Author Archives: Mary S.

Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush Review & Pictures

Urban-Decay-Good-Karma-Optical-Blurring-Brush-Review-PicturesAlthough brushes aren’t as exciting to review as nail polish or makeup, I find them very useful.

Makeup brushes are something you use on a daily basis (well, provided that you wear cosmetics). And a lot of them can be quite pricey.

Sure, I have a lot of Sigma makeup brushes, but when something new comes out that looks amazing, I’m very tempted to try it. But, the high price usually holds me back. Unlike a bottle of nail polish, a brush can be quite the investment.

For that reason, I haven’t bought a new brush in a very long time. But then the Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush came out along with a new liquid foundation.

Being a fan of the Urban Decay brand (their products are top-notch), I caved and bought both the brush and the foundation.

I’ve tried out the brush for quite some time, and now I feel like I can honestly review its performance. Let me tell you more about this brush that’s been getting so much hype lately!

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Nicole by OPI Spring Break Swatches & Review

Nicole-by-OPI-Spring-Break-Swatches-ReviewHope you had a wonderful Hallowe’en last night! (What did you wear on your nails for fright night?)

Today I have another shade from the upcoming Selena Gomez Collection that’ll be in stores January 2013 – Nicole by OPI Spring Break!

It’s hard for me to pull off pink polishes…when they’re light shades. When they’re saturated like Spring Break, they’re easy to wear. It’s something to do with the contrast against my skin tone.

Okay, I don’t really know much about Selena Gomez, so I have no point of reference to use in terms of her music.

Does she have a song about spring break? Otherwise, it’s a peculiar name for a polish that’s coming out in January. Hehe, it’s like a tease!

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Nail Art Tutorial: Jack Skellington Nails (Nightmare Before Christmas Nails)

Jack Skellington Nails Nail ArtAre you a fan of Tim Burton or of The Nightmare Before Christmas? Then you might like these Jack Skellington Nails!

When I sat down to paint this, I didn’t have much time, so a nail-art design that was fast and that didn’t use too many colours was imperative.

I’m so happy to share this look with you because it’s perfect if you’re just painting your nails tonight and need something easy. This is also a design that doesn’t require too much concentration. It’s okay if the lines aren’t really straight and even. It all goes together.

I want to wish you all a very HAPPY HALLOWE’EN! Please be safe no matter what you decide to do, and HAVE FUN! 🙂

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Bath & Body Works Fresh Picked Blackberries Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap Review & Pictures

Bath & Body Works Fresh Picked Blackberries Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap Review & PicturesFirst thing’s first. I want to say that my thoughts and prayers go out especially to those on the east coat who are experiencing the worst of Sandy, the hurricane-turned-post-tropical-cyclone. Please be safe!

Here in Canada, we experienced strong winds and some rain. One woman was killed by a falling Staples sign, and I saw news footage of a large tree collapsing onto a house in the Beaches! Thousands of people in the Greater Toronto Area have experienced power outages. Sandy isn’t playing around!

In the wake of crazy environmental conditions terrorizing so many and worrying about my neighbours south of the border, I feel like this product review is unimportant. But, unless I lose electricity, the Swatch And Learn show will go on…

Edit: I ended up losing power last night, and it was literally a few seconds after I scheduled this post for today! The power came back on this morning, and the wind has died down here. We didn’t experience the degree of the storm like the Americans. My heart goes out to all of you who are feeling the effects of it!

Today I have a review on the Bath & Body Works Fresh Picked Blackberries Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap.

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Nail Art Tutorial: Sheep Nails (I Did This Look on a MAN!)

Sheep-Nails-Nail-Art-TutorialYou’ll remember that I blogged about painting my guy friends’ nails before. Well, ever since then, I’ve been itching to do it again. And I did! 😉

The Sheep Nail Art you see was the result of a very fun painting session!

I actually had this design in my head for quite some time and had wanted to do it on my own nails, but I was just too busy.

(In addition to having a full-time job, I’m also a professional freelance writer on the side. Haha, it feels like I’m always working! But when I have spare time, I squeeze in socializing with friends, daily blogging, and knitting.)

So when I was chilling with this guy, I was thrilled when he agreed to not only let me paint a sheep nail design on him, but also publish it on Swatch And Learn. Also, he wanted to confirm that he could remove it immediately after. (Haha, no, nail polish isn’t permanent!) So, just a few seconds after this little sheep was born, it was axed. Poor baby!

Keep reading this blog post because I show you step-by-step with written instructions and fun photos of this man’s thumb nail to help you recreate the look (or to help you convince the guys in your life to not take themselves too seriously). 😉

P.S. Funny thing is that he actually pointed out that I got some of the blue polish on his skin. And then he also mentioned that the sheep was missing its ear. Hahaha! Sorry that your first nail-art experience wasn’t perfect, Mr. Brawny Man! 😛 I’ll do better next time. Because…oh yeahhhh, there’ll be a next time…and another time after that…and another….Hehehehe! Practice makes perfect, right? Right! (He’s actually a professional artist, so that’s why he was very observant of my nail-painting flaws. Haha, he’s not a jerk.)

P.P.S. I would make a terrible nail technician. The entire time, I was smiling and giggling! I just couldn’t keep quiet no matter how hard I tried.

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Smorgasbord Sundays: Neon Pink Yarn & The Cowl I Made

Neon Pink Yarn Indie Hand Dyed Merino Wool Yarn smallerOkay, don’t worry – even though a couple of my latest Smorgasbord Sundays posts have been focused on knitting, they won’t always be.

I’ve just been really obsessed with it lately. (Haha, maybe I should start a separate blog all about knitting! 😛 Swatch And Learn is a very appropriate name, though…)

Today, I would like to show you neon pink yarn I bought from Etsy and the chunky cable cowl I made.

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China Glaze Blue Sparrow Swatches & Review (Revisited)

China-Glaze-Blue-Sparrow-Swatches-ReviewChina Glaze Blue Sparrow is my absolute favourite blue nail polish. Ever. In my collection of 600+ bottles of lacquer, that’s saying a lot. And it’s not even hard to find or expensive. Beauty comes at every price point.

So even though I’ve previously reviewed this polish on here back in the day, I decided that it needed to be revisited so that I could show you more photos. My previous post in November 2010 didn’t do it any justice.

This is a polish that is what I like to call the Ugly Duckling. You see, without a top coat, it looks dry like clay or sand, and the texture is lumpy. (All the other nail polishes poked fun at it and called it names.) But then this ‘blue sparrow’ grew up and became a looker. You slick on some top coat, and WOWZA!

I dare you to not to stare at your nails throughout the day! (I couldn’t, so I walked into poles, people, and poodles…Okay, maybe not, but I felt like I should with this on…hehe!)

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