Author Archives: Mary S.

CND Rescue Kit Review

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CND Rescue Kit

First thing’s first! To my U.S. readers, I wish you a Happy July 4th today. Hope that you’re having a great time with your loved ones!

Recently, I had the pleasure of trying out the CND Rescue Kit, which contains a lot of manicure essentials including nail treatments.

In this post, I’ll share with you more information of each of the following, as well as quick swatches of the nail colours:

  • CND Vinylux nail polishes: Date Night, Be Demure, Desert Poppy & Lavender Lace
  • CND RescueRXx Daily Keratin Treatment
  • CND Vinylux Weekly Top Coat
  • CND SolarOil
  • CND Cuticle Eraser
  • CND ScrubFresh
  • CND Koala Buffer

If there’s a specific item that you’d like to see me review in-depth for a separate post, let me know!

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My Nails and My Chapman’s Canada Day Cone

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Raise your cone!

Happy Canada Day 2016

If you follow me on social media, you saw that last night I shared a photo of the yummy ice cream that I ate. (Also, check out my Snapchat. I posted video clips of the fireworks I watched! You can find me on Snapchat under the username “swatchandlearn”.)

The Chapman’s Canadian Cone was so delicious that I gobbled it up within mere minutes after taking this photo. (Who could ever resist that temptation?) 😉

I’m not sure how long this ice-cream cone has been around, but it’s the first time that I saw it at Loblaws.

How fitting for Canada Day yesterday, right?

It contains vanilla ice cream, and there’s a strawberry filling in the middle that goes all the way down to the tip of the cone.

The sugar cone is lined inside with chocolate, and the top of the ice cream also has some chocolate and cute red sprinkles in the shape of maple leaves! (Nice touch.)

Another awesome thing about the Chapman’s Canadian Cone is that a portion of the proceeds are donated to a charity in support of families of fallen Canadian women and men. I love how I can give back while enjoying a summery treat!

On my nails: Smith & Cult Kundalini Hustle.

Disclosure: This post contains a press sample provided by PR. (It’s the nail polish, not the ice cream. Hehe!)

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Grav3yardgirl x Tarte Tarteist Texas Toast Lip Paint Swatches & Review

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Grav3yardgirl Tarte Tarteist Texas Toast Lip Paint Review

The Roast Yourself Challenge is the latest trend, and while I am a fan of the clever and punny Ryan Higa (aka nigahiga on YouTube) who started it, this beauty junkie is sticking to the Texas Toast Yourself Challenge. What? You haven’t heard of that one? Probably because I just made it up now. 😉

Raise your cup of sweet tea, and give a toast to Texas Toast!

Grav3yardgirl x Tarte Tarteist Texas Toast Lip Paint is a collaboration between the brand that creates my favourite everyday eyeshadow palettes and a popular YouTuber, Bunny Meyer (aka grav3yardgirl), who is in her 30s and has over seven million subscribers.

The Tarte Tarteist Texas Toast Lip Paint stirred up a frenzy in the beauty community, as fans and makeup enthusiasts scrambled to get their hands on one of three items in the collection. (The collection also includes the Swamp Queen Eye & Cheek Palette with brush and another Lip Paint called Swamp Family that’s red and an online exclusive, which sold out in a flash.

Nudes aren’t usually my thing, but since it was more of a muted mauve than something that resembled a concealer, I decided to give it a try. (Spoiler: Turns out, I enjoy it and found that it works very well with the warm, smoky eye look I created using the coordinating Swamp Queen palette. By the way, in the selfie above, I’m also wearing the eye shadows, blush, and highlighter from the same collection.)

Before I get into my detailed review of Tarte Texas Toast, I’d like to say a few words about Bunny and her ever-growing YouTube channel.

Grav3yardgirl: “Give an alligator its wings!”

I don’t watch every Grav3yardgirl video, but I have seen the majority of her hard work to get a good sense of her channel.

Bunny Meyer has an entertaining, quirky personality that grabs your attention by the collar and pulls you into places that you never thought you’d go!

