I'm clearly a visual person. To me, I prefer the matte black look of an M&P Shield or Glock 19. The 1911 looks okay, but the handle always throws me off. The only other gun that is not matte black that I could swing towards, would be a Desert Eagle. But, that gun is simply MASSIVE!
My missus bought a .38 Special Smith & Wesson a few months ago. She's yet to take it to the range. Maybe we'll visit the range in a few weeks. The .38 looks nice, but, just isn't for me.