Neon & On & On | China Glaze's Pool Party & Celtic Sun

Just because summer's (almost) over doesn't mean we have to put away our bright and downright neon polishes, does it? Welp, not for me. I've been wanting neon nail polishes for the longest time and not just neon but down right highlighter color neons. Were you ever that kid in class who got so bored they started marking their fingernails with a highlighter? I totally was, and that's the sort of thing I wanted in a nail polish; bright and fluorescent, so much so that your eyes kind of hurt to look at it, aha! Well, I found those qualities in these two gorgeousnesses (I dare you to not skip over that word and actually read it, haha) by China Glaze. I'm not sure which one to start with as they both make me incredibly excited, but I guess I'll start with the one first in the picture. Pool Party is a vibrant and hot coral. In the bottle it looks pinky-coral, but on the nails it takes on a more orange-y coral. Celtic Sun is just straight up highlighter juice. It's as of you took apart you highlighter pen, removed the ink well bit and just melted it, haha. It's a flourscent and in your face yellow with little tints of lime green. These colors are quite bright on their own, but imagine how they'd look with a white polish as base? Although these colors are absolutely fun they can be a bit tricky to paint on. The China Glaze brush isn't the best around and it's a bit longer than most so it can go a bit flimsy. It's also on the thinner side which can make it difficult to get an even coat on the whole nail without it looking streaky. These polished dry a bit matte, so this would be one of those polishes you don't skip top coat with. Without a good base and top coat, these bright China Glaze polishes just won't look their best - and that's not to say you even need a white base underneath, just some solid base and top coats. Overall, I'm in love with these polishes. I got them for $4 at a Sally's Beauty Supply in Canada but I'm sure wherever you can get China Glaze polishes you can find these two beauts shining like the sun on the display! Summer may be coming to a close, but it's not over yet, so I'm taking advantage of the time I have left to wear these!

What is your favorite neon nail polish?

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Back To School ... Already?!

Is this not the cheesiest of cheese ball thumbnails? I absolutely love it, haha, and am so proud - I can't explain why! Just look at that little apple! Oh man, thank you PicMonkey! If you're a frequenter of the land called YouTube and subscribe to beauty channels you've no doubt seen some spiffy Back to School videos! Welp, I wasn't thinking of doing one until a lovely subscriber asked if I could do makeup and outfit (and hair, but unfortunately I don't do much with it) for back to school. I sat down, thought of some ways to make my video informative but also fun and this is what I came up with! Fun, flirty makeup to make you look awake and ready for the first day back, as well as an outfit that's comfortable and makes you feel confident! This is how my typical morning for school usually goes with me putting on makeup I'd actually wear, with an outfit I would totally wear as well! It's a really fun video so even if you're not getting ready to go back to school I think you'll enjoy it!

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BLOG SALE

Ooh, ooh! It's time for an ol' fashioned blog sale, y'all! (If you're new to my blog, I'm not actually from the south, haha) This week I started my spending ban titled Even Mermaids Have Shopping Problems (if you'd like to see the post with my rules, go ahead and click that title!). Before I started my ban I laid out every single piece of makeup I owned out onto my desk and noticed there was stuff I didn't use anymore and stuff I loved that I just didn't reach for. So I collected a few bits and pieces to go to new homes. Almost all of these products are at least half off their RRP, if not much less. I hope you guys find something you'd love to have and help me clear out some things and make my spending ban a bigger success. I promise, all the money from this blog sale is going straight to my savings account and staying there! 

Blog Sale Rules 

• First come, first served (I'll keep this updated as often as I can!)
• Please leave your e-mail address in the comments so that I can contact you with an invoice and give you the PayPal address to send the money to.
• You must pay within 24 hours, or the products will go to someone else. Also, please mark your payment as a gift so PayPal doesn't take a fee from it :)
• Shipping is $3 for each item and then $1 extra for each additional item in the US. I'll ship to the UK, Europe, and Australia for $6.
• If you're curious about swatches, everything here is 'google-able'. So please look up swatches if you're unsure of color because there will be no refunds (geez, that sound harsh, haha!)
• Leave a comment with the items you'd like along with an e-mail address I can contact you with!
• If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me :: themodmermaidx@gmail.com. I'll answer any questions you may have!
• Other than that, happy browsing/shopping! :)

