Blog Love #02

Happy Friday, everyone! Has the week really gone by THAT quick? I feel like I was just typing out "It's Moooooonday!" which also reminds me, I need a much better way to start all my posts. I'm sure you're all well aware of what day of the week it is, haha! Today I'm bringing back a post that I haven't done in a while, almost 6 months (!!!) and that is a blog post featuring some of my favorite bloggers! Sometimes it feels really good to step back and show some support to blogs you keep coming back to. I know that whenever a blogger takes the time to mention that they enjoy my blog it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I want to turn this into a series of posts that I can do every few months (not 6 though!). Here's the one I did way back where I featured some really amazing blogs, only it was called "Follow Friday". I like the sound of Blog Love better; makes it so I'm not stuck to just posting this type of thing on a Friday! The following blogs are in no particular order (actually they're alphabetical, haha) and they are all fantastic blogs that I love to read and make sure I keep myself up to date with them!

 :: the beauty milk ::

Looking back I actually featured Coco on my last blog loving post, and I swear she's only gotten better. Her photos and reviews are spectacular. There's not a detail she won't miss when it comes to photographing a product and showcasing it on her gorgeous face! I don't think I've ever left a comment on one of her posts without mentioning how stunning she looks!

 :: blog of shadows ::

I've been reading Marvelle's blog for quite a bit of time now but just recently completely fallen in love with it. She creates some amazing eyeshadow looks that I could only wish I was able to create. Over the past few days she's also been putting up a "Disney Diary" that's an absolute joy to read and cry over, as it'll just make you wish you went with her. I seriously spent an hour just reading from start to finish!

 :: thrift thick ::

Oh Cassie, where do I even begin with Ms. Cassie? If you're not already a lovely reader of Cassie's blog or subscriber on her YouTube channel you're truly missing out on some hilarious product reviews, rambles and her adorable cat Galileo. Honestly, you won't be able to read a post or watch a video without at least chuckling - I'm usually just guffawing, haha! She's a big fan of the NOTD's and really knows how to sell the polish to you. You'll be a nail hoarder (with her) in not time! ;)

 :: wonderland beauty ::

Aly is one of the first few blog's I followed when I started my own little blog. Her posts are some of the most thought out posts I've ever read. She'll always give her honest opinion wether she loves the product or not which means I end up taking one product out my basket and putting another right in! She's such a lovely gal and so much fun to chat to in her comments and on twitter! Def. a blog you need to be reading!

Like I said in my previous these are not the only blogs I read but they are a blogs I've been enjoying coming back to lately and ones I think you'll all really like! Hopefully you find some lovely new reads from this post! I love spreading the blogger love :)

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

FOTD | Red, White & Blue

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Hello everyone and Happy 4th of July to all my lovely American readers (there are a few of you, aren't there?! haha) You know what? Happy 4th of July to you all! If it hadn't been for Americans declaring their freedom from England all those years ago ... I'd probably have a British accent. DANG IT. I hope you all enjoy your day wether you're having a BBQ, spending your day at the beach or just patiently waiting for the fireworks! I'll be on my way to Pennsylvania this morning to watch my sister compete in a dance competition. Exciting stuff, really it is =_+. Either way, I thought I'd share my partiotic make up with you all. I did one last year as well, but this one is a bit more wearable! I used NARS Smudge Proof Primer and NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Pots n' Pans as a base for a silver Coastal Scents eyeshadow. It was from the 88 Shimmer Palette so it doesn't have a name but it's just your average silver eye shadow. I then mixed a bright red with a cranberry red from that same Coastal Scents palette and applied that under my lower lash line. For the 'blue' in red, white and blue, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use a blue eyeliner. I used Stila's Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Liner in Curacoa and lined my upper lash line semi-thickly without flaring it out. I had the end of the blue liner meet the red eyeshadow to close the lines. Then to make my eyes look bigger I added MAC Fascinating Eye Khol, which is a stark white color, on my water line and then topped of my lashes with Make Up For Ever's Smokey Extravaganza Mascara. As for my face I just used Bobbi Brown's Eye Brightener (which is seriously amazing stuff for under your eyeballs) and then Urban Decay's Naked Skin Foundation. I probably need to wear a more high coverage foundation because I am breaking out everywhere!! but in the summer I'm just not about that life. It'd melt off my face, haha! Lastly, for cheeks, I used Tarte's Natural Beauty Blush (reviewed here, seriously it's SO GOOD) and topped my cheek bones with Benefit's Watts Up highligher (I dislike it so very much, reviewed right here when I had the full size. Didn't like it then but I felt the need to use up my sample :/) Oh! & almost forget my lips! The 4th of July is the perfect time to whip out a red lip so I used my Cover Girl Lip Perfection lipstick in Hot.

How are you showing your patriotic pride today?

