Life after College

So you graduated college. CONGRATS! If you are anything like I was graduating college was exciting but also terrifying because it meant I had to go full adult. I was not one of the lucky ones who graduated with my dream job lined up or any job lined up really. So I'm here to say that its not the end of the world if you didn't land a job yet, you're not alone.

I took that time in between graduation and landing my first adult job interning and going to interviews even if I knew I didn't want the job. I found that just going to interviews was really good practice and by the fifth one most of the interview jitters were gone. I would say put your toes in everything you want! My degree was in international diplomacy, my dream job was (still is) to work for the US State Department as an Ambassador or for the UN. However, on my road there (hopefully this is the road) I interned in politics for the summer and dabbled in non-profits and eventually found my self in construction... definitely didn't see that in my future. But as it turns out I really enjoy working in the Oil & Gas industry and its a field I would have never considered until I just decided why not go to the interview.

So I guess thats what I want you guys to take away from this, is that there is hope in landing an awesome job after you graduate.  Even after you seem to have tried it all, just keep persistent.

Best of luck!

xo Franchesca

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My Advice for First Years

University is an exciting and scary place all at the same time. For many of you its your first time being in complete control of your life, like myself. For me college was the first time I really got to get out of the bubble my family had surrounded me with, not in a bad way but I was definitely naïve about how the rest of the world functioned outside of suburban northern New Jersey. So for me going from a somewhat urban area to a rural was definitely culture shock. Which leads me to my first tip, be completely open minded. Go into this new experience with no biases. Realize that everyone comes from a different walk of life and give everyone a shot, you'll be happy you did. So be friendly and smile, if you're the shy type like myself don't worry there are other shy people as well just smile.

Now onto academic advice, I mean this is why we attend uni... right? Now if you don't have a major picked out don't worry its your first semester, but definitely take the time this semester to narrow down your options. Once you plan your schedule make sure to map out your classes, typically you can do this with your roommate or other people on your floor. This is also a great way to see if you will know anyone in your classes, which will come in handy as the semester progresses. Which leads me to my next tip make friends with people in your class. Now they don't have to be the friends you hang with on the weekends, but by having a friend in class you can study together as well as help each other out if you have to miss a class. Also, take advantage of your professors office hours try to get to know your professor and have them recognize  your face. This will make it a little easier for your when you need to miss a class and will come in handy when you need a letter of recommendation. A little tip for letters of recommendations I'm going to fill you in on now is that many of my professors wouldn't write a letter of recommendation for a student unless that student has taken at least two of their classes, so keep that in mind once you enter your major. My last academic tip is to actually make time to study. I knew tons of people my first year that didn't study and many of them didn't come back after that first year, so don't be that guy and just study! Lastly, take advantage of this time. You'll make some amazing and some not so amazing memories but it'll all be worth it.

Best of Luck this year!

xoxo Franchesca

Who To Follow On Instagram

Instagram is something I'm sadly addicted to. I don't know there is something about beautiful pictures that just lures me in, and there is a handful of instagramers that really lure me in with their images.

I love instagram for inspiration, and to cure my travel bug. What really catches my eye are bright photos that look like some thought went into the image. I love pretty flowers and food, OMG the food on instagram! Seriously I always wonder if the food actually looks that good or if its the filter... anyone else think this?  

Julia Engel (Gal Meets Glam) / Rosie Londoner / Priscilia Bentacort (MyShowRoomBlog) / Uzma_Mir_ / Tasha Oakley / Carrie Harwood (WishWishWish)  

Links I Love: DIY Edit

With the weekend finally here, why not take on a little DIY. So today I rounded out some really awesome diy to try this weekend. Let me know how they go!

1. DIY Swing Dress from Merrick's Art
2. DIY Bath Bombs from A Beautiful Mess
3. DIY Split Wrap Skirt from A Pair & A Spare
4. DIY Faux Marble counter from Little Green Notebook
5. DIY Camera Bag from A Pair & A Spare
6. DIY Scalloped Hem Dress from Merrick's Art

xoxo Franchesca

Things I've Been Admiring

Today I thought I'd share some of the items I have on my wish list, and if you've tried them let me know what you all think! The more opinions the better.

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, just about every beauty person has raved about this. My only issue is its a bit difficult to get your hands on. Have any of you US girls been able to get a hold of this?

Stila One Step Correct, I've heard Shannon Harris rave about this a couple years back and I recently tried out my moms and I'm pretty impressed.

Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask, again another product that I see everyone rave about, but difficult to get your hands on.

