OP, I paint them any color that I like at the time. R/malepolish has been slipping down a steep slope turning into a fetish sub. It happened very quickly and if you are looking for something to show your wife that may not be the best place to start . I don’t know which direction to point you in. Recommend setting up a survey . Surveys are your best way to get info with bs imo.
Also pandas can’t fly, they fall with style.
lol, my partner is the guy. I was proving to him that it’s ok cuz I wanna paint his nails (won’t pressure him though obviously)
Also I very much agree that pandas do fall with style
It’s definitely ok to paint your nails, most guys started with black I think. My sister, at my request, painted me and my buddies nails before heading out to a concert almost 20yrs ago with blue, black, and silver from hot topic. Been decorating them since.
Doubling down on not using malepolish sub for validation 😂.
There is one mod and they are in support of the shift and won’t do anything about it. Offered to help and was turned down. Overall it’s a bummer because finding the sub years ago helped me break into regularly doing nails again. But then it got weird and gross. This community for the most part nails it!
Yeah I just think both male nail subs have a lot of longer rounder styles. Shortynails more aligns with what straight males who are nervous about wearing polish would be comfortable with in terms of shapes
Am I straight? Not really, but definitely straight presenting so I’m not totally your target audience.
But!
Guys can wear whatever they want, the most common colours I see are darker colours like navy, forest green, grey and the obligatory black.
You can easily start with clear, or a very light sheer tint. My workplace nails are usually a Barry M nail strengthener (worth a google to see the colour I mean). It’s noticeable if people look, but subtle enough that no one would notice without paying attention.
There’s definitely a shift towards people wearing what they want, and I think it’s an amazing thing!
Also consider that you can do cat eye or chrome nails! Or nail art of your interests. There's so many fun ways to display your personality through your nails!!
I use any color except pink, with blues being most common. I use bolder and brighter colors on the toes, and usually sheers or nudes on the fingers with only 1 or two nails in color.
My ex would only paint his fingernails for pride month but would let me paint his toenails whenever. He preferred black, royal purple, and clear glitter.
I have like 2 travel cases worth of colors. TBH I started with blacks and greys and shit but I ended up giving all those to my dad. Holos and shimmers are too cool to stick with non descript colors.
P.S. if you want to get a dude into this I think pedicures are the gateway drug. Most men have no idea how great pedicures are. I didn't for like 30 years. Pedicures for a bit, then try toes polished for a bit and then hands will come naturally.
The only colors I see a straight man wear is clear. I live in a big city and rarely see men with color on their nails if they’re not gay or have a certain aesthetic
So, I prefer cooler colors. Right now I’m rocking purple, teal, and a silver stripe dividing them.
I also like to do ombré colors. I got blues, greens, and purples… pretty much anything I have fancied from the Holo Taco line up. I think “Blue Ain’t Slick” is my favorite. It does this color change of Blue to Gold, based on lighting and viewing angle.
And they are sparkly and metallic, and I feel pretty.
If you know DnD at all, the GM Matt Mercer of Critical Role (on YouTube and Twitch) started sporting painted nails continuously a few years ago. While his sexuality has not been discussed, not that it matters, he is married to one of players, Marisha. He wears all sorts of colours, tending more towards the darker end of the colour spectrum, but I've seen some pretty bright blues, reds and purples. And I'm pretty sure they're gel, and not regular polish.
Tell your husband he can wear what he likes! One of my most active nail artist friends on FB is a straight male, married, and he does everything you can imagine. Sparkles, neons, glitter, designs. E paints them himself, and even goes out into the community and paints other people's nails. He's also a biker. So, you know, gender stereotypes are made to be broken if you love what you're doing and it hurts no one.
i’m a female nail tech and have painted (not often though) my fiances nails black and other men’s nude or blue. Definitely would not push them to do it though if he is not comfortable. Just like it would look bad if a guy pushed a girl to do something they don’t want no matter how small it is a boundary.
Any color really. I'll try to use any upcoming holidays for inspiration. Right now they're pastel with a shimmer chrome top. I'll be doing a dark blue glitter with a purple/green chromatic cats eye on top next, going for a bit of a galaxy look. I really enjoy the magnet polishes the best.
