Author Archives: Mary S.

China Glaze Put a Bow on It Swatches & Review

China Glaze Put a Bow on It Swatches & Review China Glaze Put a Bow on It from the Happy HoliGlaze Collection looks like a grape purple in my natural-light photos, but that’s entirely because these days, my only option has been to photograph it during really dim mornings.

The colour in real life is a fuchsia that leans heavily on the pink side, so please take that into consideration if you’re shopping for this shade.

There have been so many dreary days, which makes photographing it challenging, but hopefully my photos still give you a good idea of its personality.

The entire time I wore this, I kept looking at my nails like a vain polish peacock – that’s when you know you’re wearing a winning polish! (It’s hard to take your eyes off it because it twinkles all the time!)

Some dense glitters wear like iron on me, and some don’t play well with Seche Vite and then chip off. However, I tend to have good luck with polishes lasting a long time. (It might be because my natural nails are on the dry side, so polish hangs onto them for dear life like a clingy lover. Haha!)

China Glaze Put a Bow on It held up so well – I’m impressed!

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Smorgasbord Sundays: Wreck This Journal & Quick Update

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Wreck This Journal SwatchAndLearn It has been ridiculously long since I did a Smorgasbord Sundays post, and you know what? I sorely missed writing posts that shared another side of me that isn’t beauty-related (like my knitting posts)!

Okay, so I won’t be able to go back to posting these each week like I did before, but I’m ready to bring it back every once and a while.

Things are very hectic on my side of the pond, and it’s not just because of Christmas coming (although that has made things busier).

I’ve been juggling a lot of things – a full-time job, freelance work, hanging out with my boyfriend, general holiday craziness, and a new chapter in my life!

I bought my first home! This is a huge deal to me because I’m done with renting and paying someone else’s mortgage.

I’m looking forward to it, even though there’s so much packing and a lot of work before and after the move. It seems very daunting right now since I’m in the initial stages of preparing for the move in 2014, but, as with any challenge in life, you just have to step up to the plate, take it on, and come out the other side. It’ll all be worth it in the end.

Now for the real reason for today’s Smorgasbord Sundays post! 🙂

I picked up Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith recently because I think it’ll be a fun, carefree project to relieve stress and tap into my creativity. (You may have already heard me mentioning this if you follow me on Instagram and saw the Wreck This Journal video I posted.)

The premise of the journal really speaks to me because the focus is on happiness rather than perfection. If you follow Swatch And Learn, you’ll know that philosophy is one I heavily promote because I believe in it and try to follow it in my daily life.

There are written instructions on each page that ask you to do a lot of random, fun things. You can be as creative as you dare, and there’s room for interpretation, which is what art is all about.

As you complete each page, you add your unique spin and personality. Check out YouTube videos about Wreck This Journal to see how this project really lets your inner artist shine.

I’m very excited about this project, and I’ll be sharing photos each step of the way. I’ll probably show pages on social media, but I plan to revive my Smorgasbord Sundays posts with some of my Wreck This Journal completed pages.

Check out the rest of this post to learn more about it and to see a couple of pages I’ve already worked on.

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OPI Hey Baby Swatches & Review

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OPI Hey Baby Swatches & Review “Hey baby! Hey baby! HEY!”

Today’s post is on OPI Hey Baby, which is part of the OPI Gwen Stefani Collection coming to stores officially in January 2014.

You may remember me posting a photo on Instagram showing it. Also, I did a Quick Look post at 6 of 7 shades.

When I wore it as a full manicure, Old Man Winter didn’t cut me any slack. On all the days I was wearing OPI Hey Baby, the only chances I had to photograph it were gloomy, overcast days.

(I don’t have any studio lighting setup, so it’s always more of a challenge in the winter capturing the natural light before I head out for work in the mornings or sometime on the weekends. Sure, I could buy daylight bulbs, but you know what? I just don’t want to. I’d rather rely on Mother Nature, since she has the best lighting. Hehe! And, thankfully, even though I live in Canada, it’s not forever winter!)

However, I think you’ll be able to get a good idea of the colour, since I shared photos of OPI Hey Baby in natural light and with my camera’s flash.

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Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash (Pink Grapefruit) Review & Pictures

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On a rotation with my favourite shower gel (Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel that I reviewed way back in 2010), for many years, I’ve been using the Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash (Pink Grapefruit) because I love the refreshing scent first thing in the morning.

There have been some shower gels I’ve tried that smell too strongly of floral perfume or of the sea. I can’t get down with those. When I lather up, I always seem to gravitate toward scents that smell edible. 😉

This Neutrogena body wash is specially formulated to help those who have blemish-prone skin on their body. Even though I don’t, I still use it because the smell really wakes you up. Plus I like how it doesn’t leave behind any residue. (You know how some shower gels claim to moisturize, but then just leave a gross film of product on your skin? I really dislike that because it makes my skin feel dirty, even though I just stepped out of the shower.)

My favourite time to use the grapefruit Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash is in the summer, especially when it’s humid. However, I still like using it in the winter because, as I’ve said, the fragrance really hooked me!

When my father was alive, I actually got him into this Neutrogena shower gel, too! He loved it for the same reasons I do: the scent and the clean-skin feeling.

Haha, if I can make a believer out of a man who was all about no frills, perhaps I can convince you to give this shower gel a shot! 😉

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