Author Archives: Mary S.

OPI Juice Bar Hopping Swatches & Review

OPI Juice Bar Hopping Swatches & Review OPI Juice Bar Hopping is the vivid orange from the OPI Neon Collection, and I’m completely in love with it!

It has that really fresh, “squishy” look that lots of jelly nail polishes have. But, in order to get it to look its best, you must wear a shiny top coat because this lacquer dries matte and looks a bit flat on its own.

The summery shade looks even better on your nails than in the bottle, and it’s one of those colours that has so much impact. I know that I’ll be wearing this again!

P.S. In case you didn’t already see the post on it yesterday, I’m having a worldwide giveaway for the entire full-size OPI Neon Collection, as well as the new white base coat, OPI Put a Coat On! Enter now through May 31 at 11:59 pm EDT for your chance to win big!

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Worldwide Giveaway: Win the Entire OPI Neon Collection & OPI Put a Coat On Base Coat

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Edit (June 1st at 2:20 pm EDT): Congratulations, Carolyn! You’ve won my giveaway! I will be sending you an e-mail. Please reply to it with 48 hours to claim your prize.

Thank you to everyone for participating! I hope you had fun!

Stay tuned because, yes, I have more great nail-polish giveaways lined up really soon.

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Readers like you have always been a huge source of support for me, encouraging me and bringing extra positivity into my life.

Especially when I’m feeling down (such as when my cat, Pingu, passed away recently) or I’m having a crummy day, you really have a way of letting me know that you care. That is a rare gift, and I don’t take it for granted.

Thank you for every comment, every tweet, every “Like” on Instagram, and just everything you say and do to put a smile on my face. People are so busy these days, so it’s an honour that you manage to fit Swatch And Learn into your day.

Here in Canada, it’s the Victoria Day long weekend, and there’s no better way I’d like to celebrate than with my readers! But we’ll skip the e-fireworks because I know you love nail polish as much as I do! 😉

From now until May 31 at 11:59 pm EDT, you can enter my Worldwide Giveaway for your chance to Win the Full-size OPI Neon Collection (6 Colours) and OPI Put a Coat On Base Coat!

OPI Neon Collection Giveaway OPI Put a Coat On Base Coat

(Check out my Quick Look post for fast swatches and the OPI Neon Collection press release to read more information about it and the new base coat. Also, later in this blog post, you can check out links to my in-depth reviews and swatches of colours in the OPI Neon Collection.)

Carefully read the details in this blog post because you’re eligible to gain several entries for even greater chances of winning!

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Nail Art: Easy Nail Design Using OPI Juice Bar Hopping & Zoya Dillon

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Dotted Manicure Nail Art A while back, I was wearing OPI Juice Bar Hopping, which is from the new Neon Collection that I did a Quick Post about before.

At that time, it occurred to me that I hadn’t done nail art in what seemed like forever. But, I didn’t have too much time – my schedule these days is so packed, it’s like an elephant’s overstuffed suitcase thrown into one of those little clown cars!

So I played around without any rhyme or reason and did an easy nail design using dots and diagonal sections with Zoya Dillon from the Awaken Collection, which I did a Quick Look post on and also reviewed in-depth here.

Stay tuned because I’ll be sharing lots of swatches of OPI Juice Bar Hopping. I’ve already worn it solo and taken photos – just need to crop them! 🙂

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OPI Life Gave Me Lemons Swatches & Review

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OPI Life Gave Me Lemons Swatches & Review Before I get into today’s review, I’d like to explain why I was M.I.A. for a bit last week.

If you follow me on social media, you already know. My cat, Pingu, passed away on Thursday. I had to make the hardest decision to put him to sleep to end his suffering.

He was only 11 years old, and the vet said that he was in a lot of pain and that he was dying. It was all very sudden.

I feel like I made the right choice, but, as you can imagine, it also felt very wrong. It’s hard to say goodbye to a beloved family member. Pets are more than ‘just animals’. They are companions who love unconditionally and who often teach humans the proper way to love!

He lived at my mom’s, but before I moved out in my 20s, I was living with my parents and Pingu. Pingu and I had a strong bond, so even though I sometimes called Pingu “my mom’s cat” because he lived with her, he was really “my cat”! The way his eyes would light up as he galloped to the door to greet me each Sunday I went to visit my mom always made me smile.

Today, I’ll be reviewing OPI Life Gave Me Lemons from the Neons Collection. I actually wore this quite some time ago and had planned to review it last week, but, as you can understand, my priorities shifted, and I was overcome with emotion.

As you know, I love neon nail polish because it acts like a pick-me-up. And I think the name “Life Gave Me Lemons” is appropriate now. It reminded me that even though life seems sucky right now and my eyes were puffy from crying, I’ll eventually have to think positively and take comfort in the happy, heartfelt, and tender moments that I got to share with Pingu. (I may write a blog post to share my wonderful memories about Pingu, a quirky cat with a warm, funny, and loving personality.)

Edit: I’m having a worldwide giveaway for the entire full-size OPI Neon Collection and the new white base coat, OPI Put a Coat On! Enter until May 31 at 11:59 pm EDT for your chance to win!

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Reminder: Nail-Polish Giveaway Ends May 9 at 11:59 pm EDT

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Congratulations, Jessica! You’ve won my giveaway, and thank you very much for replying to my e-mail within 48 hours to claim your prize!

Thank you to everyone for participating in my giveaway. Check back for another opportunity soon!

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Hey everyone!

This is just a quick reminder that my CND Vinylux Open Road Collection Giveaway ends on Friday May 9th at 11:59 pm EDT. It’s open to Canadian and US residents.

Get your entries in, and I wish you all the best of luck!

P.S. Be sure to check out the Rafflecopter form fully on the giveaway page when you enter because you can score several entries, not just one. This will help you to increase your chances of winning.

Also, stay tuned even after that giveaway is over because I have lined up several other great giveaways to reward my loyal readers! 🙂

Have a great day!