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

➳ June Favorites

ANOTHER VIDEO?! Whoa, I've been a productive lady, haven't I? So in all honesty, as everyone writes up their reviews and talks about how fast the month flew by, I was sitting at home ... not even knowing it was July yet. Seriously, my days of the week and dates in general have been completely off. I almost packed up and left this morning thinking it was July 4th and I had to get ready before my dad came to pick me up to leave for Pennsylvania. It wasn't until 'favorites' posts and videos started popping up that I even thought to look at my calendar! I can't believe it's already July and that half the year is almost over. The most exciting things happening in July for me are the 4th of July and Hershey Park which are all this weekend, haha. But hey, at least I'm finally getting to leave my house! I haven't been going out too much this month, mostly stayed in at home or going out in as minimal make up as possible. I've got a few beauty bits, a seriously random favorite, and then an epic favorite buy of the month June (which isn't so epic because you see it in the thumbnail, haha!) If you're interested in seeing some of my favorites for this past month, you can do so in the video below! I think the heat got to me at some point because I sing, I dance (well my eyebrows do) and go a bit mental, haha.

What are some of your favorites from June? Did you enjoy the musical interlude, haha? :)

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

BEST IN BEAUTY ROUND 2 + I NEED YOU HELP! :: Emerald Glamour | Night Out Make Up Tutorial

'Ello fellow mer-metes (mermetes? I just pictured about 10 mermaids pretending to be Rockette's, haha) I'm here today to tell you all about my latest tutorial! Hooray for tutorials! Tutorials are quite nice, aren't they? This is a look I actually wore out for this past New Years to a dinner party. I think it's quite sophisticated but fun at the same time. I popped some emerald (had to incorporate the color of the year now didn't I?!) eyeshadow on the lash line and then topped it with some shimmer! I also couldn't do this glamorous look without a classic red lip. I absolutely love how it turned out and am so glad I was able to remember what I did to recreate it for you all. This video is also an entry for the 2nd round of the Best In Beauty competition. Thanks to all of you who so kindly voted I made it to the 2nd round and even tied for 1st place in the 1st round! I'd really appreciate you all taking the time to support me once more and head on over to this link right here -> (http://youtu.be/jPA6wSJiKlY) and vote! Basically all you have to do is go to that link and leave a comment with my username (TheModMermaid). You MUST vote on the video I linked you to above otherwise it won't count. You can also vote for up to 3 people, so do go check out the other contestant's videos out if you'd like. Thanks again to everyone who has voted in the last round and this round already. Also thank you to anyone planning to vote for me - the support really means a lot!

What do you think of this tutorial? Do you think you can remember what you wore for New Years or was there too much champagne? ;)

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

NYX | Jumbo Eye Pencils

It's Mooooooonday, which for a girl who's on summer vacation and without a job means absolutely nothing. Actually, I think it means I'm deserving of a high five for even remembering what day of the week it is! If you're not a lazy lady like me and actually working or going to summer classes then I hope your day doesn't end with you composing a tweet saying "bad case of the Mondays". Hey! Maybe today's post might even cheer you up? Maybe not, but hopefully you enjoy it. Today I'm reviewing one of the very first make up products I purchased whilst getting into beauty - NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils. These used to be talked about everywhere and on every beauty video. You couldn't watch a tutorial without seeing one of these guys pop up, which would explain why I bought this entire lot of 13 pencils in one go. They were having a sale though, so can you really blame me?

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils are essentially just giant crayons of cream eyeshadows. You can use these on their own as an eyeshadow or underneath powder eye shadows as a base to extend the wear. I'm not a huge fan of wearing them on their own as I find they tend to crease in a matter of an hour or two, which is a shame because some of the colors are gorgeous. They're really great as bases though. They grip powdered eyeshadows and loose pigments like no other (that I've tried, haha). Cottage Cheese which is a white with a metallic sheen to it is perfect for making any shadows more vibrant and opaque, especially the more sheer pigmentations. If you can match the tones of a powdered eyeshadow with a Jumbo Pencil color, look out, because the color just intensifies! You can also use these as an eyeliner but I find they're a bit too big for my eyeballs. I do find that sometimes these babies will tug a bit when I apply pencil straight to eyelid. If you pull a little at the corner of your eye it won't tug but every time I do that all I hear is my inner voice screaming "YOU'RE GONNA GET WRINKLES!" I recently discovered that you can apply the pencil to your index finger and then pat it on. It works well, blends easily and doesn't tug but it lessens the convenience of the pencil! 

NYX makes their Jumbo Eye Pencils in every color of the rainbow and then some. They have such a huge array of colors that you're bound to find a color you'll want to try! Out of the 13 I have swatched down below my top 4 recommendations would have to be Cottage Cheese, Iced Mocha, Yogurt, and Strawberry Milk. These are the colors I find myself reaching for the most. They're such an affordable product (on sale or not) at $4.49 a pop at ULTA ($3.50 on cherryculture.com right now!) and make such a great base for you eyeshadows that you can't afford not to try out just one. This may be the shortest review I've written in a while, but they're pretty straight forward little guys and aside from the occasional tug here and there, pretty darn shwanky for the quality and the price!

What do you think of NYX Jumbo Pencils? Which is your favorite? 

Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube