Author Archives: Mary S.

OPI Just Lanai-ing Around Swatches & Review

OPI Just Lanai-ing Around Swatches & Review OPI Just Lanai-ing Around from the Hawaii Collection was like a Jack-in-the-Pineapple-Box for me because, in the bottle, I felt ambivalent about it.

Then, I put it on my nails, and fell in love with it because it’s such a casual, easy-to-wear mauve that’s muted.

Yeah, “I like to mauve it, mauve it!” (Hehe, I couldn’t resist the pun and reference to that song.) 😉

With that ‘Granny Chic’ vibe, it’s certainly a colour that appeals to people of all ages, and it’s easy to see why – OPI Just Lanai-ing Around is timeless like a Chanel handbag.

I also imagine that this colour is very flattering on a wide variety of skin tones, which gets major thumbs up!

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FedoraHarp Raindrops on Roses Swatches & Review

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FedoraHarp Raindrops on Roses Swatches & Review Did you watch the Super Bowl last night? I did – whoa, it was intense!

I’m not a huge football fan, but I always watch the Super Bowl (as well as the Halftime Show), and the game didn’t disappoint. (Check out my Instagram, if you’re interested, because I posted a photo and some video clips of the Halftime Show.)

It was anyone’s game, but congratulations to the New England Patriots on becoming the NFL Champions! (Special shoutout to Malcolm Butler for making the play of the year. It was incredible to watch, and he’s proof that you shouldn’t underestimate a rookie!)

But now…back to nail polish! 😉

FedoraHarp Raindrops on Roses is an extremely sentimental nail polish for me for two major reasons.

Firstly, Leah (aka FedoraHarp) has been one of my loyal blog readers for years. She creates 5-free and cruelty-free indie nail polish in Israel. (Her FedoraHarp Etsy store ships worldwide.)

When she reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in reviewing some of her artisan lacquers, I was incredibly honoured for the opportunity! To top it off, she said that, at that time, I was the first blogger from North America who she approached for this. (You can just imagine my excitement!)

Secondly, as you probably could tell from the name FedoraHarp Raindrops on Roses, it has a Sound of Music theme. This shade can be purchased separately or as part of a duo (full-size or mini). I was ecstatic about the Sound of Music theme because I grew up watching that musical featuring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

(You have no idea how many times I used to sing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and pretend that I was pretty Liesel when I was a kid! Even to this day, the entire movie is as clear as day, and I watch it a few times each year.)

Other important information she told me that might interest you? FedoraHarp Lacquer is hand-mixed in Leah’s home. She’s a non-smoker and owns a cat, but she’s careful to keep him away from her work area to prevent any allergen contamination. She also tries to be environmentally friendly by reusing packaging, but if you request brand new packaging, she will gladly oblige.

As I’ve mentioned a few times recently, my cuticles have been dry and ravaged lately. With lots of hand-washing and the harsh winter weather, it really took a toll on my skin. But I hope that you’ll look past my temporarily ragged cuticles to enjoy the beauty of this pretty polish! 🙂

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Reader Request: OPI That’s Hula-rious! Comparison Swatches

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OPI That's Hula-rious Comparison Swatches Since I posted my in-depth review with swatches of OPI That’s Hula-rious! from the Hawaii Collection, some of you have asked me how it compares with other specific greens. I’ve included all the ones you asked about.

In this post, I show you some OPI That’s Hula-rious! Comparison Swatches!

As you can see, none of them are dupes, and while this is coming from a green fiend, I have to say that you can totally justify buying all of these because they’re different enough. 😉

The greens I chose to compare were the following:

OPI That’s Hula-rious! (Hehe, obviously!)
OPI Gargantuan Green Grape
OPI Damone Roberts 1968
OPI Mermaid’s Tears
Essie Turquoise & Caicos

You can click on any of the above links to see the individual in-depth reviews I’ve done on those.

But, to better see how they all compare under the same lighting conditions, check out the rest of this post.

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Quick Look: Essie Weingarten

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Usually my Quick Look posts are of bottle shots and nail polishes, but I wanted to share this photo, and it was the most appropriate category.

I’m always interested in learning more about the people behind brands because as much as nail polishes make my pulse race, it’s the creative geniuses behind a company who make all the magic happen. They inspire me, and it makes me love a brand even more when there’s a human element.

This evening, I’d like to take a moment to put Essie Weingarten in the spotlight on Swatch And Learn!

Essie Weingarten is the Founder and Global Creative Director of Essie! So if you love any Essie nail polishes, you have her and her amazing team to thank.

Here’s a photo of Essie Weingarten. Doesn’t she look totally glam?

I believe strongly that beauty is ageless, and Essie Weingarten is proof of that!

Essie Weingarten

In the future, I’m thinking about using Quick Look posts to also focus on snapshots of people and other things instead of only swatches and bottle shots. Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in. 🙂

Essie Wrap Me Up Swatches & Review

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Essie Wrap Me Up Swatches & Review A great palate cleanser, Essie Wrap Me Up from the Cashmere Matte Collection is a very different look for me.

I’m used to wearing bold shades, even to the point of being tacky. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like to venture out of my comfort zone and try something different.

Essie Wrap Me Up is certainly a far departure than what I’d normally reach for, but I appreciated the demure light beige with just a hint of pink and awesome texture.

This one features the Cashmere Matte finish, which feels smooth and satiny like luxurious sea glass!

Oh boy – winter has taken a toll on my cuticles a while back when I wore this nail polish! (I don’t slap on lotion or cuticle oil before taking my photos. I just snap photos of myself as-is.)

However, recently I purchased a new and fun cuticle oil that’s supposed to smell like cupcakes. Hehe, that was a major selling point for me.

I’m going to try to be more conscious about using cuticle oil at night before I go to bed. But you won’t see any difference for a while because I still have a few photos of manicures I’ve worn already that I’ll be showing on here.

(Expect to see a review of the cupcake cuticle oil on here after I’ve used it for at least a month. I think that’s a decent amount of time to see any differences in my cuticles.)

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Today’s the LAST DAY to Enter My Worldwide Giveaway!

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Hey everyone!

HAPPY FRIDAY! 🙂 I hope that it’s a great one for you.

This is a little reminder to enter my worldwide giveaway, if you haven’t already.

Today’s the last day to enter for your chance to win the cute China Glaze Road Trip Travel Sized mini set, which features six polishes! (Ends tonight at 11:59 pm EST.)

Good luck!

Edit (Saturday January 24, 2015 at 7:00 pm EST): Congratulations, Sandra! You’ve won my giveaway! Please check your e-mail. To claim your prize, reply to my e-mail within 48 hours. Thanks to everyone for participating. I have more giveaways scheduled soon, so stay tuned for more fun.)