. This polish makes me happy.

Shock Absorber. Okay, this one doesn't remind me of a song. Lucky you. But it is a light rusty red coppery fall-ish shade. Frosty, though. Really frosty.


Intake Valve. A chameleon color! It changes on me depending on the lighting. In some lights it's grey, sometimes it looks lavender and indoors it looks like straight greyed-out pink. It has some hidden shimmer to it. Unique for sure. Pretty fun to look at as well. Two thumbs up.


Universal Joint. Oooooh neato. Duochromeish swampy green with gold shimmer and faint pinkish shimmer. Love these BB greens. The name makes me laugh though, sounds like it could be the name of some sort of hippie jam band.

Tools For Men

Vise. Deep dusty blue with silvery bluey shimmer. Sometimes looks a little duochromey because of the dense shimmer (the shimmer is dominant at some angles, at others the base is) but I can't call it a true duochrome.


Studfinder. This one morphs on me as well. In sunlight it looks like straight neutral brown with silvery shimmer and indoors it looks like a dusty plum-brown with gold shimmer. Weirdness! Cool color, though. Goes along with Cowboy in the soft-suede department.

Hammer Drill. It's frosty... Frosty frosty frost... however... I think I like it. It reminds me of fall. It's maroon-brown-red-chestnut-plum frost. Sometimes it looks redder, sometimes it looks browner. I think sunlight really pulls out different tones in these polishes.


Wire Stripper. I think I posted this one before with a Konad design on top. Another fascinating color to look at- it looks black sometimes, but I think it's mostly a deep grey with heavy brown tones. Or.... maybe it's just dark brown with dustiness? It's brownish-greyish with lots of silver, gold and red shimmer.


Pipe Bender. A deep bluey-green base with a crazy purple-navy frosty shimmer flash. Totally unique. The duochrome/blue flash acts really strange in this one. It's like you can see both colors all the time... they compete with each other... Green! Blue! It's pretty sweet. And it makes me wanna yell, "Bite my shiny metal ass!"


Impact Driver. Slate blue with microglitter and shimmer. It's muted and greyed looking, on my skintone it looks blue but I've seen a few pictures where it looks grey on others. The shimmer is really pretty in this. It's a very subtle soft color.


The formula on all of these was great. Standard BB Couture formula with no deviations. Which means... a little bit thick (but not as thick as something like Barielle for comparison) but perfect application. Three coats of all. Good pigmentation, a lot needed only two coats, but three coats deepens and enhances all the neat effects in the finishes of these. Dry time on these is actually faster than the 'regular' (non-men's) BB Coutures I have. Maybe it's my imagination... but with these I can paint and topcoat and be ready to go in five minutes. Anyone else experience faster dry time with the Couture For Men line, or is it just me?


Wow. What do I even say about these? First, I love them. I love unusual unique colors and that's just what these are. Only maybe two or three polishes out of all three collections that I didn't care for. Heavy on the greens. Lots of flash and soft duochrome. Glitter. Interesting finishes. I don't think I have anything negative to say about these. Well... okay. I can think of something. Why so much frost?? BB Sure loves their frosts. But... they also love their glitters and their green polishes so I shouldn't complain! No one else does anywhere near as many greens and glitters.

And I know these are marketed for men- which I think is awesome- but of course women can wear them to. And vice versa... No reason a man can't wear a polish marketed for women. It's just colored paint.

OH!! That totally reminded me! I went to a wedding last Friday (wore some killer hot shoes too) and there was a boy there WEARING NAIL POLISH!!! It was just black nail polish, but still... it made me happy. It was well done, too- no polish on the cuticles and no chipped tips. Right on, dude.

Before I click 'publish' I thought I should say (cause I get asked every time I post BB)- you can buy BB Couture For Nails at overallbeauty.com or bbcouture.com . I have never seen them in stores, and I don't think they are actually in any retail locations. Correct me if I'm wrong though! I'm under the impression they're online only.

(These were sent to me for review)

BB Couture For Men

BB Couture For Nails has just released a collection of polishes designed specifically for men. I am beyond excited about this. This is awesome!!



45 Caliber. Silver chrome frost. This is a very smooth, opaque, fast-drying silver chrome. It's not a completely smooth chrome, this one dries with a few brushstrokes and a bit of shimmer. It's not a super light-bright silver, either. It's a nice medium silver which is more flattering on me than the super light varieties. I love it. Some girls match their polish with their purse... But this one goes perfectly with my 21.

