The Incredible, Mendable Nail Polish

So aside from the immediate perks of painting a flashy coat of polish onto your nails, clear nail polish provides a lot of benefits that aren't detailed on the bottle's instructions. Not only a great topcoat, clear polish is a lot like Windex® in My Big Fat Greek Wedding - it is the go-to product for quick fix-ups!

• Protect Your Nails – When you apply a coat of clear polish, not only are your nails going to look a whole lot more healthy, but you’ll be protecting them dryness and flakiness with a subtle sheen of this nail paint. And for all you guitar players out there, clear nail polish has been widely speculated to protect and strengthen your nails from the ravages of strumming.

• Nourish Your Nails – Certain brands of polish contain Vitamins A, E, and C, all to further promote strength in your nails. The nutrients infused into these polishes will encourage healthy nail growth and repair any damage. We recommend applying Pure Bling on a regular basis to keep your nails strong looking... just like you.

• Fix Your Sunglasses – Unless your sunglasses have completely broken apart, you can use clear polish to fix minor details on your lenses. The tiny screws that hold your sunglasses together can be strengthened when you paint a bit of polish on them just before tightening. Once the screw has been properly twisted in place, a drop of polish on the top and bottom of the screw will ensure its security. 

• When You're a Handyman - Show off your handyman skills by whipping out a bottle of polish when you're fixing up a house (prepare for the stares!). Use the polish to tighten loose screws - apply a coat to a screw before winding it in. Let the polish dry and just as the saying goes, set it and forget it! Your screws will be tighter, and you won't have to worry about your work falling apart. In addition to tightening up screws, nail polish is also great for quick-sealing chips in tiles or enamel in the bathroom or kitchen. 

• Prevent Rust Rings -  You know those unsightly little rust rings on the shower floor or lip of the tub that your metal shaving cream cans make? It means its time to switch over to a more durable plastic tube like EVMAN's Cleanse & Shave. But if you love and swear by your metal-based bottle, you can apply a thin layer of nail polish on the bottom for a rust-free shower.

• Impress the Ladies - While it's not an absolute requirement that your feet be as clean and beautiful as the day you were born (I mean, come on - we do walk on the floor everyday!), no self-respecting man wants to have a girl recoil in horror at the sight of unkempt, smelly, and dirty feet. According to the Daily News, more men are trading in their less-than-kempt toe nails for a cleaner, more polished look. You can achieve the look at home by applying a light coat of clear polish to all your nails - not only will it protect them from the weather and elements, but they're likely to look a lot more spruced up!

Have any other interesting uses for clear nail polish? Share them here!

Buy One, Give One to the Jeff Griffith Youth Center

Driving down the streets of LA, it's hard not to notice the utter decadence the city showers upon itself. A stroll down Rodeo Drive screams extravagance, while a drive down Sunset Boulevard exhibits the most supreme examples of success in Hollywood. Santa Monica Boulevard, a stylish and luxurious street that curves through the heart of West Hollywood, just so happens to teeter between two socioeconomic extremes. Just beyond a cluster of high-end fashion stores, theatrical hot spots, and more Starbucks than you can shake a stick at, a clear division of the boulevard becomes apparent.

For some of us, this unsettling shift in condition simply becomes a change in scenery as we drive by. Yet for the residents who have endured the brunt of life's dice roll, the boulevard has become their home. Building corners and sidewalks are transformed into their residence for a night, and as the tough times linger, so do the often addictive difficulties that surround their lifestyle. For those in the LGBT community that have endured the unkindness of the LA streets, all while juggling the emotional turmoil of coming out in a less than receptive environment, the Jeff Griffith Youth Center remains an oasis in the recovery process.

Whether all you need is a hot breakfast in the morning, or a place to take a hot shower and get a fresh change of clothes, the Jeff Griffith Youth Center opens its doors to the gay, bisexual, and transgender teens of our community. Nestled just one block east of West Hollywood, the center provides a world of resources to those battling homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse, or hunger. In addition to providing aid for those in need, the center  remains a safe transitional spot for harder times by providing a safe haven filled with such things as support groups, GED preparation, and even linking these youth with employers that are willing to take a chance on them to get them off the streets.

