Author Archives: Mary S.

Panorea Skin + Spa Review

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Panorea Skin and Spa TorontoMother’s Day is coming up!

Are you ready to make Mom feel like a queen for a day?

A while ago, my mom and I enjoyed our first spa experience at a Toronto skincare spa called Panorea Skin + Spa.

Panorea Skin + Spa has been family owned and operated since 1981, and it was named after a real woman called Panorea. (I think it’s a beautiful name and one that I have never come across in my circles.)

We went to this Toronto spa when it was located at 416 Bloor Street West, but they’ve recently relocated to 853 Bathurst Street. (Their new location is north of Bathurst Station on the east side. Look for their green planters!)

They offer all the spa treatments you could want from hair removal, eyelash tinting, and custom facials to manicures, pedicures, and skin consultation.

If you’re curious, their prices and services are conveniently listed here on the Panorea Skin + Spa website where you can also book your appointment online.

By the way, I saw on their website that they’re running a Manicure/Pedicure Special for $55 CAD when you book from Monday to Wednesday. (Also, this spa offers CND Shellac nail polish, but I also noticed a wide variety of Nubar nail polishes in the back. Hehe, you know this nailphile would spot the lacquer quickly, right?)

Other ways to contact them:

  • E-mail: info@panorea.ca
  • Phone: (416) 530-0781
  • The handy web form at the bottom of their website

During our spa visit, we met Louis and Shantel, who are shown in the above photo.

Louis is Panorea’s son, and we chit chatted a little bit. He’s very friendly, and I could feel his passion for skincare right from the beginning! Plus he obviously walks the walk, since the dude has the smoothest and most even complexion that I’ve ever seen on a man in a long time. I could tell that he takes extremely good care of his skin!

When I commented on how healthy his skin looked, he flashed a charming smile and attributed it to his mother teaching him how to care for his skin at an early age.

I agree – prevention is the key! Wear good sunscreen all the time, and don’t neglect your skin!

Shantel, the esthetician who would perform the facials, had a calm demeanour, which made it easy to relax. After going over the forms we filled out based on our skin concerns and the products we used, she suggested specific Dr. Renaud skincare products and spa facials that we would benefit the most from.

She was very knowledgeable and patient, offering advice and answering our constant string of curious questions. (Remember, it was our first ever spa trip, so everything was new to us!)

In the rest of this post, I will go into more detail about our Panorea Skin + Spa experience. Come along because I’ll also share some photos of my mom during her collagen-infused facial.

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Help Provide Fort McMurray Fire Relief Support

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Fort McMurray Fire

The above photo was captured by Sarah Peats (@SarahPeats1 on Twitter). She was born and raised in Northern Alberta. Her tweet reads: “Praying I have a home to go back to. Fire isn’t over officials say the worst is yet to come. #FortMcMurrayStrong” This was one of the many tweets I came across that compelled me to write this blog post.

Hey everyone,

I was going to publish my usual post about beauty products. However, I had some things on my mind that I wanted to share, following the catastrophic events in the news. (If you’re not interested and want your usual daily dose of nail polish, check out my social media. I will still post a manicure on there later today.)

While I don’t live in Alberta, which is in a state of emergency, I am Canadian, and it hit me hard to learn about the raging wildfire in Fort McMurray.

The countless images and videos I’ve seen of the Fort McMurray fire sent shivers up my spine. All the flames and smoke remind me of what I envision hell to look like.

Many families have had to evacuate their homes, knowing that they may have nothing but rubble and soot to return to afterwards. *Sigh* I can’t even imagine how that feels. It’s the province’s largest evacuation of over 70,000 people.

If you’re an evacuee:

Forget about your opinion on the oil industry, politics, and climate change for a second. Don’t even add insult to injury to the people who have been torn from their homes by making snarky and distasteful remarks. Sadly, I’ve seen a bunch of these social-media posts.

Remember that people are being ripped from their homes and the things most precious to them. They’ve had to abandon the things that have made their house a home. They’ll have to rebuild their lives, not just their homes. Think about that.

At the time of writing this, so far, there have been no fatalities, which is amazing and something to be truly grateful for! Also, some women have gone into labour while being stuck in traffic during all of this!

Through any catastrophe, there’s always a beacon of light, and we shouldn’t ignore it because it breathes hope back into humanity.

Sometimes, it takes the worst situations to remind us of the best in people.

I am thankful for all the firefighters and emergency first responders who risk their lives daily to help the rest of us feel safe. I am also inspired by the numerous volunteers who so generously give their valuable time to help others in need.

The full extent of the Fort McMurray fire probably hasn’t been realized just yet, and the community will have to rebuild from the ground up when it’s all over.

The rest of this post includes additional information for how to contribute to the Fort McMurray Fire Relief Support.

How to Help with Fort McMurray Fire Relief Support

Donation to the Canadian Red Cross via the Website

To help them get back on their feet faster and also to help with the immediate relief support, I strongly urge you to give what you can and donate to the Canadian Red Cross. They have an official Alberta Fires Appeal where your contribution can make a huge difference, whether you donate $5, $5,000, or anything else.

The Canadian Red Cross’ website accepts donations via credit card or PayPal, and you don’t have to be a Canadian to contribute. (There’s a drop-down menu, so you can select your country of residence.)

The Alberta government will be matching dollar-for-dollar donations made to the Canadian Red Cross for Fort McMurray.

According to Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Canadian government will not only provide future assistance, but will also match charitable donations to the Canadian Red Cross for Fort McMurray.

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Zoya Seashells & Sunsets Summer 2016 Collection

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Zoya Summer 2016 Collection Seashells Sunsets

Yesterday, on social media, I shared with you the news that just dropped: the Zoya Summer 2016 Collection is available for sale on Zoya’s website!

It’s divided into two sections:

  • Zoya Seashells Collection: Textured PixieDusts
  • Zoya Sunsets Collection: One coat creams

Feasting my eyes on the wide variety of colours, this looks like a fun set, and I’m excited to see that there are two greens in the mix: Cece and Ness.

I think that Zoya releases more greens than any other mainstream nail-polish company off the top of my head. Wish that more brands would be as fearless with colour like Zoya!

Ever since textured nail polishes became trendy long ago, I hopped on that bandwagon. Still not tired of it! It’s possibly the only nail trend that has kept my interest for such a long time. Their dry time is faster than a ferret amped up on coffee (don’t feed your pets that), and the PixieDust formulation is particularly refined with saturated pigmentation.

The creams are supposed to be one-coaters, which is always a good thing, even if I use a minimum of two coats for a standard manicure.

Those of you who do nail stamping and other nail art regularly might also want to check out these creams because they should show up better in your designs.

See the rest of this blog post for more images of the Zoya Summer 2016 Collection!

I’ve included images of their new lipstick shades and gift sets, as well as the official press release, in case you want all the details.

Have you tried any Zoya lipsticks? I haven’t, but I’m curious!

Edit (May 10, 2016): You can get free shipping on everything in the Zoya Seashells and Sunsets Collection when you use the code SUMMERLOVE on Zoya.com until May 15 at 11:59 pm ET! (The code also works on the lipsticks and gift sets in the collection.)

Edit (May 19, 2016): See my swatches of the entire Zoya Seashells Collection (the PixieDust polishes)!

Edit (May 21, 2016): See my swatches of the entire Zoya Sunsets Collection (the creme polishes)!

Edit (June 27, 2016): See my swatches of the two Zoya lipsticks, Candy and Mellie, from this collection!

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Smith & Cult Nail Polish Swatches & Review

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Smith & Cult Nail Polish Swatches

If you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ over the past few weeks, you’ve seen me share my swatches of 17 beautiful Smith & Cult nail polishes!

Since not all nail polishes I feature on social media wind up on the blog, you may not have seen these, except for Smith & Cult She Said Yeah, which I did an in-depth review on that included multiple swatches on here. (Details of where to find these luxury nail polishes and more information are in the ‘Key Notes’ section of that review.)

My Thoughts on Smith & Cult Nail Polish

After trying out a wide range of colours from this new-to-me brand, I can totally vouch for them in terms of quality. The ones I’ve tried had smooth formulas, which made for an easy application. Plus the extensive variety of colours means that, chances are, at least one will appeal to you!

The bottles feel luxurious and are on a whole other level than others I have in my collection…and you know that I have thousands, so that speaks volumes. They’re weighty, and the design reminds me of a high-end perfume bottle.

Although the caps are extremely large, they are just covers, so you can easily twist them off, which reveals a smaller handle that allows you to apply the nail polish as you normally would.

Compared to many mainstream nail polishes, Smith & Cult features a much shorter brush wand. I found it easy to use, but obviously, the experience and preference varies from person to person.

In this post, I’ll share with you larger photos of each of the swatches shown in the above collage, as well as the captions I wrote (inspired by the nail polishes) to accompany each of the swatches that I posted on my social media.

Which colours do you like?

If I haven’t yet swatched a Smith & Cult nail polish that you want to see, let me know! (I have some more colours to share, and if I have the one you’d like to see, I’ll bump it up on my to-share-on-social-media list.)

Edit (June 6, 2016): To see Smith & Cult Nail Polish Swatches Part 2, click on the link for nine additional swatches!

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Essie Tribal Text-styles Swatches & Review

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Essie Tribal Text-Styles Swatches Review

Send a ‘text message’ with your nails when wearing Essie Tribal Text-styles!

Hailing from the Summer 2016 Collection, Essie Tribal Text-styles brings out your dark (and sparkly) side. You’ll want to dip your claws into this moody superstar!

This shade got me excited because it’s not every day that a mainstream nail-polish company strays from the longtime convention of summer collections favouring bright hues!

For as long as I can remember, I haven’t limited myself to ‘seasonally appropriate’ shades because I believe that self-expression runs the gamut of colours. Wear what makes you happy!

In scorching summers, I have worn a jet-black manicure, and in the dead of winter, I busted out my most flamboyant neons without batting an eyelash.

That’s why it was so incredible to see Essie encourage fellow nail junkies to embrace any colour any time! There are no nail rules etched in stone, and I urge you all to create your own ‘rules’ that are guided by your love of colour and passion for experimentation.

In my swatches later in this post, you’ll be able to see how brilliantly this polish sparkles, especially in the sunlight! In person, it’s even more mesmerizing, as they dance on your nails like tap shoes burning a hole in the ground!

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Essie Aim to Misbehave Swatches & Review (Essie’s 1000th Shade!)

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Essie 1000th Shade Aim to Misbehave

Officially launching on May 31, 2016, Essie Aim to Misbehave is the brand’s 1000th shade!

To celebrate, they decided to opt for a celebratory yellow, which is pretty unique when it comes to the kinds of polishes that Essie tends to release. (It’s not their very first yellow, though. Avid nail-polish collectors will remember Essie Shorty Pants, which was a bright yellow.)

Forget about Bananas in Pyjamas. This is what bananas rolling around in shimmer looks like!

Is it just me, or do you also think that Austin Powers should’ve been part of this Essie campaign? 😉 “Oh, behave!”

You know that I absolutely love experimenting with all the colours in the rainbow, and yellow nail polish is no exception. It’s bright and cheerful!

In this post, I go into detail about what I think about Essie Aim to Misbehave in terms of the colour and the formula. Also, as per my usual reviews, I show you what it looks like in bright artificial light and in natural light. (With Essie Aim to Misbehave, there’s a huge difference, depending on the light.)

Additionally, I’ve included the official press release, in case you’re like me and love to learn more about the colour story and inspiration behind it all.

P.S. Did you see the nail news that I shared yesterday on social media? Talk about taking #essielove way too far! There’s a dude stealing hundreds of bottles of nail polish from the drugstore, and they’re exclusively Essie nail polishes! (I imagine him wearing a huge coat with special pockets on the inside and looking like the Michelin Tires mascot.)

Essie Aim to Misbehave Swatches Review

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OPI Infinite Shine Olive for Green Swatches & Review

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OPI Infinite Shine Olive for Green Swatch Review

OPI Infinite Shine Olive for Green has my name written all over it. Okay, not literally, but the second I first saw it in the Spring 2016 Collection, angels played harps and fluttered their wings. Pretty much the same thing, right? 😉

OPI Infinite Shine Olive for Green pulls out all the stops! Go, go, go!

It took all my willpower to not wear this one right away. Sometimes exercising self-restraint makes it that much more rewarding when you finally wear a colour you’re been lusting over!

I think Mother Nature was jealous, though, because when I decided to photograph my manicure, it was a cloudy, dark, rainy day. (You’d think that the sunshine would want to come out for this, wouldn’t you?)

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