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

Tarte Amazonian Treasures Collection | Sephora 500 Point Perk

Happy Friday, everyone! Today I'm taking a little break from my Disney Princess series because truthfully, I didn't have much time to put into creating a new look. The store I work at had it's grand opening which meant 11 1/2 hour shifts all weekend and after that I just wanted to rest. Also, apologies for yesterday's post. I posted because I thought I had to and that rubbish came out. It's a fantastic product so I may just rewrite it when I get the chance and re-publish it! Anyway, today I'm going to talk about a fantastic little set of Tarte products that Sephora was (and again, is) offering as a 500 point perk. It's the Amazonian Treasures Collection which features 5 deluxe samples of some of Tarte's most popular products! I'm not one to spend my Beauty Insider points, but there was no way I couldn't on this! I've had a chance to play around with these guys so I thought I'd do some mini-reviews on each. Right off the bat I can tell you it's well worth the 500 points!

• Pure Maracuja Oil | This is going to be a life saver during the cold, dry months for anyone with a drier skin type. It's a face oil that hydrates dry and acne prone skin without leaving it feeling greasy. It's amazing to put under foundation to have it apply evenly and without any dry patches. I've always wanted to purchase the full size but wasn't so sure about the $46 price tag (for 1.7 fl oz), but it might be well worth it! 
• Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara | This mascara is apparently supposed to be a 4 in 1. Anything you could want in a mascara you'd get with this one! I love what it does to my lashes and I'm gutted that this little guy has already dried out. This is the second mascara to ever make me think about perhaps venturing into high end mascaras. I still have loads of mascaras to get through, but this one coats my lashes, separates, and curls so nicely that it might be the first I buy!
• Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Shadow in Shimmering Moss | I'm not one to buy cream shadows on the fly but I was excited to see this gorgeous olive shade in the mix of products! The cream blends evenly onto the eye when patted with the finger. On it's own it kind of a downer because it creases in a matter of minutes- beautiful color and it creates a nice, soft look, but what does it matter when it looks like shadow wrinkles on your eyes?! I'd suggest a heavy duty primer underneath it to keep a hold on that shadow. I don't see myself purchasing a full size of this, but I'll be enjoying the deluxe sample whilst I have it!
• Amazonian Clay 12-HR Blush in Exposed | I LOVED THAT A BLUSH WAS INCLUDED IN THIS SET. Seriously, if it's one product from Tarte that you NEED to try it's their blushes. Such a fan-dabey dosey range of colors and the formulation is amazing. It's a bit smaller than their full size blushers but the pigmentation is so great that you only ever need a little dab-dab to have the color show. The great thing about Exposed is that it's such a warm, almost mauve pink that you can use it as either blush or for a bit on contour and color! Love, love, love it!
• Amazonian Clay Finished Powder | If you guys, have been reading my blog for a while you know that I'm already a fan of this fabulous finishing powder. I have a very in depth review of it that you can read over here. This powder is excellent to set your foundation without making it look "layered" and cakey. The powder is translucent and silky which reduces the appearance of flakiness and dry patches- I'm all for it!!

I got this set maybe two months ago, but now that it's finally back in Sephora stores as a 500 Point Perk I highly recommend you take a look and think about cashing your points in. So many great products in very generous sizes- you can't take a chance and pass it up!

How often do you spend your Beauty Insider points? Ever find a gem, like this?

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Tipsy on Tarte

Coral is everyone's best friend in the summer season, is it not? Well it's def. mine and it def. was last year! In the summer of 2012 everyone bat-crazy with coral shadows, liners, and blushers. One of the most amazing coral blushers that I came across was Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush in Tipsy. Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blushes are the bees knees in every aspect. I got mine at Sephora for $28 and it'll honestly last you forever! The packaging is simple, yet quirky with their logo printed on the top and the individualized color. I love that about their blushes - each blush compact represents the shade of the blush inside so it's a no brainer when you go looking for one! If you'd like to see my more in-depth review on these blushes you can check out my review on Natural Beauty (which is what's called, a complete natural beauty!) over here. Actually, head on over there to read about the blush and I'll just reiterate cause this formula of blush needs to be praised. The pigmentation of Tipsy is SUPER, well, pigmented, haha! You need the lightest of taps with your brush to get a really nice color. It's easy to overdue because of the crazy pigmentation, but the good news is it's also quite blend able - not to the point where you blend everything away, but it blends to look more natural. Am I making any sense at all? Probably not, but we'll move onto the shade. Tipsy is the perfect coral shade. I thought it might lean more orange since the packaging is totally orange, but it's the perfect blend of orange and pink tones. It's not a hard blush to pull off even though it may seem a bit intimidating. It looks great with natural looks and has always been the greatest compliment to more colorful eye looks, which sounds weird, because it's color on color, but trust me, it works! I managed to include a cheek swatch (that doesn't sound right, haha) to show you how it blends and looks on the face. Plus, I'm wearing some ridiculous gold and purple liner combos, and it still looks ah-smha-zing! (what?! haha, I'm sorry, it's the caffeine talking) I love having this color in my collection and it's def. worth looking into!

