Zoya's Summer 2021 collection, Dreamin' includes 6 polishes in a variety of formulations including cream, metallic and a neon matte. 

Desi - vibrant geranium coral (cream)

Polly - fruit-punch pink (cream)

Darla - Gerber Diasy pink (cream)

Skipper - milky purple neon (dries matte but apply a top coat to make it glossy)

Mateo - cool-toned pacific blue (cream)

Summer - blue mermaid shimmer with green/gold reflect

Of the shades that are sent, the ones I am gravitating to are Desi, Skipper, Mateo and Summer - what about you? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, XO - M.

I was recently sent the Zoya EasyNeon Collection and its fun and vibrant colors make it perfect for summer! It comes with six shades total and the below swatches are one with two coats. The brush for this polish is their z-wide brush which makes application even more effortless! My go-to colors here are Janie, Zelda and Oakley, what are some of your favorites?

Until next time, XO - M.

Swatch shade descriptions:

Mara - nude 

Val - pastel grey blue

Kayleigh - pastel light grey

Ella - coral

Tweedy - true bold pink

Joyce - bright pink

Of the shades, my favourite would be Mara, Kayleigh and Joyce - what about you? 

Until next time, XO - M.

The Spring 2021 OPI Collection has launched which features 12 shades in total - I was sent 6 of them and I thought that I would swatch them for you so you can get a taste of how this collection is! The theme is centered around Hollywood and all their names as usual coordinate with them.

Bee-hind the Scenes - pastel yellow (cream)

Movie Buff - pale pink (cream)

Suzi Calls the Paparazzi - rose-toned pink (cream)

I'm an Extra - pale terracotta (cream)

Hollywood & Vibe - vibrant pastel pink (cream)

Destined to be a Legend - pastel grey blue (cream)

I'm Really an Actress - Red with Red and Gold Glitter (Metallic)

Oh You Sing, Dance, Act and Produce? - cornflower blue (cream)

Rated Pea-G? - rich emerald green (cream)

15 Minutes of Flame - fuchsia (metallic)

Award for Best Nail goes to .... - rich navy blue (cream)

Emmy, have you seen Oscar? - bright red (cream)

The other 6 are much brighter and rich shades to balance out the pastel spring hues of the ones I was sent. There truly is something for everything, and I am sure you will find something that suits you! The formula is solid, I would not expect anything less from OPI - all swatches are done with two coats of polish.

Until next time, XO - M.

Guerlain has recently launched their brand new matte lipsticks that feel luscious and comfortable - KISSKISS TENDER MATTE, available in 15 shades and retails for $48 each (price subject to vary from vendor to vendor). The lipsticks are housed in a chic and sleek glossy black component that has a beautiful weight to it. Everything from the formulation to the packaging screams luxury and I LOVEEEE it!! 

Below are the three shades that I have received and have swatched both on the arm and on my lips for you to see how they are. 

Of the three shades sent, my favorite would have to be 775 a true red followed by 940, the cherry red which is a shade darker. These lipsticks truly glide on effortlessly and they are all comfortable on the lip, non-drying, and is pigmented - one swipe is all it took!

What are your thoughts on these lippies? I already checked the Sephora site and some shades are already sold out, so really go and buy yourself at least one .. or MORE to try out!

Until next time, XO - M.

I've been using Quo Cosmetics since I was first wearing makeup, I still remember my first purchase from this brand, it was a cream bronzer, blush and highlight palette and I loved it so much. Fast forward now to 2020, they have relaunched their entire collection, repackaged it and reformulated it as well. I was recently sent their collection to try out and since it's been a hot minute from my last makeup tutorial I thought why not take the opportunity now! I have these beauties swatched below and I will also list out what products I've used to create the looks below.

Here is a classic before and after shot of my face - left, super tired panda circle eyed mom and right, my "effortless" clean-ed up look! To create this, I used the:

- Quo - Brow Defining Gel 

- Quo - Sheer Lip Paint (Poised)

- Quo - Pump Up The Volume Maxi-Volume (Black) 

- Quo - Golden Glow Primer 

- Quo - Skin Perfector (Golden Hour)

- Quo - Blush (Rose Water)

- Quo - Featherweight Cream Blush (Angelic)

- Quo - Cosmic Cream Shadow (Dark Matter)

- Quo - Liquid Precision Marker (Jet Black)

The only product that I used that isn't Quo is the foundation, concealer, lashes and Brow pencil (as one wasn't provided)

Below are the face and eye products that were used to create the look as well. The liquid liner is black and opaque, pigmented and can do a thin or thick line equally. The Cosmic Cream Shadow blends out like a dream and stays put all day and also layers wtihout getting caught and patchy. The Skin perfector powder is a beautiful diffused highlighter and the Golden Glow Primer is DEWY. It is like a liquid highlight so use with caution, I would not just use this directly on its own as a primer as you will end up looking like edward cullen when the sun hits - haha! I actually mixed this with my foundation and it was perfect! Lastly, the Blushes are buttery and pigmented as you can see the swatches are only one swipe. 

