Author Archives: Mary S.

Pretty Serious Serious Business Collection Swatches

Bring a whole new meaning to getting dressed for work when you deck your nails with the Pretty Serious Serious Business Collection, which includes the six newest colours from my favourite indie nail-polish brand! (The collection is currently available on Pretty Serious Cosmetics’ website.)

With names like Epic Haul and HTF (also known as Hard to Find), the nail-polish enthusiast’s lingo is in full swing like a poodle skirt on the dance floor.

As a green lover, it will come as no surprise to you that Epic Haul (the leprechaun green with a pink/purple flash of shimmer) was my favourite. I also was mesmerized by HTF because the seductive black base helped the flakes to command the spotlight. No-Buy has a place in my heart because it’s the kind of red that looks like a crackling fire!

I used two coats to achieve full opacity for all of these polishes, except for Free Sample (the pale pink), which I used three coats to get the true-to-bottle colour.

The formula on all of them were easy to paint with. In particular, Epic Haul, No-Buy, and Destash had the smoothest formulas out of the bunch.

I love how this collection named “Serious Business” is whimsical and not stuffy like a corporate suit. There are plenty of twists in the mix that make it interesting!

P.S. If you haven’t entered already, make sure that you get your entry in for a chance to win 1 of 3 nail-polish prizes in my 6-Year Blogiversary Giveaway! (Open worldwide. Ends August 5th!)

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Swatch And Learn’s 6-Year Blogiversary Giveaway

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My blogging journey started in 2010, and back then, I never knew how long this adventure would last or how much I would learn over the years.

It has been filled with many exciting milestones, and I’ve gotten to know wonderful readers who never fail to inspire and amuse me.

Together, we have grown, and it has been a labour of love sharing one of my passions with you and contributing to the beauty community in a small, but meaningful way.

Whether you are a new reader or one who has been by my side since the beginning, I want to thank you for your support. It means a lot to me! 🙂

I am very fortunate to have such smart, caring, and positive readers from all over the world. (It’s incredible how the love of polish and beauty products can unite an entire community! Let’s continue to spread our positive energy.)

As a small token of my appreciation and to celebrate, I’m having a 6-Year Blogiversary Giveaway that’s open worldwide. (Since my readers span the globe, I wanted to include everyone.)

Enter the giveaway by August 5!

Earlier, you voted in my poll for which nail-polish collections you wanted as a prize. The Zoya Seashells Collection and the Zoya Sunsets Collection received the most votes.

Taking that into consideration, I rounded up three prizes:

First Prize: Zoya Seashells Collection

One lucky winner will get all six full-size nail polishes in the Zoya Seashells Collection! (This prize is generously provided by Nail Polish Canada.)

Edit: Congratulations, Jenness! You are the first prize winner!

Second Prize: Zoya Seashells Fun Size Sampler & Zoya Sunsets Fun Size Sampler

One lucky winner will get these two sets that contain four mini nail polishes in each set. (This prize is generously provided by Zoya.)

Edit: Congratulations, Allison! You are the second prize winner!

Third Prize: Zoya Seashells Quad Gift Set & Zoya Sunsets Quad Gift Set

One lucky winner will get these two sets that contain three mini nail polishes and a lipstick in each set. (This prize is generously provided by Zoya.)

Edit: Congratulations, Anouk! You are the third prize winner!

A huge thank you to Nail Polish Canada and Zoya for providing the prizes and also for their continual support. These are two companies that I love and highly recommend!

To see swatches of all the nail polishes and lipsticks and/or to get further information on the collection, see the links later in this post that will take you to my reviews.

See the rest of this post for the full details on how to enter my giveaway!

Good luck!

Edit (July 26, 2016): I’ve been going through the comments that you’ve left me on this post, and it makes my eyes water. My readers are amazing! Thank you so much for all of your kind words. You brighten up my day and remind me how fortunate I am to have supportive and positive readers!

Edit (August 7, 2016): Congratulations to the three winners, Jenness, Allison, and Anouk! Please check your e-mail soon to claim your prizes. Thanks to everyone for participating in this giveaway! Stay tuned because there’s always something new and fun on the blog.

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Flashback Friday: Dairy Queen Funnel Cake & Pretty Serious Doodle Bug

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Dairy Queen Funnel Cake

Hope that you are all having a great Friday! 🙂

I’m popping in quickly for this Flashback Friday when I enjoyed Dairy Queen‘s new funnel cake and spent time with my mom earlier this month.

She always goes for either a small chocolate-dipped ice-cream cone or a plain vanilla ice-cream cone. Classic. I tend to try new things from the menu.

I’ve also made what’s called “nice cream”. It’s vegan. You blend frozen bananas into an ice-cream consistency and sprinkle other fruits like blueberries and strawberries on top. It’s yummy, too!

Are you a fan of funnel cake? Have you made ‘nice cream’? What are you up to this weekend?

On nails: Pretty Serious Doodle Bug

Disclosure: The nail polish is a press sample provided by PR. Sadly, the ice cream was not a press sample, but I still enjoyed every spoonful. 😉

Essie First View Swatches & Review

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Essie Gel Couture First View Swatches Review

Essie First View is a calm, muted blue that will still make you look twice!

Available in the new Gel Couture line, it has the base coat built into the colour, so you can jump right into the colour as your initial step. This will help you shave a bit of time off the manicure process, which is always a bonus.

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Essie Looks to Thrill Swatches & Review

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Essie Looks to Thrill Swatches Review

Nails get fruity with Essie Looks to Thrill!

This cantaloupe orange from the Gel Couture line would make even the strawberries and blueberries turn green with envy like a gooseberry!

With the base coat built right into the colour, this Essie Gel Couture shade also has a wider brush to promote a smoother, faster application that fellow nail junkies will appreciate.

To learn more about how it differs from regular Essie nail polish, click to read my Essie Gel Couture Launch Event Recap!

See the rest of this post for all the specific details on how Essie Looks to Thrill performed.

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