What Tarte blushes are/would be a must have for you?

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Tarte Smooth Operator | The Powder for Drier Skin

It's Friday, Friday! Who's excited that it's finally Friday? Me! Tomorrow is the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, which I only realized today and now I'm scrambling to find someone to go with! So far, no takers. Eh, if I have to go by myself, I'll go by myself. I just want to see the mermaids ... who are mostly dudes in drag, haha! Anyway, where am I going with this? No where, stay on track Jess!

Today I'm talking about the finishing powder made for all beauties, but that'll also work nicely on dry skin beauties! Before getting this powder I was all over the NARS Light Reflecting Powder, but after talking to my friend Julia she suggested I try Tarte's Smooth Operator, which is a micronized clay finishing powder. It's a translucent powder, that's supposed to not only mattify your skin, but also minimize the appearance of your pores and replenish your skin. The 'replenish' part is what reeled me in. I love powdering my face because it helps my foundation last that much longer but sometimes that just means I'm going to make my face look that much more dry. The magical Amazonian clay does about a gazillion beautiful things for your skin, which is why Tarte loves using it in so many of their products! Amazonian clay in this powder makes your skin smoother, mattifies it, and at the same time hydrates your skin so that the appearance of dryness and flakiness is reduced. They not only say that, but it actually does that!

Smooth Operator makes my skin feel and look smooth. It can look a bit flaky if my skin is feeling particularly parched and I haven't moisturized that day, but other than that it looks great - no dry patches around blemishes or around my nose. This is exceptionally good for setting under eye concealers and brighteners! It keeps the concealer put throughout the day and prevents it from creasing. Since it's summer and I haven't been wearing too much foundation, or a heavy layer of it, using it to set my under eye make up has been my favorite way to use it. Also, just buffing this on its own on my face slightly evens out the redness on my face, controls the gah-ross sweat and still smoothes my skin!

I leave the packaging for last because it is gorgeous but may be the reason you hate this product if you don't do your research. The powder comes in a typical twisty-top pot? mini-jar? (see below, haha) with a really nice palm tree design on the cover! Now when you twist off the cover you'll notice the sifter and then you'll notice it comes with one teeny whole. Yes, the sifter is one teeny hole. When I first started using it I couldn't get ANY of the product out. You can hold it upside down and tap it all you want but nothing will come out. *I almost returned it because of this* but I really wanted to try it and didn't want to have to take off the itty, bitty sifter to do it. So I dug a little deeper, read reviews on Sephora and found out you have to push down on the sifter with your thumbs to get the product out. When you push down the powder just puffs out of the sifter. Problem solved! (but don't push too hard because then you'll end up with powder everywhere) At first it was bit strange to have to push to get my product out of a tiny sifter but it means that I can toss this in my bag and don't have to worry about it exploding! I'm still getting used to the fact that it's a powdered-power instead a pressed powder, but other than that's it's really lovely on the skin and the fact that I don't have to worry about looking flakey is a big plus for me!

What do you think? What are you favorite finishing powders?

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Collective Haul | Sephora, Bath & Body Works, Bobbi Brown, and Macadamia Natural Oil

Happy, slappy Tuesday, y'all! It's the end of April today if I'm not mistaken! Which to most is a signal of 1/3 of the year coming to a close but to me it means MY BIRTHDAY IS IN 2 DAYS! I know, I know, you're tired of hearing about it. By the end of the week you won't have to hear about it again till next year ... or unless I post a haul of goodies I got, LOL. Speaking of hauls, I have a collective one to share with you all today! I've been shopping a bit here and there for some essentials and not so essentials, haha. Sephora was having their VIB sale at the beginning of the month and I took that as an opportunity to get a full-size Urban Decay Naked Skin BB after loving and squeezing out every last drop from my baby-size sample. Since I ran out of my MAC MSF a while back I figured it was time to try a new setting powder. Originally I was going to go for NARS Light Reflecting Powder but my friend Julia recommended Tarte's Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Powder, which she said is a great setting powder for drier skin as it has some ingredient that keeps moisture on your face. I don't know, but I was sold and got it! Reviews on both of these are coming to a blog post near you so stay tuned! I also got my Sephora birthday perk which is a mini sample of Benefit's They're Real (love this mascara, and I'm so glad I've never had to purchase it as it always, always comes as a sample somewhere) and a mini Benefit's WattsUp highlighter, which I actually reviewed once and wasn't a big fan of it. 

