Category Archives: Quick Look

Maybelline New York Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary

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Maybelline 100th AnniversaryGuess what? Maybelline New York Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary!

To commemorate this milestone, they’re releasing limited-edition Maybelline makeup and a nail polish with special packaging.

The Maybelline 100 Anniversary Collection will be available on May 12th in drugstores and mass market retailers across Canada.

PR kindly provided me with a thoughtful gift bag full of goodies on Friday. 🙂 Needless to say, it was a fun way to usher in the weekend!

They also provided four postcards featuring vintage Maybelline ads, which I find especially interesting. Over the years, marketing campaigns for makeup have changed, and you can learn more about a society by studying them.

In this post, I show you a closer look at the makeup plus nail polish, and I swatch the lipstick, eye shadow, and nail polish.

Edit (Sunday May 3 at 11:15 am): I wanted to share the official press release provided to me about Maybelline’s history, what it stands for, and their inspirational journey in the makeup world. You can find it at the very bottom of this post.

It’s lengthy, but I’m sure that you’ll learn something new about the brand that you didn’t already know, which is worth the effort.

So far, out of all the press releases that have been provided to me for blogging purposes, this was my favourite to read because it went into depth about the brand’s history through a social lens and how Maybelline built up its empire to amplify its message that women are smart, strong, and beautiful.

Yes, the press release at the bottom is long (my fingers know all too well as I was typing it up to share with you! Thank goodness my typing speed is 95-100 words per minute), but I think you’ll find Maybelline’s story to be impressive and inspiring!

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Essie Neon 2015 Collection Swatches, Bottle Shots & Press Release

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Essie Neon 2015 CollectionGet a sun-kissed manicure with the Essie Neon 2015 Collection that will be hitting stores at the end of May!

Here’s a quick look at all the six fun colours in the Essie Neon 2015 Collection including swatches, bottle shots and the official press release.

Vibrant Vibes (lime green) and Groove is in the Heart (peachy pink) are the brightest hues in the bunch, so they scream summer to me the most.

However, the other shades, while not as neon, are still gorgeous colours in their own right.

I can see how you can mix and match so many of these colours. Need some inspiration for nail art? Scroll further down in this post, and you’ll see that I’ve included photos of some Essie designs ranging from a tribal nail look all the way to a simple ombre.

While greens are my favourite (and Vibrant Vibes is calling my name), I’m itching to wear Make Some Noise, the electric blue.

As usual, when I wear these as full manicures, I’ll share photos on my social media, and some may be featured on here for in-depth reviews that contain many swatches in different lighting conditions, bottle shots, and commentary on the formula, finish, etc.

If you have any requests for a shade from the Essie Neon 2015 Collection that you’d like to see first as a full in-depth review, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do. 🙂

I just had these Essie nail polishes for a couple of days, so I haven’t worn any yet, but this weekend, I plan to paint my nails with one.

Which are your picks from this collection?

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OPI SoftShades 2015 Collection Swatches & Bottle Shots

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OPI SoftShades 2015 CollectionHope you had a great weekend!

(I ended up watching The Age of Adaline. It was an entertaining film that I enjoyed overall because I like the message of never giving up on love, but there were weak parts in the plot that force you to suspend disbelief and to overlook the “scientific explanations” in order to get into the story. I wish that they spent more time on character development and that the movie had a believable ending.)

Back to nail polish! 😉

Today, I have swatches and bottle shots of the OPI SoftShades 2015 Collection! (If you want background information, check out the OPI SoftShades 2015 Collection Press Release I posted earlier.)

While you know that I’m a fan of bold and even crazy colours, there’s a time and a place for sweet shades like these.

I was pleasantly surprised by how funky Make Light of the Situation and Petal Soft were. Those are my two favourites in the bunch!

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OPI Color Paints Swatches & Bottle Shots

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OPI Color Paints Collection PhotosYesterday, I had the pleasure of playing around with the new OPI Color Paints, which hit stores between the eyes in May.

(You probably remember the OPI Color Paints press release I posted on here earlier, and you may have seen the quick photo I uploaded yesterday on my Instagram and other social media accounts.)

Like you, I was curious like a cat watching a mouse hole.

Would the 2015 OPI Color Paints just revisit the OPI Sheer Tints from 2014 and expand the colour selection? Or would they be completely different?

In this post, not only do I directly address that, but I show you side-by-side swatches, so you can see that the OPI Color Paints are much more pigmented than their OPI Sheer Tints baby sister!

