Be Mine

SWEATER: ℅ MissGuided SKIRT: ℅ MissGuided (similar) SOCKS: American Apparel (similar) SHOES: Kohls (old) PURSE: Aldo

Happy Valentine's Day babes! Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, have a significant other or friends and family to say your I love yous too - I hope you have a beautiful day and eat lots of on sale chocolate! ^__^

(I centered the text on the purse here for aesthetic purposes)

After a snow storm (one we were completely unprepared for over here! We tried to go to the store and got stuck in the driveway!), it was such a nice surprise when the snow melted and we had a string of days warm enough for me to slip into this a d o r a b l e outfit from Missguided! This skirt is seriously one of my most favorite possessions now - pink, plastic, and in a skater silhouette, it's like a wardrobe staple that got a little makeover! I paired it with an eyelash cropped sweater and American Apparel thigh highs for a Cher Horowitz-esque look :3

Also, this purse from Aldo is one of the cutest designs I have ever seen and I knew I had to have it (it just spoke to me, you know). Unfortunately when it arrived I noticed the text was completely off center - I'm currently in talks with Aldo to see if I can exchange it for a fixed version - fingers crossed please because this purse would be PERFECT otherwise! ;___; (I get too emotionally attached to clothing and accessories, I am know ;_;)

Do you have any Valentine's day plans? I want to hear all about them! n__n

60s Bombshell with Covergirl + $100 Giveaway

So, so excited to be sharing my second video with you guys! CoverGirl recently asked me to review their new Bombshell line comprised of mascara, eyeliner, and beautiful cream shadows which immediately reminded me of 60s French scarlets with smokey cat eyes like Catherine Deneuve and Brigitte Bardot.

I picked up the Bombshell Volume by Lashblast Mascara in Very Black, Bombshell Intensity Liner in Pitch Black Passion, and Bombshell Shine Shadow Eye Shadows in Ooh La Lilac and Ice Queen at Wal-Mart and set to work transforming myself into a 60s bombshell!

It was so fun playing with these products - the cream shadows blended beautifully and I love that they could be sheered out or packed on to intensify the color. I usually don't use felt tip eyeliners, but found the Bombshell Intensity Liner worked like a dream for applying my favorite look - cat eyes!

I've been having terrible luck with mascaras - I've looked high and low (literally - both at high and low-end products!) but nothing has truly wowed me - but Bombshell Volume Mascara is something special! After applying with it's special duel ended wands - one a volumizing basecoat, the other a intensifying topcoat - not one but two people asked if I was wearing false lashes! Incredible.

ON MY FACE:
Smoothers Liquid Make Up in Buff Beige
TruMagic Skin Perfector
Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Blush Twist
Ice Queen
Ooh La Lilac
Bombshell Intensity Liner in Pitch Black Passion
Bombshell Volume by Lashblast Mascara in Very Black
Contouring Blush in Peach Perfection

And, CoverGirl is offering one Mermaidens' reader a $100 giftcard to Wal-Mart! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! Giveaway ends February 12th and is open to United States residents only. Winner will be contacted via email or twitter. If winner doesn't reply to email within 24 a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The Walmart gift card and information have been provided by CoverGirl.

Hello February!

I know, I know - where have I been?! With the new year came a heap of obstacles that snowballed and left me unable to keep Mermaidens updated - boo! I've finally sorted everything out and am able to share new posts with you guys - and thank goodness because I have missed you all so much ;___;

After such an long hiatus, a post catching you up whats been going on in my life would be apropos, right?!:

One of my new years resolutions was to start drawing more, and my first instinct was to draw cute fruit patterned backgrounds (and isn't my strawberry iPhone case the cutest?)!

I interviewed Miss Marlena for MissRobin's newest issue and much to my surprise, I spotted an illustrated version of my face with Marlena alongside the article! You will be seeing more of this issue in a future post so stay tuned :3

Finally found my dream Forever 21 shirt that had been sold out for months and organized my makeup in a pretty way - okay I guess this really wasn't newsworthy but the picture is pretty!?

On January 19th, my cat Fi passed away. We found her on our doorstep in 1998 and she has followed me from ages 5 to 20 through several moves, new animals, and helped me cope with some of the hardest moments of my life. It was all very sudden and it's been very difficult to wrap my head around - but thanks to the outpouring of love and support I received from readers via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, email, etc - I feel like I am coming to accept it. I can't thank you enough if you sent me a note - it helped me more then I could ever articulate.

The highlight of the January was, without a doubt, eating donuts with photographer Hana Haley in Portland on the 23rd! When Hana approached me to model for her, I was a bit afraid it was too good to be true. In the back of my mind I have secretly wished I could model once or twice - but to be honest I never thought anybody would consider me particularly special enough to photograph and I worried my shyness would interfere if I DID get a chance, somehow.

