Someone out there

[stere0typer]

Shake Shackin' It Up!

Here’s to another restaurant review!

Shake Shack opened up recently here in Moscow, Russia, and I have had the chance to go check it out this January. I’ve heard about this place from numerous friends that live or have been abroad, so it had some standards to live up to.

It is situated on the Old Arbat Str., which one of my favorite streets in Moscow, and walking distance from the metro station Smolenskaya. If you have been there before it opened, then it’s where one of the Starbucks cafes and Pinkberry used to be.

I really liked the design of the restaurant with the dark wood look to it, they have some colorful chairs and stools, as well as booths. You are given a menu when you enter and greeted by any of the staff passing by. When you reach the cashier, you give him/her your order, and then you’re given a number and a buzzing device that goes off when your order is ready. I have to say that everyone was so helpful and so very nice.

It wasn’t too busy, so we found a table easily, which we were also helped with by the staff. Then the food arrived!

I had the Shack-Cago hotdog (it's the one on the right and includes pickles, fresh cucumber, sport pepper, onion, tomato, Rick’s Picks Shack relish, mustard and celery salt), regular fries and a peanut butter milkshake. Word of advice, don’t order that much J The milkshake was a bit too much, even though it was delicious! Actually everything was really good!

They have a wide selection of milkshakes and desserts for those with a sweet tooth out there, and they also serve burgers, other drinks such as lemonade, water, beer, wine, etc., and doggy treats… yes, you read right!

I was very impressed! From the moment we went in, till the “goodbye” we received on our way out.

It’s really nice to see international restaurants come to Moscow, since I know about a lot of them, but don’t always have the chance to try them out myself!

If you want me to review any other places, please leave a comment below.

Again, bon appétit and hope you enjoy!

[stere0typer]

Too Funny for Words

At the beginning of winter 2013 I went to this restaurant in Moscow, Russia, called Funny Cabany (Фани Кабани) and never got around to talk about how much I enjoyed it.

The name is translated as “funny hog”.

I was mostly excited to go there to see their local celebrity… a miniature pig by the name Funny. Isn’t that the cutest thing?

It is situated in the centre of Moscow, but on a quiet street: Malaya Dmitrovka Str. (ул. Малая Дмитровка), which is walking distance from three metro stations: Pushkinskaya (Пушкинская), Tverskaya (Тверская), Chekhovskaya (Чеховская).

When you walk in you are immediately greeted by the staff, not just the hostess. I have to say that she in particular was a bit rude, I had the feeling that she wanted to seat us as quickly as possible and be done with it. I would have understood that if the place was jam packed and a line of customers was waiting to be seated, but it wasn’t busy at all at that moment.

The place is decorated with wooden tiles that sort of looked like it was made out of shipping boxes, which I actually like. This is how the walls look like.

We chose a table in their summer terrace, which was surrounded by glass and heated of course. It was so cozy and pleasant since it contained numerous house plants.

Before we ordered I just had to see the famous Mr. Funny, so I asked the waiter if he could call bring him in for us after they were done feeding him. I saw a couple of photos of him on foursquare, and couldn’t wait to pet him! It said that the customers sometimes gave him food, but the staff asks not to give anything fried, just a piece of salad or other vegetable.

Now when Funny came in I have to say he isn’t a miniature pig anymore. I’m guessing some guests were naughty at not giving him fried food because he had become almost a normal-sized pig, but still adorably cute. If you extend your hand as if offering some food, he comes running to smell it. I was slain.

Now that I’ve shared my love for the mini pig, let’s talk food and drinks.

We chose burgers, which had bacon, cheddar and a grilled chili pepper pinned to the whole bun, fried Suluguni cheese with mountain cranberry sauce and Grog for my drink (oh yeah). The burgers had a side of fries, and the meal was superb! It was the right size so the ingredients didn’t fall out, and everything was well cooked. I give it an A+.

The Suluguni however… the cheese itself was fine, but the sauce had a weird taste to it. Either I’m not used to mountain cranberries, or it felt like the sauce was old.

It isn’t cheap, but it isn’t overpriced either. It also has a summer veranda on the second floor, so make sure you stop by this place at any time of the year!

All in all, I loved the place and can’t wait to go back someday.

Here are photos of the summer veranda and the bar. And of course, Funny!

Bon appétit!

[stere0typer]

2013 Favs!

Hello to every reader out there!

  I’ve decided it’s time to write a “2013 Favorites” post, where I talk about the stuff I liked and that I’ve used up during the year. This includes skincare, makeup, nails, and scents!

  Let’s start with skincare.

At the beginning of the year I was looking for a good face cream or lotion, and after looking up information on the internet and trying out some samples, I stumbled upon Clarins Fluide Eclat du Jour SPF 15 Daily Energizer Lotion. It comes (or used to come) in a bottle like this.

Basically it’s a lightweight lotion that boosts radiance and protects from UV rays, which, we all know, can cause premature ageing of the skin. Plus, it comes with a pump which helps to avoid unneeded germs J

The reason I wrote that it used to come in a bottle like that is because when I went to get yet another one of these, the lady at the counter said that they have discontinued it! She said it might be because they’re redesigning the bottle, and if so I really hope they don’t change the formula!

For nighttime I’ve been enjoying Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, and if you want to read more about it I’ve done a review about this, here’s the link. http://stere0typer.tumblr.com/post/51405605667/concentrated-on-recovery

And for the skin around the eyes, I use the Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream (usually at night, but sometimes for the daytime), and it is amazing! It revives the area around your eyes! And if I’m looking for something lighter I use the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye, which I’m sure loads of you have heard about or tried already, and they have done an amazing job with that series.

Where lips are concerned, I love me some lip balm! Seriously!! My 2013 favorites include (from left to right) Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Nourishing Lip Balm SPF 20 PA++, Clarins HydraQuench Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm, Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 02, MAC Suntints SPF 20 Liquid Lip Balm in Abalone, Biotherm Aquasource moisturizing lip balm SPF 8 (which I got in a tester size), and Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm. All these are awesome, so try them out first, and you might find the right one for your lips.

Moving on to makeup!

Face stuff

First is face primer. I don’t use primer everyday, but when I do, it’s Givenchy Mister Smooth Smoothing Primer. It has done a great job and it smoothes out your skin so that the foundation can glide on. But I do want to try something new. I’ve heard great things about Benefit, MAC and Smashbox primers, so can’t wait to try those!

Next would be foundation, and YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat is… gorgeous. I don’t wear foundation everyday either, but when I do, this feels and looks like second skin. I wear the shade BR30. I wore it through summer, autumn, and winter. No complaints so far!

Now concealer has been a problem for me. I can’t seem to find the perfect one, so I’ve been jumping though these three, which are all great, but not quite what I’m looking for (from left to right): Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener as a brightener mostly (duh) (shade Light Bisque 2), Lancome Effacernes (shade 01 Beige Pastel) and I have the old packaging and shade color name because they have changed it, and MAC Select Cover-Up Cache-Cernes (shade NW15), which I only use when I have really dark circles, and just dab a little of it onto my skin because it’s liquid at first, and then turns really stiff, so doesn’t look flattering if you use it all over your under eye area like a usual concealer. Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking about the MAKEUPFOREVER Full Cover one, have any of you used it?

And… Powder. I have totally used up my Laura Mercier Foundation Powder (shade No.2), which I had only bought this July! I used it mostly for coverage, when I didn’t want to wear foundation. Other than the Laura Mercier one, I use my Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Mineral Makeup SPF 15 in the shade Light (SPF in powder, you say?), and this one doesn’t offer much coverage, mostly mattifies your skin.

Eyes

For eyebrows I’ve been using the Artdeco brow shadow for a couple of years now, the color isn’t written on it, and I don’t remember it, so sorry for that. You can buy these little guys separately, and buy palettes to fill. Plus, on some occasions I use the clear MAC Brow Set, which isn’t as clear as it used to be, whoops.

Eye shadow. Tough question. I love trying on eye shadow, and slowly building up a collection, but I can’t say that I wear it much because it all gangs up in my crease. But I do own some, and my favorites include the Urban Decay Naked palette (can’t not love it), UNE Top 3 Eye Palette, and two small MAC palettes that include: the double palette - Carbon (matte black), Copperplate (matte grey, next to Carbon), the quad palette bottom two – Brun (matte brown), Knight Divine (shimmer grey), top two – Brule (light matte beige), Patina (shimmer copper-taupe). When I do use eye shadow, I use Urban Decay Primer Potion or MAC Paint Pot in Painterly.

