Category Archives: Product Reviews

Pretty Serious Post Apocalyptic Princess Collection (Part 2) Swatches

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Pretty Serious Post Apocalyptic Princess Collection Part 2 Swatches

The Pretty Serious Post Apocalyptic Princess Collection grows bigger with the second instalment: six new colours that are already available now!

Pretty Serious Cosmetics is an Australian indie company that offers vegan, cruelty-free nail polishes and international shipping.

Karen, the owner and Managing Director of the company never ceases to impress me with her vast imagination because her creations are always special with interesting colour combinations and finishes!

The formula on all of these were great – easy to apply and wonderful coverage with just two coats.

It’s hard to choose a favourite in the Pretty Serious Post Apocalyptic Princess Collection (Part 2) because they’re all so gorgeous! But, if I absolutely had to make a choice, I’d go with Bump-Dee-Bump, followed closely by Forbidden Zone (red) and An Uzi from Daddy (purple).

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Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Beatnik Swatches & Review

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Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Beatnik Swatches Review

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Beatnik is a full-bodied blue that might just steal the Cookie Monster’s attention away from baked goodies!

Featuring a formula that promises to deliver the high shine of a gel manicure and great wear without the need for a UV light, Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Beatnik was a must-try for me. I’ve never had gel nails, but I’ve often admired the killer shine on others.

This is my very first experience with any Sally Hansen Miracle Gel nail polish. Did it live up to its promises? Find out in this post!

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Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette Swatches & Review

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Tarte Rainforest of the Sea

The limited-edition Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette exclusive to Sephora is a palette that called out to me because neutral eye looks have become my everyday staples.

Years ago, I was all about colourful eyes, but as I began wearing bold and bright lipsticks, I opted for neutral eyes to balance things out. It’s interesting how tastes can change over time.

I’m a fan of Tarte’s eyeshadows. The Tarte Tartelette In Bloom Eyeshadow Palette houses my most-reached-for eyeshadows and the Tarte Tartelette Eyeshadow Palette is my second favourite.

Since I had such a great experience with the quality, performance, and packaging of those, I felt compelled to try out the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette. (It also didn’t hurt that it has a summery design with cute packaging!)

When it comes to eyeshadows, I have to be extremely picky, and I must read the ingredients list thoroughly (including the ‘may contain’ section). This is because I’m allergic to one popular eyeshadow ingredient. However, oddly, that ingredient only affects me when it comes into contact with my eyelids and/or face, but not with my nails when it’s in nail polish. (Thank goodness…because it’s also a popular ingredient in nail polish!)

After checking the ingredients list of the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette several times, I was so happy to see the ‘villainous’ ingredient was nowhere to be found. This meant that I could use all the colours – yay!

I’ve been trying out this palette for several weeks, and this post contains my thoughts, as well as if I think this palette is worth hunting down.

On my nails: OPI Rich Girls & Po-Boys from the New Orleans Collection.

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Essie Summer 2016 Collection Swatches

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Essie Summer 2016 Collection Swatches

Get ready to dip your nails into the hottest summer colours because the Essie Summer 2016 Collection officially launches on May 17th across beauty destinations in Canada!

The first thing that stood out to me is that there’s a black nail polish in a summer collection. You know how happy that makes me? I’ve always been a strong believer that you should enjoy any colour you want regardless of what is ‘in season’ or expected.

I’ve been known to sport black manicures in sweltering August and blinding neons during February’s frost. That’s why seeing a dark colour in the Essie Summer 2016 Collection made me smile – it encourages going against the grain, which can oftentimes be quite refreshing!

The formulas on all of these were excellent because I only needed two coats to get full coverage.

It must be noted that Coconut Cove (white) pleasantly surprised me because it wasn’t a streaky, sheer mess, which is typical of many white nail polishes. It covered very well!

Another honourable mention goes out to Tribal Text-styles (black) because the formula was extremely pigmented and smooth with the ideal consistency.

Loot the Booty (sapphire blue) and Viva Antigua! (turquoise) are both gorgeous with a delicate sparkle, and after Tribal Text-styles, they’re my favourites in the collection.

