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? ♡

The Love Club

TOP: Lazy Oaf* SKIRT: c/o Choies PURSE: c/o Choies SOCKS: Lazy Oaf*
SHOES: Kohls forever ago!

Hello! *kisses you on top of the head* I hope you are having a beautiful day! I am extremely excited to share this outfit with you! As you have probably noticed, I really love Lazy Oaf...! It's such a playful, cartoony brand that just makes me smile (though the pricing isn't always ideal on my budget - ;n;)! So when I was lucky enough to win a giveaway to ASOS from Ron at Dresses on a Clothesline, I was absolutely overjoyed and headed right for their Lazy Oaf section!

I have been really in love with baseball tees and varsity jackets lately, so I got this (sadly now out of stock!) cropped baseball top and it's perfect!

I accessorized the top with this beautiful strawberry purse from Choies - isn't it the cutest? ^o^ I'm a sucker for just about any fruit shaped accessories!

Until next time, au revoir! (oh and if you haven't listened to this song, go do so!) ♡♡♡

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

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