Boscia Balancing Facial Toner, lately I've been really into trying to go the more natural/preservative free route with my skincare and I've heard nothing but good things about it and this brand.

What products do you have on your wish lists? I love recommendations.

xoxo Franchesca

The Bloggers Made Me Do It Post

From watching and reading blogs and vlogs you're influenced by all theses products they throw at you. That is definitely the case for me. For instance if Shannon from Shaaanxo recommends something I'm probably going to pick that up same with Anna from VDM. I'm a sucker for a good product and want to try them all, naturally. So today I've gathered some of the product influenced from blogger/vloggers from makeup to books.

Maybelline Color Tattoos: The most talked about cream shadows from the drugstore and for good reason. They were completely revolutionary for the drugstore when they first came out. I do like them, but their formula can be rather inconsistent. I have three shades and all three apply differently.

Revlon Lip Butters: I think just about everyone talked about these, but I only picked up one shade in Crème Brule. I think these are great for everyday wear, the shade variety is amazing.

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer: I saw this being used in just about every tutorial a couple years back, so naturally I had to get it, and you know what I probably could've lived without it. Its not my least favorite drugstore concealer but its not my favorite either. Its a bit to dry for my under eyes.

Rimmel Stay Matte: This is the go to mattifying drugstore powder, and for good reason. It's cheap and it's effective. Does exactly what it says.

NYX Butter Glosses: These are like the go to drugstore glosses, they have the feel of a high-end gloss with a drugstore price tag so its a win win.

CoverGirl 3 in 1 Foundation:  This was heavily influenced by Casey Holmes(itsbl0ndie), she raved about this foundation and all though I have dry skin I really enjoy this base. I think to get the best application a sponge is going to be your best bet.

NARS Tinted Moisturizer & Radiant Creamy Concealer: Just about every blogger has had these in their favorites at one point. I kept hearing about it so much I just had to give it a go. Best decision ever. These two are my everyday base, I would repurchase these in a heart beat.

MAC ProLong Wear Concealer: Another concealer every vlogger raved about, so I just had to try it out my self. It's seriously worth all the hype, it last all day, has amazing coverage and its not cakey. I don't use it everyday, but if I'm going to an event, this is my go to.

LORAC Pro Palette: I love this palette to pieces! I think it is absolutely worth all the hype. The formulation of these shadows is amazing. Check out swatches here.

MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural: I've heard enough about this to spark my interest, and when I found my self at MAC counter, the girl sold me.

Benefit's Hoola Bronzer: I feel like this may be the most hyped product on my list. However, for a reason it's amazing at what it does. It creates shadow and warmth, what more could you want from a bronzer.

Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade: This time last year, just about everyone was talking about this product. The hype has subsided, but the hype was well deserved. I think this product is amazing, I love using it when I'm trying to get a bolder brow. This is definitely not meant for the natural girl, I think that needs be kept in mind. I still use my dip brow, but it's mostly used on night outs.

Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray: When this first launched it seemed like everyone and their nana was using this stuff. I recently picked mine up this past summer (ok maybe not recently) and I have to say this was a life saver! NYC subways are notoriously hot, their is no way my face would have survived the summers without this.

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil: Heavily influenced by Amelia Liana. This stuff has changed the makeup removing routine for me.

Real Technique Brushes: Really not much to say, but they're amazing and just about everyone uses them. After seeing them used in every tutorial or talked about in every other post I just had to try them myself.

Now there are two books that were heavily influenced from bloggers/vlogger the first being #GirlBoss saw this everywhere and read so many raved review I just had to pick it up. I read this book in two day which is astonishing me. It was a helpful book and it really make me look at things in the work field a bit different. The second book was How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are, I first saw this book at Barnes&Nobles, I skimmed it and put it back down, it didn't look like a book for me. I read some reviews and went back the following week and picked it up. It was a fun read, I found myself giggling by the time I finished it.

This list could keep going, but this post will go on for days.

What were some of your most influenced products?

xoxo Franchesca

Links I Love

1. 7 Ways to Use Pineapple: From scrubs to cleansers amazing tips!

2. DIY Lace Bralette: I love the look of a bralette, I think they make a causal outfit look effortlessly chic.

3. The Love Potion Cocktail: This looks like an amazing drink, and I will definitely be whipping this up for my Valentine.

4. Things That Make People Follow You and Your Blog: Some tips from successful blogger.

5. Kristina’s Carnevale Treats: I remember celebrating Carnevale when I would visit family over seas, my favorite part as with I think most people was the food. This recipe takes me back to the days. So amazing!