BLOG SALE

(from left to right) 
Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle 170 Loyal Lavender   $2
Revlon 430 Whimsical   $2
China Glaze Happy Go Lucky   $2
China Glaze Exceptionally Gifted   $2
Color Club Discon Nap   $1

LE LUSH Cosmetics Glitterbug Lotion 3.5 oz - it was a forum special LUSH released a year ago, I lost the expiration sticker but it's still smells and works like new   $10
LE Forum Special LUSH Gorilla Perfume in Yuzu and Cocoa - has been spritzed a few times, more than 3/4 full   $20 (originally $45)

NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Mediteranee - swatched a few times, still like new   $16

 (from left to right)
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tenacious Teal - swatched a 3 or 4 times   $3
L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Eternal Black - swatched once   $3
OCC Loose Colour Concentrate in Glisten - swatched twice   $7
Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Shade 3 - used twice   $10

 (from left to right)
TopShop Lipstick in Infrared - used twice   $8
Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang - used twice   $3
MAC Lipglass in Morange - used once   $9
MAC Lipglass in Tour de Fabulous (LE) - used twice   $10

 (from left to right)
CoverGirl Lip Perfection in Kiss - used once   $3
Benefit Lipstick in Lana -  swatched twice, used once   $3
Maybelline Super Stay Stain Gloss in 100 Pink Plush - swatched a few times  $2
Make Up For Ever Lab Shine Lip Gloss in S2 - used once   $1

 Too Faced Glamour to Go Fairy Edition Palette - all colors have been swatched a couple of times, as well as the blush and bronzer, lip gloss has been poked/swatched   $8

 (from top to bottom)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Deviant - used and sharpened   $5
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in Purple, Cottage Cheese, Lavender - used and sharpened, caps are a bit broken but will replace with no broken caps   $2 each
MAC Eye Khol in Smolder - used and sharpened once   $8

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush in Pink - used a few times, hearts haven't been worn down, comes with mirror, and blush brush will be included, as well   $5 

☮ Happy Shopping ✌

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Oh, Canadia | Photos & Haul

Hello everyone! Last weekend I went on a little trip to Canada with some of my family in New York to go and visit some family I had there! I had met one part of my family living there once before because they came to visit but there was a whole slew of cousins I didn't know about until I started planning this trip. It was really great to visit and meet everyone and it was also really fun exploring Canada! Aside from the anxiety inducing flights, I had a really fun time! We went to the legislature building and it was so big that my sister, cousins and I actually got lost. My cousin also told me a little fun fact and that was that people celebrate 4/20 on the legislature lawn, completely legally. I don't know why that stuck with me, haha! We didn't do anything touristy so I got to just experience living in Canada. There was a new mall, plaza, or market to visit everyday. I did end up buying some things and filmed a haul video of the stuff I got so if you'd like to see it'll be at the bottom of this post! We spent a day at the lake tubing, and when the boat broke down in the middle of the lake we made some new friends who kindly pulled us to shore. I got to drive a truck in Canada which was terrifying because instead of mph it was kph and I thought I was speeding the whole time! Also, every summer there's a cultural festival called 'Folklrama' and we only got to see the one show, but it was awesome! OH & probably hands down the best part of my trip was getting to visit Tim Hortons. HOW CAN DOUGHNUTS BE THAT TASTY?! Haha, anyway, I thought I'd let you guys see some of the pictures of my trip. Most of them were family pictures because our parents wanted to document the 'meeting of the cousins' but I still got a few good ones to share :)

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Even Mermaids Have Shopping Problems | Houston, We Have a Problem ...

Okay, it's happening. I'm putting my wallet on lockdown. It's time for this mermaid TO STOP SHOPPING and go on a spending ban. I tried one of these a little over year ago and embarrassingly failed. Lately, my collection has grown to a nauseating amount and I find myself buying things I want but don't even need. I'm happy for about five seconds with a shiny new thing and then I'm on to the next thing I'm lusting. I can't walk into a shopping center without running to the beauty department and looking for something I may have missed the 50 other times I stared at the same aisle. It's a big problem for me that I used to joke about but I'm not sure how funny I find it anymore now that I don't have a job and my bank account always seems to be at 0. Also, when I stop buying makeup, I start treating myself to Starbucks & pounds of Chipotle. The reason I'm going on a formal spending ban and telling you all about it is because 1.) I want to document it for myself and my sanity & 2.) I want you guys to call me out on it if I'm breaking any rules wether it be on twitter, instagram, or even in a blog post. I've laid all my makeup out on my desk and there are so many things I NEEDED that I haven't even touched and now that I have them I'm like 'meh'. I don't need any new makeup. If any new collection comes out it will KILL ME, but I know deep, deep, deeeeeeeeeeeeep down that once the hype dies down I'll be able to live without it. I'm being totally for serious guys - DID YOU NOTICE THE LACK OF HAHAHA's?! 

