BLOG SALE

Ah, blog sales. Where one blogger's trash becomes another's treasure. Well, that's not the case today with this blog sale because all the products here are ones I absolutely adore! Recently I've had a look at my credit card bill and it's not the most glorious looking of numbers. One of my resolutions for 2014 was to get my credit card bill down to $0 and then stop using it entirely. Spending money I don't have is far too easy, as it turns out. So in attempt to make this number go down (as my bi-weekly paycheck isn't cutting it at the moment) I've had a look through my make up stash and found some products I think some of you lovelies would love to get your hands on!

Blog Sale Rules 

• First come, first served (I'll keep this updated as often as I can!)
• Please leave your e-mail address (along with the items you'd like) 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. If you buy a couple of products, I'll adjust accordingly. 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 sounds harsh, haha!)
• 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! :)

Urban Decay 15th Anniversay Eyeshadow Palette (RRP $55) incl. Large Black Z-Palette (RRP $20) - the eyeshadows have only been used a few times, none are even close to hitting pan --- $25

MAC Marilyn Monroe Showgirl Eyeshadow - swatched 2/3 times; larger than a standard MAC eyeshadow (RRP $21) --- $8

MAC Let's Skate Paint Pot (in LE white top packaging) - used a few times, still a whole lot left (RRP $18.50) --- $8

MAC Hang Up Lipstick - used a few times and sanitized (RRP $15) --- $8

MAC Overtime Pro Longwear Lipcreme - used twice (RRP $18) --- $8

LUSH Cosmetics Yuzu & Cocoa Forum Special Gorilla Perfume - sprayed at most 5 times, still very full (RRP $45) --- $10

LUSH Cosmetics Twilight Forum Special Gorilla Perfume - sprayed at most 5 times, still more than half full (RRP $50) --- $10

Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop Nail Polish - used once (RRP $18) --- $10

Butter London Knackered Nail Polish - used a few times (RRP $15) --- $6

Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order Nail Colour - used a few times (RRP unkown) --- $4

Sephora by OPI Chestnuts About You Nail Colour - used a few times (RRP unkown) --- $4

Whimsical Ideas by Pam In the Whole Wide World - used twice (RRP $10) --- $4

Whimsical Ideas by Pam Eloise - used twice (RRP $10) --- $4

TopShop Smokey Eyes Eyeshadow Palette - used a few times (RRP $24) --- $8

LUSH Cosmetics Santa's Lip Scrub - tried once (RRP $9.95) --- $3

Tarte Exposed Travel Size Blush - used a couple of times, quite lightly; smaller than standard Tarte blush but still plenty of product (RRP unknown) --- $2

NYX Creme Blush in Glow - used a few times with a stippling brush (RRP $6) --- $2

Latest Obsession | Catbird NYC

I'm not much of an accessories kind of gal. I wear one necklace, always, that I haven't taken off since I was twelve and let's just say it's not much of a layering piece. On my wrists I have my watch, Pandora  charm bracelet, and two Alex and Ani bracelets that stack so nicely together. If I added any more it would just be too much. Now rings, oooh mama, rings on the other hand I want to stack on my fingers to the high heavens. I love the look of small dainty rings stacked on every other finger with midi-rings galore surrounding them. I always feel this strange sensation of empowerment when I have a bunch of glimmering gold and silver bands on my fingers,. It's a strange feeling that's for sure, but this love for the dainty and stackable has led me to Catbird NYC rings. If there ever was a one-stop-ring-shop, this would be it. Catbird NYC is a online shop where they sell a whole assortment of jewelry from different designers and their own in-house jewelry. 

Their stackable rings and alphabet rings is what I really fell in love with.  The alphabet rings could be worn alone or even better, stacked to form initials or various words. This is so cheesy but I've always wanted to get three of them; one with my initial, one with a heart, and then one with the initial of the guy I love. Hey, it's better (and looks wicked cuter) than if I got a tattoo of his name, haha! I'm totally in love with the sentiment and cheese of it all. These rings are made in gold or silver, silver obviously being a bit cheaper, so I'm really going to save up to get them! 

After seeing their alphabet rings I explored the site some more and landed on their Stack 'em Up page where they had an assortment of rings and midi-rings that could be stacked all on your pretty little fingers. The page even has a diagram included of how to stack 'em all the different variations! The ones in the picture at the top were some of my favorites! I seriously want them all but that would cost a few pretty pennies! The stackable rings are made in gold, silver, and a lot of you will love this rose gold. 

