Land of the Dreams

This is the first and most probably the last picture of me sleeping. Usually I sleep with my mouth open and drool all over the place... Yeah, that's the cruel truth.

I couldn't pass this photo though. My mouth is closed and Gaia is SO cute! I mean, look at her! She's showing her little scratchy tongue. And her cute 'hind legs. Aaaaaaw! Who wouldn't want to nap with this cute little thing?


This one is for you, Andrea! =)

Thanks for looking!

Neon Green Frankenpolish by Ange-Marie

Ange-Marie bought ChG polishes for me a while back and she added this polish in the package. It's NOT an Icing nail polish, this is a franken made by Ange-Marie. I never would have thought of wearing neon green polish, but it looked sooooo nice in the bottle. =)

I wanted to have a special, happy and vibrant manicure for today, since it's my nieces birthday and I chose this one. I think it would've been a winner, if I actually got to the B-day party. My parents can be such a PITA, they ruined it all for me...

Anyhow, Angie made a great job with this franken. Just look at it!

Frankenpolish, 2 coats



I don't know why I took this picture in the first place. ChG Entourage isn't neon and it isn't creme... It's green, but so are many other polishes. Eh, just enjoy the photo, will ya!


Thanks for looking!

Matte Comparison: Essie VS ManGlaze

I got a request to compare two matte top coats: Essie Matte About You and ManGlaze Matte-Astrophe. I mattified my last manicure and here are the results.

1 coat of Essie/ManGlaze over my previous mani



Not that different, huh? But still, if you look closely... you can see that the nail with ManGlaze has more depth. Or is it just me? Maybe I'm rooting for my fave. =) I also have to mention I got tip shrinkage this time (this never happened to me before) - Essie's shrinkage was *major*.

In this case, ManGlaze is a winner for me. But don't worry, I'll have another comparison with another base soon. =)

Thanks for looking!

Mice Mace

The title is in Slovene and it's translated something like ''kitty cats''. That's what I call my cats. Oh, yeah... I don't know if I mentioned this before: I don't call my cats like ''here kitty''. Every one has a name and I call them by their names only. And they all respond. =)

Anyway. Some of my readers said they'd like to see more of my cats. I agree!

Here's Aishila, who recently discovered a new ''warm'' spot for her afternoon nap - my DVD player. In case you're wondering, there's a House DVD inside. =)



And Shiva. I often wake up in the middle of the night and find her on top of me. I can't roll over with her on top... so I just lay there like a corpse in a coffin...


If you're one of my Twitter stalkers, you probably already know about my terrible headache. I woke up with it and 12 hours later, it's still here. It's like my brain is having a techno-rave party.
To make things worse, it's full moon and I'm in the middle of paying my ''blood-taxes''. Oh, just F it! I'm taking some Aspirins and going to bed. Tomorrow is my nieces 2nd birthday and I have to be in good condition.

Thanks for looking and G'night!

China Glaze - Snowglobe

I haz Snow Globe! Megan sent me a package and I found this one inside the package as extra. How cool is that? Thank you, Megan!

China Glaze Snow Globe over BPAL's Smokestack, 2 coats



Look at this gorgeous glitter!


Thanks for looking!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Smokestack

It's black, it's blue, it's plum... it's Smokestack.

''Sooty, gunmetal-tinged billows of opaque, near-black shimmer.'' (BPAL)

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Smokestack, 2 coats



As you can see, this one is near black shimmery nail polish. It won't look much different as that. Only if you put it under very strong light. I'd like for this shimmer to be a little bit more visible, but hey, I can't have everything. It's a great alternative for those who like to wear dark nail polishes, but don't want to have plain old black on their nails all the time.

Thanks for looking!

Dogs Beware

I'm not only a cat person. I like dogs too! =) Every time I see one and have my BF with me, I tell him to take a picture. *blushes* I want the proof of my friendship with canines.


