[CLOSED] The Mod Mermaid's 1st Birthday + Giveaway!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear bloggy, Happy Birthday to you!

Morning, afternoon, or good evening to you all! I'm a big ball of energy today because there's something so amazing at seeing your blog reach a full year! I honestly can't believe that a year ago today I sat down and wrote my first post. (It was my IMATS experience and haul post, haha!) It's exciting because I'm the type of person who gets bored with things quite quickly and once I get bored I just stop doing it, but not with my blog! I feel like I should have made cupcakes or a cake or something for such an occasion! Maybe I'll throw a party and have all the #bbloggers celebrate, haha, imagine! I'm so proud of my blog and little space on the internet. I'm happy that I found a hobby that I enjoy doing so much that let's me play with make up, write about something I love and interact with lovelies all over the country and even the world! No one in my personal life really cares too much about make up (not like we do!) so it's great to have found and stuck with a fantastic community like the #bbloggers. (I promised myself I wouldn't cry! )': )

In honor of my blog's first birthday and to treat all my lovely readers because I'm so thankful for each and every one of you and the comments you leave I've decided to host a giveaway! Now as I am without a job the prize shan't be as extravagant as I wish I could make it but what I will do is up the ante by having two winners! Oh yeah! The first winner will receive a MAC lipstick of their choice (cause we all love a MAC lipstick, don't we?!)  and the second winner will receive a Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid lipstick of their choice (I love brights, and I will make you love them too!) On top of that, this giveaway will be international! I've never had a giveaway that wasn't international because it doesn't seem fair to exclude such a wide part of my audience! 

You all know how this works! I shall leave you with this widget and just make sure to record your entries and come back for the ones you can do once a day as that'll increase your chances! There are only two mandatory entries you must complete, and you must complete both!

1. Follow this blog via GFC (only follow if you plan to stick around! none of this temporary following, it's not nice!)

2. Leave a comment below telling me :: What are your favorite blog posts to read/write? 

The rest are optional, you don't have to do them, but feel free to so that your chances to win are increased! The giveaway will run from April 19, 2013 to May 19, 2013. A whole month to enter and remember there will be TWO WINNERS! Also, please make sure that if you live with your parents that you let them know you've entered because chances are you won't tell them, you'll win, I'll send the package and you'll be questioned about this mysterious lady sending you gifts! Just avoid it, haha, and give them a heads up!

I will select the winners 1- 2 days after the giveaway closes. If I don't get a response in 48 hours a new winner will be chosen and keep getting chosen until such a time that a winner responds (how legal). Also, to the winners please give me about a week or two to send out your prize. I have to wait to hear back what colors you'd like, get to a MAC store and then a drugstore, and then get to the post which might take a little time!

Again, thank you all so so so much! I really appreciate all the love and support you've given my blog just by following, coming to read, leaving a comment, or even sharing my posts with others! I love you guys (cue cheesy music!) and here's to another year for The Mod Mermaid *clink* 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy entering! May the odds be ever in your favor ;)

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Polishes Any Mermaid Would Love

The best thing about being one of the few mermaid (don't argue with me and just let me believe!) bloggers is that I get to bring you mermaid themed posts, which are my absolute favorite to come up with and write! I've only written one other that I can remember (a gift guide for the Merfolk in your life which you can find here) and you guys seemed to enjoy it. So today I'm bringing you guys a list of some of my very favorite and very best 'mermaid' polishes. Personally I could wear these colors all year round, that's just me, but these polishes would also be great to wear for the warmer seasons! The six colors I chose, I chose because they reminded me of mermaids, the ocean, or the beach. Without further ado, here they are:

:: Deborah Lippman's Across The Universe ::

(review/swatches)

This polish always made me think of the little lagoons you find at the beach. With the dark navy base, big green glitters, and smaller blue shimmers it looks like the ocean at night. Pair it with a black polish as a base and the result will be absolutely stunning!

:: Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order ::

(review/swatches)

This polish reminds me of the scales on a mermaid tail. The blue-teal polish is metallic and reflects light beautifully. This was my first 'mermaid' polish and I used to wear it every single day!

:: Julie G Nail Color Mermaid's Tale ::

Mermaid's Tale is the newest edition to my mermaid polish collection and I'm already in love with it! One the nails this color has some serious shine to it and looks like the shimmering water of the ocean. The base of this color is blue but when light reflects on it you can see green glimmering through the blue.

:: Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid's Dream :: 

(review/swatches)

I just noticed that I've used up half of this nail polish. WOT?! Anyway, this polish is gorgeous, stunning, and totally worth it's $18-$19 price tag. The way the seafoam green base was paired with the blue/green shimmer just reflects the epitome of what a mermaid's nail polish should be. It dries textured and looks just like you'd imagine a mermaid's tale to look like from afar.