6. Blogilates: A work out channel that makes it super easy to workout from home.

The Workout From Home

Working out for me always felt like a chore, something I felt I had to do, not wanted. But lately I'm all about it. My workouts consist of two routines, running and Pilates. I try to keep my workouts under a half hour as I have noticed my attention span for working out just starts to dwindle after thirty minutes.

Running is something I have a love hate relationship with. I do find that running is therapeutic for myself, but finding time to run is just difficult because I hate running indoors. However, I live right near a running trail, that makes going for runs a lot easier. My tip for running is try to keep a consisting jog for fifteen minutes and slowly work your way up. I like to look at time not distance, but there are some who do the opposite and look at distance not time.

I've recently gotten into Pilates, I like it because it has a higher tempo than yoga. I watch videos on YouTube and follow along one of my favorite channels to follow along with is Blogilates. I really like Cassey's energy, she's great. If you guys are looking to get into Pilates I totally recommend checking out her channel.

What's your workout routine, look like?

xoxo Franchesca

My Favorite Affordable Brushes

For years my fingers and the little applicators that come with makeup were my only means for applying it. I noticed a huge difference in my makeup application once I started using brushes. They have become such a vital part of my routine, that I want quality brushes. However, those can be expensive. Recently the number of affordable, quality brushes has risen.

The first brand I tried was Eco Tools, they have a variety of brushes at a great price. I have their Essential Eye Set, that I use almost every time I do my eye makeup up. I especially love the highlighter brush in that set. They say its for highlighter, but I love it for blending. I also really love their Custom Coverage Buffing brush. I saw Lauren Curtis use it a bunch in her videos. It applies liquid foundation beautifully I love using it with the L'Oreal True Match foundation.

The next brand of affordable brushes I tried were the loved Real Technique brushes. Just about everyone loves these brushes. I picked up both the Core Collection and the Starter Kit both sets I've used ever brush in them and love them all. I seriously don't know what I would do if I didn't have my RT buffing brush.

Lastly comes ELF, the super affordable brand that we have heard tons about. It was till last Spring that I tried my first elf product and that was the Small Stipple Brush. This is great for blending out concealer, I wouldn't use it to blend out cream blush as its too small and dense. But concealer that's its calling.

And as an honorable mention goes to the no name brushes. You know those brushes you had for years and just can't remember where they came from. Well, I have some of those still lurking around, but one I will cherish forever is this angle brush. I use it for my brows and no other brush works quite the same.

What are some of your favorite affordable brush brands?


xoxo Franchesca

The Dry Skin Girls Skincare Wishlist

As winter comes full swing, so does the dry skin. Lately I have been experiencing lots of dry, irritated spots around my face and especially my eyes. As you can imagine dry, flaky skin is not cute, especially under makeup. I have not been wearing much makeup if any at all because of this. This is why I haven't posted any makeup related post up.

Typically when this occurs I reach for my handy dandy NARS masque and all though this has helped hydrate temporarily, it has not been a long term problem solver. So I'm defiantly in the market for some new skincare and I thought I'd share what I've had my eyes on.

REN Ever Calm Global Protection Day Cream: This is said to be for sensitive skin, which I defiantly have at the moment.
Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream Intense Hydration: I have always heard how great Kiehl's products are for hydrating and this just sound like it would really hydrate without being overly oily.
First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Eye Cream: I need something hydrating that will also help fight the wrinkles I have been working into my eyes from rubbing them (I know it's terrible but I can't help it)
Caudalie Gentle Buffing Cream: This sounds amazing for dry, flaky skin. It will get the dead skin off without being too hard.
Caudalie Beauty Elixir: I've heard only put great things about this. Its apparently soothing and hydrating, win win.
REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial: This is absolutely intriguing to me, but I'm still on the fence about. Have you all tried this?

I have a history of eczema and I'm starting to think its back, but can you really have eczema on your face? If you happen to know, please let me know in the comments below, I can only Google so much before I become the next bubble girl.

xoxo Franchesca

Links I Love: Blogging Tips

At the end of 2014 I took a blogging hiatus to get my blog to where I want it to be, I'm still not there but I have slowly made the changes to help me get there. This year I really want to kick my blogging into high gear, I love the ability to be creative with it my only issue with this is really time management, which I'm  still working on but I'm sure I'll manage to make it work. One of the ways I started to get motivated to blog again was through reading helpful tips from other bloggers. Tips from design to time management to even what other bloggers have learned through their blogging journey. So today I wanted to share some of the  articles I've found super helpful, and hopefully you find them helpful as well.

