Sunset Look

This one is from last week, I wanted to do a pastel toned colourful look and it turned out looking like the sunset sky!

I used:
Fyrinnae Rapunzel Had Extensions (peach with gold sheen, on the lid)
Sugarpill Tako (matte white, inner corners and brow bone)
Sugarpill Flamepoint (matte orange, in the center crease)
Sugarpill Dollipop (matte bright pink, in the outer crease)

The matte orange and bright pink are blended on the peach base colour to make them less flashy and more pastel toned. I think they work great in this look!

Wave Gotik Treffen is Coming!

Wave Gotik Treffen, or WGT for short, is an annual goth festival in Leipzig, Germany. I've been there on three previous years, and this year is no different. The hotel and flights are booked so my other half and I get to enjoy the festival once again!

Here's my guide to the festival: how to get there, places to see and general hints & tips on things I've learned while there.

When to start planning

WGT is very popular, which means hotels are often fully booked months in advance. One thing to keep in mind is that if you're booked in a hotel, you're probably only going to have a tiny minibar, so you have to choose carefully if you want to have things that need to be kept cold. If you're in an apartment hotel, you'll probably have a full size fridge, which will naturally allow for more food. Apartment hotels typically don't serve breakfast, but then again they have kitchen areas where you can make your own whenever you do feel like getting out of bed ;P

You can occasionally find a great hotel deal in the last minute, but to be on the safe side, you should be looking for a suitable hotel already around Christmas the previous year. Most hotels can be cancelled at a very late date, so if for some reason you were not able to go, no money is lost. Some hotels charge the amount when you book, others only when you check in. There's also a camping area for the frugal visitors; it costs 25 euros in addition to the normal ticket.

Flights are best reserved either at the same time as your lodgings or a few months later. Once again there can be great offers, but to be sure to get a flight, book early. Flights usually cannot be cancelled without an extra fee, so if you are unsure, book the hotel and get the flights only when you are sure you are going. My other half and I usually arrive to Leipzig on Wednesday (the festival starts on Thursday) and leave on Tuesday (the festival ends on Monday).

Festival tickets can be bought either in advance or at Leipzig. Even if you get the tickets by mail, you need to change them for the festival wristband at Leipzig, so you might need to stand in a queue anyway. You can order tickets here. A four day ticket is 99 euros and the shipping fee is 8 euros (both for Germany and internationally), you can order many tickets with the same shipping fee.

My pre-festival planning ritual typically involves checking out all the announced bands on Youtube and marking down the ones are interesting. This makes choosing where to go during the festival much easier!

How to get there

I travel from Finland, and the easiest way has usually been to fly to Berlin and then take the train to Leipzig. From Berlin Tegel airport the taxi to the railway station costs around 15 euros, so if you have two or three people sharing the cost, it's quite cheap. There's also a bus to the railway station but it's VERY packed. Riding on it on a hot day is not fun, I must say.

Buy the train tickets in advance from the DB website! It's cheaper by far. They also have good group discounts if you are traveling with more people. I've paid between 92 euros and 49 euros for two people traveling between Leipzig and Berlin. Check the train schedule so you can choose a cheap option. There are lots of shops and restaurants in the station building, so you can easily spend a few hours there. There's also an option of storing your luggage at the station and take a walk to see some sights, like the holocaust memorial and Brandenburger gate that are only a few minutes away. If you booked your train ride in advance online, it is required that you show the conductor the credit card with which the tickets were paid. One time I actually ran into a situation where I had paid the tickets with a card that had since expired and was no longer on me, but it all ended up fine after I was able to present my passport to prove my identity.

If you find flights to Leipzig, it might be a cheaper option than going through Berlin. This year we are going straight to Leipzig.

How to prepare in Leipzig

Get groceries and other vital things! I like to buy a six pack of Apfelschorle and keep a bottle or two cool so I can always have a nice, cool drink when needed. Shops like DM and Rossman sell shampoo, shower gel and conditioner in small bottles, so you don't have to bring your own. Invest in sunscreen, it's usually sunny and you are going to be spending time outside, so you're better off protected!

