Category Archives: Beauty Tool Reviews

Haul of Shame: Brand New 2012 Bundle Monster 25-Piece Set

New 2012 Bundle Monster 25 Piece Image Plate Set Review & PicturesNot long ago, I found out that there was a new 2012 Bundle Monster 25-Piece Set, which just dropped!

Well, you can bet your acetone that I leapt onto my computer to place an order.

Stamping image plates are the easy (and fast) way to do amazing nail art. Even if you don’t think you have an artistic bone in your body, trust me – try stamping image plates, and you’ll become a Polish Picasso in no time.

I placed my order on June 19 and received them on June 28. That’s not too bad considering that they were going from Hawaii to Canada. (Heck, if I was in Hawaii, I might just stay there and enjoy the weather and the scenery.) ;)

In this post, I’ll share photos of each plate so you can see all the unique designs offered. Hopefully it better helps you decide whether or not you ‘need’ this set.

Hehe, the second I saw the owl designs, it instantly became a must-have. ;)

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Sedu Revolution Pro 4000i Dryer 1875 Watts Pink Edition Review & Pictures

Sedu Revolution Pro 4000i Dryer 1875 Watts Pink Edition Review & PicturesSedu is a haircare brand that I’ve come to trust. Several years ago, I tried their flat iron, and it literally changed my life!

My hair is naturally wavy/curly, so it gets frizzy and gross unless I put styling products like mousse in it. But I was tired of doing all that – for years I wore it like that. I wanted to wear it straight. Although I had tried a CHI flat iron, the Sedu kicked its behind!

Then I invested in a professional Sedu hairdryer and was really happy with it. But then one day, I put it on the bathroom counter, it slipped, and then fell onto the tile floor! The mechanism broke because it was quite a fall.

I had been happy with that hairdryer, so I was really bummed when the same model wasn’t sold anymore. (I had used that hairdryer daily for about 5 years, and if I was more careful, it could’ve lasted even longer.)

So, I searched Folica’s website for a replacement Sedu hairdryer. I chose the compact Sedu Revolution Pro 4000i Dryer 1875 Watts Pink Edition.

Is it as good as my previous Sedu hairdryer? Let me tell you what I think.

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Nail Art: Black & Blue Konadicure Using Essie Lapis of Luxury & Konad Image Plate m78

Black & Blue Konadicure Using Konad Image Plate m78 PicturesI was craving a funky manicure, but I didn’t have time to spend on freehand nail art. For times like these, nail stamping comes to the rescue like a caped, lacquered crusader. ;)

To create this Black & Blue Konadicure, I used Essie Lapis of Luxury, which I’ve been dying to try and the trippy full-nail pattern on Konad Image Plate m78.

As you can see, I was in quite a hurry, so the stamping is a bit fuzzy, but in real life (when your nails aren’t blown up to such a large size), the imperfections didn’t show as much.

There are tons of people who are so much better at nail stamping than I am, but the finished look was exactly what I was going for, flaws and all. :)

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Nail Art: Pink & Black Star Konadicure Swatches & Review

Black & Pink Star Nail Stamping Konad Image Plate m84 Pictures & Review smallerTwo weeks ago, I reviewed a mini bottle of Quo by Orly True Love. Although it was nice, I mentioned how I stamped over it to make it more me.

This Pink & Black Star Konadicure was the result!

I stamped the full-nail star pattern from Konad Image Plate m84 over my manicure using the black Konad Special Nail Polish.

Since it was my first time using the m84 Konad plate, I’ve included a photo of it as well as a brief review of this pattern near the end of this post in case you’re interested.

Also, my cuticles are really messy because I did a quick job at removing the black polish from my skin. My ‘secret’ is just letting the shower remove the rest of the polish – much easier! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to snap photos of the cleaned-up version. Hope you don’t mind. :) Continue reading

Tweezerman Professional Classic Lash Curler Review & Pictures

Tweezerman Lash Curler Review & PicturesI don’t wear mascara anymore, and I tend to wear dark eye looks a lot, so you might not realize that I have somewhat long lashes, but I do.

Each morning, I curl my eyelashes not only so they make me look more awake, but also so they don’t sweep the lenses of my glasses.

I’ve tried a few eyelash curlers, and my favourite is the Tweezerman Professional Classic Lash Curler.

A little while ago, I was in the market for a new good eyelash curler. I was ready to get the Shiseido one, but then I saw it only came with 1 refill pad. (You can get Shiseido replacement pads, but they’re around $6 each – rip-off!) So I ended up going back to my trusted favourite: Tweezerman!

It’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Every lash curler should come with several refills and/or additional refills should be sold for a reasonable price.

Oftentimes, I end up throwing out my curler (even though the device itself still works) just because the pad has worn away and there’s no replacement.

What I like about this Tweezerman lash curler is that it comes with 4 pads, costs a little over $10 CAD, and the curve fits the shape of my eyes perfectly. Continue reading

Haul of Shame: 25-Piece Bundle Monster Image Plate Set (Plus Mini Review)

Bundle Monster Image Plates Haul Post

The easiest way to do nail art is with nail-stamping image plates. It may take a little bit of practice to get the hang of it, but once you have the basics down, you’re golden!

Several months ago, Matty ordered me the 25-Piece Bundle Monster Image Plate Set from the official website as a gift. :) (Thanks, Matty!) Even though this is just one set, since there are so many image plates, I’m considering this haul-worthy!

At just $21.99 USD, it was a stellar deal especially since Konad image plates are around $6-7 USD each.

I love my Konad nail-stamping plates, but you really can’t beat Bundle Monster for the overall value!

If you’ve followed Swatch And Learn for a while, you’ll see that I’ve done a few designs already using some of these images. Plenty more to come! :)

In this post, I’ll present photos of each image plate so you can see all the designs, and I’ll show you how the film peels off and what the backing looks like. I’ll also give you a quickie review based on the images I have tried using so far. Continue reading

What’s in My Travel Makeup Bag

I’ve been seeing a lot of cool What’s in My Travel Makeup Bag YouTube videos and blog posts this summer. Thought I’d join in and show you what products I take. Plus this is very timely since I’m actually going on a short romantic ‘trip’ soon. I’m staying within the city, but he and I always have a great time.

Whats in My Travel Makeup BagBut before I go into the details about what I’m taking with me, I’d like to blab a little bit about myself first. If this bores you, you can scroll down this post to get right to the makeup. :) Continue reading