Eyeliner. Now this is something I use everyday. It defines my eye the way I like it to, and doesn’t include eye shadow, ha! Loving Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink 1, Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H in 01 Black (which you can also read more about in my review http://stere0typer.tumblr.com/post/67868735990/maybe-lline-maybe-not ), and Lancome Liner Plume, although I really want to get my hands on the Lancome Artliner 24H, which I haven’t seemed to find in Moscow.

And finally, mascara. I only use mascaras with rubber or plastic wands, since these seem to please me best. Yeah, I guess mascara can bring a big deal of pleasure. All-time favorite is MAC Studio Fix Boldblack Lash. Although I have also enjoyed the Chanel Sublime de Chanel Mascara in 10 (black). They both separate the lashes really well, and give a false-lash effect.

Lips

I don’t wear lipstick or gloss everyday (mostly lip balm), but I do on “special occasions” or when I feel my lips need extra color. Glosses: Benefit in bella bamba and Clinique in 09 Currant (an old favorite); lipsticks: Shiseido in RS 628 and RD 629, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 83 Scenario, Sephora Lip Attitude in 1351D G18, and MAC in Viva Glam 1. If you feel like hearing more about any of these products, please leave a comment.

Nails

This year, only two brands have made it into my circle of favorites, and they are OPI and Essie. The formulas of these two are great, they last a really longtime, both brands have great brushes for applying, and a wide selection of colors. I have to say that I’ve bought more Essie polishes than OPI ones, and it’s probably because I’ve found colors that I wanted in Essie. The ones I used this year the most: Essie ballet slippers (perfect for a French manicure along with Mavala white nail polish), too too hot, forever yummy, don’t sweater it (it was in a limited edition collection, can’t seem to find it anymore), bobbing for baubles, over the edge, stylenomics (dark green color), dive bar, and lady godiva, OPI Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow, I Brake For Manicures, My Private Jet.

Scents

Out of the whole DKNY delicious collection, the one for me is Golden Delicious… it is the perfect scent for me. I don’t really change my perfume with the changing of the seasons, only when I “feel like it”, so Golden Delicious has been a staple throughout 2013. I got D&G L’Imperatrice as a gift this autumn, I’ve been wanting it for a while, and the scent is divine. Now as you can tell I like light floral scents (maybe a bit sour even). To change things up I sometimes use my Elie Saab Le Parfum, and if gorgeous had a scent, it would be Le Parfum...

So I guess this is it for this post!!! I’m probably going to use most of these products during this year too, but I’m sure some new exciting stuff will come my way, which I will gladly share with you.

I feel like I can ramble on for pages and pages about this stuff, and if you’re interested in reading more about makeup, skincare, body and hair products, anything I’ve mentioned in more detail and etc. please let me know, and I will definitely write some more!

Hope you’re enjoying the holidays, and Happy 2014!

[stere0typer]

Maybe lline, maybe not?

Greetings to everyone reading this! Hope you enjoy!

Today's post is gonna be a review of Maybelline's EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H (woah, that's long).

It's this lovely little pot of black eyeliner (in Moscow, Russia, they also have it in purple and brown).

Would I call this product hot? Definitely!! But I would still want to point out some stuff for those wondering about this product.

If you're like me and fell in love with Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner, then you'll love this! It is an amazing dupe for the Bobbi Brown one, which I also own and have enjoyed using (but that's a whole other topic). Let's start with the good stuff:

1) Pigmentation. An A+. You get a jet-black finish, although I sometimes   use a black shadow over it, but that's for even more drama, whatcanagirldo canthelpmyself.

2) It comes with a brush ^^. A big WHOOHOO especially for itsprice, which reminds me...

3) It's not expensive at all. I get it for around 230 roubles, which is roughly $7 USD.

The problem I have with all gel eyeliners is that they dry out pretty quickly... And I use it almost everyday. Even though the pot isn't huge, I still have never finished one.

And another thing I feel like I need to mention is that the brush isn't the best. It becomes too "fluffy" to use. I sometimes have to turn to my Bobbi Brown eyeliner brush or the MAKEUPFOREVER one.

All in all, this is a great product to have. If you think it's too hard having to apply it with a brush everyday, it's not :) You get used to it very fast. It's perfect for those days when you want to have dramatic eyes. (rawr?)

Plus, it stays on ALL day! Seriously. It's not water- or bulletproof or anything, but it doesn't budge until you decide to take it off with eye makeup remover.

Great thumbs up for this one!

So I'm definitely LLINE! (Answering the question: maybe lline, maybe not?)