Although we have very different personalities and aesthetics, what I respect and admire about her is that she is a free spirit who is comfortable in her own skin. She frequently vlogs without a stitch of makeup, with her hair in a sassy bun or other fun style, and while wearing t-shirts with intentional holes. Bunny also sometimes goes all out with a full face of makeup, has her own paper-doll book, and is known for wearing red lipstick that plays up her captivating blue eyes.

But what I love about her most is that she has an inclusive mentality to bring people together and to not discriminate or have a Mean Girls attitude. Even if you’re the outcast you are welcomed, appreciated, and accepted into what Grav3yardgirl has coined her Swamp Family.

Openly speaking about dealing with anxiety and her phobia of hospitals, she courageously touches on many issues that not a lot of big YouTubers discuss.

I applaud her for this because sharing helps us all learn and grow. Her experiences may indirectly help those who are dealing with something similar.

If you just graze the surface and are too quick to judge her based on her loud voice, large teeth, and seemingly unkempt appearance (when it comes to unrealistic beauty guru standards), you may not even give her channel a chance.

But as you watch her reveal funny thoughts, her love of creepy dolls and uncommon objects, and her ‘addiction’ to sweet tea, you develop a soft spot for her. And all those things you made snap judgments on, like her teeth, quickly become endearing characteristics, and you can’t imagine her looking any other way. That’s how I feel. She owns her look!

Her channel appeals to children, teenagers, adults, and seniors, which is quite remarkable. This is because her videos run the gamut from testing out As Seen on TV products, letting you follow her along while shopping (I always laugh when she does her Earth Worm Mode), swatching makeup, opening Swamp Family mail with a large kitchen knife, and casually car vlogging while doing her Sippy Sippy.

She is a unique snowflake.

I’ve never met her, but based on the content that she’s created over the year and how entertaining I find her, I support what she stands for: inclusivity and togetherness!

Check out the rest of my post to see photos, swatches, and to hear my thoughts on the Grav3yardgirl x Tarte Tarteist Texas Toast Lip Paint!

(EDIT: Monday November 28, 2016: The Tarte Cosmetics’ website has included the two Lip Paints, Texas Toast and Swamp Family, in their Cyber Monday Deal for just $15 CAD each! One day only.)

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Zoya Cream Lipstick Swatches & Review (Candy & Mellie)

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Zoya Candy Lipstick Zoya Mellie Lipstick

Zoya’s claim to fame is their ever-growing collection of nail polishes, but did you know that they also offer lipsticks?

They have a solid formula for their nail polishes, but I was curious to see how their lipsticks would fare.

Zoya Candy Lipstick and Zoya Mellie Lipstick both have cream finishes and were released with the Zoya Seashells & Sunsets Collection for Summer 2016.

(Click the link to see the official press release that includes the lipsticks and the nail polishes. Interested in just the nail polishes? See my Zoya Seashells Collection swatches and Zoya Sunsets Collection swatches.)

Something about the Zoya lipsticks surprised me. What was it? There’s only one way to find out. Check out the rest of this post for all the details.

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L’Oréal Le Vernis à l’Huile Violet de Nuit Swatches & Review

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L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Vernis a l'Huile Violet de Nuit Swatches Review

L’Oréal Le Vernis à l’Huile Violet de Nuit comes from a new line that launched this month, which features over 20 shades. (A handful of additional colours will be coming out in November 2016.)

The line  boasts the first oil-based nail colour that contains Rose Oil, Lotus Bloom Oil, Camellia Seed Oil, and Argan Oil, all of which help to enhance the colour depth.

The L’Oréal Le Vernis à l’Huile nail polishes come in a unique rectangular bottle with a beveled design that’s aligned with the brand’s elegant branding.

The Flexor brush has wide, rounded bristles, which is particularly handy if you have wide nail beds and want to cover more surface area with a single stroke. (According to the press release, there are 440 soft bristles.)

This sultry deep purple creme was the first of all the L’Oréal Le Vernis à l’Huile nail polishes that I wore as a full manicure.

Here’s what I thought of the colour, formulation, and patented brush.

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