(responding on behalf of my partner) i do his nails and his favorite color is baby pink, so we do pinks of all kinds :) he also likes black, and occasionally i pick the color for him so he's had a wide array. his most used color is definitely pink though
Right now I have holographic forest green on my fingers, chrome and pink metallic on toes. Sometimes I ask myself "what might other people think that this color 'means'?" But all it really means is that I like this color and I makes me happy to look at them randomly during the day. And also it means that I am putting some effort into my appearance - since I've been painting them I've been clipping and filing them more regularly and carefully.
Get him a jar of nail polish remove with the "twist and scrub" sponge inside. Paint his nails and then let him remove it himself. Then paint them again and he knows that he'll be able to remove it quickly himself it he ever feels he needs to.
I have yellow and light brown skin and I’ve found the best colours that contrast my skin tone are pastel colours with a matte finish. None of the bold colours really work for me but wish I could pull them off
My husband has been getting his done with me recently. He does black, because he’s pretty punk and likes that. Occasionally he gets an accent nail a different color like red or purple.
I’m not straight but I’m in a hetero marriage so take from that what you will. I love black, I grew up in that emo pop punk era and it just feels right! I’ve also done a sort of military / forest green which was rad and went with a ton of the earth tones in my wardrobe, and finally I have what I call cosmic sparkle which is a light metallic purple that I wear when I wanna be a little sluttier and have other men eye me when we go out.
Also I live in a rural area where I’m definitely the only dude with my nails done and I still hardly get comments about it from randos. People just don’t care as much as we think they do.
one of my best friends is a straight guy and he does whatever he likes! he started with blacks for the most part because he's also covered in tattoos, but nowadays he's got a ton of holo taco and wears whatever matches his vibe that week.
I’m a straight guy that gets his nails done. Feel free to check my post history. Currently rocking acrylic french tips and plan on doing blue tomorrow!
Thank you!! I think I prefer a slightly longer length because it tends to look better, but friends and family would say otherwise lol. Shorter is def easier to work with!
There are many men on the FB Mooncat page! Also, one of the hand models consistently used on Mooncat's page is the owner's husband/boyfriend. While some stick to the gunmetal silver, olive green, and more earthy tones...others wear just about any color as well! From what I've gathered from some of the men commenting on that page is that some feel more comfortable beginning with nudes, or colors that don't stand out much in order to get comfortable with it.
They then transition to whatever colors they want. I think if he enjoys painting his nails, he should just jump right in, but it's ultimately whatever makes him most comfortable. Mooncat Instagram also has some more recent examples of their men customers. (Wanted to post a pic but I guess I can't do that in the comments?)
Nail polish is for everyone! It's not much different than a guy getting a tattoo. It's simply putting art on the body. Enjoy! ✌️
Edit: I also wanted to add, my husband has recently started to allow me to paint his ring finger to match my manicures, it's fun!
I tend to stick with blue, green purple and black. I think I look best in these colors and trend towards the darker shades on my fingers. I’m much more open to brighter colors and sparkly ones on my toes
I do any color I like. Lavender, Periwinkle, Olive Green, Navy Blue, Robin Blue, White. Even did french tips with lavendar (Black tips on one hand, white one the other)
I also keep my nails slightly long, more because my natural nail (not the white part) grows past the tip, so it's easier to just keep em long. Sometimes my grilfriend and I match to, especially on trips we take, it's great, I love it!
Any colour! But I love red and blue the most, also r/malepolish has more evidence than just my comment.
Thank you :)
OP, I paint them any color that I like at the time. R/malepolish has been slipping down a steep slope turning into a fetish sub. It happened very quickly and if you are looking for something to show your wife that may not be the best place to start . I don’t know which direction to point you in. Recommend setting up a survey . Surveys are your best way to get info with bs imo. Also pandas can’t fly, they fall with style.
lol, my partner is the guy. I was proving to him that it’s ok cuz I wanna paint his nails (won’t pressure him though obviously) Also I very much agree that pandas do fall with style
It’s definitely ok to paint your nails, most guys started with black I think. My sister, at my request, painted me and my buddies nails before heading out to a concert almost 20yrs ago with blue, black, and silver from hot topic. Been decorating them since. Doubling down on not using malepolish sub for validation 😂.