Eating & Drinking

In the centre of Leipzig there are plenty of restaurants. For vegetarians the Indian restaurants are great, but most places offer a few vegetarian options as well. During the festival, Moritzbastei is a great place to eat, since there's always plenty of other festival visitors there and it's quite centrally placed. Compared to Finnish prices, the restaurant are really cheap. During concerts you can almost always find places that sell food right outside the venue. For a late meal, Moritzbastei offers food well into the night. My usual routine has been to head there after the last performance of the evening to eat and meet up with friends who went to other venues. Their spinach lasagna is to die for, even for a person who also eats meat!

If beer is not your thing, some concert venues sell cider for an alternative alcoholic beverage. There's also cola-beer, wine, cola-wine and a small selection of drinks. And then there's apfelschorle (non alcoholic, a mix of sparkling water and apple juice). And met. I love met! More on that in the sights section!

Music

The festival is HUGE. There's music for every taste, ranging from classical to medieval folk to gothic rock to punk to EBM. Make sure to plan ahead and choose the bands that you absolute need to see, then go ahead and try a few new ones that you might like. My problem has always been that there's too much to see and do! You can find the currently confirmed bands here.

A bit lower there's a section on how to move around the city, but if two performances are very close together, take a taxi cab so you don't get stuck waiting for the tram that's going to be packed.

After the performances are over for the evening, there's still a party going on in Mortizbastei in the centre of the city. There are many dance floors so you can choose the music style you like, or find a table and drink and eat. It's a great place to meet with friends that have gone to other venues during the day.

Shopping

The Agra Hall offers a heaven for a gothic shopper. There're booths that sell all kinds of clothes, shoes, jewellery and accessories. Be sure to reserve some time to walk the hall back and forth in order to compare prices to find the best deals! X-tra-X usually has great discount items in very small and very large sizes. Many stalls carry the same items but the prices may differ. Many times the big labels also have their own discount stores in the centre of Leipzig. Last year, Queen of Darkness and X-tra-X both had shops. X-tra-X also has a permanent shop in the city with three floors of gorgeous clothing. I like to also visit Rossman, DM and Claire's at the Leipzig railway station, since Finland doesn't have these stores and I'm a sucker for cheap cosmetics and jewellery. Rossman and DM carry reasonably priced organic cosmetics among other things, and I always stay in forever looking at the essence nail polishes and make-up. Claire's obviously knows their audience, and usually puts the black frilly stuff out front during the festival!

There's also a Saturn shop in the railway station where you can get all kinds of electronics. Compared to Finland the prices are very nice, so if I need things like headphones, memory cards or similar, I'll head there.

Sights and things to do other than music

Heidnisches dorf (literally Pagans' village) is a place you might want to visit even if no bands that interest you play there. It's a faux medieval village, very pretty! They serve beer and other drinks in clay mugs and you can sit on long benches by a bonfire. Volkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument to the Battle of the Nations) is a memorial to a huge battle fought in Leipzig; a massive, towering stone building with a great view from the top. It's right next to the Südfriedhof, an old cemetary with beautiful stone angels and lovely park-like atmosphere. The Egyptian museum of Leipzig usually offers free entry with the festival wristband on a certain  day. It's a fairly small museum, but very nice. On top of Moritzbastei, there's a medieval fair where the stalls sell food, jewellery, clothing and other things, and my favourite, met! It's a honey wine that comes in many variations and can be served either hot or cold. They also serve met at the Agra Messe Hall where bands play, and while delicious, they only sell one one variety, Wikinger Blut.

Getting around

The festival wristband allows you to freely use public transportation, so that is the cheapest way to go places. The tram rides can be long some times, so reserve plenty of time for travelling if a band you really want to see is playing. Taxi cabs are easy to use and the drivers often speak English. If not, you can always write down the address of your destination and show it to them. When leaving a hotel, you can ask the reception to call a taxi for you. When a performance ends, there are usually huge queues for taxis, but if you don't want to wait start walking in the direction where most taxis are coming from and wave one of them down. Use a seatbelt, they often drive like crazy ;P

Clothing and what to wear

One thing is for sure: No matter how crazy or over the top your outfit is, someone is going to be sporting something even weirder ;D In general, Germans are very relaxed about nudity, there are people wearing only a thong and you are bound to see some boobies with pasties. This also means that you can dress very freely, no one will mind. There are usually photographers around town and the festival locations taking pictures of outfits they like. They usually ask for permission ("to make a picture" is a perfectly valid way to ask in Germany ;P) and many professional ones give out business cards so you can check out your picture in their online gallery later. I have a theory that the locals compare who has the craziest goth pictures after the festival, since all the middle aged gentlemen and kind old ladies like to snap pictures of goths.