:: Essie Turquoise & Caicos ::

This polish is the mint/teal color that every beauty girl goes searching for when the weather starts to get warm. It's a no non-sense color that's fun to pair with other brighter colors. It simple yet always reminds me of the super clear ocean water you see in pictures of islands (def. not the water where I live!)

:: Sephora by OPI Chest-nuts About You ::

Now you might be wondering why I included this nail polish shade in a post dominated by blues and greens. I almost didn't include it but every time I look at it I think of pink sandy beaches. The polish is metallic and a rose gold color. It applies smoothly but you still see little grains of shimmer that are just so reminiscent of the soft sand on beaches.

There you have it! Six polishes that are sure to remind you of majestic mermaids, beautiful ocean water, and sandy beaches. If anything, they'll just make you oh so excited for spring and summer when you'll actually be able to go to the beach! I hope some of you find a color in here you'll like and embrace your inner mermaid! If you have any polishes that remind you of mermaids please let me know! I'm always looking to add to my collection :)

Have a lovely Wednesday!

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Maybelline | ColorSensational Vivids

Hey there, hi there! I think it was about time I reviewed these beauts as I raved about them little by little when I hauled them and then in my last month's favorites. The Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids line is amazing. So amazing that I'll go so far as to say they're maybe the best line of lipsticks the drugstore has to offer (for the spring and summer, at least!) All the colors in this particular range are bright and vibrant hues of pinks, purple, oranges, and reds! All of them are right up my alley and those who are ready to embrace the neon trend for spring/summer! I think the crazy bright red packaging was perfect to represent the amazingness that awaits you inside. 

I ended up picking up two colors, although I could have easily walked away with them all! I got Shocking Coral which, like the name suggests, is a bright coral! It's almost like NARS Orgasm in a lipstick form (only a tad more bright!) I also got Vivid Rose which is a gorgeous (GORGEOUS!) pinky red! I used to think I loved blue based reds but there's something so fun about reds that have a little bit of pink sass to them! The only reason I didn't get more is because I have so many brights that some shades offered were really close dupes to ones I already had and I was trying to be good! The color pay off is sensational (pun, most definitely intended!) It's glides smoothly onto the lips and leaves opaque color in just one swipe. I love that these are such bright colors, yet not drying! They leave a sheen on the lips and while I know some beauties adore matte brights, I personally love them more when they have a little shine and moisture to them. It makes it easier to wear because you can barely feel it on your lips.

If you love wearing brights and bold lip colors I'd tell you to definitely check out this line of colors! They're going to be amazing and so much fun to wear when the weather starts to warm up. Even if you're not totally comfortable wearing such vivid colors just yet I'd say check them out anyway! You can dab this lightly on your lips so the color is bright but a sheer wash of it! You'll ease your way in to the full beautifulness of it all! These lipsticks get a big ol' two thumbs up from me! I may get some more if I'm feeling cheeky and want more of these red lipstick tubes lying around in my collection!

What do you think of the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids? 

Are you a fan of the neon/brights for spring and summer? 

Which of these could you see yourself wearing?

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Haul | #IMATSNYC

As many of you lovely readers know, last weekend I went to this magical event called IMATS. I talk about my experience in this post right here so if you want to see how I liked it (LOVED it) and some snaps from the event itself. Today's post is all about my haul and I have to say it's a pretty impressive and exciting haul; my best one yet! For some reason there was so much more to find at this year's IMATS or maybe I was just more open to trying new brands because I came away with a hefty haul (hefty, hefty, hefty!) With not much else to say, here's what I got from IMATS!