Bobbi Brown was also having a super exciting Friends & Family 20% off sale that my mom took FULL advantage of. Seriously, if Bobbi Brown makes it, my mom 100% wants it, haha! She kindly asked if I'd like anything (no doubt trying to spread the Bobbi Brown joy she is feeling) and I said no until I played with one of their lipglosses in a Sephora one night out. I ended up getting Bobbi Brown's High Shimmer Gloss in Bellini. It's such a gorgeous, everyday lipgloss with hints of silver and gold shimmers. I'm not a lip gloss gal, at all, but this one has virtually no stick to it. It's not goopy and you can barely feel it on your lips which I LOVE.

Then my ever so lovely mother surprised me with some sweet treat from Bath & Body Works after I dropped my *not-so* subtle hints about wanting some new candles. She picked up the Strawberry, Market Peach, and a baby Espresso candles (which btw, makes my entire room smell like a coffee shop!) I, like every other blogger/vlogger, love me some Bath & Body Works candles! They have the best scent throw and some of the most delicious scents I've ever sniffed! I didn't even have the heart to blow out Market Peach whilst taking these photos!

Last, but not least, are my Macadamia Natural Hair goodies that I managed to find in my Stop N' Shop (for cheaper, too!) I've been on the search for some hair products that would make my frizzy, poofy, dry, and curly hair look like I actually managed to do something with the mess. Macadamia products are raved and raved about on the blog-o-sphere and after some recommendations I bit the bullet (have you seen the price?!) and got myself the shampoo and conditioner. Well I THOUGHT I got the conditioner, turns out it's the leave in conditioner, haha! Woopsie. Still testing both of these out and the Leave-In conditioner is actually quite nice so I've decided to keep it. We'll see how I get on with them and then I'll be sure to put up my own review on the ever so hyped hair goods!

What do you lovelies think? Anything here that you've tried? What have you recently hauled? 

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Current Cravings | July Edition

1. It's in the Flag Hair Clip from ModCloth ($12.99) | For this year's 4th of July I'm feeling extra patriotic to the point that my undies resemble the flag. When I saw this bow clip on ModCloth i just knew that I had to have it because I am a sucker for bows and collect them like no girl should. Maybe I should make a 'Bow Collection' post, haha! Hopefully I can get this before the 4th!
2. Revlon ColorStay Lacquer (Minted) from Drugstores ($8.99) | Mint. It's a mint polish. I don't have one and this is the closest true to mint color I could find. A lot of other 'mint' named polishes lean a tad teal, and this one looks perfect! Mint is in and I want in!
3. Sexy Hair Short Sexy Hair Slept In Creme | If you haven't seen yet, I've recently cut my hair sooper short! I'm trying to find different ways to style it because it is very curly and taming it might be a tad hard. I heard this creme creates awesome beachy-messy hair so I'd love to try it out!
4. Through the Wire Headband in Red from ModCloth ($13.99) | Again, I'd love this to just throw my hair up in the summer time. I think it'd look really cute with my short hair! I also like how this headband looks like cloth but had a wire going through it so it stays in your hair better!
5. Butter London Lacquer (No More Waitey, Katey and Frilly Knickers) from Ulta ($14.50) | I'm on such a nail polish kick these days and I'm absolutely in lust with the formula of the Butter London polishes. No More Waitey, Katey and Frilly Knickers are two that I want at the moment but that might change when I see some more in person!
6. Tarte Light's, Camera, Splashes Mascara from Sephora ($19.00) | I have often heard that this particular mascara was named 'the best waterproof mascara'. In the summertime I usually like to wear just mascara and a little eyeliner. Except I'm always the one with raccoon eyes because my make up isn't waterproof. I'd really love to have this in the summer so I don't have to worry about it smudging and budging!

What are some of your current cravings for the month? Share them with me! As we all know my cravings are ever-growing!

xo