Author Archives: Mary S.

Quick Look at 4 Shades in the KBShimmer Fall 2015 Collection (Swatches & Bottle Shots)

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KBShimmer Fall 2015 CollectionToday, I have a quick look at four of the upcoming shades in the KBShimmer Fall 2015 Collection that will be available starting September 15th.

These are the colours shown in this post: Soul Deep (rich purple), Dark & Twisty (black with glitter), Such a Vlad-Ass (red), and I Feel Gourd-geous (gold holo).

Out of the bunch, based on my first impression, Dark & Twisty stands out to me the most because it’s like the dark side of a rainbow, the place where naughty leprechauns go to play poker with missing gold coins. (At least, this is what first sprung to mind when I saw the polish!)

In this post, I share quick bottle shots and swatches of these, and if you’re interested in seeing separate in-depth reviews on a particular shade, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.

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Zoya Nail Polish Exchange 2015

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Zoya Nail Polish Exchange 2015

I’m squeaking in a post close to midnight because I wanted to share some nail news that you might be interested in. Received the information on Friday, straight from Zoya’s PR. But, you know how life gets hectic sometimes, so I only managed to blog about it now. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of time for you to take advantage of this awesome opportunity – until September 12th!

Here’s the official information about the Zoya Nail Polish Exchange:

Trade in your brands for the smart choice today! Not only was Zoya the pioneer of the BIG3FREE and the BIG5FREE movement, we’re technically 8-Free since our formulas have never included ethyl tosylamide, xylene or parabens. As the trusted brand among professionals and women who want cutting edge color with the safest formula available,  we want to give you the opportunity to trade in your unwanted brands for a healthier alternative – especially since many of you are concerned about the current formulas that you are using. Let’s make it the standard that #HealthierIsHappier!

How The Exchange Works…

  1. Add a minimum of 6 bottles of polish (no more than 24 bottles) to your cart – Consumer accounts ONLY. Please Note: Naked Manicure & Zoya Treatments are excluded. 
  2. Apply Code: HAPPY and a 50% credit will be deducted from your exchange order – free shipping included!
  3. Complete checkout and you’re all set! If you need further instructions on sending back your unwanted polish click here.

The exchange runs on the honour system, which means you are not obligated to send in your unwanted polish – we assume you’re going to do the right thing! If you choose to send back your polishes, please check with your carrier of choice for shipping guidelines and restrictions for nail polish. For full promotion terms & conditions and instructions on how to send in your polish, click here.

Are there any Zoya nail polishes on your list? Will you be participating in the Zoya Nail Polish exchange? What are your top 3 Zoya nail polish picks?

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Zoya Charli Swatches & Review

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Zoya Charli Swatches & ReviewSome nailphiles use soft shades as a palate cleanser, but I used Zoya Charli, a green-tinged taupe as one.

(It’s one of the impressive cremes from the Zoya Focus Collection.)

For me, this is a tame shade because it’s neutral and sophisticated, but it’s far from boring.

In some lighting, it can look more taupe, and it reminds me of pebbles and rocks along a river on a fishing trip. There’s something very ‘earthy’ about this colour, and I feel very calm when I see it.

My nails are the happiest when they sport loud, obnoxious, bold colours like graffiti. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate something that isn’t like carrying a gong around with you. 😉

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OPI Venice Collection Swatches, Bottle Shots & Pictures

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OPI Venice CollectionToday, I have a quick look at the OPI Venice Collection, which arrived in my mailbox just yesterday! (It’s very picture-heavy!)

If you follow me on social media, you saw that last night, I attended a fun event previewing Fall/Winter 2015 and current products by KISS and Broadway Nails (imPRESS) held at the Trump Hotel in downtown Toronto, and I got to meet Marni Burton, a makeup artist who’s worked on celebrities such as Milla Jovovich, Shania Twain, and Brooke Shields!

When I got home and checked my mail, the OPI Venice Collection was waiting for me. It included even more than just nail polish this time!

After picking up my jaw (hehe…because it had fallen on the ground in a puddle of my own drool), I grabbed my camera and got straight to work, snapping photos of everything.