I’ve also included OPI Color Paints swatches on a nail wheel with one coat and then with two coats, so you can see that OPI’s claim about these being buildable is true.

The silver nail polish included in the OPI Color Paints Collection is intended to be used as a base to make the colours pop, although I liked how they looked solo as well. (They have an almost creme-jelly finish to them.)

You’ll see swatches of that alone, but also with what it looks like with a single layer of another OPI Color Paints shade on top.

These OPI Color Paints are really fun to play around with, and I tried blending them and layering different colours on top. They work very well that way, too. (I may do a post later with photos of how they blend and layer.)

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Bundle Monster Secret Garden Collection (Part 1 of 5)

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Bundle Monster Secret Garden Collection Part 1The Bundle Monster Secret Garden Collection includes 25 nail-stamping plates that feature designs that span the entire plate.

Not only does it better utilize the space on the plate, but it also means that you have lots of creative options.

You could stamp using the same section for a manicure that’s uniform, or you could mix and match designs. Alternatively, you can have a manicure with a cohesive theme using the same plate, but stamp a different section onto each nail to give it a more artisan feel.

In this post, I show you a quick look at Bundle Monster nail-stamping plates BM-701 through BM-705. This is Part 1 of 5, and I hope that you like these ‘bite-sized’ posts. 🙂

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Hard Candy Sky Nail Polish & 20th Anniversary Goodies

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Hard Candy SkyIf Hard Candy Sky means anything to you (and it should, if you’re a nailphile), you’ll be in the same corner as me, jumping up and down, squealing with joy!

I came home from work the other day to this wonderful surprise: Hard Candy Sky Nail Polish & 20th Anniversary Goodies!

Yes, that’s right – Hard Candy is celebrating their 20th anniversary this month. (Edit: These items will be available in May.) The spring-themed box immediately brought a huge smile to my face. I remember the 1990s very well. I read Seventeen and YM magazines, soaking up every fashion pictorial, reading each advice column, learning beauty tips, and drooling over the cute guy of the moment.

Hard Candy Sky is a light-blue nail polish that was advertised in many of the magazines I pored over with friends, and its iconic shade brings back so many memories of when I was coming of age.

No, I never had the original Hard Candy Sky nail polish. Money was tighter than shrunken hipster pants when I was growing up. (I rarely had the fashion or makeup that was trendy or ‘cool’, but that didn’t stop me from being happy and appreciating what I did have.)

It really meant so much to me that Hard Candy surprised me with this special 20th anniversary box! 🙂

Also, in case you haven’t heard, Hard Candy is relaunching Sky (the nail polish that started it all) and other classics. Avid makeup and nail junkies, take note! (They’ll be available at Wal-Mart stores.)

In this post, I share with you some quick photos of Hard Candy Sky, the Top Ten Eyeshadow Collection, and a cute USB key. (How did they know that I needed a new USB key? Hehe, and it’s shaped like a Hard Candy nail-polish bottle, which is even better!)

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My Exclusive Interview with Bill Baker, the Owner of Consonant Skincare

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Consonant-Skincare-Bill-BakerThe skyline in my blog’s header pays homage to Toronto, the city in Canada that I call home.

Although I love to explore products and brands that hail from all over the globe, there’s a special place in my heart for local ones because I have a sense of Toronto pride.

Back in February, I had the incredible opportunity to ask some challenging questions and get great answers!

Here’s my Exclusive Interview with Bill Baker, the Owner of Consonant Skincare.

Consonant Skincare is proudly a Canadian company. All of their high-end 100% natural products are created and produced in Canada.

They have two locations in Toronto:

  • Flagship store is located at 2479 Yonge Street (Store hours: Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm & Sunday from noon to 5 pm)
  • PATH location is located at 120 Adelaide Street West, Unit R12 (Store hours: Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm) – Opens March 16th

But aside from geography, what stands out is that Consonant Skincare products utilize the highest possible concentration of organic botanical ingredients. Instead of being a “Band-aid solution” for irritating skin symptoms, Consonant Skincare products are formulated to work in harmony with the body’s natural chemistry to improve the healthy appearance of skin with continued use.

Consonant Skincare products make skin appear firmer, healthier, and younger-looking without using synthetic ingredients like parabens, sulphates, petroleum ingredients, phthalates, and silicone.

One of their customer favourites, HydrExtreme, recently won the Grand Prize at the Canadian Beauty Innovation Awards!

See the rest of this post to read my exclusive interview with Bill Baker, the official press release, and information on how you could win their Ultimate Consonant Experience Giveaway ($5,000 CAD value that’s good for one winner and four friends)!

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