Top Row, L to R:
* A little pekingese I met on the train. NOTD: Stargazer Chrome 232 (BB - before blog)
* This one is a mix of different breeds and his name is As. I met him when I went picking grapes in my friends vineyard. NOTD: Zoya Alix (BB)
* This White Scottish Terrier's name is Noddy. Also met him on the train. NOTD: Nails Inc Belgrave Place (BB)

Bottom Row, L to R:
* Priest's dog from Sveta Gora (St. Mountain). NOTD: LA Girl Flare Bedazzle
* Beagle from Polšnik. NOTD: Chrome Petrol Flowers

There you have it! I get along with dogs just fine. =)

Thanks for looking!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Croquet Perfume Oil

Scents inspired by the madness of Alice's sojourns to Wonderland. (BPAL)


''We have some trouble managing our flamingos, too. Pink lime, pink grapefruit, white nectarine, wild rose, sage, woody patchouli, bergamot, and ornery hedgehog musk.'' (BPAL)

Scent inspired by Alice in Wonderland story. You can find it on BPAL website in the navigation bar under ''Mad Tea Party'' along with other AiW-land scents.

In the Bottle: No one in my family (that includes me) could get the notes right... we all agreed it smells really nice: citrusy yet sweet.

On skin: The scent is *really* strong and ''abrasive''. I could smell something like lemon and I could definitely smell the rose scent now. It's hard to explain... I like the smell, but there was something ruining it (rose). The scent became very soap-y, the combination of citruses and rose reminded me of public toilets. But still... there is something, something sweet and it's all smothered down with the tone of rose. I should mention here, that I don't like any rose scents. They cause me headaches.

I'd say this scent is really, really interesting. It's fresh *and* sweet, nice and ''unlikable''... It's WEIRD and twisted. I guess it's connected with the whole idea of Alice in Wonderland. This perfume oil is almost as weird as playing croquet with flamingos. What's up with that? Someone should call ASPCA.

It's interesting that we all liked (4 persons) the scent in the bottle. And no one liked it on skin. It was just weird and somehow twisted. I must say that perfumes don't give the same scent on different people, so it might be the most wonderful scent in the world to you. I was quite surprised I didn't like this, I mean... check out the reviews for Croquet on BPAL's forum.

I personally think that the rose scent shouldn't be in here. It ruins everything for me... Without it, it could be one of my favorites.

Thanks for looking!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Croquet

Nail polish inspired by Croquet scent from BPAL's Mad Tea Party collection (Alice in Wonderland anyone?). =)


Polish first, scents comes in later. =) I think I'm in love with this one. I've always appreciated nice barbie pink shades. And most important - it's creme! The application isn't as flawless as with Bordello, but the second coat evens it all out.
I never liked Alice in Wonderland story... I found it way to creepy (like clowns). Beetlejuice and vampires are OK... but no Alice for me please! But (!) I did do a research and this shade appears to be inspired by flamingos (and Croquet scent of course). I don't care, really. It's a nice shade and that's enough for me.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Croquet, 2 coats


I appreciate my Crappy but when there's sunshine outside... Sorry, I gotta cheat on him a little. =) More outdoors photos for you today.


This one was shot in my Crappy...


... and these outdoors. I thought it would be cool to dip my fingers in snow. Yeah, it seemed like a cool idea at the moment... and then my fingers almost froze and fell off! Gotta think before act.



You can find this (and other BPAL nail polishes) on their site in the navigation bar under ''trading post''.

Thanks for looking!

Tigra

This little kitty, who's pretending to be a bowl of fruit, is Tigra. My older sister found her in the forest, because her previous owners obviously didn't want her anymore. I *never* said ''no'' to a homeless kitty, so she became the member of our family.


She disappeared a few months later... *tearing up* ... eh, just ... thanks for looking!

Help homeless kitties if you can! It's cold out there.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Bordello Perfume Oil

''A decadent, deep perfume, lusty and luxuriant. The scent evokes images of velvet-lined Old West cathouses, tightly laced corsets, rustling petticoats and coquettish snarls of pleasure. Bawdy plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant.'' (BPAL)


In the Bottle: My nose failed me on this one. I smelled strawberries and champagne ... it turned out that's black currant & wine. =) Well, close enough. It definitely smelled nice to me.