EVOLUTIONMAN has worked with the Youth Center in the past to provide facial cleaners and shaving cream for those displaced youth in need of hygiene products. And, in this coming November, EVOLUTIONMAN will be rolling out a new sale: when you buy any product on our site, we'll be donating one to Jeff Griffith Youth Center. It's called our Buy One, Give One sale - when you purchase your next Cleanse & Shave on evolution-man.com, you can rest with the fact that someone at the center will be getting one too.

You can find more about the Jeff Griffith Youth Center and their fantastic programs to help LA's homeless youth transition into independent living by visiting their website.

Seen These Movies? You're Lucky to Be Alive!

Not too long ago, KROQ, a Los Angeles-based radio station, released a list of their favorite Halloween movie picks in the aptly titled, “Top 10 Underrated Horror Films for Halloween.” Of the films that made the cut, less than half have received its due recognition, yet 100% of them made us double check that creaking noise in the darkened corner...and maybe lost some sleep as we waited for the imaginary zombies to invade our bedroom.

And so, inspired by this spooky Halloween spirit, we have compiled our own list of the cheesiest flicks to kick back and nosh on some candy corn to. Please note this is not another list of the scariest or goriest films to freak out to, because the last thing we need this Wednesday is another sleepless night fretting over an invisible demon crouching over our bedside. Like we’d ever publicly admit to that though, right?

Behold – a list for those of us who couldn't handle the original Paranormal Activity. Rather than setting up camp at parent’s bedside, get your camp on with these horror(ible) films. 

Killer Klowns from Outer Space – The epitome of ultimate 80’s cheese, Killer Klowns from Outer Space personifies the extravagance and ridiculousness of any Circus-Circus featurette. Watch the movie for its ridiculous use of extraterrestrial silly straw, stay to conquer your childhood fears of the Circus’s arrival and of the men painted in white.

Bride of Chucky – In true forbidden love fashion, what else can possess a couple to embark on a murderous rampage and elope at good ol’ Las Vegas? Probably the spirit of a heartless murderer bent on revenge, embodying the caricature of a seeming harmless doll. But hey, even murderers fall in love, and when the mood strikes, you’ve got to go with your gut. Or in Chucky’s case, gut the con men.

The Leprechaun Franchise – The beauty of creating a Hollywood film is reappropriating basically any imagined concept for your big budget flick. Case in point, the Leprechaun franchise, a bewildering manifesto of a (you guessed it) leprechaun, bent on retrieving his stolen pot of gold by any means possible. Too bad this Leprechaun (portrayed by a recurring Warwick Davis) just can’t learn how to hold onto his beloved precious metal; the story stretches out over six films, and spans the globe from Ireland to Compton.

Beetlejuice – “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!” How many of you have tried repeating this exact phrase, only to be disappointed by his absence? Although, once you watch the film, you’ll be glad he never made an appearance; the havoc he wrecked on the dead would drive the living insane. The otherworldly creativity and thought put into this flick  made this one of the top films in 1988, even though the cartoon is likely the first thing that you think of when the name is recalled.

Ghostbusters – Please excuse this American classic’s cheesiness. Starring some of today’s hottest stars, including Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and Sigourney Weaver, Ghostbusters transcends the atypical prototype of being just another 80’s flick; it kind of speaks to our generation. In the entrepreneurial mindset, three unemployed parapsychology professors start their own ghost hunting business, taking down the supernatural, one apartment complex at a time. Only in New York would you ever have to call the Ghostbusters.

ACNE SOLUTIONS

When perusing the skin care aisle of your local drug store, finding a solution for your sudden break out is a dizzying and frustrating experience. With a wide array of brightly colored products available at your fingertips and a limited budget and time span, it’s important to be discerning and decisive when selecting the right acne fighter for you. So why make the search any more exhausting? Conquer not only your acne woes, but your shaving, exfoliating, and concealing needs with three of EVMAN's highly effective (yet subtly obvious) products: Cleanse & Shave, Conceal & Treat, and the heavy duty Wash & Buff! Don’t be shy about toting these cleansers around - the packaging is subtle enough to fit into your gym bag, but powerful enough to make an impression!

So what’s on your winter wish-list? A new shaving cream that leaves that perfect smooth finish? Or something to cover up your momentary acne, all while treating it at the same time? EVOLUTIONMAN's got you covered with these three dual-purpose products!

Cleanse & Shave: We’re all really picky when it comes to our shaving cream, and the discerning man knows when what he’s got is good. So why try something new? Cleanse & Shave is a refreshing spin on the traditional shaving cream, providing a thin, light lather for an effortless shave. The cream is also instilled with Tea Tree Oil to prevent a bacteria-based breakout. 

