My 4-Year Blogiversary & Worldwide Giveaway to Win the OPI Nordic Collection
Today is a very special day for me, and I want to celebrate with all of my readers because, let’s face it, you are the best! Thank you for everything you have done to put a smile on my face and in my heart.
In this post, you’ll find the details about my OPI Nordic Collection Worldwide Giveaway, which starts now and ends Wednesday August 6, 2014 at 11:59 pm EDT. I’m also sneaking in a box of 10 OPI Wipe-Off! Acetone-Free Lacquer Remover Wipes because I loved them so much, and I know you will, too.
Read the giveaway details in this post carefully, so your entry/entries will count!
I also reflect a little bit on blogging, as well as answer some of the questions readers asked me (scroll to the very bottom for my answers).
P.S. Psst! I actually have more fun giveaways planned verrrry soon. Yes, you can enter all of them!
Edit (August 7, 2014): Congratulations, Emily A.! You’ve won this giveaway for the OPI Nordic Collection and OPI Wipes! Please reply to the e-mail I sent within 48 hours to claim your prize. Thanks to everyone for participating, and remember, the other giveaway is still going on for Pretty Serious Swatch And Learn. Plus even after that’s over, I’m planning more exciting nail-polish giveaways, so stay tuned!
When I first began blogging on July 25, 2010, I wasn’t sure what direction exactly I’d take Swatch And Learn. (To read a little history of my blog, click the link.)
These 4 years have been a wild ride, and it has been an honour to share the journey with my readers. You inspire me to keep going, to improve, and to see the positivity in life that’s always there, but that sometimes we miss because of a bad day or social blinders.
Juggling a full-time corporate job, maintaining a social life, being a freelancer outside my job, dealing with life’s curve balls, and other challenging things, all while maintaining a blog haven’t been the easiest. But, you know what? My readers are worth the extra effort!
On a daily basis, you continually remind me that everything worth pursuing doesn’t come easy – you have to work for it!
I blog because I enjoy the challenge, the creativity, and the opportunity to engage with people all over the globe who I may not have met otherwise.
Each time I sit down at my computer to compose a post, my readers are always on my mind. It amazes me how so many different people can be united by a single passion, and the nail community is a very warm and welcoming one. We can learn so much from each other, and that’s why I’ve never gotten bored of nail polish OR nailphiles!
In fact, I dedicated the nail-polish colour I designed (Pretty Serious Swatch And Learn) to my readers, if you read the press release about it! (I always want you to know that you’re important.) Psst! If you’re reading this, here’s a heads up: I’ll be having a giveaway for this nail polish realllly soon!
Blogging opened many doors…and minds! It has helped me communicate my personal philosophy that happiness is more important than perfection and that no matter how much life or people seem to kick you when you’re down, you should always try to stand up.
My life isn’t full of rainbows and unicorns (despite what my blog’s cartoon-ish header may suggest…hehe!), but I try my best to give more weight to the positive things that bring me happiness. If we focus on the negative, it’s easy to become more sour than a lemon wishing it were a lime!
Swatch And Learn is my safe haven, and I want it to be a place of positivity for you, too. When you’re having a bad day, come on over and look at some polish or beauty products. Sometimes all it takes is a pretty colour on your nails to put you in a better mood, and if that’s the little pick-me-up you need, I’m so happy to be able to help! (Then, once you’re in a better place, reach out to your friends, your family, and within yourself to rise up and overcome daily obstacles.)
*Hug*
Hehe, if that isn’t a lovefest, then I don’t know what is! I hope you can feel the love from me radiating toward you and bursting out of your screen!
Come, let’s celebrate Swatch And Learn turning 4 together!
Giveaway Details:
- Starts: Now
- Ends: Wednesday August 6 at 11:59 pm EDT
- Who Can Enter: Everyone! (This is open worldwide!)
- Prize: The entire full-size 12-bottle OPI Nordic Collection (Oh, and as a bonus, you’ll also get a box of OPI Wipe-Off! Acetone-Free Lacquer Remover Wipes!)
The OPI prizes are provided by OPI’s PR. A HUGE thanks to the hardworking, talented, and beautiful ladies at Langton Communications for making this possible and for always supporting me!
You Must Do BOTH Things Below to Enter My Giveaway:
- Fill out the below Rafflecopter form.
- Leave a comment on this blog post telling me what you enjoy the most about SwatchAndLearn.com.
Want Extra Entries?
- You can earn extra entries by completing the other options listed in the Rafflecopter form. (There’s an option that allows you to gain a new entry daily!)