On Skin: I could definitely smell black currant on my skin and wine ... not sure about amaretto though. I'm not really good when it comes to alcoholic drinks. *coughs*
I would describe this scent as lusty, decadent and naughty. It's a happy scent. If that makes sense... It would be worn by those women who just don't give a damn. And who always have a devilish sparkle in their eyes.
Soon the scent became somewhat sour and kind of annoying. And right after that it became soft, powdery, sweet and innocent. Now that's one schizophrenic scent! From decadent and lusty to sweet and innocent... Yeah, I can imagine this scent being worn in cathouses. =)
I imagined it would be more sexy and strong, but it's kind of fragile. You don't expect that in Bordello, but that's the beauty of it.

I have to admit I love black currant and I simply adore the scent of it. It appears to be the note which develops the most on my skin. I think you can't go wrong with this one as long as you like amaretto, wine and black currant. As simple as that.
The only thing that bothers me is that it doesn't last that long (definitely can't smell it after 5 hours). Maybe that's just me... the scent does develop after time: from strong one to sweet and powdery ... so that might be the reason for me not to sense it.


You can find Bordello on BPAL website in the navigation bar under ''Ars Amatoria''. The perfumes are listed alphabetically.

Thanks for looking!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Bordello Claw polish

It was a gloomy thursday morning... but now the sun is shining and ruining the gloomy-ness.

I have more BPAL goodies for you. Bordello nail polish and perfume oil. Standing together:


I will post about the perfume oil later. Still have some sniffing to do. =) Do not despair! Here is Bordello nail polish. It's described as a metallic flake pearl - ''The bright raspberry of Dance Hall flocked wallpaper. Perfect for any Painted Lady''. I admit. It's a bit naughty. =)

I was simply stunned by the application, formula, opacity ... well *everything* with this one. One perfect layer, no clean-up, no top coat. Amazing! This one is a must-have!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Bordello, 1 coat




You can find BPAL nail polish on their website, in the navigation bar under ''trading post''.

Thanks for looking!

Tangle Teezer Giveaway!

If you don't know what Tangle Teezer is click HERE. Yes, it's my holy grail brush. *angels singing*


I love it so much, I think you should have one. =) I wrote to the Tangle Teezer people and guess what - they're giving away a Tangle Teezer for one of YOU, my dear readers!

If you don't want to wait, you can order your magic brush here @ the Tangle Teezer Store. Check out the colors! =) Tangle Teezer costs £9.99 and is worth every penny. They ship worldwide and here are their shipping charges.

I'm not affiliated in any way, I just love it that much and I always take it with me wherever I go. I think I need another one ... in purple! =)

Do you want to win this brush? All you have to do, is leave your name and e-mail address in the comment section. You must post your entry before February 4th (midnight, CET). I will pick a winner with the help of The Hat program. The winner will be informed via e-mail and must reply within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

EDIT: Yes, it's worldwide giveaway! =) Just enter!

Good luck! =)

Movie: Repo! The Genetic Opera

I wanted to post about this movie for a long time. But I always forgot. I think now it's the time. There's a movie coming out this year called Repo Men with Jude Law... I saw the trailer yesterday and I think a little bit of me just died. Repo Men is a rip off!

Let me introduce you to the REAL Repo Man in Repo! The Genetic Opera movie.


Repo! The Genetic Opera is a movie from 2008. Don't worry if you haven't heard about it. It never came to the cinemas, it was only played at film festivals.

''In the year 2056 - the not so distant future - an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants, for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men. In a world where surgery addicts are hooked on painkilling drugs and murder is sanctioned by law, a sheltered young girl searches for the cure to her own rare disease as well as information about her family's mysterious history. After being sucked into the haunting world of GeneCo, she is unable to turn back, as all of her questions will be answered at the wildly anticipated spectacular event: The Genetic Opera.'' (IMDB)

It's a ''horror'' musical and (in my opinion) a piece of art. That's why I wanted to tell you about it. But I warn you - this movie isn't for everyone.
Let me know what you think about Repo! The Genetic Opera!

P.S: Don't be worried about the certain person in the cast! =)

Thanks for looking!

Sally Hansen - Garnet Lapis

I got two of the Sally Hansen Nail Prism polishes from Ebay waaaay back. And I never wore them. Well, until today. =) I already had my nails painted black and that seemed like the perfect base for this beauty.

Sally Hansen, Nail Prism, Garnet Lapis, 2 coats over black






You like? =)

Thanks for looking!

Hayward Enterprises Oils

Valerie asked me where I got my Amarige dupe. I think I promised to answer that. =) Here it is: I got it from Hayward Enterprises!


They offer a lot of designer type & traditional scented oils for men and women, so check them out. If you're not happy with your oil, they offer a full refund. That's sounds good, right?

''One drop lasts all day or your money back!''

I admit. These are pretty good! =)

Check their never-ending list of oils. They ship international.

Thanks for looking!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Malediction

Another polish from BPAL. This one is plain black. Nothing special in nail polish world. Pretty opaque, but it still needs 2 coats. Brush is OK, application easy.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Malediction, 2 coats



Thanks for looking!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Snake Oil

''By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.'' (BPAL)


In the Bottle: When I first sniffed this perfume oil, it immediately reminded me of an exotic Indian (Indian from India, not Native American) store and the incense they're usually burning in those stores. The scent is warm and welcoming. My sister, on the other hand, said it reminds her of old navy socks. Don't ask me how she knows what navy socks smell like. I liked it a lot and she found the smell repulsive.

On Skin: If you believe it or not, I tried this perfume before I went to bed. Just a drop for my both wrists and I couldn't stop smelling it. It was even better than in the bottle! I couldn't agree more with the BPAL description of it: sensual, mysterious, exotic, warm and magnetic. Once I went to bed, I kept my hands above the blanket (even though I was freezing) just that I could smell it. And I must tell you - it was a wonderful night. Every time I woke up, the smell would rock me back to my dreams.
No wonder why this is one of their most popular scents!
After a while the vanilla really stepped forward and it's not that cheap vanilla. It's more like sleeping on the soft and warm vanilla cloud.
More than 17 hours later, I could still smell it!!! I wanted to make sure it's not just me, so I asked my mother and sister to smell my wrist. They were both blown away by the scent! And my sister though the scent was repulsive in the bottle... now she was all like - which perfume is that? It smells divine! =)

I could go on and on about how much I like this one. But I won't. The fact is that 3 out of 4 family members liked the smell in the bottle, and 4 out of 4 liked it on my skin. It's also the longest lasting scent I've ever had/used. And I used just a little drop.

If you'll ever order from their site, make sure you get Snake Oil also. You can order a sample in smaller glass vials called imp's ears which are approximately $3.5 (depends on which scent you'd like to have a sample of).

You can get this perfume oil on BPAL website for $15 for a 5mL bottle.

All BPAL perfumes (with the exception of honey products) are vegan and completely animal friendy. All perfumes are tested on Elizabeth. =)

Thank you for looking!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Mme. Moriarty

Here's another beautiful Claw polish from BPAL. I know that their site is a little hard to navigate, so here are the instructions on how to get to nail polish:
* Open BPAL website
* Choose ''Trading Post'' in the sidebar on the left
* Enter the site and there's ''Nail Polish'' in the sidebar

OR: You can just click HERE (and I'll take you there). ;)

Yeah. It's not really good when customers can't find what they're looking for. So a little tip for the BPAL: make the website more user friendly. =)
I don't have a lot of problems with it, but then again I have been studying their site for a long time. *grin*

Anyway... I'm not reviewing their website, am I? Let's rather talk about nail polish. Who doesn't love a good old classic red? That's why I chose Mme. Moriarty for my mani of the day.