Wash & Buff: Is your face in need of some tough love? Condition it with Wash & Buff, a heavy duty, daily exfoliator that’ll scrub away your acne with a gentle infusion of Tea Tree Oil, an ingredient used to treat and clear your skin. With microbeads embedded into the cream, your skin will feel soft, clean, and refreshed after a good scrubbing. 

Conceal & Treat: A must have for any face in need, Conceal & Treat, provides a gentle exfoliation to cleanse and heal the pimple, all while covering the troublemaker at spot. The product’s secret ingredient and star warrior is undoubtedly the 2% of salicylic acid imbued into the formula – the chemical removes oil from the pore, all while exfoliating the blemish as it heals.

Skin Care Diet

We all know the age old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but what sort of truth does this really hold for our skin? Of course, many of us are conscious of time’s decaying effect on skin, and a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition has examined the connection between wrinkling, geographic location, and diet! With a study consisting of participants over the age of 70 from countries such as Australia, Greece, Japan, and Sweden, it came as no surprise that those with diets high in dairy, processed meats, butter, ice cream, full-fat milk, and soft drinks experienced a higher rate of wrinkles.

Evidence suggests the sugar in these food products led to the deterioration of the skin’s health, resulting in the unsightly wrinkles. As found in the study, the more sugar a person consumed, the more likely their skin was to deteriorate. EVMAN product developer Valerie Patton explains. "The collagen in your skin is what provides the framework for your skin, blood vessels, bones, etc. It is continually breaking down and re-synthesizing itself. Under conditions where there is oxidative stress (free radicals) and continual exposure to sugar in the body, a glycation reaction occurs where the collagen becomes bound to the sugar. At the beginning, this reaction can be reversed. Over long-term exposure, the reaction becomes a little more permanent and it cannot be reversed.The end results are called Advanced Glycation End-products, or AGEs. Over time, your skin, blood vessels, and other organs are affected by the lower amounts of collagen, since it can no longer do what it's supposed to do - provide support. In addition to making skin appear older, it can also be catastrophic where other inflammatory diseases of the skin and body are involved."

This of course, begs the question: what kinds of foods prevent deterioration of skin? Research has discovered naturally-occurring foods low in sugar and high in antioxidants are the best to prevent wrinkles; diets high in olive oil, olives, leafy greens, yogurt, legumes, apples, pears, nuts, and water were the best to keep skin intact. And while the study remained inconclusive as to whether or not these foods, in combination with others, could prevent skin damage, the fact the wrinkle culprits were discovered is a huge development!

So the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is sure true on this factor – not only will it keep the doctor away, but it’ll also keep the wrinkles at bay!

GQ Australia & The Perfect Watch

We couldn't help but love the series of watches GQ Australia put together in their October/November Issue. You may be asking, "Is it really necessary to own more than one watch?" That question can be answered with another question: you wouldn't wear Bvlgari's Steel Octo watch running, would you?

Male Polish: The Ultimate Ladies' Man?

When EVOLUTIONMAN rolled out its line of nail paints back in the fall, it got a lot of people talking. The reactions ranged from disbelief, confusion, and encouragement. For a commenter on The Undershirt Guy’s review of EVMAN’s nail paint, the idea of men’s nail paint proved to be transformative…at least for his love life! Upon losing a bet, Steve was forced to wear hot pink nail polish in public and update his social media presence with photos of him donning the bright pink hue. The results? A surprising personal reevaluation on the true definition of masculinity, and a complete upswing in terms of his dating life!

"I also discovered that most women (and hardly any men) noticed my polish... and a large minority of women are intrigued or even attracted by it. The percentage of women who are favorably impressed is DEFINITELY larger than the percentage of men who wear it - so overall, my odds with women increased dramatically. On PoF (a dating site), it took 3 months for the "regular me" to get 23 clicks by women wanting to meet me... and 5 DAYS for that number to TRIPLE after I posted the polish photos. On each of two weekends, I had 5 PoF introduction dates scheduled - I had to buy a dry-erase tablet to keep them organized! I picked an Irish hottie (Think "Elizabeth Kucinich"), we're going on 4 months now... I learned that before any girl can like you, she has to notice you... and women notice polished toenails."