Now for some rules because I can't NOT buy ANYTHING (was that ... was the even right?) but I'm limiting myself on things, restricting myself from a lot, and putting up small exceptions.

• Even Mermaids Have Shopping Problems will last for 100 days starting today 08.18.13
• No spending on any makeup. No exceptions. No if's and or butt's. It's time I start using what I have.
• No spending on hair care, unless, I run out of shampoo/conditioner completely and/or I need a dry shampoo refill.
• No spending on skincare, unless, I run out. I don't frequently spend on skincare because I have a set routine so I know I won't stray from what I'm already using should I run out. 
• I'm allowed to buy TWO Cinamon Sugared Donut candles when they go on offer at Bath & Body Works for 2 for $22, BUT JUST THOSE AND THAT'S IT.
• No spending on clothes or shoes.
• No spending on LUSH products. If I run out of bath/body gels, completely, I'm allowed a trip to Bath & Body (so much cheaper and always on sale) to JUST buy bath/body gels.
• No buying food whilst at school unless it's a Monday or Thursday (those are my only full days of classes) if and only if I forget a Cliff bar.
• I'm allowed one meal and a coffee or tea when out with the man-friend/friends (this doesn't happen often, haha)
• I'm going to buy a thermos for coffee/tea so I'm not constantly spending money on Starbucks/David's Tea when at school. Hopefully that'll encourage me to wake up a little early and make some at home.
• BIGGEST RULE :: No letting my mom treat me to beauty purchases, whatsoever, and no unnecessary clothing purchases.. I think that's where I failed last time. Sure, I wasn't spending, but my mom was and it felt just as bad. Although I will let her buy me a cheeky Starbucks if we're shopping together ;)

That's good, yeah? A nice little sandwich of rules. It might seem like I gave myself a lot of exceptions, but I'm not going to cut myself off of essentials. Essentially (ho, ho, ho) the point of this spending ban is to show myself that NO I do not NEED that lipstick that'll never use but that color is just oh so pretty how can you pass it up?! I won't be updating every week, probably every two weeks with how I'm doing and maybe talk about some things I'm lusting after, if at all.

*breathes in* Okay, that's it. It's official. This mermaid is now officially on track to solve a severe shopping. Wish me luck, guys! I'll keep you updated :) 

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INGLOT Eyeshadows & Freedom System

Happy Thursday, everyone! Hope you're all having a fan-dabby-dosey of a week. I'm finally back from my trip to Canadia (that's not a typo, I really do call it Ca-nay-diya) It was a really great trip that I think I'm going to do a post on with some pictures for anyone who would like to see. I did manage to pick up some beauty-related things whilst I was there (some that you can't get your hands on in the US) and I think I'll have a haul of that up quite soon. In the meantime, today I'm going to share with you a fantastic brand of eyeshadows that you no doubt have already heard about, and if not woah, mama get ready. I can't even remember how I was introduced to the INGLOT brand in general, but I do know that it was love at first sight. My favorite thing about INGLOT is their Freedom System. This Freedom System lets you choose from an assortment of different sizes and styles of palettes and a gigantic array of eyeshadows - in practically any color and finish you can imagine. You get to pick and choose which palette you want and want colors go inside, which is awesome! 

Every eyeshadow I've tried or bought is extremely pigmented - one gentle touch to the powder and your finger is left opaque with color. The shadows are smooth, easy to work, and blend able. Some are really buttery to the touch like the Pearl finishes and some are a bit stiffer, but that has no indication of quality because they all perform so well! The INGLOT shadows aren't labeled by name - they are labeled by number and finish, which makes it really hard to remember them when they're stuck in your pan or even go searching for one. It's a bummer, but if you right them down on the back or on a sheet of paper it shouldn't be a problem! Now this impeccable quality must come with an impeccable price tag, yeah? NOPE! INGLOT eyeshadows are $6 for the pan and you're getting about .08 - .11 oz of product (depending on the finish)! A MAC shadow only has about .05 oz. They're super affordable and there's absolutely no skimping on quality of the shadow. You're def. not settling and you won't find yourself saying "that's amazing for a $6 shadow" They are just incredible shadows, overall!