I decided to include swatches fo the three lipsticks for you below (oh and yes I did go darker, say goodbye to the blonde balayage hair). I used a lipbalm under the lipstick to give it a bit of shine and I really have to say its beautiful. You can see how truly pigmented they are and it only took one swipe.

Which products are you looking forward to? Have you tried anything from Quo yet? 

Until next time, XO - M.

I was sent the Transitional 2020 collection from Zoya to swatch recently and if you know me well, this is right up my alley, purples... lilacs.. pinks.. my favorite! The collection is called Naturel 4 and I have swatched all six of them below for you, which one is your favorite shade? 

Evelyn - a cool soft pastel pink in a cream finish

Cami - a pale mauve pink with a cream finish

Barrett - taupe violet cream

Vivian - dusty grape cream

Adeline - deep fig eggplant purple cream

Marlowe - a duochrome rose-gold finish with and a jewel-toned blue base 

My favorite shade in this collection would be Adeline (I've been wearing it daily) and Barrett.

Until next time, XO - M.

This year for the Holidays, Zoya brings us the Intriguing Collection which features 12 shades in various finishes like glitter, cream and shimmer. Personally, I find that these shades are a great transition from fall into winter seasons with a variety of jewel tones and richer deeper shades as well mixed with a beautiful pearl and gold. 

A breakdown of the shades are below from top row down, left to right:

Lottie - champagne pearl with glitter

Nico - champagne gold pearl with silver shimmer 

Eunice - chartreuse metallic green

Soko - poinsetta wintery red cream

Koley - metallic pink toned red

Beverly - burgundy cream

Isti - wintery steel blue with a textured PixieDust royal blue

Meredith - sapphire blue with icy blue glitter reflects 

Nisha - deep royal metallic purple toned blue

Regina - dark emerald metallic

Avi - rich eggplant purple cream

Brett - charcoal indigo cream

My stand-out shades in this collection are Joley, Meredith, Nisha and Regina - what are yours? 

Until next time, XO - M.

I was recently sent a selection of the OPI Holiday 2020 collection for swatching and review, and of course I had to share it with you! To note, there are twelve shades total in the collection, but I was sent six of them to share with my readers!

Naughty or Ice? - an icy glitter champagne shade

This Gold Sleighs Me - true metallic gold

Snowfalling for You - pearlescent light peach toned pink

This Shade is Ornamental! - pearlescent darker rose pink

Gingerbread Man Can - a neutral brown mauve pearl

Dressed to the Wines - dark wine berry pearl 

Of course, I had to share with you the matching base and top coat that will help elevate your at-home manicure to be one of salon quality.  The Infinite Shine base and top coat are my always must haves as it allows for my polish to go on smoother, and for it to stay for a week on my nails without chipping. To help my polish dry in record time so I can go about my day, the Drip Dry helps to dry it quickly and finally, the cuticle oil nourishes my nail beds. 

Of the six sent to me, my favorite shade would have to be Dressed to the Wines, it is the most perfect shade for the holidays and you bet I will be wearing it all the time! 

Until next time, XO - M.

The weather in Toronto has definitely signalled that Fall weather is to come, the nights are cooler, mornings are crisp and it's the perfect time to transition into the Fall wardrobe - bring out the leggings, sweaters and scarves. OPI has graciously sent me their Fall 2020 collection for review and swatching and these colors just really and truly sum up what you would expect for Fall with its variety of tones. 

There are 12 shades in total in a variety of formulations, cream, metallic, glitter and I am LIVING for them all. This time I was sent two variations to try, their Infinite Shine (in silver cap bottles) and their Classic Lacquer (black cap bottles). Keep scrolling to see all these swatched as well as a brief description of the colors/shades, it is also important to note that I used two coats for each swatch.

Have Your Panettone and Eat It Too - pumpkin orange cream 

Fall-ing for Milan - bronze nude polish with copper gold-hued shimmer

This Color Hits All The High Notes - light blue polish with pearlescent hues

My Italian Is A Little Rusty - chestnut earth tones

Galleria Vittorio Violet - pearl-like amethyst purple

Addio Bad Nails, Ciao Great Nails - pale lavender with darker purple shimmer

Suzi Talks With Her Hands - slate grey cream polish

Duomo Days, Isola Nights - cream based, denim blue

OPI Nails the Runway - granite grey shimmer with copper and blue toned shimmer reflect

Drama At La Scala - cream based dark teal

Complimentary Wine - rich burgundy - almost jelly like in formulation

Leonardo's Model Color - multi-dimensional purple glitter

Of all the polishes swatched, I have so many favorites - I think I love them all to be honest but if I was really forced to choose, they'd be:

- Have Your Panettone and Eat It Too

- Fall-ing for Milan

- Galleria Vittorio Violet

- Addio Bad Nails, Ciao Great Nails

- Suzi Talks With Her Hands 

- OPI Nails the Runway 

- Leonardo's Model Color

What are some of the shades you're loving? 

Until next time, XO - M.

