Author Archives: Mary S.

Nicole by OPI Stars at Night Swatches & Review (Layered Over OPI Vant to Bite My Neck?)

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Nicole by OPI Stars at Night Swatches & ReviewSome people think that bar glitter makes their nails look hairy. Well, hun bun, if you want to see hairy (or furry), you should check out a flocking manicure I did not long ago.

So, in comparison, Nicole by OPI Stars at Night is the tame version of hairy nails. 😉

This silver-holographic polish is part of the Selena Gomez Collection coming out in January 2013!

P.S. I never knew how many Selena Gomez fans are out there. After blogging about this collection, I found that out on Twitter! Wow, and they seem like a very loyal fan base, too!

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China Glaze Escaping Reality Swatches & Review

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China Glaze Escaping Reality Swatches & ReviewWhen the weather is gloomy or you’re feeling down, nothing perks you right up like a bright and playful nail polish.

China Glaze Escaping Reality fits the bill perfectly.

It’s a lovely shade that’s bold. I enjoy saturated colours like this because they pack a punch. And, in this case, it’s a bubblegum punch. How girly!

Shh…I think I’m beginning to like pink more. For the longest time, I’ve blogged about how I find light pinks difficult to sport, and that’s why I didn’t wear them often. However, I set a personal goal to try more pinks in general. To my surprise, I found a lot that I liked and would wear again. (But green still has my heart! No case of the Wandering Eye here. I’m committed to my true love.)

And the name of this polish speaks to me since I often have my head in the clouds. Being a Pisces, I guess it should come as no surprise…

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OPI Vant to Bite My Neck? Swatches & Review

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Vant to Bite My Neck Swatches & ReviewOPI Vant to Bite My Neck? is a dark purple from the Euro Centrale Spring/Summer Collection coming out in February 2013.

If you’ve followed Swatch And Learn for a little while, you may have noticed that I don’t maintain a nail length. I sport all different lengths from little nubs like in today’s post to longer nails. (It’s not because I’m crazy. Well, okay, maybe just a smidgeon. I just appreciate diversity, and perhaps I’m a little indecisive. Maybe…I haven’t decided! Haha, kidding! I did that on purpose.)

I trimmed my nails super short quite a few days ago, but you’re just seeing it recently because there’s a bit of a lag between the manicure I wear and when it gets published on here. (You’ll probably notice that more when one day my nails are really short and then the next day, they’re much longer. Sometimes I upload manicures out of order. I swear I haven’t been drinking the werewolf’s Kool-Aid…even though it’s supposedly delicious!) 😉

The first polish I reached for after trimming my nails was Vant to Bite My Neck? because I just love how chic dark shades look on short nails.

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Nail Art: Blue Flocked Nails (Plus My Experience & Application Tips)

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Blue Flocked Nails Nail Art SwatchesDon’t rub your eyes. Yes, my nails in today’s post are indeed fuzzy! These are Blue Flocked Nails that made me feel like I was the Cookie Monster…or Fuzzy Wuzzy (the bear)!

You saw me try this look most recently on a guy for fun, except I used pink flocking powder in that case.

To achieve this extreme nail art, I used blue flocking powder and secured it to my natural nails with a regular (and beautiful) nail polish (Orly Royal Navy).

I wore this as a full manicure and went about my normal routine to test it out.

It’s definitely not a practical manicure. This is best suited for a special event like Hallowe’en when you need something ‘out there’ and don’t require it to last as long as nail polish. When worn for such an occasion, I think it’s a really cool novelty!

After ‘surviving’ a full day of wearing this, I’m really excited to share my experience with you. This was like nothing I’ve ever tried before, and I’ve never heard many people talk about it, either.

Come see more swatches of this fuzzy manicure, and allow me to tell you all about what it was like to wear flocked nails!

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Pretty Serious Cosmetics Christmas Without Snow Collection Press Release & Promo Pictures

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Pretty-Serious-Cosmetics-Christmas-Without-Snow-Collection-Press-Release-Promo-Pictures smallerYesterday, I received the press release for the Pretty Serious Cosmetics Christmas Without Snow Collection!

It made me think about how I immediately associate snow with Christmas. Being a Canadian, winters often spell snow. (Last year, however, was pretty strange. We hardly got any snow, and the weather was extremely mild!)

I’m the type of person who likes to admire the snow…from inside where it’s cozy and warm. 😉 I dislike shovelling snow (I’m terrible at it), I feel the cold as though I’m an elderly woman, I can never fall asleep when my chicken feet are cold, and I’m really bad at skiing.

Yeah, maybe I need to move to California…or perhaps I need to put my pride aside and purchase a hot-water bottle to warm up my bed. *Thinks about it while knitting in a rocking chair* (Okay, I don’t have a rocking chair, but I’ve loved them ever since I was a little kid. Yes, I was born an old lady, I suppose…)

Going back to the Pretty Serious Cosmetics Christmas Without Snow Collection…It reminded me that not everyone associates snow with Christmas. In some places, it’s balmy. Maybe they make a ‘sandman’ instead of a ‘snowman’.

Of the 6 shades in the Christmas Without Snow Collection, the ones that excite me the most are Blue Gums on Boxing Day, Party by the Pool, Hot Summer Nights, and Seasonal Sunset. Haha, that’s practically the entire collection!

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Smorgasbord Sundays: Keurig B60 Special Edition Coffee Maker

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Keurig B60 Special Edition Coffee MachineFor those who follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may know that recently, I got a Keurig B60 Special Edition Coffee Maker. (You can make hot tea, iced tea, and hot chocolate with it, too.)

I don’t drink a ton of coffee, but there are some mornings when I want that extra ‘kick’. Plus the weather is getting nippy (as my dad used to say), so having a hot beverage on my way to work is not only comforting, but it keeps me from feeling like a human popsicle.

When a department store had a major friends and family sale, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. (In fact, I had been looking for a coffee machine for a while before I made the purchase, so I already knew the exact model I wanted and was just waiting for the best discount.)

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Cult Nails Coveted Swatches & Review

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Cult-Nails-Coveted-Swatches-ReviewCult Nails Coveted from the Behind Closed Doors Collection is a deep, sexy green lacquer that is right up my alley.

Green is a ‘comfort polish’ for me. It very rarely lets me down. ‘Ole Reliable’.

And my fondness for green is no secret. 🙂 My good friend, Marta, from ChitChatNails gave me this bottle as a gift! Imagine my excitement when I learned it was from the newest collection! (Thanks, Marta!)

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