The eyeshadows and palettes are magnetic (super strong magnets) which is great because they'll never pop out and not so great because they usually never come out after you've placed them inside, haha. There are tons of tips and tricks to pop them out of the palette, the first being that you take the magnetic edge of the palette cover and place it on any of the corners of the eyeshadow pan. That method only works on one of my pans and not the others, so I had to go searching for other ways of taking them out. You'll see people telling you to use tweezers to sort of pull them out but honestly, all that ever did was break pieces of the eyeshadow and that drove me bananas. I have a baby Swiss Army knife that's thin enough for me to squeeze between the palette and pan edge to sort of pop it out. I find that's the best method if the magnets aren't working because your palette and shadows come out unharmed. 

As for the finishes, the Shine finishes are the sheerer of the bunch but have such an amazing sheen to them. They're not glittery or shimmery, just ... shiny, haha. The Pearl finishes are the ones that have the buttery texture when you go to swatch them. Each of the shadows with the pearl finish that I own has a golden sheen sort of running through them - super rich color! I can't seem to find what DS stands for but these colors are matte shadows that have little shimmers running throughout. I was hoping they'd be matte when I bought them, but the shimmers make these colors GORGEOUS and better than what I wanted. Lastly, the Matte finish is the most self-explanatory - they are matte, but they're not chalky or powdery - like I said before, super rich in texture and pigmentation! 

PHEW, that's one heck of a review, huh? I pretty much raved about all the shadows in general so I won't go in too much on the colors I have. I've included the numbers and swatches for all them anyway, and the swatches seriously speak for themselves! I've never had such glorious swatches! (click on the picture to get a closer look) I'm always so thoroughly impressed with INGLOT eyeshadows and the fun I have with the freedom system that I'm always excited to get more! You can find INGLOT eyeshadows on their website inglotusa.com or check to see if there's a store near you. If anything you can pretty much always find them at an IMATS show! 

What do you think about the INGLOT eyeshadows and their Freedom System?

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Completely Coconuts for Revlon's Juicy Papaya

I'm on a roll with these clever-pun title posts. Although how clever are they, really? You be the judge! This is by far my most favorite that I've come up with to date, haha. Today I'm going to talk about the one and only, most coveted and sought after Lip Butter that Revlon has come out with and that is Juicy Papaya. It's not like this guy is featured on every blog but it was featured by one blogger and one vlogger and was always sold out when I went to get it, so it's got to be some wonderful stuff, yeah? I found this guy randomly in Duane Reade and practically squealed when I saw it and wasted no time snatching it from the stand (seriously, I think about 5 other lip butters fell down with it and I think they were begging me to buy them, too - I was good and resisted) Even better was that right on the stand was a little packet of coupons for $1 off any Revlon lip product. I think I jumped into the air Flash Gordon style before running to the register, haha.

Juicy Papaya is that shade you got to when you want some sheer color to make your lips look naturally juicy. I almost regret saying that because it sounds so weird but that's one of the only ways I can accurately describe it. It's a coral shade that leans a lot towards orange. It gives your lips a subtle hint of color while being moisturizing. The color fades all too quickly from my lips so I find myself reapplying this a lot, but I think it says something about this lip butter if I put the effort to reapply. I'm the kind of gal that won't reapply lipstick out of sheer laziness, haha. It glides on the lips nicely and feels nourishing for the first few minutes. Then it goes on to leave that subtle hint of color without feeling like there's anything on your lips. Would I love it to be a bit more opaque? Yes, because this color is gorgeous but to pop it on for a 'naturally juicy' (hehehe) lip look, I love it. It also goes great with some of my crazier eye looks which makes it super handy to have and it hasn't left my makeup bag since I bought it (even made it's way to Canada with me!) It's quickly beaten out the other lip butters in my collection which makes me sad for them but makes the $8 (-$1 because coupons rock) worth it!

Which Revlon Lip Butter is your favorite?

