Author Archives: Mary S.

OPI Alice Through the Looking Glass Collection Swatches

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OPI Alice through the Looking Glass Collection Swatches

Yesterday, in my Twitter poll, I asked which of three nail-polish collections you wanted me to swatch first.

The majority (39%) chose the OPI Alice Through the Looking Glass Collection, although the Zoya Seashells Collection came in at a very close second (38%).

Taking your request into account, here are all nine colours in the OPI Alice Through the Looking Glass Collection (aka the Brights 2016 Collection) swatched!

(If you’re interested in seeing the official press release with the colour story, click the link to see it in a blog post I published previously.)

Which one’s your favourite?

The red and plum had a jelly-like finish, which was very shiny and on the sheer, watery side. However, they could be built up with multiple coats.

The gold has a little silver thrown in, and it’s a textured glitter nail polish. (On me, I think it looks wonky and the texture looked clumpy because the base colour is metallic. It wasn’t my favourite, even though I am a fan of textures.)

My heart raced faster when I tried on the special-edition colour, What Time Isn’t It?, which is a pigmented grey with bar glitter. I don’t have anything exactly like it.

The light and dark blues were my favourite cremes because they pop on your nails!

Overall, the formulas on these were great and easy to apply with most needing just two coats.

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The Body Shop Piñita Colada Body Butter Review

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The Body Shop Pinita Colada Body Butter Review

Treat your skin to a tropical paradise, flaunt your grass skirt, and satisfy your summer craving with The Body Shop Piñita Colada Body Butter, which combines creamy coconut with juicy pineapple for a scent that’s reminiscent of the well-loved piña colada!

This special edition officially launches in Canada in July 2016, but if you’re in the United Kingdom, this Piñita Colada Body Butter by The Body Shop is already available as a new arrival.

The Body Shop Piñita Colada Body Butter contains hand-harvested coconuts from the Antilles region of the Caribbean and fresh, handpicked pineapples in Santo Domingo.

Oh, and yes, the entire time I was working on this post, Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes was stuck in my head: “If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, if you’re not into yoga, if you have half a brain, if you like making love at midnight in the dunes of the cape, then I’m the love that you’ve looked for! Write to me, and escape!”

Hey, did you know that, as a symbol of love, the Caribbean Indians traditionally put pineapple crowns outside their homes? I just read that recently and thought it was cute!

On my nails: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Ripple in Time.

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OPI Retro Summer 2016 Collection

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OPI Retro Summer 2016 Collection

Hit the beach with confidence when you’re wearing sunny colours from the OPI Retro Summer 2016 Collection, which officially launches on June 1st!

The six colours take inspiration from candy-floss skies, smouldering destinations, teeny bikinis, and tropical beverages.

Slide on your flip flops, tie a bow in your string bikini, and let’s go check out the shades in the OPI Retro Summer 2016 Collection!

Edit (May 27, 2016): They’re up! Click here to see my OPI Retro Summer 2016 Collection swatches, and let me know which one’s your favourite!

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My Exclusive Interview with Maribeth Madron, Makeup Artist & Eyebrow Specialist

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Maribeth Madron

Whenever I get the chance to promote smart, successful, and talented women, I leap like a frog at the chance because their examples serve to remind us all of what you can achieve when you embrace potential, push up your sleeves to work hard, set and achieve goals, and never settle for mediocrity.

In today’s post, I share my Exclusive Interview with Maribeth Madron, who is a highly acclaimed makeup artist and eyebrow specialist.

I was honoured that the queen of eyebrows and makeup took the time to answer my questions, so that I could help others get their eyebrows on fleek!

Continuing to make her indelible and inspiration mark on the beauty industry, she has numerous recognitions including Best for Brows by Allure (eight times!), Best for Makeup, Best for Wedding Makeup, and a feature in Vogue’s prestigious beauty listing, “The Guide” for her brow work.

Working hard and remaining dedicated to her passion have always been part of her repertoire, as she began training since she was a teenager!

