Fluorescent Adolescent

SWEATER: Thrifted DRESS: c/o Lookbook Store PINS: Tiny Tangerines
SOCKS: ASOS* BOOTS: c/o ChicWish

HELLO!! *throws confetti on you!* Can't believe it's been so long since I last posted - I had a few post plans but they kept falling through or not working! ~__~ But moving on...! ♡

LOOK AT THESE BOOTS. It was love at first sight when I saw them on tumblr, so when I was given the opportunity to review a pair from Chicwish I was beyond ecstatic!

I really love how you can customize these in so many different ways by swapping out the laces or just by wearing socks! I've worn them a couple times out and about - each time I have gotten quite a few compliments (quite a rare occurrence for me!) and I *have* noticed that my feet get a little hot - but since I'm so in love with them I don't mind ;__;

I'm going forward to when it gets really rainy again so I can splash in puddles and not have to worry about my shoes getting wet! They are also available in green and yellow.

Since these shoes are so loud, I just wore an all-white outfit (you will be seeing more of that dress soon....!) and accessorized with animal cookie pins by one of my favorite etsy stores, Tiny Tangerines, and pink heart socks from ASOS!

Last week was pretty low-key for me (aka BORING ¬＿¬) so what have you guys been up too? Anything interesting? :3 ♡♡♡

* Giveaway win from the lovely Ron from Dresses on a Clothesline

Too Faced Sweethearts Blush Review

If you've been reading Mermaidens for very long you will know I absolutely a d o r e makeup! Being able to put on a little bit of lipstick and eyeliner makes me a little bit more comfortable with my outward appearance and does wonders for my self confidence.

And because of this, I want to start sharing makeup reviews! And isn't Too Faced's Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush the perfect product to start with?!

Lately (due to Jessica's influence, no doubt!) I have been extremely curious about using blush - and so when I saw Too Faced's Sweethearts Blush I absolutely melted and made a bit of a snap decision and bought it!

I absolutely love the packaging's aesthetic - it's pink, it's gold, it's a heart shape! What I'm not as pleased about is the fact the case is made out of paper, and thus not quite as durable as I would hope!

But otherwise, I really do love it! What really cinched the purchase for me was the fact it comes with three different shades of pink - all of which can be built up to be more pigmented if you wish!

Trying to look glamourous while using a broken compact...

And now a very important question - what kind of brush should I get to apply this beautiful blush properly?! (⌒▽⌒)☆ And please let me know if you want to see more makeup reviews on Mermaidens! ♡

Mint Floral Dress c/o SwayChic

on my face I am wearing...
Wet n Wild Megalast Liquid Eyeliner
Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous
Laura Mercier Eyebrow Blonde Pencil
Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush
MAC Toxic Tale (limited edition, dupe)

♡ Friday Favorites ♡

SwayChic Boots, Paul & Joe Blush in Candy, Stila Convertible Color in Petunia, SheInside Cable Knit Sweater, American Apparel Mint Skirt, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Cherry Tart, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, & SheInside Criss Cross Skirt

Happy Friday everybody! I've been meaning to make my very own Friday Favorites post for ages, and this week I found so many interesting things I just had to share!

Starting with a little wishlist, but of course! I'm so in love with this SheInside cable knit sweater, the color is DIVINE and it looks so cozy - how cute would it look paired with this suspender skirt?! I've also been looking for the perfect pair of boots, and this pair (also available on ModCloth) look p e r f e c t! And of course, my beauty wishlist is about a million pages long, but I'm particularly wanting more of Revlon's ColorBurst Lip Butters in Cherry Tart and Tutti Frutti (♡‿♡)

Reese Lansangan photographed by Aleyn Comprendio I discovered Reese Lansangan's blog after seeing Annika follow her and was absolutely floored by her flawless style, gorgeous voice, and wonderful art! This girl is a serious triple threat.

Franchesca Ramsey's My Lipstick Story video is nothing short of incredible!

I am so happy that one of the closest friends I've made within the blogging community, Paige Joanna is nominated for Best Established Fashion Blog in Cosmopolitan's Blog Awards! Paige is an unbelievably talented illustrator and fashion blogger who continues to inspire me with how she deals with hardships - I highly recommend reading this post! It would be the world to the both of us if you could spare a moment to vote for her (Best Established Fashion Blog is category #3)! ♡

And a few of my favorite blog posts from this week!: Jessica shares her favorite coral & orange lipsticks, Lydia looks absolutely gorgeous in her newest outfit post, Zie re-opened her shop and it's WONDERFUL!

I hope you all have a truly gorgeous weekend! Please let me know if you have any exciting plans and what your favorite things about this week has been thus far! (◡‿◡✿)

Locketship x Mermaidens Giveaway

This August is Mermaidens' second anniversary, and what better way to kick it off than with a giveaway? And this one just so happens to be particularly incredible as it is with one of my favorite jewelry brands - Locketship!

After seeing Locketship on ModCloth for the first time, I just about fell off my chair! With products featuring sequins, cats, hearts, ice cream, mermaids - it was like finding a bit of heaven on earth! After purchasing my dream bow (the NeaPAWlitan one!), I mustered up the courage to ask Maria if she would be interested in doing a giveaway with Mermaidens, since I knew you guys would love her stuff!