Btw I'm thinking of writing a couple of collection of - posts. Would you like that? A MAC one... or a nail polish one?

xoxo

[stere0typer]

Noosa! Noosa!

Hi guys!

It's been a while. I'm back to blogging!

I've been loving accessories from a lovely brand called Noosa.

They have bracelets, belts, sandals, scarves, and bags! I immediately fell in love with the concept, where you build up your accessory the way you want to, and each charm, called a "chunk", is unique and has its own meaning. You can either choose chunks by meaning or just choose the one that appeals to you most!

You can change up the bracelet whenever you want because the chunks are easily removed and interchangeable.

This is the bracelet that I have now, and I haven't filled it all yet!

"NOOSA bracelets are made of naturally tanned leather and available in the colours grey, mid-brown, dark-brown, natural, antique black, green, nude and cowhide. The bracelets come in two varieties: single and double. You can customise your bracelet yourself, the number of chunks on your bracelet depends on the model you choose."

So as you can see I have the double bracelet. I'm not sure what the color is called, but I think it's either natural or nude. I've filled three out of six spaces. The chunks I have are (starting with the top half, from right to left): ocean sushi which is a symbol of balance and harmony, kalachakra (Wheel of Time) which is used in Tibet and Nepal to strengthen friendliness and compassion, and obolus  - these silver coins are named for the ancient Greek currency ‘obelos’. The ear of corn that is depicted represents prosperity.

I was also very lucky and given this scraf as a gift from my friends!

It is a black scarf with white sun figures printed on it. It is 70% cotton and 30% silk, and just amazingly soft and pleasant to wear. Now it's certainly not a scarf for a cold winter, but a every fun summer accessory or spring/autumn necessity!

Since mine doesn't have chunks on it yet, I found this photo on the internet to show you how it would look with the chunks.

They have the collection on their website, where you can also find a store near you!

Check it out, and you'll get pinned! Get it? :)

http://www.noosa-amsterdam.nl/en-au/home

[stere0typer]

Concentrated on Recovery.

Well, hello there, readers!

It's been a while!

Today I want to present to you my review of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. I heard about this through youtube (thanks to http://www.youtube.com/user/TalkBeckyTalk).

I had a similar problem to hers: dry patches on the skin. Some parts of my skin would feel fine, but sometimes I would have dry areas.

Honestly, I wanted to write a review right after I've used it for the time, and I was successful at that! I just used this yesterday :)

Now I know they say that you can't usually see or feel a difference after the first time, but I was really hoping I would. And guess what? ^^

The Concentrate is oily, but not in a pore-blocking way. The skin absorbs the product very nicely. The product is completely transparent and clear in color.

It has a pleasant lavender smell, and it wasn't too harsh for me because I'm pretty sensitive to harsh-smelling products.

I was a bit sceptic about the writing on the bottle: Visibly restore the appearance of skin by morning. But my skin does seem to like the stuff!

When you open the bottle, the pump to the pipet is in the cap itself (the top part). You just push it down and it absorbs the Concentrate and then push it again to release it onto your hands.

What I do is put 2-3 drops (as it says on the package) onto my fingers, rub it a bit to make it warmer, and then just apply it all over my face except around the eyes.

Et voila!

If you are interested in hearing a review after I've used it for a couple of weeks, please leave a comment, and I surely will! You can also leave questions about the product!

Yours faithfully,

Polly.

[theonlymagicleftisart]

(**Tom French**)

[stere0typer]

Amazing videos.

[stere0typer]

Wonder.

[stere0typer]

Missing that wonderful view!

[ihartcolor]

Disbelief / oil on canvas / 18”x24”

[stere0typer]

So I'm almost done with my portfolio. I'm trying to swtich jobs, and I've been gathering some of my "best" work into folders. Feuww. I have my drawings left!

Let's hope they like it!!

What do you think so far?

[stere0typer]

My blog has officially moved to Tumblr! So far, I'm loving it!

There is so mcuh I havedn't wrote about!

I found out about a new music band today: Blind Pilot. Listening to them takes me away to far places. It's sort of like reading a book; you start painting things in your mind. Awesome feeling.

I love music, but I've never been good at differentiating between the million types of music out there. As I've read it's an American indie folk band. Their music is calming. Some songs are quite "sad", but all in all their songs keep giving me ideas for new videos to shoot!

Does anyone here listen to them? Tell me your review and opinions :)