Not only did OPI’s PR send me the full 15-shade collection (that includes the 3 limited-edition colours), but they sent it in a beautiful, collectible box, along with cute recipe cards (for real dishes you can make), some edible treats, and a masquerade mask! (Heck, even the cardboard box everything was shipped in was customized by OPI. What a great touch! I love it when companies pay such close attention to all the little details.)

In this post, I show you everything, plus, of course, quick swatches of all the colours.

Keep your eyes peeled like a banana later because after I wear some as full manicures, I’ll be reviewing the colours separately and in-depth with more swatches of each.

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Nail Art: Summer Carnival Dotticure

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Summer Dotticure SwatchesIf you followed me on social media since Friday, you already saw some photos that took while at the Canadian National Exhibiton (aka the CNE / The Ex) in Toronto.

This Summer Carnival Dotticure is what I wore to the CNE!

It was my first time trying out the KISS Polish Pop nail stickers. (The neon dots are the stickers.)

Everything else, I painted myself and tried to create a cohesive look to incorporate the fun neon dots.

With photos zoomed in so closely on my nails, you can see the transparent outline surrounding the neon dots, but in real life, it’s not quite as noticeable.

They’re worth playing around with, especially if you don’t have dotting tools, a lot of nail-polish colours, or the time to do freehand designs.

The black lacquer I used is China Glaze Liquid Leather, the pink (used on my thumb, which you can see in other photos in this post) is Duri Venom, the green is Duri Summer Rain, and the white is OPI Infinite Shine Non-Stop White.

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Enter the Redbook Contest for Your Chance to Name a Zoya Nail Polish

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Have you ever wanted to name a Zoya nail polish? Well, if you’re a Canadian or United States resident, this could be your once-in-a-lifetime chance!

Zoya has teamed up with Redbook magazine to offer a unique opportunity that I’m sure many nailphiles will be pretty happy about.

Enter the Redbook Contest for Your Chance to Name a Zoya Nail Polish!

There are three Zoya nail polishes: a red, plum, and gold

Redbook Name a Zoya Nail Polish

You can also see them shown below (as they appear in Redbook magazine’s September issue on page 60):

Name a Zoya Nail Polish Redbook Contest

To enter, all you have to do is submit a polish name for one of the shades. (The name should be a woman’s name, since all of Zoya’s polishes are named after women.) Then, in two to three sentences, explain what inspired you. Do all of this via the online entry form (linked further down in this post) by September 14 for your entry to qualify.

Redbook magazine’s editors will choose three winners based 50% on creativity and 50% on originality.

Zoya will launch the polishes with the chosen names in an upcoming holiday collection, and the winners will each receive gift sets!

See the rest of this post for further details.

P.S. Today, I took time off work so that I could spend the day at the ex. No, not an old boyfriend’s place. The Ex is the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition)! My mom wanted me to go with her and a couple of her friends.

Follow me on my Instagram, Snapchat (username: swatchandlearn), and Twitter especially because I plan on posting some photos and/or videos during the day. It’s been a while since I went to the CNE, and it’s officially the CNE’s opening day this year!

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OPI DS Glamour Swatches & Review (Revisited)

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OPI DS Glamour Swatches & Review In 2011, I reviewed OPI DS Glamour on here in this post. But, it was time to pull it out again because it’s one of those oldie-but-goodie nail polishes that I consider to be a classic.

Funny thing is that I wore OPI DS Glamour on a sunny day, so I was expecting that by the time I got home, I could catch the tail-end of the rays for a photo that showcased the holographic nature.

The true beauty of a holographic nail polish shines through in bright sunlight.

However, Mother Nature had other plans for me. 😉 The clouds covered up the sky, despite me rushing home straight after work.

I took photos in artificial light, natural light, and flash. The flash photos you’ll see later on are closer to what you see in the sunlight – explosive scattered holographic goodness!

Since this is an older, discontinued OPI Designer Series nail polish, it’s trickier to find because it wasn’t kept in the permanent collection.

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