Category Archives: Blog News

Wearing Zoya Mary to see the Nutcracker

Zoya Mary The Nutcracker National Ballet of Canada

I’m popping in briefly to say hi, and that I hope that your holiday was peaceful and full of happiness with loved ones!

May the New Year bring you new challenges that will propel you to fulfill your dreams! 🙂

Before Christmas, I went to see The Nutcracker, which was one of my favourite childhood Christmas stories that I still hold near and dear to my heart today. Imagine how happy I was to finally see the live ballet performance for the first time this year!

To add the icing on top of the cake, the seats were amazing, as I could see every minute detail on the costumes and the elaborate sets very clearly. It was such a treat to be close to the stage and to witness the magic unfolding in front of me.

It was held at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, and it featured many talented dancers. It came as no surprise that every seat was filled!

This was one of the items that I can now cross off my bucket list. 🙂

On my nails, I wore Zoya Mary, which is one of the shades in the new Naturel 3 Collection. (Check out my review and swatches of the collection that I posted earlier, if you missed it.)

Also, I’d like to remind you that on the days when I don’t blog on here, stop by my Instagram, Pinterest, and other social media because I usually post swatches and more on there on a daily or almost-daily basis.

P.S. My worldwide giveaway is still going on. You have until December 31, 2016 to enter for your chance to win the Zoya Enchanted Collection! There will be three winners. See that post for all the details.

Disclosure: Zoya Mary is a press sample provided by PR.

Zoya Enchanted Collection Giveaway (Open worldwide & 3 winners!)

204 Replies

Zoya Enchanted Collection Giveaway

Congratulations to the winners:

1st Prize: Cynthia R.

2nd Prize: Kim P.

3rd Prize: Ashley T.

I e-mailed the winners on Tuesday January 3, 2017. You have 48 hours to reply to my e-mail to claim your prize. Failure to do so will force me to choose a new winner.

Thank you to everyone for participating in my giveaway!

Hope that you all had fun and that you’ll visit Swatch And Learn again soon. Also, stay tuned because there will be more fun nail-polish giveaways coming up! 🙂

——————————————————–

As we draw closer to the end of the year, I’m attempting to bring some holiday cheer your way with a fun Zoya Enchanted Collection Giveaway!

I want to give more readers a chance to win these beautiful nail polishes and lipsticks, so this giveaway is open worldwide, and there will be three winners!

Hurry – enter by December 31st for your chance to win big!

You’ll remember that not long ago, I shared with you my Zoya Enchanted Collection swatches and gushed about how I loved every single colour.

This is one of my favourite Zoya collections in quite a while, and I thought it would be the ideal collection to share with readers. That’s why I purchased all these prizes for you. I want to spread my excitement over this collection with you. Can you feel it? And even if you already bought this collection, still consider entering the giveaway because you can share it with a friend who digs nail polish.

Not only does the Zoya Enchanted Collection contain beloved textured PixieDusts, but there are also beautiful shimmers.

Also…hello, you know that I’m a green nail-polish lover, and the ones in the Zoya Enchanted Collection make my heart beat faster and my nails clasp their hands together, hoping to be painted! 😉 Hope you love them as much as I do!

What’s Up for Grabs:

First Prize: Zoya Enchanted Collection (Full-size bottles of all 6 colours: Alice, Saint, Waverly, Olivera, Lorna & Elphie)
Second Prize: Zoya Midnight Dreams Set (3 mini bottles of Lorna, Olivera & Elphie plus full-size lipstick in Maxwell, the dark shade)
Third Prize: Zoya Icy Kiss Set (3 mini bottles of Waverly, Saint & Alice plus full-size lipstick in Belle, the lighter shade)

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

Good luck!

Continue reading →

Michael Wekerle from Dragons’ Den

8 Replies

Michael Wekerle Dragons' Den

This isn’t beauty-related like my usual posts are, but I still wanted to share this because it made me so happy!

Who can transform an ordinary TTC subway commute into an extraordinary one? Michael Wekerle!

