Persephone

FAUNA CROP TOP: ℅ of Samantha Pleet SHORTS: Forever 21 (sold out, similar) SHOES: ASOS (sold out, similar) CLUTCH: ℅ Klear Klutch PHONE CASE:: ℅ Zero Gravity

I found it: the outfit I want to live in this summer! As you know, I am a huge fangirl over Samantha Pleet's designs - and this crop top is one of my very favorite pieces of hers ever. So imagine my surprise when, inside a little parcel from Samantha herself, tucked beside two of her beautiful lookbooks and a flower, was this crop top!!! ;_____; The graphic, tropical leaves that decorate this piece is paradisiacal and the scalloped hem is icing on the cake!

I decided to pair it with these simple high waisted shorts (that are SLIGHTLY shorter then I thought they would be…! Oh well, the parallels of shopping online), my trusty ASOS metallic flats (is silver a neutral? :*), and this darling flamingo printed Klear Klutch!

I can't think of a cuter, more apt for Spring/Summer print then pink flamingos and I have always loved the idea of a clear purse. Not only that, this clutch is truly beautifully made and is big enough to fit my important essentials - like heart sunglasses and my phone (which is outfitted in it's new Valentine's day candies covered case by Zero Gravity) AND a couple frivolities like my cute lipstick and compact (I love showing them off hehe)! I also adore this holographic version they have!

Two of Samantha's beautiful lookbooks and a beautiful fake flower like the ones featured in her S/S 2014 collection - finding these in my mailbox was like receiving a slice of magic from Samantha's world ♡

These were taken in my grandmother's beautiful garden - I just had to pick some of the stunning flowers and made a makeshift flower crown like the ones worn in Samantha's S/S lookbook! :*

I hope you are all had a nice Memorial Day weekend! Mine was low-key (read: boring) - but I did end up eating lots of ice cream and taking advantage of some sales. How did you spend yours? <3

Primp & Pamper

With stressful lives and the gloomy weather, feeling blue in the last legs of winter is almost inevitable. In times like these, I think we all deserve an hour or so just to ourselves for self care in the form of relaxing and pampering. Since I've been feeling a little glum myself, I thought I'd outline some of my favorite ways to "treat yo self"!

Put On Your Favorite Lipstick
Is it just me, or does putting on lipstick put anybody else in a good mood? I have found that devoting a couple minutes to experimenting with your makeup makeup collection has always been a bit therapeutic! After wanting and saving for months, I finally splurged on a Tom Ford lipstick (in Paradiso) and it is heaven. Another favorite? Too Faced's Juicy Melons.

Eat Your Favorite Candy
(Because candy is dandy)

Read a Magazine
While waiting for a face mask or your nails to dry, why not pour over one of your favorite magazines? I am currently smitten with Betty Magazine (look out for a post on this gorgeous magazine soon)!

Use a Face Mask
With a host of affordable to luxury face masks that deep clean, tighten pores or exfoliate on the market, your face deserves a bit of pampering - just don't forget the cucumber slices! n_~ (Here I used a purifying papaya mud mask)

Wear Perfume
I'm kind of guilty of using my perfume only for very, very special occasions - it's just so pretty and expensive I don't ever want to use it all up ;A; I do think, however, spritzing yourself with a lavish scent can be just the right way to perk up your mood! I love Marc Jacob's Daisy (I've had it for years and it still smells perfect!) and Nicki Minaj's fragrance.

Paint Your Nails
Filing and painting one's nails is something I haven't gotten the hang of yet (seriously, how do you people get your nails into specific shapes?!), but now that my nails have grown out (I bite them when I'm nervous!) I've been painting them left and right! Here I'm wearing Wet n Wild's Tickled Pink.

How do you pamper yourself? ♡

10 Cute Stocking Stuffers Under $10

Whenever I look at stocking stuffer guides and see things $40+ I'm a bit shocked! Growing up with three siblings, I learned at a young age what it meant to stretch a dollar and to me "stocking stuffers" has always meant "under $10". So when Jaime suggested I make a post about finding cute stocking stuffers with tight budgets in mind, I was happy to compile a list for those of us who have a strict budget to stick to this holiday season!

WET N WILD'S MEGALAST LIPSTICKS in 24 Carrot Gold, Cherry Picking, Pinkerbell,
Red Velvet, & Sugarplum Fairy

REVLON'S HEAVENLY NAIL POLISH, ETUDE HOUSE ICE CREAM NAIL POLISH
(a gift from Marlena - thank you doll!)

MAKEUP
Pretty much the holy grail stocking stuffer for me is makeup! There are so many really wonderful drugstore makeup brands out there with super affordable prices. My favorites are Wet n Wild (particularly their $2 lipsticks - I LOVE THEM), E.L.F., Revlon, and NYX.