Selecting the Winner:
- Sometime on August 7 or 8, I’ll notify the winner (chosen randomly by Rafflecopter) via e-mail. I’ll also announce it on some of my social-media platforms, as well as in this blog post. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my e-mail to claim the prize. Failure to do so will force me to randomly draw another winner.
What Happens Next?
- The winner will send me her/his mailing address.
- In Canada? I’ll forward the address to OPI’s PR team, who’ll send you the prize directly.
- Outside Canada? I’ll send you the prize myself.
Important Note:
- Please add swatchandlearn (at) gmail (dot) com to your Safe list so my e-mail doesn’t accidentally go to the Junk folder.
Good luck!
My readers are the best!
Social Media You’ll Find Me On:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Google / beautylish / BlogLovin’
RSS Feed & E-mail Subscription
As I do more in-depth reviews with swatches of the polishes from the OPI Nordic Collection, I’ll link them here:
- Going My Way or Norway?
- Ice-Bergers & Fries
- OPI with a Nice Finn-ish
- My Voice is a Little Norse
- Can’t aFjörd Not To
- How Great is Your Dane?
- My Dogsled is a Hybrid
- Suzi Has a Swede Tooth
- Do You Have this Color in Stock-holm?
- Thank Glogg It’s Friday!
- Viking in a Vinter Vonderland
- Skating on Thin Ice-Land
Questions & Answers
A little while ago, in this blog post, I asked readers if they had any questions for me. A few people did, so I’ll answer them now.
Debi asks: “You do a lot of work with OPI polishes, and they are definitely a good brand. But if you couldn’t have OPI — what’s your favorite brand?”
That is a tough one because I usually am drawn more to colour and formula than to a specific brand. However, if I was forced to choose one brand other than OPI, I would have to say A-England, since every single polish I’ve tried from them have had stellar formulas, amazing pigmentation, and a really cool colour!
Mary asks: “You are stuck on a desert island…what 5 nail polishesdto you have with you? Also what 5 other beauty or fashion items do you have as well?”
Wow, another difficult question! Okay, I’ll try! The 5 nail polishes that I’d want with me are: Pretty Serious Swatch And Learn, China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, Clarins 230 (aka Unicorn Pee), OPI I Just Can’t Cope-acabana, and Nicole by OPI That’s What I Mint. This is all assuming that I’d have my trusty base and top coats with me.
As for the 5 other beauty or fashion items I’d want with me: Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Day Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 18, Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25, any facial cleanser, any good shampoo, and lots of hair ties!
Melissa asks: “What do your nails look like bare? What do you recommend for nails that tend to split and/or peel? If you could only wear 1 color for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
Here are two photos that I posted on Instagram of my nails with only OPI Nail Envy on it. Hehe, that’s as bare as they get. When I don’t wear a colourful polish, I make sure my nails are protected somehow. Without the OPI Nail Envy, they’re just matte, but still the same. I sometimes have yellowing (from stains) and I have ridges.
For those who have peeling or splitting nails, I really recommend OPI Nail Envy. (I was NOT sent that nail treatment by PR. I bought it because lots of nailphiles rave about it, and I wanted to try it.) I was so pleased with the performance!
My nails are naturally strong and don’t tend to split or peel, but OPI Nail Envy really seems to make them look healthier and even stronger! (If you use that, make sure that eventually you switch to the maintenance formula once you get your nails in their peak condition. Otherwise, I heard that your nails will go back to splitting if you keep using the Original Formula for too long. I haven’t experienced that, but this is just a heads up.)
As for your final question, if I could only wear one colour, it would have to be a green! Hehe, and I’m biased, but it would have to be Pretty Serious Swatch And Learn!
Mary N asks: “How did you get into beauty blogging?”
Haha, I think it all started when I reignited my love for polish and started looking online for swatches. After following several amazing bloggers, I decided to begin one myself, which would be a creative outlet outside work and a way to keep me busy with something positive to look forward to, as I was coping with the unexpected passing of my father. (He passed in March 2010, and this blog began in July 2010.)
It was also a way for my co-worker and I to share a fun activity. (This blog was originally created by both of us, but then she decided to stop blogging after a year.)
There’s more detail about the timeline in my About section, if you’re interested!
In my post on OPI Can’t Afjord Not To, I got a question that I thought I’d include here:
Kel asks: “How do you get Seche Vite to work for you so well? Whenever I use it, it makes my polish shrink.”
Whenever I polish my nails, I wait at least 5-10 minutes in between my coats of colour and also after my last coat of colour. This prevents a lot of shrinkage, but with certain polishes like jellies, I find that it will shrink if the formula is very watery. The trick is to wait longer to let the polish dry a little on its own – this will reduce the amount of shrinkage. Hope that helps!