The fall collection from Zoya, Luscious, contains 12 polishes in what can be described as true fall tones of neutrals, earthy tones and a few splashes of berry shades. There are a variety of formulations in this collection, cream, microshimmer, shimmer, duo-chrome and metallic and as always I have these babies all swatched for you below. 

Bentley - royal eggplant purple (cream)

Lisa - deep garnet red (cream)

Sharon - wild berry (cream)

Teresa - berry toned purple with pink micro-shimmer (micro-shimmer)

Tommy - blue toned slate grey (cream)

Patrice - neutral mauve/blush tone with golden shimmer (shimmer)

Tasha - dark brown metallic (metallic)

Andrea - cool-toned duo-chrome that has a purple/green shift (duo-chrome)

Mel - forest olive green (cream)

Lou - spruce blue tone with a tint of green (cream)

Wanda - cool toned bubble gum pink with golden shimmer (shimmer)

Soleil - copper metallic (metallic)

All the shades swatched are with two coats of polish.

My favorite shades from this collection are: Andrea, Mel and Patrice as they are unique and I have not seen them yet or own them in my current collection.

What are some of your favorites? 

Until next time, XO - M.

I was recently sent this beautiful collection from Mary Kay - they are called the Unlimited Lipgloss, comes in 14 shades and 3 finishes - cream, pearl and shimmer and retails for $18 each. What I truly love about this collection is the variety of wearable colors it offers - there is a color for every occassion and easily takes you from morning to night, casual to dramatic and sexy. 

The gloss is super comfortable and plush, it is not sticky at all (BONUS!) and feels hydrating on the lips and does not settle in fine lines. The cream shades are pigmented and offers a smooth finish and delivery of color with one swipe. This formula contains Vitamins C and E as well and is dermatologist-tested for skin irritations and allergies. 

I'd love to know which shade is your favorite below - mine are: Evening Berry, Unique Mauve, Iconic Red, Pink Ballerina, Pink Fusion and Nude Blush. 

Until next time, XO - M.

I was recently sent the Hello Happy Air Stick Foundation from Benefit to review and test out and to be honest, I was very nervous to do so because 1) I haven't done a makeup post in a while, life working from home and caring for my toddler made it too busy to find any time 2) well, look at my skin, I am breaking out so much. For those who know me in real life or have been followers of my blog, I'm sure you can agree that you have never seen my skin like this before - Please note that I have done zero editing in any of the photos below not even in the before or after as I just want my readers to view the real me and product - put it to the real test you know? 

So, I have decided to just put my fears aside and go for it, and I am so happy that I did - just look at the before (top row) and after (bottom row). This is in shade 4 and I swiped it twice each on my forehead, cheeks, once on nose and once on chin. This foundation offers a medium coverage so I tried it as a concealer and it worked! I was able to actually cover my tired panda mom eyes! This is truly an all in one product - being portable while offering a slim packaging, it is great for storage in your vanity or makeup bag.

The scent of it is amazing as well, which is the bonus - it has the most subtle natural lavender scent but the formula itself actually has a blend of chamomile and botanical extracts. It is waterproof and blends out effortlessly on the skin and feels weightless unlike many other cream foundations I have tried before. It does not make you look cakey either so I am ecstatic that it doesn't make my skin feel congested. Below is also what I found on the site which is certainly great to know and definite bonuses!

Below is the final finished look that I created and I have to say this is a new must-have - all my pimples are gone, I swear I didn't even edit it - the discoloration on my face from the prior acne scarring is gone as well in addition to covering my dark circles. I used to say how much I missed the old formulation of their powder foundation but truly after I tried this new stick foundation out, I can sadly say I am happy to finally let go of that one - hah!

Until next time, XO - M.

I was recently fortunate enough to be sent the summer collection from one of my favorite nailpolish brands, Zoya! I have these beautiful gems all swatched below so keep on reading!

Eclipse - holographic rainbow sparkles with silver glitter suspended in a clear coat - perfect to wear alone or over your favorite shade (holographic)

Fisher - seafoam blue with a gold micro-shimmer, beautiful especially when the sun hits it on a certain angle it glistens in the sun (shimmer)

Corrina - a dusty blush pink tone with a golden shimmer - its probably one of my favorite shades! Some angles it looks like a nude pink, but others when it reflects light turns into a beautiful tone that reminds me of a shell reflecting on the beach by the shore (shimmer)

Emma - coral (cream)

Jodi - bold pastel pink (cream)

Greta - a classic red (cream)

Kristie - magenta (cream)

Celi - Cherry red with gold micro-shimmer (shimmer)

Harbor - bold turquoise green (cream)

Maren - nautical blue (cream)

Jessica - eggplant purple (cream)

As always, all swatches are done with two coats however like I've repeatedly mentioned before in my prior posts covering Zoya polishes, their cream formulation is so good that you can easily get away with one coat. My stand-out shades for this collection include Corrina, Jodi and Leilani - these three shades are unique and ones I haven't seen before. I have nothing like it in my current collection is what I'm saying so those three are a definite yes for me!

What shades do you gravitate to? Would love to hear from you!

Until next time, XO - M