It's safe to say that at the moment I am thoroughly obsessed with Catbird. I can't wait for the day I save up enough to at least get the alphabet rings because that's what really drew me into the brand. If you're a fan of dainty jewelry or a fan of just stacking rings on rings on rings than I def. recommend checking out the site! They also have a shop in Williamsburg that I am absolutely terrified to venture out to because I am in no position to be maxing out my credit cards, haha. *sigh* Maybe some day ;)

Catbird NYC

P.S. - I was in no way, shape, or form asked to write about this company. I'm just thoroughly obsessed.

Anna | For the First Time In Forever

Hello everyone and happy Disney Princess Friday! Today is the, can you believe it, ninth installment of this series! If you've never seen these types of posts from me before, basically it's a series where I take inspiration from a single Disney princess and create a make up look inspired by her. I've already done eight other princesses: Snow White, Rapunzel, Kida, Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, and Elsa. You can see each look by just clicking on each respective princess. Last time, I took on the Queen of Arendelle from the movie Frozen, Elsa, so it only made sense for me to grab inspiration from her sister, Anna, next. Truth be told, after seeing Frozen, Anna pretty much knocked Belle out of the running for my second favorite princess (I'll forever hold Ariel in first) She was funny, quirky, and spoke her mind (even if she didn't mean to). I saw a lot of myself in her so I was really excited to create a look for her. Now unlike her sister, Anna's make up was always very natural so I took more inspiration from her vastly colored snow robes and dress; all the purples and dark blues and greens. I also took it one step further by putting my hair up in braids and adding a few freckles. This is actually one of my favorite looks that I've come up with so far and I'm contemplating wearing it on the first day of my classes, haha! Here's what I used:

On the eyes:

• NARS Smudgeproof Base Primer
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Freak
• ULTA Automatic Eye Liner in Raisin
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
• Coastal Scents 88 Ultra Shimmer Palette - Navy, Dark Purple, and Blurple (Blue/Purple) Shades
• MAC Eyeshadow in Aquadisiac, Sumptuous Olive, Vanilla and Shroom
• NYX Eyeshadow in Lanikai and Lagoon Sparkle
• Urban Decay Fishnet Deluxe Eyeshadow
• Physicians Formula Blue Eyes Eye Liner
• Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black
• Benefit's They're Real Mascara

On the face

• NARS Sheer Glow Foundation/Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer
• Benefit Hervana Blush
• Benefit gimmeBrows Brow Gel
• MAC Flamingo Lipstick
• MAC Lingering Eyebrow Pencil (for freckles)

What do you all think? Have you seen Frozen yet (if not, what are you waiting for?!) Do you see yourself more as an Elsa or Anna? 

Mini Target Haul

The color scheme of this haul was not planned to be festively peppermint-y, in fact, it wasn't planned at all. It just so happened that the items I picked up matched the white and red of the target bag, which in turn, made you think of candy canes. If you've noticed, I haven't gone shopping for make up products in a very long time. I've been trying to be good with my money but I think I went into withdrawal and needed to buy at least something beauty related. So off I went to my most favorite place in the world (after Disney World ... and Chipotle ... and, well you get the idea) Target! 

I will normally run fast past the beauty aisle but this I lingered in the hopes that I'd find the one thing I knew I'd want to get if it was in stock and that was the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. You had to see the NYX stand for yourself because it was absolutely raided. It's always completely raided of every single product so I was so surprised to see it! Milk is a Jumbo Pencil that is most frequently talked about and it's shimmering counter part in Cottage Cheese was just not cutting it! Beyond happy to finally have a solid white base for all my future brightly colored make up looks. After snatching up the Jumbo Pencil my eyes wandered south towards the lip products. I saw the Soft Matte Lip Creams and for some reason my first thought was "GET ONE" So being the obedient little beauty addict that I am I grabbed the brightest color there in Addis Ababa- strange name, great color.

After perusing the NYX section, I felt like I had cured over my withdrawal and was ready to go to the cashiers to make these babies mine, but my friend was no where to be seen, which left me lingering in the beauty section for just 60 seconds longer and that's all I needed to get my mitts on the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 109 and convince myself that I needed it. I'd been eyeing that lipstick for the longest time and just wanted to check out the Kate Moss range in general. Something in me finally cracked and I caved to its powers. The last thing in this mini haul, which has turned into a shopping saga, was actually the first thing I picked up on the way to the beauty department and that was the candy cane flavored trio pack of Chapstick. I'd seen it sitting by the cashiers before and don't know why I didn't pick it up then because it's the first thing I cracked open and they are amazing! I love anything peppermint, so these were waaaaaay up my alley. I even shared the candy cane joy with one of my co workers because let's be serious, I would've lost one of these any way. Chapstick has a funny way of going missing, haha!