My tactic is to bring sensible but nice looking shoes for walking around the city in day time, and less sensible shoes for evening events. Many venues don't have too many seats, so prepare to stand a lot. Note! DM sells cheap and good silicone insoles that make tired feet happy.

I don't bring much clothing, only the necessities, because I know I'm going to shop for some new gorgeous items any way and I want to wear them instantly.

Taking photos

Large cameras are not allowed on venues if you don't have a photo permit. I'm not sure how large the camera can be, but they mainly want to avoid having professional cameras. Small pocket cameras and phone cameras are fine. I carry my big camera with me in the day to take pics of the city, but leave it at the hotel in the evening.

In a nutshell

- Drink plenty (of water too)
- Eat well
- Wear sunscreen while outside
- Take a taxi if you are in a hurry
- Plan ahead on what to see and when
- Have fun!

So welcome to the festival! It's the high point of my summer and I hope everyone else enjoys it as much!

Indian Weddings must be Very Glam!

I ordered a few sets of Indian bridal jewellery from eBay to work on a unique piece for a friend. Since the shop had combined shipping, I got one set for myself. It arrived very fast, I was expecting to wait for weeks! The set has a piece that lays on the forehead, earrings and a necklace. Here's a link to the store so you can get some fabulous, glamorous jewellery too! I think the prices are very cheap, my set was 15 dollars before shipping (which was something like 20 dollars for three sets) and they have many colours and styles, naturally all fairly traditionally Indian. The quality isn't superb, but for the price it's great!

My set has turquoise plastic beads and white rhinestones with a silver toned metal. I combined it with Sleepy Hollow eyeshadow by Fyrinnae, I think it matches perfectly!

The forehead piece is meant to be in the parting of your hair, but mine didn't want to comb that way ;P The earrings have little chains with hooks on the ends that you can attach to your hair. The earrings are very heavy, so they can help take the weight off your ears. I actually tied the earring chains together with a piece of wire, they are also attached to the forehead piece. If your hair is loose, the hooks don't stay in it and fiddling with hair pins was frustrating. So wire is the easiest way!

My roots are horrible! I have an appointment with the hairdresser, but it's still a few weeks away. But then I'll look fabulous, so maybe I can manage with these roots still ;P

Tinted Lashes Look

I've been wearing very simple looks now that I got my lashes dyed. Laziness takes a hold of me since I don't have to use mascara ;P

This looks was done with Coastal Scents' Revealed palette, that's inspired by Urban Decay's Naked palettes. I'm only wearing black gel liner with the shadow.

Projects, projects

This is turning out to be one busy spring! Next month there's a club Bella Morte party for which I'm designing decoration and working on playlists for my DJ set.

I've been dreaming of designing prints for clothing for some time but didn't have the time or equipment to print on fabric. So I was very happy when I contacted Tiina Ulkuniemi of Rogue clothing asking if she might need some designs done and she did! We are planning on 2-3 designs to be printed on skirts, tops and tote bags, I'm currently doing sketches for the pictures.

Deer skulls and moths.

Then there's another printing job, one for a local cat rescue organization. They are printing shopping bags to be sold at events and asked if I would like to provide them with a design. Naturally I did, it's good to be able to help homeless kitties and making graphics is an excellent way for me to be of use!

Nana is making sure the quality of my cat drawings is consistent.

The last project is for an old friend who's a burlesque performer. She inquired if I could come up with some extravagant jewellery for her upcoming act and we are looking on building the set from a base of Indian bridal jewellery, with added sparkle of course! It's such an interesting project, I love working on very flashy, big jewellery, and as a special limitation it needs to be easy to dance in and not snag onto props used. That's some challenge but I like it.

I'll be posting occasional pictures of how things are progressing so you, my lovely readers, can be the first ones to know :) I haven't done much graphic design lately but I'm itching to hone my skills!

Outfit of the Day

Yesterday I wore simple things because I was in a hurry. That day just grabbing the first things I found in the closet worked fine!

Cardigan - Nanso

Top - H&M

Jeans - BikBok

Now with cats! Möttönen looks soooo pleased ;D

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Review

I got a sample sized Chubby Stick Intense lip pencil by Clinique from the latest LivBox. The shade is very pretty and works great for my skin tone, it's called 03 mightiest maraschino, a neutral or slightly cool red. The pen can be used on the whole lips and it's moisturizing.

Look how tiny! I always like small cute things ;P Also the pen is easy to carry with you because of the small size, it fits in any purse. I believe the full sizes are slightly longer.

The pen wears well on lips, I like how it's a bit transparent, making it less obvious when the colour wears off, but still opaque enough to make your lips pop. While the colour does wear off, it still lasts pretty well for a moisturizing "colour balm" as the text on the pen says. I've gotten around four hours of wear until I've felt the need to reapply. The colour does feather a little bit, but it's so little that it's almost unnoticeable. For the best result you should try a lip liner with this product, preferably an invisible liner that goes on the outside of your lips to keep the transparency of the pen.

To get more tip, you twist the pen at the end. I've used mine for about five times so the tip is worn. While the pen is soft, it's not too soft as to wear down immediately. I find the consistency just right, at least now in wintertime. In the summer heat it might be a bit on the soft side.

Here's a few pics of the chubby stick worn, I really like how vibrant the colour is!

Pros
+ small size of the package makes it easy to carry with you
+ bright colour
+ good wear for a moisturizing product
+ moisturizes well

Cons
- feathers a little bit

Outfit of the Day

I hate snow! More fell during the night so it's cold, white and too bright for my eyes outside. But here's a few snaps of today's outfit, with my winter coat again since the temperatures are so low. I got new shoes, I've been hunting a pair of previously owned Demonia Swings for a long time and finally found on in my size! I didn't want to pay the price of a new pair since they are fake leather and don't last that long, but second hand prices were okay for me. They are very comfy and work even for everyday wear.

Coat - H&M

Purse - 2nd hand

Leggings - Actual Pain

Boots - Demonia (2nd hand)

I really like how the boots have nice buckles but don't come very high! I don't feel overdressed in them, boots that come higher can look too over the top for my taste. I hid a thick pantyhose under the leggings so they keep me warm. The purse is the one I keep in my huge bag, I use it when I only need a few items with me. It's excellent for going to a bar or a restaurant, you can leave the huge bag at the cloakroom and put your lipstick, powder, wallet and phone in the small one to keep with you.

The inside version! The dress is from H&M, it's very old but comfy.

Tallinn Trip

Last weekend I visited Tallinn. My brother graduated and to celebrate, our parents took the whole family to a trip. We went to see the Titanic exhibition in Lennusadam museum and dined at an Italian restaurant named Bocca.

Sleeting in Helsinki.

The weather was playing tricks! While it had long been warm, nice and dry, naturally on the morning of the trip it was sleeting. 

The sophisticated messy bun saves the day ;D

Which really pissed me off since I was wearing my glasses (I hate them! They always have fingerprints on them!) and couldn't see a thing with a coating of sleet on the lenses.

One thing sleet is good for: looking like little pearls in my hair.

I had booked an appoinment for my Mom and me to a beauty parlour. It was really luxurious to get a facial, I could have stayed there for ever getting my face massaged ;P Also got my brows and lashes dyed, it's so much faster to slap on some powder and head to work, instead of going through the routine with mascara. My lashes are VERY blonde, so tinting them really helps and has a big effect.

Sleeting in Tallinn.

A nice drink makes everything better!

I didn't do much shopping, partly because there wasn't time and partly because I'm trying to be on a no-buy. I insist things bought on ships don't count, since I got a jar of moisturizer, eyeshadow primer and a lash comb from the tax-free shop! But they were all tried and true, no impulse buys, kinda.

Despite the weather it was a very nice trip! I hope to go again in the summer, the old town was so pretty and there's lots of interesting museums still.

Very Shimmery Nails

For this manicure I used OPI Ink (shimmery dark purple), purple glitter polish, purple and blue glitter polish and Essie Shine of the Times flakie. I really like how much depth the use of different glitters and finishes gives to the nails, and this much texture hides any small imperfections.

