Author Archives: Mary S.

China Glaze Electric Nights Skittle Manicure & Mini Review of 3 Shades

China Glaze Electric Nights Nail Art When I purchased the China Glaze Electric Nights Collection Mini Set about two months ago, I knew that I’d have to wear a manicure featuring more than one shade.

(Sometimes being indecisive about what to wear can lead to a fun nail look!)

This China Glaze Electric Nights Skittle Manicure was the result. (You got a sneak peek of it about three weeks ago on social media.)

Many times when I looked at my nails, I kept thinking, “Nails Just Wanna Have Fun,” sung to the melody of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! 😉

Today, I show you tons of manicure photos (including bottle shots), and I share mini reviews on each of the colours: Daisy Know My Name? (yellow), DJ Blue My Mind (blue), and Treble Maker (green).

This collection has already been out for some time. (The mini set that I have is trickier to find now, but you should be able to locate the full-size bottles easily.)

P.S. If you like these colours, you’ll want to keep your eagle eye on Swatch And Learn because I’m going to have a fun worldwide giveaway coming up really soon! *Hint hint*

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Essie Groove is in the Heart Swatches & Review

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Essie Groove is in the Heart Swatches & Review Last week, I wore Essie Groove is in the Heart, which is part of the upcoming Neon 2015 Collection that comes out at the end of May.

No, it’s not the brightest neon pink that I’ve ever worn, but it sure is cute!

When my co-worker saw my manicure, she mentioned how it reminded her of strawberry milk, which I think is a spot-on description.

Pink nail polish isn’t my favourite, but from time to time, I enjoy it because it’s different than my usual greens.

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Essie Vibrant Vibes Swatches & Review

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Essie Vibrant Vibes Swatches & Review Green nail polish? You don’t even have to ask. Yes, please!

Hubba, hubba, Essie Vibrant Vibes! (This nailphile is drooling over the lime green from the Essie Neon 2015 Collection that comes out later in May.)

I gave a sneak peek on social media yesterday of my manicure, but today’s post includes an in-depth review with tons of swatches in various lighting conditions.

Compared to just a single photo, here you’ll be able to get a better idea of its personality because different lighting combined with different angles can show you a polish in a new way.

In all lighting conditions, Essie Vibrant Vibes is a winner for me. And if you also have a soft spot for greens, you should check this one out!

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The Body Shop Virgin Mojito Body Butter Review

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The Body Shop Virgin Mojito Body Butter Review One of my favourite cocktails to sip is the mojito because it has a punch of citrus combined with refreshing, uplifting mint. It’s light and great for patio weather during those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. (Great, now I have the song looping in my head…)

But even if you don’t drink or you haven’t reached the legal drinking age, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the amazing scent of a mojito. No, I’m not saying to order a mojito and just sniff it. 😉

The Body Shop Virgin Mojito Body Butter smells spot on like a mojito, and unlike the cocktail, you can slather it on your skin without getting weird glances from strangers.

Be on the lookout for The Body Shop Virgin Mojito Body Butter – it will hit The Body Shop stores and their website in July, along with other matching mojito-scented skincare.

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Essie Make Some Noise Swatches & Review

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Essie Make Some Noise Swatch Review Essie Make Some Noise is from the Neon 2015 Collection that comes out at the end of May, according to the official press release I posted earlier.

(In my Quick Look post, I also shared bottle shots and swatches of all the six shades on a nail wheel, in case you wanted to see an overview.)

Essie Make Some Noise is a lagoon blue, and I’m pretty bummed that, despite my best efforts, I wasn’t able to accurately capture the colour with my camera or even with my phone’s camera.

(Heck, even Essie’s own promotional images make it look like this colour, yet trust me, in person, Essie Make Some Noise is way prettier! Haha, so the noise you’ll make when you wear it will include squeals of delight, but when you try photographing it, you may make a sound like “ARGGH!” Hehehe! Then again, if you have a newer camera, maybe you’ll have better luck than me. Hope so!)

Please keep in mind that Essie Make Some Noise is more vibrant, more tropical, and brighter than it appears in my photos here. It is not like a primary blue or like Essie Mesmerize. It’s like an ocean blue.

Nevertheless, I still decided to post my photos in this review because, as usual, I go into detail about the formula, the finish, and the application. That information may still be of value to you.

(Oh, and I have been slacking off big time with using cuticle oil. Not that I ever used it regularly, but in the photos taken with artificial lighting, on that day I photographed my nails, haha, you can see the dry cuticles much better. Maybe I’ll apply some cuticle oil before I go to bed tonight, although today they don’t look at ragged as they did then. The weather is a lot more humid today, I guess.)

P.S. On the weekend, I published two blog posts that you may want to check out: the OPI Brights Collection Press Release and how Maybelline is celebrating their 100th anniversary (plus there’s a lot of makeup history at the bottom of that post).

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Maybelline New York Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary

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Maybelline 100th Anniversary Guess what? Maybelline New York Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary!

To commemorate this milestone, they’re releasing limited-edition Maybelline makeup and a nail polish with special packaging.

The Maybelline 100 Anniversary Collection will be available on May 12th in drugstores and mass market retailers across Canada.

PR kindly provided me with a thoughtful gift bag full of goodies on Friday. 🙂 Needless to say, it was a fun way to usher in the weekend!

They also provided four postcards featuring vintage Maybelline ads, which I find especially interesting. Over the years, marketing campaigns for makeup have changed, and you can learn more about a society by studying them.

In this post, I show you a closer look at the makeup plus nail polish, and I swatch the lipstick, eye shadow, and nail polish.

Edit (Sunday May 3 at 11:15 am): I wanted to share the official press release provided to me about Maybelline’s history, what it stands for, and their inspirational journey in the makeup world. You can find it at the very bottom of this post.

It’s lengthy, but I’m sure that you’ll learn something new about the brand that you didn’t already know, which is worth the effort.

So far, out of all the press releases that have been provided to me for blogging purposes, this was my favourite to read because it went into depth about the brand’s history through a social lens and how Maybelline built up its empire to amplify its message that women are smart, strong, and beautiful.

Yes, the press release at the bottom is long (my fingers know all too well as I was typing it up to share with you! Thank goodness my typing speed is 95-100 words per minute), but I think you’ll find Maybelline’s story to be impressive and inspiring!

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