So imagine my absolute bewilderment and glee when I found myself posing for one of my favorite photographers! I had the most wonderful time - Hana not only immediately put me at ease and helped me forget to be nervous posing in front of strangers, but proved to be extremely funny and it was a pleasure to watch her set up a shot. Saying I feel extremely blessed and lucky to work with such a talented lady is an understatement and I will forever be grateful for such a wonderful opportunity! Hana has updated a few pictures from the shoot here and I will be making a post with the full series when it is released! <3

Please please let me know you have been and I hope you have a beautiful week!

Au revoir 2013!

Eeek I hope you don't mind one more of these types of posts…! This year has definitely been a difficult one, but looking back I can't help but think of all the wonderful people I've met and opportunities I have been given in 2013. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and this lil' blog - when I say it means the world to me I really mean it. You guys give me something to look forward to when I wake up, and for that I can't thank you enough!

Favorite Outfits
Bubblegum  | Princess Bubblegum | Meowmaid

Seashells | Wishery | Visual Optimism: Blogging as Self Care

Favorite Things *
(* At least, a very small handful of them!)

Being drawn by such a wonderful variety of talented artists like Laura Manfre (who even sent me the original! A prized possession for sure), being sent amazing parcels from wonderful ladies like Marlena, working with truly phenomenal shops and brands such as Locketship, Emerging Thoughts, Dahlia, Yummy You!, and Mod Dolly.

Attending my friend Kayla's graduation party, being featured on Teen Vogue's website multiple times, and putting together my very first YouTube video (though I'm not happy with the end result I'm glad I did something so out of my comfort zone)!

And of course, reading the incredibly thoughtful and kindhearted emails, tweets, and comments you guys have left me! Thank you so much for making my 2013 pretty darn great, and I hope you have a wonderful 2014! I feel so hopeful about the next year and motivated to keep up with my resolutions (like draw more)! What were the highlights of your year and do you have any resolutions for 2014? ♥

Milk Teeths Vintage Giveaway

When I first discovered Milk Teeths Vintage, I was overjoyed! Not only is this vintage etsy shop filled with adorable and affordable vintage pieces, but it is owned by one of my favorite style bloggers, Ashley! I ended up buying this daisy dress there last spring, and I was completely satisfied with my purchase - it even came with the sweetest note! I am very happy to announce Ashley is generously offering one lucky reader $75 to spend at Milk Teeths Vintage!

Enter the giveaway using the widget below, but if you can't wait, Milk Teeths is offering 15% off with the code "mermaidens"! Good luck friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway is open internationally. Winner will be contacted via email. If winner doesn't respond within 5 days a new winner will be chosen.

Hair FAQ

As it's getting very close to time I rebleach and pink my hair, I thought it would be the perfect time to post a hair FAQ!

I tried to answer the most frequently asked questions I receive regarding my hair, but if you have any more feel free to comment or tweet me and I'll reply to the best of my ability! :)

What color did you have your hair before pink?
A super ugly faded black! Inspired by Louise Brooks era flappers, I had a very short black bob which I loved dearly! Over time, though, I decided I really wanted pink hair. Going from black to pastel pink is the absolute worst, though…! I let my roots grow out for months and months before using a bleach and pink hair kits from the grocery store. There was still A LOT of black at the ends, (see: May 2012 picture!) and I had no idea the pink dye I had gotten would be so vibrant, but in the end I LOVED it!

Bleach
How do you bleach your hair?
After a busy summer where I running around with pretty ugly roots and fading pink hair, I finally was able to get close to the perfect shade of peachy pink when, following Arabelle's advice, I started using Clairol's BW2 Powder Lightener and Clairol's Pure White Creme Hair Color Developer 30 Volume. Both of these products can be found at Sally's Beauty Supply and are a lot cheaper then buying boxed bleach at home kits. However, they are a bit scary and heavy duty, so I HIGHLY recommend getting your hair bleached at the salon if you can!

I usually keep the bleach on for about 20 minutes and then am careful to wash it all out.

Who bleaches/dyes your hair?
My mom, who has a long history of dyeing/bleaching her own hair as well as various family members and friends - so I was pretty confident she wouldn't ruin my hair…!

Will my hair be damaged?
Of course - your hair is going to be pretty dry after and I would recommend looking into various deep conditioners etc after!

Pink
What dye do you use?
I use a combination of Special Effects' Cupcake Pink and plain ol' white conditioner! Adding white conditioner dilutes the dye and even though it looks like a blue pink, diluted it turns a beautifully peachy pastel color! Add as much or as little as you want - though the whiter it is, the faster it will fade.

In order to help it last, I try to wash it in the coldest water I can stand (which, since it's been freezing here lately, I haven't been doing *cough*).