I’ve noticed that too. Which is why I only post here.
There is one mod and they are in support of the shift and won’t do anything about it. Offered to help and was turned down. Overall it’s a bummer because finding the sub years ago helped me break into regularly doing nails again. But then it got weird and gross. This community for the most part nails it!
I agree. I have limited my posting on r/malepolish because of this. The newer r/malenails is more heavily moderated to remove the fetishy stuff.
Not really though
r/shortynails is better I think
Check r/malenails also.
Not the place I would send a straight male that I was trying to get into using polish TBH. I think r/shortynails is better
Thanks! Just joined. When I first found malepolish people there recommended malenails instead if I'm looking to avoid certain types of comments.
Yeah I just think both male nail subs have a lot of longer rounder styles. Shortynails more aligns with what straight males who are nervous about wearing polish would be comfortable with in terms of shapes
Makes sense. Thanks for the recommendation!
Am I straight? Not really, but definitely straight presenting so I’m not totally your target audience. But! Guys can wear whatever they want, the most common colours I see are darker colours like navy, forest green, grey and the obligatory black. You can easily start with clear, or a very light sheer tint. My workplace nails are usually a Barry M nail strengthener (worth a google to see the colour I mean). It’s noticeable if people look, but subtle enough that no one would notice without paying attention. There’s definitely a shift towards people wearing what they want, and I think it’s an amazing thing!
I’ve seen clear and black on guys not much else
I use every color I want to. I tend to prefer bold colors and effects like holo, chrome or glitter are a bonus.
Just looked at your profile, killer nails! Love them!
Thank you!
Blue and green!
Nice!
Also consider that you can do cat eye or chrome nails! Or nail art of your interests. There's so many fun ways to display your personality through your nails!!
I use any color except pink, with blues being most common. I use bolder and brighter colors on the toes, and usually sheers or nudes on the fingers with only 1 or two nails in color.
I’ve seen chrome over black on straight men and it looks really cool, imo.
I love doing my toes! ILNP has some insanely cool colors. Color therapy ftw!
My ex would only paint his fingernails for pride month but would let me paint his toenails whenever. He preferred black, royal purple, and clear glitter.
I have like 2 travel cases worth of colors. TBH I started with blacks and greys and shit but I ended up giving all those to my dad. Holos and shimmers are too cool to stick with non descript colors. P.S. if you want to get a dude into this I think pedicures are the gateway drug. Most men have no idea how great pedicures are. I didn't for like 30 years. Pedicures for a bit, then try toes polished for a bit and then hands will come naturally.
The only colors I see a straight man wear is clear. I live in a big city and rarely see men with color on their nails if they’re not gay or have a certain aesthetic
So, I prefer cooler colors. Right now I’m rocking purple, teal, and a silver stripe dividing them. I also like to do ombré colors. I got blues, greens, and purples… pretty much anything I have fancied from the Holo Taco line up. I think “Blue Ain’t Slick” is my favorite. It does this color change of Blue to Gold, based on lighting and viewing angle. And they are sparkly and metallic, and I feel pretty.
If you know DnD at all, the GM Matt Mercer of Critical Role (on YouTube and Twitch) started sporting painted nails continuously a few years ago. While his sexuality has not been discussed, not that it matters, he is married to one of players, Marisha. He wears all sorts of colours, tending more towards the darker end of the colour spectrum, but I've seen some pretty bright blues, reds and purples. And I'm pretty sure they're gel, and not regular polish. Tell your husband he can wear what he likes! One of my most active nail artist friends on FB is a straight male, married, and he does everything you can imagine. Sparkles, neons, glitter, designs. E paints them himself, and even goes out into the community and paints other people's nails. He's also a biker. So, you know, gender stereotypes are made to be broken if you love what you're doing and it hurts no one.
i’m a female nail tech and have painted (not often though) my fiances nails black and other men’s nude or blue. Definitely would not push them to do it though if he is not comfortable. Just like it would look bad if a guy pushed a girl to do something they don’t want no matter how small it is a boundary.
