Category Archives: Quick Look

My Exclusive Interview with Canadian Nail Artist, Valerie Ducharme (Contessa Awards 2016 Finalist)

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This evening, I’ll be attending the 27th Contessa Awards at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. Hosted by Noah Cappe (from Food Network’s Carnival Eats) for a second consecutive year, the special gala honouring creative Canadian talent: hairstylists, colourists, salon teams, makeup artists, and nail artists!

Check out Salon Magazine’s list of all the finalists on their website. Also, during the event that begins today at 7 pm EST, you can watch the live webcast here.

Follow me on social media because I’ll be sharing some photos and videos. Mainly, I plan to share them on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat (username: swatchandlearn), but in case I also post them on Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest, I’m including those links, too.

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Valerie Ducharme, a Canadian nail artist from Quebec who’s a Contessa Awards 2016 finalist and last year’s winner! (Good luck to her tonight!)

She took the time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions I had, and it was fun to get a closer glimpse into the nail industry.

Below is just one of the many intricate nail designs she’s created.

Check out the rest of this post to read her responses to all my questions and to see more photos of her inspiring nail art!

Valerie Ducharme Canadian Nail Artist

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KISS 2016 Preview Event Recap

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KISS Nails 2016 Preview Event

Yesterday evening, I attended the KISS 2016 Preview at the Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto.

I got a firsthand sneak peek at the latest nail and eyelash products that will be launching early next year!

In this post are photos I took during and after the event, as well as my commentary on the whole experience, including the setup, the food, and meeting celebrity manicurist, Gina Edwards.

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Maybelline Creamy Mattes Lipstick Swatches, Quick Review & Press Release (NEW Limited Edition Shades for 2015)

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Maybelline Creamy Mattes Lipsticks Review

Like nail polish, lipstick is a quick and easy way to change up your look, coordinate with an outfit, or make a statement that ends with more exclamation marks than a campy episode of Batman featuring Adam West punching villains in the nose. ZOWIE! BAM! ZAP!

I’m a fan of the Maybelline ColorSensational The Creamy Mattes that I’ve tried before (Touch of Spice is one of my favourites), so you can imagine how thrilled I was to try their 8 new limited-edition shades.

The United States already had them for a while, but they’re officially set to launch in Canada starting October 27, 2015. Circle your calendars, and get ready for the drugstore dash!

This post contains a quick look at the new Maybelline lipstick shades: Clay Crush, Nude Nuance, Blushing Pout, Rich Ruby, Electric Pink, Pink N Chic, Vibrant Violet, and Burgundy Blush.

I’ve swatched them on my arm and on my lips, so you can see the formula in action.

This is the first time that I’ve swatched 8 lipsticks in a single photo session. (I did it while listening to Justin Trudeau give his victory speech on Monday night on TV.) After applying and removing each lipstick, I was expecting my lips to feel raw by the end, but surprisingly, they didn’t! To me, that speaks volumes about its great formulation.

My bare lips were on the dry side to begin with, but I resisted the urge to reach for a lip balm because I wanted to show you what the formula looks like when you don’t exfoliate, prep your lips, and do a belly dance to appease the lip gods.

(Clearly, I’m not afraid of showing unedited, larger-than-life photos where you can see the natural lines. I’m not afraid of showing my true colours and stripes, so why hesitate with lip lines?)

I was so impressed with how creamy and lightweight they felt, and I will be wearing all of the colours again, except for the bright pinks. (There’s nothing wrong with those, but they don’t suit my personal taste nowadays.)

I may do a review on some shades on the blog or Instagram, so I can go into detail about the wear time after I’ve tested each out individually for longer.

Also, in case you were wondering, the lipsticks have the same frosted red-toned brown lid that the original Maybelline Creamy Mattes have. (The photos in this post are all of the lipsticks going topless. Oh, how scandalous!) 😉

Vibrant Violet, Rich Ruby, and Burgundy Blush are my favourite colours out of the bunch. (You have to carefully apply Vibrant Violet and Burgundy Blush to get an even application, but those shades are worth it.)

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Quick Look at 4 Shades in the KBShimmer Fall 2015 Collection (Swatches & Bottle Shots)

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KBShimmer Fall 2015 CollectionToday, I have a quick look at four of the upcoming shades in the KBShimmer Fall 2015 Collection that will be available starting September 15th.

