Song to the Siren

DRESS: Valfre * PURSE: Valfre * BARRETTE: Pastel Renaissance * How can it be that summer is already winding down? I don't think the novelty of basking in a sun drenched living room, with my cat strategically laying in a sun spot, will ever get old. I wore this outfit to a BBQ and I feel like these photos, captured at golden hour, perfectly encapsulate the beautiful summer sunsets I love so much! I''m wearing a dreamy little dress from one of my favorite brands, Valfre.

Fashion in Film: 5 Favorite Period Pieces

Some of the most memorable scenes in film feature breath-taking clothing that speak to different time periods, class system, life experiences, and more. As well as introducing me to worlds outside of my limited scope, movies also taught me about fashion - how to identify fabrics, sewing techniques - not to mention reading a character based on their wardrobe. Things like scuff marks, specific kinds of fabric, color stories, and garment structure all give us clues to the characters on screen.

I started a Twitter thread on some of my favorite films based on their costume design, but wanted to explore the topic without a word count, and I felt like a series here on Mermaidens would be the perfect way to explore costume design in film! I would love to hear your favorites as well, so please leave them in the comments!
Let's discuss one of my very favorite genres of film: The Period Piece.

Makeup Look: Modern Day Marie Antoinette

Lately, instead of asking myself "how can I make myself look better?" when doing my makeup, I've been trying to ask myself "How can I have fun with this?". It's a much appreciated change, partially inspired by the amazing dialog we had in one of my last post which touched upon beauty standards.

On Beauty Standards & Hamlet Inspired Self Portraits...

To sleep,
perchance to dream --

Sometimes, I have a hard time feeling like I need to be all these things - youthful, pretty, soft, small. While taking photos the other day, I was trying to project all of that: but after looking at the photos I wanted to cry. I began hyper focusing on the lines under my eyes, how tired I looked, how my body looked.

So I decided to hell with it - I put my hair up, smoked out my cried off eye makeup, and started taking portraits - only this time, instead of worrying about looking pretty, I decided to try to look annoyed, confident, bored, smug… Slowly, I realized I was trying to emulate a bit of a Shakespearean hero - think Romeo’s bravado or Hamlet’s weariness.

Beauty Trends: Testing Mermaid Makeup

Being somebody heavily associated with mermaids, I thought it would be fun if we tested out mermaid themed beauty products together! Are you sick of the mermaid trend yet? I'm still fond of it because I love a good kitschy theme, but can definitely understand the fatigue! Also, please let me know if you'd like me to do more posts like this ♡

Favorite Trends for Spring

NECKLACE: Forever 21 (sold out, similar) DRESS: Evewear *
PURSE: Amazon SUNGLASSES: Amazon

Spring has almost sprung! Flowers are blooming, and I feel like everybody is shaking off the cold winter and blooming again with them. Spring speaks deeply to my personal style - seeing my feed coming back to life with pastels, florals, fruit print, gingham (oh my!) - makes my heart so full! Here is a catalog of some of my favorite spring trends to get you ready for the new season!