Author Archives: Fiona

L.A. Girl Metal Antique Gold Review & Swatches

Image of L.A. Girl Metal Antique Gold ** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

Out of all the polishes from the collection, L.A. Girl Metal Antique Gold is definitely the one that surprises me the most. Honestly, it’s a color I threw into my order only because I was interested in seeing how L.A. Girl antiqueize golds. (Yes, that’s a word. No, I lied: it’s not.)

Well, the result is not really antique gold, but it is definitely precious. And I’m seriously in love… even more than I like Deep Sea Mica which was the winner for me in this collection. I have a couple more to try from L.A. Girl Metal, but I have a feeling this shade is going to take home the (antique) gold for me! Continue reading →

Haul of Shame: NYX Eyeshadow Pigments & Lip Glosses from HauteLook

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Image of NYX Eyeshadow Pigments & Lip Glosses ** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

As you may already know: I don’t have much self-control. When I see something I like, I tend to buy, buy, buy until my wallet’s squealing louder than a car alarm that went off in the middle of the night. I’m a little crazy like that. Case in point: The insane haul of NYX eyeshadow pigments & lip glosses I got from HauteLook when they had a super NYX sale one time.

I normally get the NYX pigments from Cherry Culture at a really good price. But HL had 2 sets of 28 of these pigments on sale. With shipping and international fees, each came to about $2. So naturally, I got both sets. *hangs head*

“Why stop there?” I asked my frightened credit card who’s gone completely white in the face. I also picked up a set of lip glosses on sale, too. *drops head to ground*

Want to see the mountain of pigments I got? Warning: Please make sure your chin is at least 2 feet from the ground as your jaw might drop. Continue reading →

Rimmel Violet Metal Review & Swatches

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Image of Rimmel Violet Metal ** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

Hi, my name is Fiona, and I’m addicted to makeup and nail polish.

The other day I waltzed into Shoppers (a Canadian drugstore chain). Why? It was Tuesday. 😛 Naturally I had to waltz in. My eyes widened when I saw they had a “Spend $50 and get a $10 gift card” thingy-ma-jig event happening. That translates to a justifiable reason for me to spend $ and get stuff that I don’t really need. 😀

Anyway, part of my mini haul was Rimmel Violet Metal. I’ve wanted to pick this up for a while now – I mean, it’s a red-purple that shifts to a blue depending on the light. Now I finally have it! I realllllly like it, don’t love it though. I think it’s because of the lighting I’m in – I feel it photographs prettier than the color I get to see when I’m indoors. 🙁 Continue reading →

Nail Art: Patriotic American Flag Nail Art & Tutorial

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Image of Patriotic American Flag Nail Art ** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

Howdy! Happy 4th of July to all our friends on the south side of the border! Hope you have a great long weekend with friends, family, loved ones and some BBQ’d meats. At least that’s what I did on Canada Day!

Anyway, I want to celebrate this special day with my very first real nail-art attempt. I’m actually surprised with it since it’s my first ever design, although of course there is room for improvement. I made soooo many mistakes doing this, but that’s how we learn, right?

I had a lot of fun creating this Patriotic American Flag Nail Art… so much so that I’m thinking of doing an entire series on national flags! I’m hoping to take a vacation overseas soon and was just thinking (and getting excited) about traveling to a foreign land with its flag on my nails. OoOOo. Continue reading →

The Body Shop Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask Review & Pictures

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Image of The Body Shop Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask ** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

Well, The Body Shop Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask is a far cry from fun nail polishes, isn’t it?

I’ve been looking for a good moisturizing and cleansing mask for a while now. Something that I could use as a weekly treatment to wipe away any skin sins accumulated throughout the week.

The Body Shop had one of their Buy 2 Get 1 Free sales, so I thought I’d give one of their masks a try. I’m not jumping-with-joy over this product, but I do like it. It does a pretty good job, just not perfect. I’m sure there are better masks out there. Plus, you could probably make a homemade mask that does a comparable job. Continue reading →

FingerPaints Laugh My Art Off Review & Swatches

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Image of FingerPaints Laugh My Art Off ** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

I recently discovered there’s a Sally Beauty Supply store near where I live. Like 5-minutes-away near. Within-walking-distance near. In-a-plaza-where-I-do-some-of-my-grocery-shopping near. Like… I’m-in-trouble-I-need-an-Intervention-before-my-wallet-stops-speaking-to-me near.

Last week I ventured into the SBS cautiously – I needed to scope out the place, but I didn’t want to plunk my credit card down on the cashier and say, “Give me one of everything.” (Although that sounds like fun.)

I allowed myself to get one nail polish – this time. And since I’m a blue fanatic with a glitter obsession, FingerPaints Laugh My Art Off immediately caught my eye. Gosh. I’m predictable. But this nail polish isn’t! It glistens every which way for unexpected look-at-me glamour. Yum! Continue reading →

e.l.f. Camilia Shimmering Facial Whip Review & Swatches

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Image of e.l.f. Camilia Shimmering Facial Whip ** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

Y’know: I never feel too guilty whenever I’m on a shopping spree at the elf site. I’ve gotten 20 items for less than $20 before (not including shipping) thanks to their affordable prices and frequent promotions.

Normally I only really load up on their nail polishes (most are awesome), mineral eyeshadows (some are great), or their brushes (hit and miss). But on the last haul, I decided to venture into less-familiar territory (at least for me). e.l.f. Camilia Shimmering Facial Whip is one of those products that I’ve never tried before until recently. And I’m kinda, sorta, actually really liking this product.

It’s not a product I deem completely necessary. But for days when you have an extra 30 seconds and want to brighten your face, this is a winner! Continue reading →