Too Many Things on at Once

I wanted to show all my new pretties, so these pics ended up a bit too busy for my liking, but they were still nice :)

Artifice Clothing's Etsy shop had a few discounted items that had been used in shoots and I just had to get this awesome fake fur jacket/cape/shrug/thingie! I pondered between black and white version for a long time, but went with white to make it really pop with my usually mostly black clothing.

The peplum belt is also from the same place, it's just too cute!

The tiara is also new-ish, I ordered it from an eBay shop but it arrived broken because it was packed poorly. Who would put a tiara in just a bubble mailer envelope and expect it to arrive in one piece?! Luckily the shop sent me a new one when I messaged them about the situation. The tiara is by Too Fast, it has little rhinestones and the front is shaped like it's made of bones. It's a bit over the top, but I just couldn't resist! It's not very sturdy, but my trusty hot glue gun helped with the one smashed in the post, so if this one comes apart I'll just fix it.

I can't wait to get my sleeve finished, it's still missing the lace background and colours. Colourwise it will match the upper part, but the lace will be less dense so it will show better.

And the make-up! I got my brows and lashes tinted, it felt so easy to put on make-up today because I didn't have to try and get the mascara all the way to the very blonde roots my lashes have. I put on just some neutral eyeshadow to test my new primer, and the lipstick is Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Kooky by MUA, a great matte purple shade that stays on forever.

Light in the House

Finally the sun has come out! It feels like spring when it still should be the coldest time of the year, but I'm not complaining. The streets are dry and the gravel has been swiped away, so I can take my spring shoes from the closet. In celebration I took a few pics of our apartment when the sun was up, it seemed like such a precious moment.

Mörkö taking a nap.

I got this plant from Ikea's discount department, I have soft spot for sorry looking plants.
Back when I got it it had three leaves in total.

My other half wanted to get a bed, so we found second hand one. I've had a mattress on the floor for years, but actually having a bed is quite nice, you can hide stuff under it! And cats too, they can hide themselves under it.

My orchid grew some more flowers and buds. The fuggler was my other half's gift
to me, and the vintage postcard of a Messerschmitt plane was my Valentine's gift for him :)

And a kitty picture! Our newest addition to the family still has no name, but he's now comfortable eating with humans or other cats present. He still doesn't like to be touched, but it'll come with time. He is such a handsome cat, I love the spots! So far he's broken two cups and shredded a magazine, stolen beef from my plate and gnawed at things (not the chewy things I got him, but on other things, naturally). I had forgotten how mischievous kittens are...

Tooth Necklace and Tattoos

Good morning! I was up early feeling energetic, and despite the pounding rain in the morning, the day seems to be going in a great direction, as there's even a little sunlight. I'm so proud of myself because I started writing my thesis seminar essay last night and continued today, and there's still lots of time before the deadline.

The raccoon dog necklace has been the only item I've bought this month. Yet.
It's second hand.

Today my plans included going shopping for furniture to use and hide kitty litter boxes, eating at a restaurant and continuing writing. I'm really feeling the spring, I've gotten rid of a lot of old stuff and the apartment now has so much room! Mainly around my dancing pole since I sold the old dining set that was very rarely used ;P But my last gecko is going to a new home tomorrow and the aquarium goes on Monday, so out with the old and in with the new! I've tried to be very frugal (aside from the tattoo and because of the tattoo) and I've only bought one item this month. Well if you exclude the sketch pad and top and skirt that are for a project, but projects don't count, right? ;D

And now on to the tattoo pictures! It's still a bit red and sore, but healing well. Here's pics from almost all directions. It's still missing colours and the lace background. In the front there's a rose and a lily, then around the back a bird skull with another rose. I was silly and didn't get a picture of the cat skull that's on the side closest to my body, but you can see part of it in the last picture. It has it's jaws open, which is perfect, my cats are very vocal so the skull is clearly saying a very loud meow ;D There's also a pearl string connecting the elements. I'm still contemplating on adding a moth there somewhere, but I'm sure my thoughts will clear before the next appointment.

You can see the tooth theme continues with my skirt! It's by Iron Fist.