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My Makeup & Me

Today I've got a fun tag video in store for you all - the "My Makeup & Me Tag" I was tagged by the wonderfully charming Cassie who is ThriftThick on YouTube. If you have know idea who I am talking about then you are seriously missing out. She is just so relatable and hysterically funny - seriously ... she cracked open a bottle of Corona in the middle of one of her videos and I lost it! This tag was originally created by Jen from Jenluvsreviews. You might remember her as the one who was hosting the Best in Beauty competition. She created this tag for the 6th round of the contest but that doesn't mean the tag has to stop there! This is the first video I've done that I've actually been tagged to do. It was a glorious feeling! I was so happy to get to do this tag and I tagged some lovely ol' Best In Beauty veterans ;) I talk about how I got into beauty, why I started my YouTube channel, and basically what I want to get out of creating these videos for you all! I hope you guys enjoy, and as always I tag all of YOU!! (if you want to) to go ahead and do this tag! Make sure you link it to me so I can see what you had to say :)

Let me know what you think!

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Cleansers to End All Cleansers

Hello everyone! A bit more of some scheduled posting that I'm trying to get done on probably the worst  travel experience ever. I shouldn't say that just yet as I'm waiting for a connecting flight that's been delayed and we might not even have a seat on it. UGH! It's an 'express' plane too, that we're waiting to get on, and I'm afraid that it's going to be a small-jet plane where you can feel every movement of the plane. I think I had full-fledged panic attack on the other flight because of all the turbulence. Ah, who's anxiety city? THIS GIRL. So, totally unplanned segway - one of my favorite things to do when I'm stressed out or just any sort of anxiety starts to creep up, I always love to wash my face. It feels soothing while you do it and afterwards you're left feeling totally refreshed. My favorite part of the entire routine is cleansing. I don't know what it about my skin but it just looooooves a good scrubbing. It never takes to well to foaming or milky cleanser unless some sort of exfoliant is added to the mix. Recently I discovered that there are three cleansers that I am absolutely in love with and I'm not sure if I can picture myself using anything else. 

LUSH Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub | Ocean Salt is like a cocktail for your face. It's got lime, vodka, coconuts, and sea salt to exfoliate the skin and leave it feeling fresh and bright. It smells good and it feels good. You can notice the benefits the second you lift your head from the sink after washing it off. The sea salt isn't too harsh, even for my dry skin because the coconut in it really helps to keep it soft. I've repurchased this maybe half a dozen times and I know I'll continue to because when I'm without it I think my skin weeps, haha. 

St. Ives Blemish Control Green Tea Scrub | This scrub is one I came across on a chance happen-stance. I was in Wal-Mart with my family and I saw a small tube of it lying in the $1 bin. I didn't get on so well with the St. Ives Apricot Scrub but saw this was meant for breakouts and calming redness and thought, eh, what the heck? It was only a dollar! I tried describing the texture of this stuff in my July Favorite's video and wasn't so successful at it, haha! It's like a green gel-mousse hybrid that's got little granules of something in it, I'm just not sure what. It feels really smooth and the consistency feels so nice being massaged onto the face. The smell is also amazing, so I love using it in the morning for a pick me up. As for controlling redness and breakouts, I'm happy to report that it slowly but surely works its magic. My skin has cleared up a bit and my cheeks look a bit less red. It's a nice cleanser to have and I'm glad it's working with my skin. Sure it's not instant results but that's better than no results or ... completely breaking out.

Clean & Clear Advantage 3-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser | I am so, so, so happy to have been introduced to this product by Cassie in one of her Best & Worst of Beauty videos. I can't remember exactly what she said but she sang its praises enough for me to put it on my list of "stuff I need to try" I absolutely love this stuff. It's the first sort of 'medicated' acne-treatment cleanser I've ever tried. It smells a bit like it's medicated but mostly that's masked by a sunblock smell with a bit of mint. I love the scent but I think some of you might not - it doesn't linger though! The consistency is that of most cleansers, again, I'm sort of at a loss of words but you can see it in the picture below. It's also an exfoliating cleanser but such a gentle one. All of it is supposed to help exfoliate the skin, treat pimples and help prevent breakouts and it's amazing! The day after I used this I noticed a difference. My pimples weren't cleared but they were significantly small and looked a lot less like mountainous regions.

These results I get with these cleansers has really encouraged me to wash my face every day, mostly because I know if I keep at it my skin will only get clearer and clearer. It's nice to have products in your skincare arsenal that work even a bit. The routine of it all really helps me feel fresh when I wake up and right before I got to bed. The exfoliaters in each of these aren't to harsh but just enough to feel super relaxing when you're massaging your face and that really helps me calm down when I'm feeling anxious. If only there was someway I can get one of these cleansers out of my luggage and spend the entire flight just washing my face, haha!

 What's your end-all cleanser?

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