Heroine by Hana Haley

I'm not exaggerating when I say being able to work with Hana Haley is an absolute dream come true! She will be cracking jokes and telling cute antidotes before suddenly falling silent as she starts visualizing a shot, considering the location and weighing how the sun will fall on a face while looking through her film camera's viewfinder. She has a strong vision and a very talented, trained eye but is still willing to listen to my silly suggestions.

Shot with failing light and my collection of frothy vintage (or retro inspired, in the case of the milkshake one!) dresses in a Foresty theme park, I am in love with how these turned out. Hana's photography always look like film stills that immediately bring to mind story lines about nostalgia and candy colored adventures.

My friend Bertha's description of what these remind her of is my favorite:

"They (look like stills from a movie about a) lost ghost princess who’s been cursed out of her kingdom and is left wandering the earth, searching for another doorway in, another way back."

You can see more pictures from this shoot on Hana's Facebook and Portfolio ♡

Introducing Powder Doom

In case you haven't noticed me blabbing about it literally everywhere else, Arabelle recently handed over the reigns to me as editor-in-chief of Powder Doom, a makeup blog she created with her friend Chi-Chi.

I have been toying around with creating a beauty blog for months, so Arabelle's offer was an absolute godsend - as I was already a huge fan of Powder Doom (having illustrated their sidebar portraits last year!) and their mission of bringing makeup tips to everybody. So many beauty blogs feel very samey to me, so I wanted to offer a blog with multiple perspectives and one that feels very community driven with guest posts and submissions from readers.

I brought together some of my very favorite bloggers to be regular contributors (take a look at our staff page!) and encourage people to submit, submit, submit! So far, two weeks and ten posts in, I am incredibly happy and proud of the result and very excited!

See the posts so far here and if you want to be featured on Powder Doom, please send your pitches to hellomermaidens@gmail.com. We are looking for beauty/hair DIYs/how-to's/tutorials, reviews, "Get The Look: (insert celebrity/runway makeup here)", "Makeup of the Day" (which would just be a selfie and a list of what products you are wearing), and we are also looking for Beyonce themed posts for our upcoming Beyonce Week special!

♡

XO

DRESS: ℅ Missguided TIGHTS: Target (similar) SHOES: Kohls (old - similar) PURSE: ℅ Kling

When I first saw this dress on Missguided, I was utterly smitten, but in the back of my mind I did worry a bit about whether or not I would be able to ""pull it off"". However, once I put it on, my fears immediately vanished - even with the figure hugging shape, this dress is absolutely darling and made me feel beautiful and confident; which is definitely not something I would expect with a bodycon dress! Plus, just look at that dainty white collar - hearts in my eyes!

Sometimes I just need to remind myself who cares if it's "flattering" - if you think you look good, you look good, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise! ^__^

Anyhoo! I would like to introduce you to my new everyday bag by Kling! I'm a sucker for shoulder bags, and I'm loving the fact it actually has a super sturdy closure - no worrying my favorite lipstick is going to slip out and be lost forever!

So, how was your weekend? I was so, so happy to watch Lupita Nyong'o win this Oscar Sunday, and she looked absolutely dazzling doing it - g u h ;__;

Until next time - xo!

Pretty in Pout by Hana Haley

With coffee and donuts in hand, the dreamy Hana Haley and I braved the a chilly January day in Portland, Oregon to shoot this photo series of a pouty schoolgirl outfitted in Peter Pan collars and delicate laces. Seeing your own face in the work of one of your very favorite photographers is the most incredible feeling and I couldn't be more pleased with the results!

You can find more of Hana's phenomenal photography on Tumblr, Facebook, and Flickr ♥

Thank you so much Marlena for making me this detachable collar!

You can see more photos from this set on her Facebook!

Plastic Fantastic

COAT: ℅ Kling TIGHTS: Target (similar) SHOES: Kohls (old - similar) SCARF: ℅ Yummy You! WOODEN ICE CREAM PIN: ℅ The Floral Prince FELT ICE CREAM PIN: ℅ Clairey Lou Creations

A sure fire way to counteract the dreary, rainy weather outside? Dress up like a pastel cream pastry, but of course! This plastic number from Kling has quickly become my favorite coat for rainy weather because it's water safe and still adorable - just look at that Peter Pan collar!

And how absolutely precious are these ice cream pins? The wooden one is by a blogger I've admired for her art and style for ages, Miss Rachel, so I was overjoyed when she sent me one of her adorable hand illustrated ice cream pins!

