Author Archives: Mary S.

OPI Innie Minnie Mightie Bow Swatches & Review

OPI Innie Minnie Mightie Bow Swatches & ReviewSometimes you want sexy-vixen nails that you imagine a femme fatale in film noir would wear.

When you’re in that mood, I suggest you reach for OPI Innie Minnie Mighty Bow, which is from the OPI Couture de Minnie Collection!

Not only is the name a bit of a tongue twister (I loved practicing those when I was a kid!), but the colour is so hot, you’d better turn the fan on to cool off. 😉 It’s like a hot pepper for your nails! Caliente!

Every so often, I get in the mood to sport a classy red. This is exactly the type I would go for, and I know I’ll be wearing this again!

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OPI A Definite Moust-Have Swatches & Review

OPI A Definite Moust-Have Swatches & ReviewOPI A Definite Moust-Have is now the 3rd nail polish I’ve reviewed from the OPI Couture de Minnie Collection.

When I first saw the bottle, I can’t say that it made my heart race like Usain Bolt. But, when I cracked it open and applied it, it won me over like a balcony serenade. In no time flat, my eyes transformed into cartoon hearts.

For one, it’s a pink that really pops and provides a great contrast against my skin tone. But what thoroughly impressed me was the absolutely perfect formula!

If you don’t have a medium pink in your collection yet, I highly suggest that you pick this up because it gives you great colour with zero fuss.

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OPI Chic from Ears to Tail Swatches & Review

OPI Chic from Ears to Tail Swatches & ReviewWhile crazy nail-polish shades intimidate some people, bubblegum pink lacquers usually have that effect on me.

In the past, I avoided pinks because some made my hands look dirty. But, as I’m opening up to trying new shades, I’ve discovered a bunch that are flattering.

And, much like red nail polish, pinks such as OPI Chic from Ears to Tail are novelties to me because I don’t wear them as much as other colours.

This soft and sweet shade is from the OPI Couture de Minnie Collection that some have spotted on the market already, even though the official release is in June.

The name of this polish made me think of tails. What tail would I have if I had one? As much as I love cats, I’d have to say that I’d want to have a bunny tail. It’s cute, compact, and soft! Plus if I had a cat tail, I’d probably trip over it or try to catch it and make myself dizzy – haha! What kind of tail would you have?

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OPI Magazine Cover Mouse Swatches & Review

OPI Magazine Cover Mouse Swatches & ReviewThis week, I’ll be reviewing each shade in the OPI Couture de Minnie Collection. Perhaps this will entice you to enter my giveaway for the entire collection, Canadians?

Today I’m reviewing the shade I was most excited to try in the collection – OPI Magazine Cover Mouse!

It has the Liquid-Sand finish that you know I’ve been digging more than a shovel in a deep sandbox!

(When I wore this, I imagined that I was Minnie Mouse on the cover of Makin’ Cheddar Magazine. Yeah, everyday I’m hustlin’, Rick Ross! Haha!) 😉

Even though I’m excited about this, there’s something I’m even more excited about.

Guess what? In this post, my mom’s hands and nails make a first-time appearance on Swatch And Learn. 🙂 You’ll see the photos near the bottom of this post.

For Mother’s Day, when I went to visit my mom, I painted her nails and my own with OPI Magazine Cover Mouse so we’d match. I thought it would be fun, especially since my mother hardly ever pampers herself, let alone wears nail polish. It was a little treat, and something fun we could share together.

Although she doesn’t like nail polish, from time to time, she softens and likes me to paint her nails. (We’re talking once a year, to give you an idea!) And I often have to invest a lot of time trying to convince her to let me give her a manicure!

My mom is retired now, but when she worked full-time, she had a very stressful corporate job, and she worked long hours. Often, she’d come home late, yet she always mustered up the energy to whip up a delicious dinner from scratch when my brother and I still lived at home.

She is the hardest working person I know, and she is a true inspiration to me. There’s not a single lazy bone in her body! Haha, oftentimes I have to remind her to take a break and relax, so she doesn’t overdo it.

It was the first time she had ever worn a textured polish like this, and she was quite intrigued. Haha, but she still prefers the traditional smooth and glossy finish over texture. And, I had to redo her manicure because she literally dented nearly half of her nails within an hour of me painting them. 😉 She isn’t used to sitting still and not being busy doing things.

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Giveaway: Canadians, Win the Entire OPI Couture de Minnie Collection!

Edit (Saturday May 25): Congratulations, Jess! You’ve won my giveaway! You have 48 hours to reply to my e-mail in order to claim your prize!

Thank you to everyone for participating!

I’ll be having another Canada-only giveaway soon, and later, I’ll have one that’s open to readers outside Canada, too. Stay tuned!

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Surprise! 😉

Canadians, enter to win the entire OPI Couture de Minnie Collection!

Win the Entire OPI Couture de Minnie Collection

I teamed up with the amazing OPI PR team to make this giveaway possible. (I’ve done international giveaways before, but this time, I want to reach out to my fellow Canadians.)

As a blogger, I’ve collaborated with several PR firms and companies. I’ve been privileged to review new nail polishes that sometimes haven’t even hit the stores yet. It’s really exciting! So, I wanted to share that excitement with Swatch And Learn readers by offering you a chance to get brand-new polishes before they’re officially released. (The OPI Couture de Minnie Collection will officially be released in June, although sometimes there are stores that seem to carry them a little sooner.)

My loyal readers know just how to turn even my worst days into the best days. You’ve left me thoughtful comments and even welcomed me back after I took a short hiatus. Thanks for reinforcing why I blog – to connect with people, to share a similar passion, and to learn from and be inspired by others!

Swatch And Learn readers are the best!

Thanks for touching my heart, opening up to me, caring about what I have to say, and laughing at my jokes. It is greatly appreciated!

To find out how to enter, please carefully read the rest of this post.

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China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle Swatches & Review

China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle Swatches & ReviewI have a lot of aqua nail polishes, so really, I bought China Glaze Too Yacht to Handle from the Sunsational Collection just for the name.

It makes me think of a smug nail polish with its nose turned up thinking that it’s all that and a bag of chips. And I picture it wearing a J Crew sweater tied around its neck.

Hehe, snobbery aside, Too Yacht to Handle is a wonderfully bright lacquer that really spells summer to me. I can see how this would flatter a lot of different skin tones.

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True Blue Spa Blackberry Purifying Peel Off Face Mask Review & Pictures

True Blue Spa Blackberry Purifying Peel Off Face Mask Review & PicturesThe True Blue Spa Blackberry Purifying Peel Off Face Mask from Bath & Body Works is the very first peel-off mask that I’ve ever tried.

I’ve had this since last year, and I hauled it when I was placing a huge online order of candles. (Haha, I haven’t bought anything from Bath & Body Works since because I’m trying to use up the huge collection I’ve amassed!)

Since it was on sale, I added this blackberry peel-off mask to my cart.

I’ve used it a few times since purchasing it, and, hehe, I’ve also used it on the guy I’m dating. We both really loved it!

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