Blue Steel. A deep charcoal metallic frost. This is a pretty interesting shade! It's kind of chrome-like but it's really dark. Dark chromes are cool. I don't see many of those. This one is really on the frosty side, but in this particular shade, it looks right. It's a little brushstrokey and has a little sparkle. I know this is probably named after the Bluing on firearms, but I can't help but think of this:



Grenade. Dark olive green with gold shimmer. HO. LY. CRAP. This is amazing!!! This one makes it to my top favorite greens list. Grenade is nice and dark- no wimpy light green that polish companies seem to bombard us with even though we have a million already... This is deep, mossy, murky, like green with a splash of black. The gold shimmer gives it dimension and makes it look kind of antique. If they sold nail polish at the Army Surplus store, I'm sure they'd sell this one.


Military Blues. Medium/Dark blue shimmer. I say medium/dark because this one seems to change on me. It looks pretty dark when there's no light hitting it, but it becomes much brighter when the sun hits the shimmer- it lights up. Very cool. This is another frost, but this one is less frosty than Blue Steel. The frost in this one is like light veins of silvery shimmer.


Night Ops. Blackened blue with large particle shimmer. This looks like a night sky. Super vampy. It's a very dark navy blue, but it has a very slight dark purple duochrome from the shimmer. The shimmer isn't really glittery- these are really thin translucent flakes, not little metal discs or flakes like traditional glitter. While this is a blackened blue, to me it still looks blue indoors, unlike a lot of other blackened blues like Wet n Wild Craze Nocturnal or Lippmann Devil In A Blue Dress. Dark blue, yes, but still blue.


Widow Maker. Grey shimmer with subtle black glitter. Very unique! A pale warm grey with silver shimmer, somewhat similar to Zoya Harley, but this has a few particles of black glitter thrown in. Black glitter! That's something you don't see often. There's not much of it in here- you'll have to enlarge the picture to see any- but it's there and I like it. I'm not sure what in particular this is named after- I'm sure there are many, many things called Widow Maker, including a band with these two guys:



But when I see "Widowmaker", I can't help but think of my favorite thing to order at Claim Jumper.

Photo property of Julia Z.

The formula on these is great. A little on the thick side, but not unmanageable. I did three coats of each- some polishes needed only two but I like the way they look with three coats. They dry pretty fast even without topcoat. BB Couture claims to have a 4-in-1 formula (treatment, color, basecoat and topcoat) and I'm not sure if it's true, but these do dry to a shiny finish without topcoat. These come in a new style of bottle- they're heavy square bottles with the trademark metallic blue cap. They really look nice! And they stand out from the rest of the line for sure.

I absolutely adore this collection of colors for many reasons. First and most importantly, the colors rock. Plain and simple. These are great colors. Colors that I love to wear. Hopefully also colors that men love to wear.

This is a collection of polishes made for men- it even says so on the bottle. One of the things that surprised me is that they aren't mattes. It seems like matte color has become the standard for men's polish, but it doesn't have to be. I think it's like suggesting that women should only wear pink polish. I'm happy that these aren't matte.

I'm actually curious to hear from the guys on this one. I know you're out there- don't be shy! Leave a comment- tell me what you think about BB Couture Nail Polish for Men.

Even though this polish says that it's just for men, there's no reason why women can't wear it. I think sometimes those specifications are a little restrictive. People who are not really into polish will see it and think that only men can wear it. Kinda like that DuWop Toe Polish that said it's just for toes, or OPI Feet. A lot of people actually thought that you couldn't wear it on your fingers. However, I'm happy that they designated these 'For Men'- it's about time that someone thought about them when creating polish.

This collection is right up my alley. I love every single color, I love the names, I love the ideas, I love the bottles... It's just... awesome. I am really not a girly-girl... Sure, I love makeup and nail polish and perfume, but I'm really more into traditionally masculine things than I am in stereotypical feminine things. If you dislike pink polish as much as I do, this is a collection for you.

Anyway, I think I'm rambling a little. My verdict on this collection: Awesome. Two thumbs up.

BB Couture For Men can be purchased from Overall Beauty and they retail for $9 each.

EDIT: Polish or Perish is having a BB Couture for Men giveaway where you can win three of these shades- take a look!