When I swatched Berried Treasures (berry), I wondered, “Is it an Essie Brides No Grooms dupe?” You may remember it from the Bridal 2015 Collection. Since some of you may also be curious, check out the bottom of this post because I did comparison swatches that answer the question.

Additionally, this post includes the official Essie Summer 2016 Collection press release and Rebecca Minkoff’s editor’s note (she’s Essie’s Global Colour Director), in case you want to know the inspiration behind the colour selection.

P.S. Yes, I’m a green nail-polish lover and maybe sometimes I’m immature, but when I read the name Berried Treasures, it made me think of buried treasure…as in the green kind. Am I the only one?

Edit (April 12, 2016): One of my readers asked me on social media if there’d be a mini set for this collection. I sent over an e-mail to find out. Turns out that, YES, there will be a mini set, and it will include all the shades! If I receive more information, I’ll add it here.

Edit (April 15, 2016): Someone on Instagram wondered how they compared, so I added a comparison swatch of Essie Hiking Heels with Essie Color Binge in this post and on my social media.

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Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Perfume Review

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Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Perfume Review

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black is a sensual, woody, and sophisticated perfume that was designed with the modern woman in mind.

Concocted by perfumer, Pierre Negrin, this Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen scent is atypical of celebrity fragrances that tend to play it safe in the sweet, fruity-floral territory.

I appreciate my fair share of sweet gourmand scents, but there are lots of times when I reach for a bolder perfume that makes a statement and that conjures up thoughts of confident and ambitious women with a take-no-prisoners attitude.

Nirvana Black fits the bill on all counts.

In this post, I’ll share with you my thoughts on this eau de parfum, as well as its projection, longevity, and bottle design.

Since it is available at Sephora, is on the pricey side, and the Sephora VIB Sale has started (for VIB Rouge members today and VIB and BI members later), I thought it was a good idea to review the Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black perfume now.

On my nails: OPI This Cost Me a Mint from the SoftShades 2016 Collection.

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Madam Glam Cote d’Azur Swatches & Review

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Madam Glam Cote d'Azur Swatches Review

Yesterday, it snowed here. *Sigh* Looking out my window at the white fluff falling from the sky made my stomach sink.

As beautiful as the snow is, and despite me being Canadian, I’m over it! (Heck, I’ve been ruffling my pom poms and rolling around the welcome wagon for spring many months before it arrived.)

But even when the weather isn’t ideal, at least one thing we have control over is our nail polish!

To make me forget about the snow (and to put me into spring mode), I reached for Madam Glam Cote d’Azur, which is a beautiful turquoise. It’s definitely one of those nail polishes that you have to see in person to truly appreciate!

Even a tortoise would rush towards this turquoise! 😉

Madam Glam Cote d’Azur is a nail polish that the camera reads wrong. Initially, it picked it up as a lagoon blue, but in person, it has enough green in it to make it appear turquoise. It’s more like a blue-based green.

After fiddling with my settings, I got the colour as close as I could to what my naked eye saw. However, in person, I’d say that it’s more saturated than photos would suggest.

P.S.  You can get 30% off any order on the Madam Glam website when you click on the link above and use the coupon code “SWATCH30”. (No, I don’t make any commission if you use that promotion.)

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OPI This Cost Me a Mint Swatches & Review

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OPI This Cost Me a Mint Swatches Review

Enjoy a refreshing manicure that’s as cool as a cucumber with OPI This Cost Me a Mint from the SoftShades 2016 Collection!

(Yup – according to OPI, it’s officially called ‘SoftShades’ and not ‘Soft Shades’, even though I’ve been seeing both one-word and two-word versions all over the internet.)

Being a green nail-polish lover, you know that I had to dip into OPI This Cost Me a Mint right off the bat!

Spring, mint ice cream, and mojitos are stamped all over this baby.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering how it compares to OPI That’s Hula-rious! (from the Hawaii Collection), scroll further down this post for my comparison swatches.

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