These are the colours shown in this post: Soul Deep (rich purple), Dark & Twisty (black with glitter), Such a Vlad-Ass (red), and I Feel Gourd-geous (gold holo).

Out of the bunch, based on my first impression, Dark & Twisty stands out to me the most because it’s like the dark side of a rainbow, the place where naughty leprechauns go to play poker with missing gold coins. (At least, this is what first sprung to mind when I saw the polish!)

In this post, I share quick bottle shots and swatches of these, and if you’re interested in seeing separate in-depth reviews on a particular shade, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.

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OPI Venice Collection Swatches, Bottle Shots & Pictures

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OPI Venice CollectionToday, I have a quick look at the OPI Venice Collection, which arrived in my mailbox just yesterday! (It’s very picture-heavy!)

If you follow me on social media, you saw that last night, I attended a fun event previewing Fall/Winter 2015 and current products by KISS and Broadway Nails (imPRESS) held at the Trump Hotel in downtown Toronto, and I got to meet Marni Burton, a makeup artist who’s worked on celebrities such as Milla Jovovich, Shania Twain, and Brooke Shields!

When I got home and checked my mail, the OPI Venice Collection was waiting for me. It included even more than just nail polish this time!

After picking up my jaw (hehe…because it had fallen on the ground in a puddle of my own drool), I grabbed my camera and got straight to work, snapping photos of everything.

Not only did OPI’s PR send me the full 15-shade collection (that includes the 3 limited-edition colours), but they sent it in a beautiful, collectible box, along with cute recipe cards (for real dishes you can make), some edible treats, and a masquerade mask! (Heck, even the cardboard box everything was shipped in was customized by OPI. What a great touch! I love it when companies pay such close attention to all the little details.)

In this post, I show you everything, plus, of course, quick swatches of all the colours.

Keep your eyes peeled like a banana later because after I wear some as full manicures, I’ll be reviewing the colours separately and in-depth with more swatches of each.

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Zoya Focus Collection & Zoya Flair Collection Swatches & Bottle Shots

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Zoya Focus & Flair Collection 2015 FallYesterday, 12 nail polishes followed me home and then jumped into my mailbox a few seconds before I checked it. (Funny how that happens sometimes, right?)

While I was opening up the package with the gorgeous Fall 2015 Zoya Focus Collection (cremes) and Zoya Flair Collection (metallics), I caught myself humming.

It totally made me laugh because I had a boyfriend who once told me that he noticed that whenever I open up nail mail, I always hum. When I open up bills and junk mail, I’m silent like a lamb. Never realized it until he pointed it out.

For the Zoya Focus Collection and the Zoya Flair Collection, the gorgeousness deserves much more than mere humming. It’s the type of collection that compels you to make some noise! (Where’s a gong when you need one?)

As I pulled each nail polish out of the box and welcomed them all to their new, loving home, my eyes were wide like a lemur, and I was standing up at attention like a meerkat!

I snapped lots of photos and quick swatches of all the shades to share with you. Enjoy! 🙂

As usual, when I wear some as full manicures, I’ll do separate, in-depth reviews with swatches.

P.S. If you want to view the official Zoya Focus & Flair Collections press release, I posted it not too long ago. Click on the above link for the colour story and more information about the collection.

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Essie Fall 2015 Collection Swatches, Bottle Shots & Pictures

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Essie Fall 2015 CollectionOn Friday, I received a package from PR: the Essie Fall 2015 Collection!

It includes six new shades designed by Essie’s Global Colour Designer, Rebecca Minkoff: Leggy Legend, Color Binge, With the Band, In the Lobby, Bell-Bottom Blues, and Frock ‘n Roll.

The Essie Fall 2015 Collection will officially hit Canadian drugstores, salons, and other beauty destinations beginning August 25th.

In this post, I’ve got a sneak peek at the entire collection, as well as a glimpse into part of the press booklet.

I snapped lots of photos, so you’ll see my quick swatches, up-close bottle shots, and even a nail-art design that you can recreate using the shades in this collection (I included the tutorial).

As usual, stay tuned because I’ll be wearing some of these as full manicures, and in-depth reviews with tons of swatches will follow.

The colours I’m most excited about and that I’ll probably wear first are Leggy Legend (the bronze), Frock ‘n Roll (the shimmery espresso), and Bell-Bottom Blues (obviously the blue). However, I’m itching to try the orange red because, at the time I’m writing this post, I’m craving something bright. So maybe that one will be first.

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