TOYS
Target has adorable Lego minifigures (in store for only $2.99 I believe! My little brothers love these and have quite a collection) and a $1 section filled with cute knick knacks - World Market also has a bunch of adorable old fashioned toys!

CANDY
Okay, who doesn't love candy?! This Giant Gummy Bear On A Stick on Fred Flare looks pretty darn heavenly, but normal sized sweets and the classic candy canes will do just as well of course! What's everybody's favorite candy? Mine is Hasbrio gummies!

DARLING WHAT HAVE I DONE? & PIZZA WHIPPED PINS BY WISHCANDY

PINS
I love love love pins - especially when you can support your favorite independent artists by purchasing them! I just recently bought this Wishcandy pin and it's perfect! Other cute pins found on etsy: all of these by The Floral Prince & Mr. Meow Pin by Pretty Little Fawn. You can find some cute ones on Hot Topic as well.

CLOTHES
Forever 21 has a great under $10 section with cute cropped tops that would be perfect layering pieces!

STATIONARY
Notebooks, pens, pencils, envelopes, notepads, stickers, novelty erasers - I love that stuff! Sanrio and Darling Dear have a great selection.

CANDY HEART RING BY CREATURE TYPE

ACCESSORIES
Like gloves, socks, headbands (Forever 21 has a bunch), jewelry (there is so many cute pieces on etsy!), and these temporary tattoos by Harriet Gray are particularly adorable.

Another fun option is compact mirrors - this Sweet & Lovely Pocket Mirror is adorably retro and Forever 21's are always my favorite!

MAGAZINES
A single magazine is fun to roll up in a stocking, and magazines like Teen Vogue and Marie Claire are just $10 to subscribe for a whole year (or in Teen Vogue's case, two)!

ITUNES GIFT CARD
Music is one of the greatest gifts, and thanks to iTunes you can gift your loved ones quite an impressive amount of tracks with only $10.

DIY
As great as this all are, nothing is quite as special as a gift you made with your own two hands just for them! Here is my DIY Pinterest board for some ideas.

Hasbro Gummy Cherries, Ruffled Socks, Cat Ears Headband, Purr Lip Gloss, Cat Makeup Brushes, Cat Compact, Mr. Meow Pin, Sweet & Lovely Pocket Mirror, Creature Type Ring, NYX Lipstick, Giant Gummy Bear, Wishcandy Pin, Heart Stud Earrings.

Forever 21, Target, World Market, Wal-Mart, and Dollar Tree have literally hundreds of cheap, cute knick knacks that would be perfect for stocking stuffers and are also my favorite places to shop in general! Another bit of advice: when shopping online, most stores offer the option to sort products by lowest price first - which is super helpful!

The possibilities are truly endless and I hope this post was able to give you some ideas! I would love to hear about your Christmas plans - have you already started buying presents? ♡

Briar Rose

BLOUSE: Forever 21 DRESS: Bought from Paige, originally Topshop PINK SANDALS: c/o Surfdome

Good morning! Is this not one of the most adorable dresses ever?! And it has pockets! I had been eyeing it for ages on Topshop, but it was always just a bit out of my price range and it sold out. I forgot about it until I saw the lovely Paige post it in a blog sale for an incredible price, so I snatched it up! I'm wearing it with a beautiful sheer blouse from Forever 21.

Meanwhile, I am positively smitten with these shoes by Mel Footwear! Surfdome was kind enough to send them to me for review, and I absolutely love them! I always feel rather awkward in heels, but that wasn't the case with these adorable pink sandals! Thank you so much again surfdome.com!

I've spent the majority of this past week fretting over my cat Fi, who wasn't acting herself and had lost some weight. The days leading up to the appointment I imagined every single thing that could be wrong (does anybody else do this?!) and how much whatever it would cost to fix whatever it was. Finally the day arrived and it seems she has stones + an infection - thankfully they gave her the necessary medicine and antibiotics and are pretty confident she will recover fairly quickly! I was so, so relieved I could cry - she's my baby and I've had her since I was just six! :')

Here's hoping you have a beautiful week ♡

At the Vanity

MAYBELLINE LIPCOLOR IN SHOCKING CORAL, REVLON LIPSTICK IN REALLY RED, REVLON LIPSTICK IN APPLE POLISH, LAURA MANFRE STICKERS *

I've been a bit down lately, and I find in those situations the best thing to do is try to find joy in the little things - like watching an animated movie or playing with new makeup. So when I heard Rite Aid was having a buy one get one half off drugstore makeup sale, I hightailed it to the nearest store! (◡‿◡✿)

TOP: SHOCKING CORAL MIDDLE: REALLY RED BOTTOM: APPLE POLISH

I ended up getting Maybelline's BB cream and one of their ColorSensational Vivids Lipcolors in Shocking Coral at Rite Aid - I've been meaning to try both for months!