1. 5 Tips to Improve Your Blog in 2015 (Marmalade)
2. 12 Lessons I Learned From My First Year of Business (Elle & Co.) 
3. What 3 Years of Blogging Has Taught Me (From Roses)
4. 6 Ways To Grow Your Blog Community And Readership (Alemint)
5. Starting a New Blog in 2015 (Katelyn Brooke)
6. 7 Books To Help You Start Your Business Or Blog (The Alisha Nicole)

What tips do you all have for blogging?

xoxo Franchesca

Things I've Learned Since I Started Blogging

When you start something new, you will always learn something. That has definitely been the case for me with blogging. I have learned things that I never thought I would ever learn how to do or what they even where, some of these things I have even been able to use in my professional field and that has been a great advantage. Here they are...

1. Free Radical: Through blogging about skin care and makeup that claim to help fight free radicals, I had to do my research to find out what it actually is and in layman terms a free radical is an odd numbered molecule. 
2. HTML: Something I never thought I would understand. When I first started blogging is seemed like witchcraft. But after my fair bit of google searches I can maneuver my way through a code. 
3. iMovie: When I first got my MacBook some five years ago I tried to use iMovie, but I couldn't understand it, but today I feel pretty confident with it. I am by no means a pro, but I think I do pretty well for someone without proper training. 
4. Photography: I am by no means a photographer, but I have learned that a few bits about lighting and aperture. I recently got a DSLR and its an absolute beaut and I'm still working with all the features, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it.  
5. Writing & Grammar: Obviously I learned this in school. However, writing everyday you are only going to improve. When I started blogging, I was still in Uni and I noticed a difference in my writing after just a few weeks. As they say practice makes perfect.

xoxo Franchesca 

Why Do You Blog?

Why do you blog? I saw this over on Bonjour Luce  and really enjoyed reading it. Now to answer the question, why do I blog? It started out of sheer boredom to be quite frank. I first started blogging through tumblr where I really enjoyed making my page unique to me. I did the tumblr thing for about 2 years and every now and then I check back in. I then got really into watching YouTube videos back in 2012, so much so that I even made a video that summer. I quickly took that down. By Fall of 2012 I had started my blog, same name just no direction. I think I had maybe five post before I quit. I then got back into blogging when I had to take a course in uni that had me keep a blog as part of the course. That's when I think I started reading more blogs and really got into writing myself. Towards the end of my uni days I found myself with quite a bit of extra time on my hands, a girl could only watch so much Netflix before you go completely mental. So I realized I needed a hobby that didn't involve me waiting for night fall. So I decided I wanted to start my blog up again, but this time I wanted to start fresh. So I deleted my old post, completely re-vamped my layout and started tapping away at my keyboard... and here we are a year and some months later.

I get a few questions and comments about my blog name every now and then, I'm glad you guys like it! It was my twitter handle from high school I believe, well at least from the start of my uni days for sure. I think it describes me to a tee. I'm a Jersey girl from right outside NYC so I kinda feel like I can claim myself as a city girl (hence City). Now the mermaid part is from my obsession. I love mermaids (obviously) but there's a reason and NO its not because of Ariel but because if mermaid were real they would be completely bad ass. You're half human, half fish which means you could basically swim to whatever destination you'd like. So the travel bug in me is the foundation for my obsession with mermaids. So City Mermaid is essentially a girls love for NYC with a serious case of the travel bug.

Do you blog? Do you read blogs? If so why? I'd love to know.

xoxo Franchesca

Heres to a Year of City Mermaid!

Today marks a year from the night I decided to start my blog. Well I should say commit to blogging. In my year of blogging I have learned so much, things I NEVER thought I would know such as html, how to use imovie and some other blogging little tips. I have also meet some really great people that I'm happy to say are now friends!

But today I wanted to thank everyone single one of my readers. I honestly never thought I would have more than myself and my family members read my blog. So to know that you guys actually read my little space here on the inter-webs and interact with me, warms my heart. So from the bottom of my heart thank you!

I honor of City Mermaid being a year old I have put on my big girl blogging pants and got my own domain. You can now find City Mermaid on www.cityymermaid.com. If you follow me on social media you would heard this news before.  Don't worry if you go through my blogspot domain you will be redirected. So you will still be able to get your dose of City Mermaid. There will also be some other changes going on here. Hope you guys enjoy and hope you continue to enjoy my little space!

xoxo Franchesca

Reasons to love the Fall

1. Pumpkin everything. Pumpkin pie, spice lattes, pumpkin patches and carving. You name it you can probably be done with a little pumpkin. 

