The day I met Tom my toenails were hot pink.
A big mistake!
He called me the lady with the hot pink toenails.
I am not a hot pink person.
They should have been red or orange.
I am an orange person
mixed with lots of red.
It took me two weeks of looking
at those hot pink toenails
to paint them red.
Am I happier now?
Not really
but I know
it is the real me,
my own toes when I look down.
When she painted them pink
the woman said,
“Old ladies want red toenails.”
Will I be able to look at my red toenails
even though I like them and
not think “old lady”?
Will I have to find a new color?
Probably.
Maybe orange marmelade or cinnamon spice or burnt sienna.
These toenails are painted Cajun Shrimp.
writingontherim 
I am a guy from the LA area that practically lives in sandals all year. I get pedicures every two weeks and always wear some shade of bright red on my toes. Currently I’m wearing OPI Dutch Tulips. It is a really pretty bright red with pink undertones and I have received a lot of compliments on this color. Several months ago my nail tech talked me into trying hot pink. After several weeks, I couldn’t wait for my next pedicure appointment to go back to my signature red toenails. Even though the pink was very pretty, it just wasn’t me and didn’t look great with my fair skin. I don’t think that there is anything “old” about red toenails because red toenails are classic. Maybe you just need to find a new shade of red like I changed from a darker shade of red to a brighter red that is slightly pinkish. When you look down at your red toenails remember that they are classic and enjoy your color choice. Whenever I’m having a bad day, it really cheers me up when I look down and see ten pretty red toenails peeking out of my sandals.
Best wishes,
Jamie
It took me forever to have time to reply. My nails, all 20 of them, are currently Cajun Shrimp–Opi, which is red orange color. Thanks for commenting. I rarely make it to LA area but go to SF area at least every couple of years. I do not think I have seen the color Dutch Tulips.
I like cajun shrimp also, but it is stronger color than Hong Kong Sunrise, more pure color.
Lovely! 🙂
Hi Juliana,
I really like the OPI Cajun Shrimp that you are wearing in the photo. It’s very pretty on your toes and I want to give it a try at my next pedicure. How do you feel about the Cajun Shrimp color after wearing it for several weeks on your toes? Do you still like it? I can’t determine how I feel about a color until I have worn it for at least one week. My absolute favorite toe color is OPI Big Apple Red. It is a real classic red that is not too pinkish or orangeish. If you like darker reds, you can try “The Thrill of Brazil” or “Vodka and Caviar”. Myself, I prefer brighter reds because to me they are more cheerful and they make me happy, but I don’t like frosted colors. I understand what you mean when you say “it’s the real me” when you look down and see red toenails. Red is my signature color. It is timeless, classic, and is always pretty with any color sandal. 🙂
I wear a lot of orange clothes so the Cajun Shrimp goes well. I wear it a lot in the summer. I also wear the Big Apple Red but mainly in winter when the clothing worn here is different because it is cold, not like LA. However, this fall I think I will look for some dark brownish red for a change. I sometimes use Brisbane Bronze but it is not very dark.
Reblogged this on writingontherim and commented:
Consistently, since I started this blog nearly 1 1/2 years ago, this poem has been the most looked at and popular post. Honestly, I have no idea whatsoever why this is the case. If any of you can enlighten me, please do.
Try Hong Kong Sunrise by Opi. It can be red, orange, coral—it is flexible, able to roll with the surroundings. Sounds like you. And it is my all time favorite. For a while they did not make it, but n ow they do again, so it must have been customer demand. But is hard to find. My pedi person has it. I mixed my own till they sold it again, using an old bottle to match with.
hahahaha, your poem and all the replys cheered me up so much this morning. Tell your Pedi person (is she a 18 something snip of a girl?) that RED is classy, traditional, elegant – and not black, blue etc.! But the funniest thing is, I have absolutely no idea what the ‘brand’ of nailpolish you are all talking about here – maybe you all made it up? hahaha – And btw my own husband insists that my nails are painted (Chanel) red – this I picked up at an airport, cant get any decent polish here in my city. Thanks for making me laugh, Carina 🙂