To date, under her belt, she has 10 years as Laura Mercier’s international makeup artist and educator.

Over the course of her fast-paced career, she has made personal appearances, been a globetrotter for press events, photo shoots, launches, and educational seminars. Clearly, there’s never a dull moment, and her drive propels her to tackle new and greater challenges.

Taking the beauty, entertainment, and fashion industries by storm, her work has been featured on many of today’s popular shows on television: The Today Show, Access Hollywood, The Bachelorette Wedding, the Grammy Awards, the Tonys, Good Morning America, The View, Late Show with David Letterman, Extreme Makeover, and Fashion Emergency.

Her work has been also featured in print in many of the top beauty, fashion, and lifestyle magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar (HK), Vanity Fair, Allure, Marie Claire (UK), and Ladies’ Home Journal.

Being able to juggle everything, she still also squeezed in time to be a frequent panelist for the Women’s Healthy Beauty Product Awards, and she was an Emmy Awards judge in the makeup categories.

Since 2013, Maribeth has been Maybelline‘s Global Brow Expert, and she’s involved in many of their initiatives including product development, as well product launches and print and video shoots.

Keep reading the rest of this post to get the lowdown on tips for keeping your brow game strong and insight into the upcoming brow trends, according to Maribeth in my exclusive interview!

Also, I talk about my eyebrow journey when I was a teen. (Hands up if you also tweezed too much in the 90’s!)

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This Is What $2,000 Custom KISS Nails Look Like

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Chrome Nails KISS Nails Mar y Soul Mani

The most expensive nail polish in my collection cost me $52.68 CAD. In 2011, I splurged on the coveted multi-chromatic wonder, Clarins 230 (or what fellow nail-polish addicts fondly call ‘Unicorn Pee‘). Since then, I haven’t made any wild nail purchases.

Needless to say, $2,000 Custom KISS Nails aren’t in my budget’s stratosphere. (Not even in my exosphere!)

But it’s not always about what you can buy. There’s something to be said about admiring without feeling the need to purchase it. Like the priceless painting hanging in the Art Gallery of Ontario, I can enjoy the artistry without needing it in my living room.

I can appreciate the way the $2,000 custom KISS nails look without needing to spend that much moola.

Just the other day, one of my readers was asking me on social media about chrome nail polish, so it was interesting timing!

Most chrome nail polish I have tried tends to leave behind more of a brushed-chrome finish on the nail, rather than a mirror-like shine, such as what Minx Nails provide. And nail appliques are tricky for me because my nails are narrow and very curvy.

When I was in elementary school or high school, I remember that Sally Hansen came out with a chrome collection, and it was one of the more shiny chromes on the market that I’ve ever tried.

Seeing the custom set of chrome nails created for Gigi Hadid to wear to the 2016 Met Gala was exciting because maybe the brand will release a consumer version, so that we can all easily get a true mirror-like chrome manicure in seconds with zero brushstrokes! *Fingers crossed*

The woman behind the nails? Mar y Soul, and she’s based in New York City.

(Yes, Mar y, not Mary. Hehe, since my name’s Mary, every time I went to type Mar y in this blog post, my fingers tried to type Mary first, out of habit.)

Mar y Soul’s talent has landed her work for more than 300 fashion editorial covers, and she has painted the nails of A-list celebrities.

The rest of this post contains more photos of the awesome chrome nails Mar y Soul created for Gigi Hadid, as well as how to get a similar look on a small budget.

Note: All the photos in this post are courtesy of PR. Collage created by me.

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Essie Loot the Booty Swatches & Review

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Essie Loot the Booty Swatches Review

Essie Loot the Booty from the Summer 2016 Collection will bring out your inner swashbuckling pirate…even if you’re a landlubber! Arr!

Akin to the sun kissing the sea, Essie Loot the Booty graces your nails with a gentle shimmer. X marks the spot, and it’s as blue as the sapphires in the impressive treasure chest.

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