Interestingly enough, while many men would turn the other way when offered a bottle of bright pink nail polish, some of Hollywood’s leading ladies men coat their nails with a rock n’ roll tint! Johnny Depp has been seen rocking a deep blue hue, Russell Brand has been spotted with a slick silver coat on his nails, and even legendary rock n’roll sex icon, Mick Jagger, was once photographed with some male polish. Clearly, these men who are known to continually be in the presence of a lovely lady are on to something! 

For better or worse, a nice coat of nail paint really makes a man stand out, but as demonstrated by Steve’s testimonial, there’s no such thing as bad publicity! Or a bad man-icure, for that matter.

While it’s certainly no deal breaker, can a shift in nail color really get the ladies pouring in? For one, it certainly is a conversation starter, and a stand-out attribute. As Steve has said, "There are PLENTY of good reasons for men to wear nail color, and no legitimate reason not to. Decide for yourself!" 

Got milk?

Image by David Buffington

From the milk carton to your face – who would have ever guessed that EVMAN's plastic tubes are made from recycled milk jugs? Not only are you doing good for your face with the formula contained inside, but you're also doing good for the environment! It's hardly a secret that plastic is particularly dangerous for the environment, and wastes precious resources. Regardless of the substance, it's always wise to err on the side of caution when thinking of the environment. EVMAN's plastics are purified from volatile substances and fragrances before yielding a product free of impurities. It's not only good as new - it's better.

What's so environmentally friendly about EVMAN's little black tubes? EVMAN's plastic packaging contain more than 55% recycled material! And, don't forget - our boxes also use paper generated from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and bear the SFI logo. Our packgaing is proof positive that being environmental can also be stylish.

So, next time you're applying our products - know you're not only saving your face, but the environment too!

Ingredient Spotlight: Green Tea Extract

Image via PrecisionNutrition

Not only is green tea good brewed, but it’s great for your skin too! Green tea has been steeped for over 4000 years by people all around the world, most notably discovered and brewed by the Chinese. Historically, most of Asia has utilized the tea for its healthy properties, and the green leaf was used to treat most medical maladies, including bleeding, blood sugar, and digestion. The tea was so popular it even inspired the book, Kissa Yojoki, outlining the many health benefits of the popular substance. Eventually, the tea found its way to the Western world, where it continues to be brewed just as it was in 600 AD.

Today, the tea continues to be revered for its many surprising benefits, even as an extract for your skin. Green tea extract, an herbal derivative of the plant, has been recently discovered to help combat skin cancer (when properly taken), and reduce irritation when applied topically. It’s so soothing, EVMAN has even ensured the extract is in some of its most popular items, including Conceal & Treat. The anti-inflammatory soothes skin and razor burn, eliminating some of skin’s biggest problem spots.

Used solely as a tea, however, the tea provides an effective and relatively inexpensive remedy for acne in general. By brewing the sencha tea in hot water and allowing the tea to steep for about 20 minutes, you can take advantage of the cooling tea’s healing properties with a cotton ball. Dab the cotton ball on your problem spots and use it like a face wipe, where the tea will soothe your face, gather excess oil, and dry up your acne.

Although it certainly is an acquired taste, the many health benefits resulting from the tea won’t leave a sour taste in your mouth – there’s a reason this tea has been a hit for nearly 4000 years!

Fall Trends: Clad Cavalier

When you buy from Clad Cavalier, you know you're going to look good. Browse the website and any man (or discerning girlfriend) will see the artisan effort exuding from these looks. Even though these models make the handpicked outfits look as effortless as rolling out of bed, with Clad Cavalier, you sure won't feel that way. And the best part is that there's a look for any time of day, event, or personality. Whether you're going out for a night in Hollywood or strolling around in Portland, Clad's got you covered. To commemorate the upcoming shift in seasons, we've compiled our favorite looks from Clad. 

The top left outfit is great for business-casual workdays, a library trip, or a long study session at your favorite coffee shop. The grey scarf is sure to be a favorite for those cool fall days, and when paired with the black backpack, you're sure to be the most stylin' guy in your lecture hall. And of course, we like the bottom right look for it's multipurpose function: a great outfit for everyday wear, or as a daring force to be reckoned with on a night out on the town.

The best part of Clad Cavalier is that these outfits come completely pre-styled for you. So when you buy the blue bomber jacket, you also get the black jeans. Don't forget the confidence though - these outfits look their best when you put them on, ready to rock them.