Friendly, spirited, and always a sharp dresser, Michael Wekerle totally made my day yesterday when I was taking public transit in Toronto!

You may know him from the TV show on CBC called Dragons’ Den. It’s a show that I enjoy watching because it encourages everyone to be creative, think outside the trapezoid, and follow unconventional dreams and ambitions.

Visions can become a reality, if we work hard, are driven by passion, and are humble enough to never stop learning.

Hearing the pitches on the show by entrepreneurs and being entertained by the Dragons inspire me!

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MICHAEL, for putting a huge smile on my face and for calling me “the next Dragonette” when we met! 😀

Sometimes, even the smallest words of encouragement from another is enough to raise a person’s spirit. Let’s continue to pay it forward!

Here are some more poses from our impromptu TTC subway ‘photo shoot’! 😉

Dragons' Den Michael Wekerle

Michael Wekerle from Dragons' Den

Hope that you all are having a wonderful day today! 🙂 Wishing you love and light!

I’ll be back soon!

10 Replies

Hi everyone,

I’ve missed you all so much! 🙂

Thank you for being patient and sticking around, even though I took a few weeks off from blogging recently.

The hiatus was due to lots of exciting things happening to me all at once, and I needed time to do some thoughtful planning and to make a major decision. Also, I’m currently exploring an exciting, rare opportunity! (I may fill you in on the details later, but I want to see where the adventure takes me first before I share more.)

Some readers have reached out to me privately, asking if everything was okay. That was so sweet! Yes, I’m doing very well. Thanks for your concern. I hope that you’re also doing well!

I’ll be back to blogging again soon, so stay tuned. There are lots of nail polishes and a perfume that I’ve been itching to review on here.

Thanks for being such supportive readers.

See you in a bit!

Last Day to Enter My Worldwide Giveaway!

2 Replies

Today’s the LAST DAY to enter my 6-year blogiversary giveaway for your chance to win some beautiful Zoya nail polishes!

It’s open worldwide because, although I’m Canadian, my awesome readers span the globe. There will be three lucky winners.

Be sure to get your entry in by 11:59 pm EDT.

Enter today, and see all the giveaway details!

Thank you for the overwhelming support that my awesome readers have given me throughout the years. You have brightened up my day and have made my blogging journey feel nothing short of incredible. A blog is a one-way megaphone without readers! Thanks for making my experience meaningful and insightful.

Sending you all much love! 🙂

P.S. Tons of swatches of new nail-polish collections are coming in the next day or so. Stay tuned!

Swatch And Learn’s 6-Year Blogiversary Giveaway

155 Replies

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.

Continue reading →

Sephora Yonge-Eglinton Centre VIB Rouge Opening Party Recap

9 Replies

Image Credit: Zak Communications

On Thursday July 7th, because I was a Sephora VIB Rouge member, I was invited to the Sephora Yonge-Eglinton VIB Rouge Opening Party to preview the newest store located at Yonge-Eglinton Centre (2300 Yonge Street in Toronto).

The Sephora Yonge-Eglinton store opened to the public on Friday July 8th, and I highly recommend that you check it out, if you haven’t already.

Even with the crowds of people at the party, I still found it very spacious and large. Everything was set up beautifully, and if you take public transit, it’s extremely convenient.

This exclusive Opening Party allowed VIB Rouge members (and a guest) to shop for products, check out the displays and store layout, as well as enjoy appetizers, champagne, and marketing activations.

There was a professional photographer who went around the store and snapped candid photos. (The photo shown above was one I saw shared on Instagram on Friday.)

It’s so funny because, if you take this photo out of context, it looks like I just bring champagne to sip wherever I shop! 😉 Haha, I don’t. There were servers who came around and offered drinks and yummy food.

Even the champagne they offered us had raspberries in it! 🙂

On my nails: Zoya Logan (This is one of my all-time favourite green nail polishes.)

Read the rest of this post to hear more of my thoughts on the new Sephora Yonge-Eglinton store and more!

Sephora Yonge Eglinton Centre

Continue reading →