This is the description from BPAL site: ''The wet crimson red of arterial spray.''

Thankfully, I never had the chance to see the ''wet crimson red of arterial spray'' in person, but I guess it could look something like this polish.

I was stunned with the formula quality of this one. It's thin, very opaque and the application didn't cause me any problems. I liked it after I painted my first nail and I think it's going into my ''must-have'' collection. It's not really a creme, 'cause it has jelly like qualities. And non-qualities: can you see how the strong light enhanced streaky look?


I swear it's NOT that streaky IRL. That's the main reason I put on my thickest sweater and went outside - to take outdoor photos. Look how gorgeous it is!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, Mme. Moriarty, 2 coats



What do you think?

Thanks for looking!

Mint Skittles

I hope you don't mind me calling all of these mint... =)

Mint color is going to be especially popular once the spring comes. I know that many of you are wondering which one to buy. Let's face it, not all of you are like me and have to have every polish in the shade you like. I iz guilty!

Let's take a look. From L to R: China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint, Essie Mint Candy Apple, Collection 2000 Button Moon and China Glaze For Audrey.


I think that the only true mint color here is ChG Re-Fresh Mint. Others are too blue-ish. I did have some application problems with it this time. *wonders why*

You know what I think? I think you need them all. I mean, look at them! These are completely different colors! Button Moon has the most blue, For Audrey is a classic and it's also way darker than the others. And Re-Fresh Mint & Mint Candy Apple are nothing alike.

Verdict: Let's say you already have For Audrey. If you really can't decide between the first three... I'd go with Essie Mint Candy Apple. And Re-Fresh Mint. But Button Moon is really cheap, so why not. Sorry for not helping you. *hangs head in shame*

Thanks for looking!

Just a Photo

I thought you might find this useful.


I know I promised comparison photos of Re-Fresh Mint and Mint Candy Apple... I'll take care of that soon. I promise.

Thanks for looking!

Collection 2000 - Hot Looks

Look what I got in the mail today! Collection 2000 Hot Looks polishes in BMX Bandit, Hoola Hoop, Wham and Button Moon. Yay! Thank you Kelly for getting these for me! :*


I was thrilled to see the colors in real life. And I must tell you: I was not disappointed! =)

One of the shades is a gorgeous gray creme called Wham. I immediately thought of my China Glaze Recycle and I took comparison photos, 'cause I know how much you like them. =)


Even a color blind person would see that these aren't dupes. Wham is a lot lighter than Recycle and it looks like cement. Both polishes were quite runny. Recycle needs 2-3 coats and Wham 3 coats.


Button Moon is a mint creme and it looks a lot like Oh, Tiff (if we count out the almost invisible shimmer in Tiff).


I had to apply 3 coats of Oh, Tiff and only 2 coats of Button Moon which is way more opaque. Button Moon is a winner in this competition. =)


BMX Bandit is a periwinkle creme. What kind of post would this be if I didn't compare it to ChG Secret Periwinkle? =)


As you can see, BMX Bandit is a tad darker and it's completely opaque in one coat (I applied second one anyway). China Glaze on the other hand was runny and sheer... I applied 2 coats and it could use a third one. Can't believe I'm saying this, but BMX Bandit totally kicks ChG's ass.


Last but not least, here's Hoola Hoop. The closest looking nail polish in my collection is ChG Laced Up.


Again, not dupes. I have to say I love them both, 2 coats each, both are equally opaque... Love it!


I'm really surprised how good these Collection nail polishes are. I have to admit I didn't expect them to be this cool. =) Hoola Hoop, BMX Bandit and Button Moon have great formula and opacity. I was a little disappointed in Wham, but it's a great polish nonetheless. The brush is flattened and I personally like it a lot (kind of reminds me of an OPI prowide brush, just that it's smaller and easier to handle).

If you like the colors, you should definitely give these polishes a try. I got them for 2.5 GBP (a little less than 3€) for 8mL.

Thanks for looking!