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

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?

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? 

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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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Review: NYX Roll On Shimmer (Green)

Good morning, all! It is currently 8:30 in the morning and pouring like an angry ex-wife. I was supposed to leave about 5 minutes ago for work but as it stands I don't have a boat to paddle through the water and am terrified of getting electrocuted. My mother has graciously told me she would drive me to work which leaves me with an hour to wait! My television is out, but luckily the internet is working so I decided that I would find a product lying around somewhere in my room and review it for you all! Hooray!!!

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Tada! Today's chosen product is NYX's Roll on Shimmer in the color Green. I got this at IMATS in NY but you can get it anywhere they sell NYX which I believe is Ulta! I probably should have photographed the applicator, but think of a roller perfume and you'll know what it looks like! I really am surprised but how much I love this. Now I didn't get it in the most practical color but I still love to use this as a pop (well more of a burst!) of color on my inner corners.

An amazing amount of product comes out when you roll it onto your skin or eye, so much so that I usually use a brush to apply this! It can be a bit messy if you apply it straight to your eye! The color comes out pigmented and super shimmery (the photo didn't catch that quite well). I used this for my Sea & Sand look for the inner corners to make the blue/green shadow really pop. I plan on getting this in two more colors, I love it that much! I'll probably get a white one and a brown-y nude just so I can wear it more often. 

I'm always impressed with the quality of NYX products. They don't put a huge whole in your wallet and you still get fantastic quality. 

What do you guys think of NYX products? What are some of your favorites?

xo

Review: NYX Cream Blush in Glow

Today's featured product is NYX's cream blush in Glow. I bought it at IMATS NY back in April when I went nuts at the NYX booth. (I'm sorry, I was a bit overwhelmed and I had never seen NYX prodcuts!) Glow is a bubblegum pink blush. I can't remember how much I bought it for but it was a show price. You can buy it on ULTA.com for $6.99! 

I really didn't like this blush at first, I was still unsure about how to apply cream blushes because I absolutely hated applying it with my fingers. I can never manage to blend it out. I used it once, made myself look like a clown and then disowned it. I still have all my IMATS purchases in a small bag and feel bad that I never get a chance to use any of the products. So I came back to this blush just recently and I don't know what's happened but it's gone amazing.

Glow. It's properly named because it does leave you looking like your cheeks are glowing! I find that it's easier to apply this blush with a stippling brush. The stippling brush magically and lightly blends it in to your skin and it's just gorgeous. Now a thing to note, A LITTLE GOES A LOOONG WAY. I'm not joking! The swatch on the left is when I rubbed my finger in the pot for a second and then so much product came off! It took me a good minute to blend out the swatch on the right! This cream blush is super pigmented (which would explain why I looked like I clown when I applied with my fingers)and it lasted me throughout my entire work day and was just brilliant! Highly reccomend it and I can't wait to try some more!

Have you ever used a NYX cream blush? What are your thoughts on cream blushes in general? :)

xo

Retail Therapy: NYC IMATS 2012

Walking into IMATS, for any beauty enthusiast (professionals and amateurs alike), is like walking into a candy store. All of the various companies set up so nicely ready for you to 'ooh' and 'ahh' at their latest and greatest. They pull you in with colors set out so you can go forth and play. I was no exception to this clever trap.

I'd like to think that I picked up a nice amount of things at IMATS; nothing more than what I came there to get. But I can assure you all that next year my wallet with loathe me.

NYC IMATS Haul

Naked pigments

IMATS

1. NYX Cosmetics
• 4 single panned eyeshadows (Light Green, Lanikai, Hot Pink, and Lagoon Sparkle)
• Cream blush in Glow
• Powder blush in Terra Cotta
• Aqua Shimmer eye liner
• Roll on Shimmer Green
2. Kandy Cosmetics
• Liquid Sugar
• 3 eye glitters (Chiclet, Tiny Tart, and Peach Fizz)
3. Naked Cosmetics
• Tropical pigment stack

This entire haul set me back about $100 which is CAH-RAZY considering I was ready to spend about $300. The prices were insanely low and I know, knowing that, I will go insane next time. I'll be sure to review and swatch them as I begin to use them! 

NYC IMATS 2012

I heard about IMATS through my best internet bud Julia. We both like to obsess over very similar things and one day she asked if I knew what IMATS was. All I could think was that it was some sort of brush company, but soon discover the majesty of what IMATS truly is.

IMATS: International Make-up Artistry Trade Show

Although I’m sure many of you already know, it’s a convention for those who want to appreciate the artistry of make-up and also drop a dime on some great discounted finds on some favorite make-up brands. 

Julia and I went together and it was the most magical day of my life. Almost as magical as Disney, but there were no characters walking around. Just well dressed people with absolutely brilliant make-up. We got there pretty early, around 9:15 am, and it was slightly packed. Trying to get a swatch of any NYX blushes was a trek in itself. There was so much to ogle at and so much to swatch! My arm is still stained from the various cream blushes and eyeliners I had played around with. 

INGLOT was just the craziest booth that I had seen that day. Okay, I’m a little biased because I did have to wait an hour and 15 minutes to get jumbled service and ended up walking away with nothing. I’m happy to report that the show did redeem itself. The Naked Cosmetics booth was amazing. The pigments are seriously to DIE for! I can see why xsparkage adores them and owns every stack! 

Things started to pick up (and by that I mean the lines) around noon when all the youtube beauty gurus had arrived and everyone was flocking to meet them. Julia and I were excited to know they were there (she screamed “I LOVE YOU” to Fleur and then ran away, hahaha!) but we were just SO exhausted that our energy level completely crashed and we left after having just glanced at every booth. 

We walked away with pretty decent hauls and I’ll be sure to post here what I got as well as swatch and review them as well! Don’t know too many people with my skin tone who swatch, so if you’re severely pale, welcome! I think you’re going to like it here!

All in all, I would say that IMATS, as my first ever IMATS, was a success. I didn’t overspend and I didn’t feel like I walked away without getting everything I would want. I also came away with a lot of tips for next time to make it more enjoyable and not as strenuous!

If anyone went hope you had a great time! Can’t wait till next year ;)