So there's my mini haul from my little trip to Target. Moral of this haul: Don't leave Jessica unattended in the beauty department because her wallet will get hurt and feel it in the morning!

What are some of your most recent beauty purchases?

The Ultimate NARSissist

(image source)

NARS will always and forever be my most favorite brand of make up. I don't own many of their products because they are on the pricier side, but whoa mama, when I have the  money to I love to splurge on NARS. Now they've gone and created a completely drool and fookin' (sorry, sorry, twas' the only appropriate word) lust worthy palette. MOVE OVER NAKED, because NARS just came out with the sexiest nude/neautral palette ever. I wasn't going to post about it on here but I can't not talk about it and I figured some of you might not yet know about the gorgeousness that is the NARS NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette. It comes with 15, count 'em FIFTEEN of NARS' signature eyeshadows for a whopping $79. I know, I know. I'll give you a second to let your heart start back up. But, but, but I still have such a yearning for this palette. I don't have ANY NARS eyeshadows and it's not because I can never justify the price but more so because their pans are huge with so much product I wouldn't know how to go about using it up, but THIS. With this palette I can have a much bigger array of shadows all in one convenient palette. It contains all the shades you know you've always slightly lusted for like Galapagos, Mekong, and Lhasa! Sure the pans are smaller, but I've yet to hit pan on any eyeshadow palette I own. Even though the price tag is astronimical (yes, no matter how you justify it, you're a nut for shelling out 79 buckaroos for this sexy piece of make up) I really think I'm going to get my hands on it any way I can! As of right now I know it's being sold on the NARS website right now and it's going to be in department stores as of February 1st! I hope it comes to Sephora because I have a $39 store credit that will make it just that less expensive! 

So now I'd just like to know what your opinions are on this new release? Are you excited? Tempted to buy it? Or are you going to put your make up blinders on and try to resist the urge? Let me know! Maybe some of you can disuade me from spending almost a C-note on this, haha!

Stila | Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner

Excuse the holly jolly wrapping paper background! This was meant to go up as a Blogmas post but we all know that failed rather quickly. I still really wanted to share this awesome product with you guys as it's quite quickly become a favorite and go-to of mine. It's the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black. When my last liquid eye liner hit the hay and I realized it wasn't actually the greatest I began my hunt for the most perfect liquid eye liner. 

Liquid eye liner has always been my go to even before I got really into make up. I love the crisp and clean liner you can achieve with liquid ones, and although you can achieve that with gel, liquid always comes out a bit more vibrant. So on my list for the perfect liquid liner was rich black color, matte finish, long lasting, and above all us, waterproof. That's exactly what I get with this gem from Stila. The color it delivers is opaque and black, not slightly black like you can see with some liquid liners. The finish is semi-matte but the slight shine when first applying fades in about 30 minutes. It's completely waterproof and stays as vibrant as it did when first applied, which is just a big plus in my book! Even though it's waterproof it's still super easy to take off when the day is done. Another thing I love about the Stay All Day liner is the packaging and applicator. The packaging is slim and easy to hold in your hand, exactly like holding a pen which makes application as easy as drawing a line on a piece of paper. The applicator is a tapered felt tip so with the right amount of pressure you can achieve a super thin line or build it up a bit thicker in a swipe. The shape of the applicator also makes it super easy to create wings, even for those who find it a bit challenging (a.k.a. me, haha)

All in all, I would totally recommend this eye liner to anyone looking into a new liquid eye liner or just starting out with using it. The packaging and applicator make it a super simple task and the color/longevity is unbeatable (except for maybe by a Make Up For Ever eye liner, haha) It's $20 which I find is very reasonable. I've had mine for over a month now and it's still showing no signs of drying out. Def. a favorite of mine that I know I'll plan to repurchase when the time comes!

What's your go-to liquid eye liner?

By My Bedside

This may seem like a "first world problem" but sometimes I get really lazy in the morning and the last thing I want to be doing is digging through three long drawers of products. So after receiving one of my  Birchbox's I decided to put it to good use instead of tossing it out. *self high-five for upcycling* So now I keep a hand full of products on my bedside which is great for a couple of reasons. I have the "luxury" of staying at my desk to do my make up without having to walk back and forth (I know, I know. Told you #firstworldproblems) Another great thing about keeping a hand full of products within reach is that I get more use out of my products and they get used up, rather than just collecting dust in the corners on my make up collection. Every two weeks I'll change up what lipstick, shadows and blush are in there so that they get more love. Since I'm that lazy that becomes a great way to use up products. As long as they're in that box, I'll put them to use. So today I thought I'd share with you what I keep by my bedside, especially since this collection of items hasn't been changed since November *hides face* Also, if I've reviewed any of these products, you can click on the name to go to that review! If there's anything you would like me to review, that I haven't, please leave it in the comments :D

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm // Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation // Benefit gimmeBrows // Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer // Kiehl's Superbly Efficient Antiperspirant & Deodorant Cream // NARS One Night Stand Blush Palette // CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara // Urban Decay Naked Basic Palette // Urban Decay All-Nighter Spray (travel size) // Rimmel Stay Matte Powder // Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder // Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black // Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear Waterproof in Fairytale // Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Liner in 2L // Urban Decay Anti-Aging Primer // Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil (travel size) // Benefit's POREfessional // MAC Show Orchid Lipstick // Sephora Collection Eyelash Curler // NYX Eye Pencil Sharpener // MAC Tendertone in Tread Gently

What products do you keep by your bedside? Which are your essentials for every day?

Elsa | Let It Go

Happy Friday, one and all! Today I'm back with my Disney Princess series of posts on the blog! It's been a while since I've been able to sit down and create one of these looks but now that it's the new year and the holiday madness is over I'm able to start it up once again. *phew* that was a long sentence. If you're not sure about my Disney Princess series on the blog it's basically a series where I create make up looks based on the themes or color schemes of Disney princess movies and the princess's themselves. I've already done some pretty rad looks (if I do say so myself) for Snow White, Rapunzel, Kida, Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, and Aurora. You can click on each respective princess to go to her look! Today's look is based of one of the newest princesses (or rather, Queen) in the Disney line up, Elsa, from the movie Frozen. As soon as I saw the movie I knew I had to create a look for her because she's one of the few Disney princesses (or maybe the only one) I've seen to actually have worn make up. If you haven't seen the movie, I highly highly recommend you go see it as it was brilliant and the music gets stuck in your head. It's all I listen to when I'm driving in my car by myself and especially with my sister. We see so much of ourselves in the character's that we've already gone ahead and changed our contact name's in our phones, haha! Anyway, for this look I recreated Elsa's make up from this picture right here, which is shown after she goes through her transformation and looks so freakin' stunning in the snowflake dress she creates. I also added a little (kinda big) rhinestone snowflake as a nod to her wonderful gift. Here's what I used:

On the eyes:

• NARS Smudgeproof Base Primer
• Coastal Scents Palette - Red, Orange, Burnt Orange, and Purple Shades
• MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow
• Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black
• CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara

On the face

• Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation/Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer
• NARS Mistinguette Blush/NARS Laguna Bronzer
• Benefit gimmeBrows Brow Gel
• Chanel Rouge Coco 54 Le Baiser Lipstick
• Craft rhinestones/Duo Eyelash glue

Have you seen Frozen yet? Are you excited for two new additions to the princess line up?

Here's To The New Year

Happy New Year!

On the screen the words look so small and insignificant, nothing like what they really encompass; a time for self reflection, change, and a brand new start. It's officially 2014 which means it's time for champagne and family to bring in the new year right. As with every year, we think about everything that's happened to us in the previous year and make resolutions so that the new year that awaits will be filled with more memories, and happier times. The question "what is is your new years resolution?" is one you can't avoid hearing, haha. Like most people my resolution is usually to get fit, lose weight, and become more active, but I've come to realize that it's not the most realistic resolution for me, although drinking more water wouldn't hurt, haha. Nope, this year, I've set myself small, personal, and achievable resolutions that will make for a happier me in 2014. I'm focusing more on myself and things that I like to do/want to do, rather than what others would like for me to do. So here they are, my resolutions for the year 2014.

»» start blogging again (at least two posts a week)

»» spend less money, and start saving up

»» have more adventures (big and small)

»» focus more on the positive things in my life, rather than dwell on the negatives

I hope you all had a wonderful New Years and that you rang it in with people that you love and care about. I hope 2014 brings to you memorable adventures and so much happiness, that the negative things from the past become insignificant. Happy New Year, to all of you, my lovely readers, who made 2013 for me :)

What are your resolutions for 2014?