This felt pin by Clairey Lou Creations is another gem - the amount of love and time that went into creating this piece is evident!

And to finish off the almost sickeningly sweet outfit, I paired it with one of my most treasured processions, a beautiful Sanrio scarf by Twinkie Chan! As I said when giving away one of her cupcake scarves a few months ago, I have been a huge admirer of Twinkie's work for years now and her pieces are even more stunning in person!

I've been a busy bee this last week working, making up to-do lists and goals for the year, and it has definitely improved my mood (this nonstop gray weather was getting to me ahhh!) - plus eating donuts definitely doesn't hurt either…! ^o^ I hope this Monday is treating you kindly! <3

Olypsticks: The Lipstick Olympics

With the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics coming to a close this Sunday, I thought it would be fun to put my lipstick collection to the test and determine my favorite lipsticks in several categories - and the Olypsticks was born!

Obviously, this is limited to my own collection of lipstick and is not all encompassing. Please please tell me your favorite lipsticks for each category too (OR YOU COULD DO YOUR OWN OLYPSTICKS POST ^O^)! <3

Prettiest Tube:
Gold: Tom Ford, Paradiso // The rectangular tube's striking white and gold design screams luxe and elegance.
Silver: MAC, RiRi Woo // MAC's limid edition collections are always among my favorites for their original packaging, and this rose gold design for the RiRi <3's MAC collection is practically perfect!
Bronze: Revlon Lip Butters, Wild Watermelon // I'm smitten with the pretty quilt patterned case that houses the matching lip color inside!

Best Matte:
Gold: MAC, RiRi Woo/Ruby Woo // While this matte lipstick *does* have a very dry formula, this is without a doubt my favorite red for it's gorgeous color and staying power.
Silver: Wet n Wild, Cherry Picking
Bronze: Revlon, Wine Not // Revlon's matte line is unfortunately no longer in production, but keep your eye out for Wine Not, Really Red, and Strawberry Suede on ebay, Amazon, and in drugstores that still stock older products because their formula is amazing - vibrant, completely matte, and not too drying!
Honorable Mention: NYX

Most Pigmented:
Gold: Urban Decay, Jilted // Hyper pigmented and available in a large array of colors, Urban Decay's new line of lipsticks are stunners.
Silver: Wet n Wild, 24 Carrot Gold // If you've been following me for a while, you will know Wet n Wild's line of lipsticks are some of my very favorites (ever) - they out perform some of the "high end" lipsticks I own in terms of pigmentation and longevity and are only $2 a pop!
Bronze: MAC, Ruby Woo // One of the most talked about reds on the market, this lipstick would look good on just about anybody.

Best Value:
Gold: Wet n Wild, Red Velvet // Again, I can't stop seeing praises for these lipsticks - ONLY TWO DOLLARS.
Silver: Revlon, Lover's Coral // Revlon never fails me; with a pretty selection of colors, smooth formula, and with good color pay-off - these lipsticks are a steal at $6 (and are always going on sale)!
Bronze: NYX, Chloe // NYX has quickly become one of my very favorite makeup brands - their round lipsticks are only $4 a pop and with a huge variety of colors, you're bound to find one you'll love!

Most Moisturizing:
Gold: Revlon's Lip Butters, Sweet Tart // After hearing rave after rave about them, I thought there was no way Revlon's lip butters would live up to the hype - they did. Ranging for sheer to more vibrant colors, each one I've tried is incredibly moisturizing and comfortable on the lips - I have three and I can't help but want a million more!
Silver: Too Faced, Juicy Melons // This lipstick just glides on my lips, keeps them hydrated, and still provides good color pay-off - truly impressive.
Bronze: Urban Decay, F-Bomb // The moisturizing formula and high pigmentation of this lipstick makes it a star in my book! Only downside? This lipstick definitely needs a lipliner to keep from feathering!

Best Scent:
Gold: MAC, Rebel // MAC's infamous sweet, vanilla scent is an obvious answer, but it's truly my favorite!
Silver: Too Faced, Juicy Melons // I was immediately struck by the original fragrance this lipstick has - it reminds me of chocolate oranges (I'm not sure why?)!
Bronze: Tom Ford, Paradiso // Along the same lines as MAC's signature scent, this lipstick has a very sweet smell that is absolutely beautiful!

I'll be back next week with a sugary sweet outfit, until then…! <3