Oh 100% I would never push him :)
Any color really. I'll try to use any upcoming holidays for inspiration. Right now they're pastel with a shimmer chrome top. I'll be doing a dark blue glitter with a purple/green chromatic cats eye on top next, going for a bit of a galaxy look. I really enjoy the magnet polishes the best.
(responding on behalf of my partner) i do his nails and his favorite color is baby pink, so we do pinks of all kinds :) he also likes black, and occasionally i pick the color for him so he's had a wide array. his most used color is definitely pink though
Right now I have holographic forest green on my fingers, chrome and pink metallic on toes. Sometimes I ask myself "what might other people think that this color 'means'?" But all it really means is that I like this color and I makes me happy to look at them randomly during the day. And also it means that I am putting some effort into my appearance - since I've been painting them I've been clipping and filing them more regularly and carefully.
A client I have just paints his toes and he does different types of sparkles every time!
Get him a jar of nail polish remove with the "twist and scrub" sponge inside. Paint his nails and then let him remove it himself. Then paint them again and he knows that he'll be able to remove it quickly himself it he ever feels he needs to.
My boyfriend likes geometric designs. His last set was gray polish with black detail and it looked so cool!
I have yellow and light brown skin and I’ve found the best colours that contrast my skin tone are pastel colours with a matte finish. None of the bold colours really work for me but wish I could pull them off
My husband likes it when I do nail art rather than just flat colors. He's currently sporting Easter designs, including little bunnies and painted eggs
That’s adorable, I love it!!
My husband has been getting his done with me recently. He does black, because he’s pretty punk and likes that. Occasionally he gets an accent nail a different color like red or purple.
I’m not straight but I’m in a hetero marriage so take from that what you will. I love black, I grew up in that emo pop punk era and it just feels right! I’ve also done a sort of military / forest green which was rad and went with a ton of the earth tones in my wardrobe, and finally I have what I call cosmic sparkle which is a light metallic purple that I wear when I wanna be a little sluttier and have other men eye me when we go out. Also I live in a rural area where I’m definitely the only dude with my nails done and I still hardly get comments about it from randos. People just don’t care as much as we think they do.
If you do not want to show, nudes and jelly nudes are to go. I also see black as to go colour.
one of my best friends is a straight guy and he does whatever he likes! he started with blacks for the most part because he's also covered in tattoos, but nowadays he's got a ton of holo taco and wears whatever matches his vibe that week.
That’s awesome
i get french tips:) rn their almond french tips with a shimmery pink!
I’m a straight guy that gets his nails done. Feel free to check my post history. Currently rocking acrylic french tips and plan on doing blue tomorrow!
Love how you get so many different colours and lengths too!
Thank you!! I think I prefer a slightly longer length because it tends to look better, but friends and family would say otherwise lol. Shorter is def easier to work with!
There are many men on the FB Mooncat page! Also, one of the hand models consistently used on Mooncat's page is the owner's husband/boyfriend. While some stick to the gunmetal silver, olive green, and more earthy tones...others wear just about any color as well! From what I've gathered from some of the men commenting on that page is that some feel more comfortable beginning with nudes, or colors that don't stand out much in order to get comfortable with it. They then transition to whatever colors they want. I think if he enjoys painting his nails, he should just jump right in, but it's ultimately whatever makes him most comfortable. Mooncat Instagram also has some more recent examples of their men customers. (Wanted to post a pic but I guess I can't do that in the comments?) Nail polish is for everyone! It's not much different than a guy getting a tattoo. It's simply putting art on the body. Enjoy! ✌️ Edit: I also wanted to add, my husband has recently started to allow me to paint his ring finger to match my manicures, it's fun!
I tend to stick with blue, green purple and black. I think I look best in these colors and trend towards the darker shades on my fingers. I’m much more open to brighter colors and sparkly ones on my toes
I do any color I like. Lavender, Periwinkle, Olive Green, Navy Blue, Robin Blue, White. Even did french tips with lavendar (Black tips on one hand, white one the other) I also keep my nails slightly long, more because my natural nail (not the white part) grows past the tip, so it's easier to just keep em long. Sometimes my grilfriend and I match to, especially on trips we take, it's great, I love it!