Black Phoenix Claw Polish

I was the very lucky recipient of some of the illustrious Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's nail polish, which they call Claw Polish (love it)! BPAL doesn't just make hundreds of incredible artisan perfume oils in "magickal, pagan and mythological blends, Renaissance, Medieval and Victorian formulas, and horror / Gothic-themed scents", they do jewelry, Tshirts and assorted neat stuff which fortunately includes a growing offering of nail polishes (under the Black Phoenix Trading Post arm of the site). Mostly now it is blacks and browns, deep reds and a few pinks, and one glow in the dark. I hope to see them branch out! They certainly have enough inspiration.

First thing that is notable is the formula was quite surprising. It was terrific. A polish line in which the CREMES are more manageable than the jellies??? Wow. Dries fast, hard and just like glass. It's incredibly shiny stuff. I would use topcoat for protection but it is in no way needed for a glossy finish. It's kickass. The brush may be a bit stubby for you long brush lovers, but otherwise is standard. Anyway all due accolades to the talented people at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Thank you!!

I tried a different style photograph for these polishes, inspired by the "Claw Polish" name. Yes, Napoleon, I have large talons. If you hate it feel free to call me an asswipe.

You're going to have to take my word for it that Destroying Angel is not black. it's a dark chocolate, but it's browner than the picture. I am sure I will try again at some point.


Smokestack is actually a very dark blurple jelly with a ton of very fine subtle shimmer. It packs far more punch than you think it will. Very nice.


Croquet they call a flamingo pink, I think it's a bit softer and a great deal prettier than flamingo. Bet the Sissies will love this one!


Malediction is simply black, with that stunning super-gloss that China Glaze Patent Leather has. This is a jelly, not a creme.


Sed Non Satiata is a smooth, sleek berry.


Robotic Scarab is a gleaming bronze shimmer. I drool on this.


Bordello is a beautiful lightly metallic raspberry shimmer. Suckable!

MollyHell's Grab Bag - Clinique Black Honey Velvet

Clinique Black Honey Velvet is meant to be a companion to their wildly popular lipstick/lip gloss Black Honey. A dark sheer berry, you can make the lipstick lighter or darker in shade depending on the amount you apply. It's said to flatter all skin tones, and I believe it. It's a huge makeup staple for me.

The polish is the same berry but is only the darker shade. It's a jelly, and it applies surprisingly well for a makeup brand not focusing on nail polish. It's incredibly shiny. I got mine on eBay, as Clinique is no smarter than many companies and tends to discontinue their best stuff for no reason, like total idiots.

Clinique Black Honey Velvet:

MollyHell's Grab Bag - Adoree Wild Inkberry

A great dark berry jelly, with tons of silver glitter. Applies easily, looks like a million bucks!

Adoree Wild Inkberry:

O! A Daily OPI! - OPI Overexposed in South Beach

OPI Overexposed in South Beach is a nice berry with blurple shimmer. It's a favorite of mine!

OPI Overexposed in South Beach:

Orly Femme Fatale Holiday 2009 Collection!

Got a terrific surprise today in the mail! Orly sent me a preview of their Holiday 2009 Femme Fatale Collection! A hot bright red, a berry/plum creme, and a deep red shimmer make up this collection that Orly means to embody "infectious feminine charm". These are incredibly shiny, even without topcoat, like a patent leather type polish. This is a nice addition to the Once Upon a Time Collection. I have no real information, but I am betting we will see more Orly polishes this year in addition to these. I hope so anyway!

Siren, a medium bright red - almost a neon - is a creme. Keep your brush lightly coated with this and it'll give you tons of color. Very richly pigmented. I may compare it to Zoya's America to see how similar they are.
Orly Siren:


Orly Goddess is my favorite. A berry/plum creme, a thick coat could give you easy one coat perfection. This is also incredibly shiny.
Orly Goddess:


Temptress is a dark burgundy shimmer jelly, with a lot of depth. You can use it one coat for a bit of sheerness and a slightly lighter color, or two coats for a deep rich full coverage that's just as shiny as the first two. I like that it has two ways to wear it. Pictured is two coats.
Orly Temptress:


These come out in November! Enjoy!

Another Month of Zoyas! - Zoya Jacy, Zoya Eve and Zoya

I posted so much past few days I didn't want falling by the wayside that I didn't do my daily Zoyas! So today you get three!

Zoya Jacy is REALLY nice. I liked this one especially. It's a slick dark berry creme with purple shimmer:


Zoya Eve is a hot bright red with a HUGE amount of purple shimmer:


Ah, too bad Paris didn't get her own post. A beautiful shiny vampy red jelly. Utterly chic and soooooo sexy: