Author Archives: Mary S.

OPI Infinite Shine To Be Continued… Swatches & Review

OPI Infinite Shine To Be Continued Swatches Review

OPI Infinite Shine To Be Continued… is a fairytale blue that tells a story, which doesn’t want to end. It would bring a smile to even Grumpy Bear’s cuddly face!

This shade might look familiar to you. I used it as the base colour under China Glaze Moonlight the Night in a recent review.

Also, it’s so close to Essie Bikini So Teeny that you could probably get away with owning one or the other instead of both.

OPI Infinite Shine To Be Continued… conveniently fits right in with Pantone’s Colour of the Year, Serenity, so when wearing this, you’ll feel like quite the trendy nailista.

If OPI Infinite Shine To Be Continued… were a nail polish that could sing, I’m sure that, all day, we’d hear it belt out, “This is the song that never ends. Yes it goes on and on, my friend. Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue singing it forever just because it is the song that never ends…” 😉

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blinc Mascara Amplified, Eyebrow Mousse, Eye Shadow Primer & Eyeliner Pencil Quick Look

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blinc eye cosmetics makeup

I ate my blinc mascara!

(Hehe, don’t worry – it was a designer cookie created by Hello Baked. I haven’t gone completely bonkers. Just a little bit…)

Are you a beauty enthusiast? If so, blink once. Love eye-makeup products? If so, then ‘blinc’ twice!

Designed to enhance your beauty and play up the windows to your soul, blinc eye makeup promises to offer long-lasting wear, yet ease of removal. Create beautiful eye looks in a ‘blinc!’

You’ve probably seen blinc cosmetics praised in many major beauty publications including print magazines like Allure, Marie Claire, and Oprah.

Founded in 1999 by Lewis Farsedakis, blinc has continuously ranked as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies on the Inc. 5000 list. Its headquarters are in Florida, and the brand focuses solely on innovating eye products. (They created the world’s first tube-forming mascara and eyebrow mousse.)

blinc cosmetics has a fresh take on eye makeup. Instead of allowing you to make a mutually exclusive choice between long-lasting wear or easy removal, their products offer the best of both worlds!

You can find blinc cosmetics at blincinc.com, Sephora stores, and Sephora.com.

These four products in the blinc Discovery Collection landed at Swatch And Learn headquarters recently:

blinc Mascara Amplified (Black)
blinc Eyebrow Mousse (Light Brunette)
blinc Eye Shadow Primer (Light Tone)
blinc Eyeliner Pencil (Black)

After I test-drive all of them substantially, I’ll prepare an in-depth review. In the meantime, I want to share this post that contains a quick look at each product, swatches (at the very bottom of the page), and more information.

blinc Mascara Eyeshadow Primer

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OPI Rich Girls & Po-Boys Swatches & Review

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OPI Rich Girls And Po-Boys Swatches Review

You don’t have to rake in a six-figure salary to enjoy the high life. (Money isn’t everything. Happiness is!)

Nails get the luxe experience without needing the hoopla of a red carpet when they’re polished with OPI Rich Girls & Po-Boys from the New Orleans Collection!

I fell in love with OPI Rich Girls & Po-Boys when I wore this manicure for a few days straight. It’s one of my favourites in the collection because it’s not your run-of-the-mill blue creme. There’s that extra zing, and who doesn’t like a good zing…unless maybe you got burned really badly by Big Brother’s Zingbot! 😉

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I Met Shaun Pulfrey, the Tangle Teezer Inventor (Plus Info on NEW Brushes!)

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Shaun Pulfrey Tangle Teezer

Recently, I was invited to attend an exclusive event unveiling the new Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush and Tangle Teezer Thick & Curly Detangling Hairbrush, which will be available at Sephora!

That in itself was exciting, but what put the cherry on top of my drool-inducing sundae was that Shaun Pulfrey, the man who invented the Tangle Teezer, was at the event! (When I received the invitation, I had to read that part several times to make sure that my myopic eyes weren’t deceiving me.)

Not only did I get to see Shaun Pulfrey, but I had the pleasure of watching him do a live demonstration showing the Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush in action. He also gave more detailed information about the entire Tangle Teezer line. Then, after the presentation, I swooped over to speak with him, snagged a photo op, and thanked him for inventing the brush that changed my hair life!

It’s not often that I get to shake the hand of a person who touched my life in some way, so this was a big deal to me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

I’m really happy to tell you that Shaun Pulfrey is a genuinely nice guy!

Sometimes when people achieve success or fame, it goes to their head, and they become snobbish, but that wasn’t the case with Shaun. My impression of him throughout the night is that he truly puts his passion and heart into his company and hair innovations. He radiated energy, and his animated spirit was infectious.

His mission, although not stated implicitly, seems to be that he wants to make hairstyling easier, faster, and more respectful of the hair’s condition. This is what I pieced together.

By the way, Shaun’s story is one that inspires me because he believed in himself and his invention, even when others initially didn’t.

I read an article about how he approached Dragons’ Den and asked them to invest in his brush. They turned him away, but he continued to pursue his dream, and now not only is he successful, but he has created a unique solution to a very real problem. (Check out this article, if you want all the details and if you want to be inspired.)

Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush

Keep reading the rest of my detailed post. I include the many things that I learned during the Tangle Teezer event, photos of the cute displays, and more information about the latest Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Hairbrush!

P.S. In case you missed it, I’m having a Canadian giveaway until March 11th. Enter for your chance to win the entire Essie Spring 2016 Collection!

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Essie Spring 2016 Collection Giveaway (Canadians Only)

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Edit (Saturday March 12, 2016):

Congratulations, Tammy! You’ve won the giveaway! Please reply to my e-mail within 48 hours to claim your prize.

Thanks to everyone for participating, and check back later. I’ll be having more nail-polish giveaways!)

Essie Spring 2016 Collection Giveaway

Usher in a new season by entering my Essie Spring 2016 Collection Giveaway exclusively for Canadian readers until Friday March 11, 2016 at 11:59 pm EST!

The lucky nail-polish enthusiast who wins this giveaway will receive all six shades in new, full-size bottles: High Class Affair, Lounge Lover, Sunshine State of Mind, Off Tropic, Pool Side Service, and Shades On.

I did a preview post with swatches of all the colours in the Essie Spring 2016 Collection, so check that out, if you haven’t already seen it.

Also, you can view all the blog posts I’ve done featuring Essie nail polishes here.

Carefully read the details further in this post to learn how to submit your valid entry. Also, there are optional ways for you to gain extra entries and increase your chances of winning.

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Essie Nama-stay the Night Swatches & Review

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Essie Nama-stay the Night Swatches Review

Essie Nama-stay the Night won’t let you sleep a wink because it isn’t a slumber party for your nails!

It’s part of the upcoming Essie Resort 2016 Collection that officially drops on March 29, 2016, and in person, it looks more vivid than it translates in photos. (Click the above link to see my swatches of all the colours in the collection.)

Not for the shy violets, this bold blue will garner attention from onlookers. (While wearing this manicure, several strangers complimented me on the colour, so it just reconfirmed what I already thought – it’s a winner!)

P.S. A fun nail-polish giveaway is coming this week! It’ll be open to Canadians. Check back very soon for the details on how you can enter for a chance to win big!

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