I also walked to a local drugstore nearby and dug around in the clearance bin to find the last two Revlon lipsticks in Really Red and Apple Polish - each one only $2! I haven't tried any of Revlon's lipsticks before (besides the lipbutter!) so I was probably more excited then I should be over my discovery :|

I'm usually not really a fan of frosty lipsticks, but out of these three Apple Polish ended up being my favorite shade! When I got home I discovered it's discontinued color - sad face!

By the way, I almost killed these lipsticks trying to take pictures of them! The plastic shell in the background fell on top of them - thankfully they were a little smudged but okay! How do you beauty bloggers do it?!

MAYBELLINE DREAM FRESH 8-IN-1 BB CREAM IN LIGHT/MEDIUM
Meanwhile, I was pretty impressed with this! I did some research online and a lot of beauty bloggers agree that this product should be called a tinted moisturizer instead of a bb cream since it doesn't have anti-aging properties. That said, I was happy with my purchase since it was only $7, reduced the visibility of my pores, left my skin feeling pretty soft, and is SPF 30!

FOREVER 21 CAT TWEEZERS, FOREVER 21 CAT MAKEUP BRUSHES, LAURA MANFRE STICKERS *

Oh and by the way, how cute are my new Forever 21 kitty beauty brushes (sold out online but check your local stores!!) and tweezers?! Can't wait to play with them - the bristles are super soft!

FOREVER 21 SHEER BLOUSE, DRESS BOUGHT FROM PAIGE, ORIGINALLY TOPSHOP

And I know this isn't makeup related - but look how pretty my new dress and blouse look together! :')

What little things cheer you up when you're feeling blue? ♡

Wishery

TOP: Forever 21 SKIRT: c/o Choies
TIGHTS: Urban Outfitters FLATS: Wal-Mart

Told you I'd be back soon! ヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ Thank you so, so much for such a warm welcome back! I have missed you all terribly and the support and love I feel radiating from you guys is absolutely priceless and very dear to me ♡

And now, to blab about how much I love what I'm wearing! Do you ever put an outfit on and it just feels perfect? Because exactly how I felt when I donned this skirt with suspender straps from Choies!

The flared out circle skirt is the absolute dreamiest shape, and the shoulder straps elevate it from a simple black skirt! I should note, however, you should definitely have somebody zip you into this because I almost dislocated my shoulder trying to get in it by myself haha!

I paired it with the most adorable crop top from Forever 21 (the sailor collar!! *__* I actually bought it a size up because they didn't have my size in stock and I just had to have it ~_~), scalloped tights from Urban Outfitters, and black flats I got for only $6 at Wal-Mart; though they kind of blend in with my tights and look like I'm not wearing any shoes... oh well!

This week is shaping up to be a lovely one! These past couple of days I have been productive with work, ate quite a few creamsicles, have been getting excited for one of my friend's graduation party next month, have been enjoying cooler weather, will be visiting my grandparents tomorrow, and have had some of the most incredible Skype conversations with my friend Bertha (who is the one who convinced me to start watching Teen Wolf... and I might've watched all three seasons in little over a week (・｀ω´・))

All in all I'm feeling very optimistic and excited, and I hope you are having a good week too! ♡ And since I look way too serious in these pictures - here's a slightly embarrassing picture of me which a huge, silly grin on my face!

♡♡♡

♡♡♡ Inside My Seashell ♡♡♡

Good morning dolls! Just thought I'd share a quick look into my bag, or in this case, my seashell! ;* This gorgeous, intricately beaded purse was one of the sweetest presents I have ever received by one of the sweetest girls I have ever met - Marlena, and is my go-to purse (afterall, what kind of mermaid would I be if I didn't use it 24/7?)! ♡♡♡

Inside my seashell you will find:

Bobby Pins (of course - these are everywhere!)

Black Cat Compact

Business Cards by Moo (LOVE them!)

Carmex Chapstick; because my lips are chapped 98% of the time

Wet 'n Wild Lipstick in Red Velvet - a new purchase that I absolutely love (SUPER VIBRANT LIPS FOR ONLY $2!)

And an iPhone with a custom iPhone case with the Mermaidens logo on it by CaseApp!

CaseApp specializes in creating custom iPhone cases and when they offered to send me one for review, I jumped at the chance! I was so impressed by the quality of the image and how sturdy the case itself is when I received it! Suffice to say, I love the result and the fact it's my own illustration and blog name is a great conversation starter when I'm out and about!

And now the age old question: what's in your bag? ♡