I can't even begin to try to describe my excitement when she suggested making 2 custom necklaces using the Mermaidens logo - one for me to keep and one to give away…!!! When the necklace arrived in the post I had to pinch myself - seeing my own illustration on such an absolutely gorgeous, well made piece of jewelry is a dream come true! ;__;

And the best part? One lucky reader will win their own custom Mermaidens necklace AND a cats cradle ring!

To enter, simply use the RaffleCopter widget below! This giveaway is open internationally and ends August 23rd, 2012. Good luck! ♡

a Rafflecopter giveaway

EDIT: Kerry, entry #651, is our lucky winner!

♡♡♡,
Kailey

Fairy Floss

DRESS: c/o SwayChic PURSE: a gift from Marlena (◡‿◡✿)
SHOES: ASOS (sold out, similar) CANDY BOW: c/o Pop That Cassette

Hi! How're you this Monday morning? I've been trying to sort through my emails and not be too heartbroken that it's already August! I can feel the beginning of seasons changing and any reminders of time passage always makes me a bit gloomy! But, I'm going to try my hardest to make the most of what's left of summer! n__n

And now, onto what I'm wearing! :* Isn't this dress from SwayChic d r e a m y?! I can't get over the fabric - it's such a perfect shade of mint, and the fabric is so so soft *__* SwayChic actually opened it's online store fairly recently (already having 6 brick and mortar locations in California!) and already I am completely in love - it was very difficult choosing what to get as they have so many cute options!

Meanwhile, is this or is this not one of the cutest bows you have EVER seen?! It's handmade by Alicia from Pop That Cassette - who I have found to be not only unbelievably talented, but an absolute doll inside and out! She sent me this bow and a few other goodies that I'll be sharing soon - in the meantime be sure to check out her shop for more cuteness!

I have a super exciting giveaway almost ready to unveil... until then, kisses! ♡

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!

♡♡♡

Blush Response

TOP: c/o SheInside (worn backwards) BRALET: Charlotte Russe
SKIRT: c/o Lashes of London SHOES: ASOS (sold out; similar)

HELLOOOO!!! It seemed like for the last couple weeks, me and my family have had the worst luck - it was like one bad thing after another kept happening...! ｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡ Thankfully, things seem to be looking up (knock on wood) and I'm BACK! I've missed you all so much!

I was utterly over the moon when Lashes of London, a U.K. based brand, contacted me about reviewing one of their pieces!

The ornate metallic lace overlay on this skirt is absolutely gorgeous! I love the combination of creamy lilac and metallic gold - a match made in heaven! ♡ I paired it with this kitty crop top from SheInside - only worn backwards to show off the lacey back!

Underneath the lace crop top I'm wearing a blue gingham bralet that was a mere $5 on sale at Charlotte Russe! It's perfect for wearing in the summer heat, which has been sweltering, especially since we don't have any air conditioning ;_;

It was particularly hot the day these pictures were taken! The sun kept getting in my eyes, thus the squinting/looking down! u__u

Meanwhile, I am super excited to say I have several posts queued up - including one of the best giveaways yet, a DIY of these watermelon shorts, makeup reviews, and more outfits! (⌒▽⌒)☆ See you then! ♡♡♡

P.S. Does anybody recognize which famous Sci-Fi movie soundtrack the title of this post comes from? ;)

June Diary

To be honest, June really hasn't been my month! My dog got scratched on the eye and I had to get up every two hours to help give her medicine, which then made me spiral into having a terrible sleeping schedule, and having a few disappointments come my way happen all this month - I'm somewhat happy to say goodbye to June :c

Since I am desperately behind in posts and miss you all so terribly, I thought I'd share some pictures of the highlights in an effort to end this month on a positive note!

We'll start with a few cute outfits I was able to document thanks to my trusty webcam for now - you can expect proper outfit posts this July!

Wearing: Target sweater & necklace by We Were Warriors* // thrifted pinafore

Gingham bralet, $5 on sale at Charlotte Russe // skirt by Lashes of London*

Tiny Tangerines pins // hair puff by the incredible Pop That Cassette*

Dreamy rainboots by Chicwish* // ice cream hair clip by Twinkie Chan

Reading & loving ASOS' Fashion Up with the wonderful Kilo Kish on the cover & my new Lazy Oaf cat socks // various mermaid accessories - necklaces by I Love Crafty*, pin by Cake Eater, & meowmaid by The Albino Hare*

Please tell me how your June was - and here's hoping I have better luck this July! ;) ♡♡♡

♡♡♡ 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? ♡

Label Love: Lazy Oaf

Illustrations by me; background image © I Want You to Know

Hello! So sorry for the unintentional hiatus! I've been trying to come up with some new post ideas for Mermaidens, and since I have *also* been meaning to experiment more with illustrating, decided on a new series where I illustrate some pieces from my favorite brands! First up is U.K. brand, Lazy Oaf!

I am absolutely head over heels in love with their new watermelon shorts from their collection with Nasty Gal! As we are going into summer all I can do is dream of l(azy)oafing (sorry, pun) around in their adorable crop tops, circle skirts, and watermelon themed pieces (♡ᴥ♡)

1. Bear Crop Top 2. Love, Money, Pizza Crop Top 3. Circle Skirt with Pizza Zip
4. Watermelon Denim Shorts 5. Cat Socks

These adorable cat socks are actually on their way to me, and I'm also really loving this Love, Money, Pizza Crop Top that I first saw Jade from Little Mix wearing! I love the 50s diner waitress vibes I'm getting from it *__*

What's your favorite Lazy Oaf look? And if you have any post ideas I'd love to hear them! :*