• INGLOT | I got a two-pan eye shadow palette and two eyeshadows to put in it. The coral/orange shade is 407 and the deep plum/purple is 446. I thought these colors would look really nice together in an eye look for a summer night and if not, they're totally gorgeous on their own!
• Hakuhodo | I couldn't resist leaving this booth without something. These are the softest brushes that I've ever touched and I'm really happy my mom was generous enough buy me a blush brush (I don't have any, gasp*) and one from Hakuhodo no less! I still don't have the cajones to use it. It's too awesome!
• Morphe | Funnily enough I didn't get any brushes at Morphe, although I should have because I heard they were seriously cheap. No, I ended up getting make up removing wipes that smell like apricots. Boy, oh boy, they really do smell like apricots! They'll be fun "summer" wipes, haha!
• Lit Cosmetics | I'm going to curse right now. I lost my shit at this booth. All the glitters were just so overwhelmingly beautiful! I was pretty sure I was only going to get one glitter at this booth but no. I walked away with a Lit Kit (came with two brushes, a huge fan, a duster, and liquid glitter base) and SIX, yes, SIX glitters! I would have walked away with more but I need something to look forward to buying next year, haha! The colors I ended up getting were Margarita, Nightlife, California Soul, Peacock, Cowgirl, and Soul Sister. You can see the colors more clearly in my video below!
• Jesse's Girl Cosmetics | I really wanted to get nail polishes at this booth to stock my personal collection with colors I didn't already have but I felt guilty after getting a Hakuhodo brush and then SIX glitters. So I ended up getting 3 nail polishes instead of my intended 6. The colors are Mermaids Tale, Oh Em Gee, and Cupcakes & Castles.
• Hawaiin Moon Aloe | I left this product out of my video because I rambled on and on about it in a way that was un-editable. Basically this is a cream that is 100% aloe that's also paraben free and free of any fancy minerals and oils. It's meant to be used as a hand, body, and face cream to really rejuvenate the skin and get the circulation going. It's amazing stuff and my new moisturizer! I had a severe reaction from a facial I got earlier that week and it managed to clear all my spots in a 48 hours. To say I am impressed would be an understatement! This big bottle is going to last m a very long time!
• Ardell | The Ardell booth was the scariest of them all but I did manage to get the lashes I wanted. One of the pairs was for my mom, another for my sister and the last two were for me. The ones I chose were a pair called 'Romantic' that has crisscrossed lashes and little dabs of glitter on them (of course) and then this really beautiful pair called, well, 'Beautiful' that had lashes of different sizes (they look like little empire state buildings) and then two sets of three-triangle rhinestones on each corner. I really want to wear these to Disney World because they remind me of Mickey Mouse!
• Alcone | At the Alcone booth I was hoping to get a Beauty Blender but they were sold out. I ended up just getting a Large Black Z-Palette so my depotted Urban Decay 15th Anniversary shadows finally have somewhere to go (they've been sort of laying around since I depotted them, haha!) 

So that's all I got at IMATS NYC this year! I'm really pleased with every single thing I got and that I finally hauled and share with you all because it means I can go play with them now! I'm already looking forward to next year and if next year's haul is half as good as this one I'll be a delighted peach! Reviews of all these products will be coming soon so make sure to stay tuned for those!

Have a great weekend!

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NYX Single Eyeshadows | Hot Pink, Lanikai, Lagoon Sparkle & Light Green

Don't you just love it when you take the time to dig through your stash and hoards of make up to discover some new gems? These little beauts are the NYX single eyeshadows. I had bought four of them at IMATS last year and really haven't touched them since except for one. Then again I didn't get the most practical colors did I, haha! Since this year a lot of beauty gals are embracing color I thought it was time to give them some much needed love and love them I have!

Hot Pink is, well, a hot pink shade. It's semi-matte and I say 'semi' because it does have a little iridescence running through it. 

Lanikai is a frosted cobalt shade. Normally I'm not a fan of frosty shades but this doesn't have frost overload.

Lagoon Sparkle is a gorgeous teal color that's loaded with silver glitters.

Light Green is a matte yellow-green shade. Every time I look at it I think of lemon-lime soda. 

All the NYX single eyeshadows come packaged in plastic cases with a clear lid so you can see the color on the inside. Think MAC eyeshadow packaging but more square with shinier plastic, haha. These four shades are all highly pigmented and color pay off is great, although it does take two swipes to reach a nice opacity. The colors appear as bright as they do in the pan, are super smooth, and blend really well. I noticed they don't last very long on their own but with a primer or even cream shadow base they'll last for ages and without creasing! The fantastic thing about these eyeshadows is that they come in a HUUUGE variety of colors and finishes. It can be quite overwhelming to choose! I've heard that not all of them live up to the same great formula and pigmentation but rest assured that these four do! If you're curious about any of the other shades I found this fantastic post by Makeup Geek where she swatches what may be every single eyeshadow shade NYX offers!

Each NYX single eyeshadow is $4.50, which is such a steal as you're not settling for quality. You can get them at ULTA (they're on sale now for only $2.69! an even bigger steal.) I don't live near an ULTA (oh how I wish I did!) but you can buy them online at Ulta.com, the NYX Cosmetics website, or Cherry Culture.com! I'm thinking about getting so more neutral shades so I can wear them more often. May take Ulta up on their amazing sale ;)

Have you ever tried NYX shadows?

Which out of these four is your favorite?

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