2. Leaves changing colors. You can definitely take a minute and grasp the beauty of nature. 

3. Fall fashion. Yeah summer and spring are nice, but fall colors and layering just can't be beat. 

4. Not only is fall pumpkin season, but apple season. Apple pie, apple cider, caramel apples and apple piking. 

5. Hayrides 

6. Halloween! My favorite holiday as a kid and as an adult. The costumes the candy  the events leading up to Halloween. Witches and warlocks, vampire and werewolves. I Love it all! 

7. Thanksgiving! 

And I'll leave it on lucky number 7! 

What's your favorite thing about fall? 

xoxo Franchesca 

Links I Love

1. Classy Girls Wear Pearls: a blog thats new to me and I can't stop reading.

2. DIY Hand Painted Mug: I'm a closet mug collector, in the past month I've gotten at least one a week. One person does not need that many! However, I've been dying to try my own design on a mug and this link has defentifely increased that desire.

3. Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Frosting Recipe: autum has just about landed here in the states and that means anything pumpkin is a-okay. I have a couple events in the fall, I'll have to try this out.

4. How to Take Care of Your Boots: I may be a mug collector, but I am a boot hoarder! Some people collect handbags, all shoe types. Nope not me I prefer a good pair of boots any day and because I love them so much I want to take care of them. So when I came across this link it was like the gates to heaven opened!

5. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette: I'm just really excited for this pallete!

6. Te Cuento Mis Trucos: another blog that is new to me and I'm just head over heels with! Its written in spanish, since I know the language its fine for me. However, you can always traslate the page!

xoxo Franchesca

Scheduled Programming

So you may have noticed I have taken quite a hiatus from blogging, and though I can bore you with my excuses of how life has gotten crazy... I'll spare you and just tell you I haven't had the time. However, after a much needed hiatus, I have found a way to juggle my life along with my hobby [blogging].

I had previously attempted to post every day, but in all honesty, I do not have time for that. So I moved my posts to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 10 AM EST. Now my post will be just like before, but this time around I'm thinking of incorporating more fashion and lifestyle post as I enjoy reading them so I figured I might enjoy writing them.

This is essentially like the renaissance of City Mermaid. So with this revival I wanted to dip my toes into the world of video making. I have attempted it a couple of times now and I really enjoy the whole editing process [who knew?]. So I want to designate every other Sunday a month for a video.

Hope you all enjoy these new changes! If you would like to keep up with everything here on City Mermaid make sure to follow along with Bloglovin [here]. If you fancy seeing me on video subscribe to my Channel [here], and I always tweet along the way [here].

xoxo Franchesca

Things I've Been Admiring!

Today I thought I'd share some of the products on my wish list, more heavily based on skincare than usual.

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, a blue based red and I recently picked up a nude shade and now I'm obsessed.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette, I've wanted to try the powders for a while now but this is such a great deal for three of the powders...when you think how much each powder is individually.

GlamGlow ThirstyMud mask, I'm all for something that is intended to hydrate my skin. I also gave this a whiff and it smells devine! I was sold at first scent, now to get my self past the price.

Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation. I haven't seen many reviews on this, but something about this product is really intreaging to me.

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, my eye area has been getting extremely sensitive and dry and I've heard just great things about this.

Kiehl's Recovery Concentrate, a recommendation from Amelia Liana and I pretty much try just about everything she recommends so far she has been on point.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture. I tested out the other day in sephora and omg this felt like water and when I wiped it off it had left a stain. Needless to say I was impressed and now I want it!

The POREfessional Primer, I have in the market for a pore filler and I haven't wanted to buy into the hype, but I think this I'm going to give this a go soon.

Have you tried any of the products on my wishlist? Whats your thoughts?
Whats on your wishlist?

Have a lovely day!
xoxo Franchesca

The Makeup Time Tester Tag

Links I Love

1. The Golden Diamonds, a recently found fashion and lifestyle blog with A-MAZ-ING photos.
2. Gina's Skinny Recipes' Baked Tostones. This is a staple food in my household and I'm loving the healthier alternative
3. The Ballerina Project. Stunning Stunning and just Stunning photos!
4. Mari's Cakes Young Coconut Desert. As a child when I would visit Dominican Republic everyone would have this dessert in their kitchen. I recently started craving it again and well this is just to die for!
5. A Pair & A Spare DIY Lace Pencil Skirt. If its lace it has my name all over it!
6. Mint Sparkles DIY Hair Mask. Perfect for keeping hair hydrated throughout the summer.