With summer around the corner I find myself realizing more and more: I'm not sexy, I'm cute. And that's not a negative! For years I've seen girls my age and younger who seem to be more mature than me, they seem sexier, they seem sultrier while I've always felt like an eternal child with my short stature and neotenous face. But I was still missing this wide eyed innocence associated with styles like Key West Kitten (a name I loathe due to its origin but that's neither here nor there). I've always felt I existed in the middle, not completely womanly and sultry, but not quite juvenile and nostalgic either.
So if you aren't a Key West Kitten but you aren't a Summer Siren either what are you to do?
Well you might just be a Goldfish Princess.
Straddling the line between the two aforementioned looks, you're both bubbly and flirtatious. You won't be partying on someone's yacht or building sandcastles, but you always find your way in someones beach cabana sipping a fruity drink and laughing at a wild story. There's something bright and effervescent about you, like a cold can of orange pop on a hot summer day: sticky sweet and refreshing.
The basic color palette is simple. Pinks, pinky-oranges, lilac and vibrant shades of orange. And you don't want anything flat, oh no it's all about shimmers and iridescence and of course sequins. You want to emulate fish scales, but you don't want to rely on the traditional summer beachy color of blue. Instead you want to shine. And when it comes to patterns keep them big, too many small patterns can come across as too cutesy, and none at all can sometimes be too serious.
Mesh, crochet, organza are the fabrics to go with, anything that leaves a whisper of sensuality like if you ran into the water you'll come out with your clothes clinging to you like a second skin. It's not overtly sexy, but it's flirtatious. That's the key to the whole look: flirty. A sweet smile and a double entendre but you'd still rather hang out with your friends even if you have several numbers in your pocket.
For shoes think platforms, platforms and more platforms! Whether they be cork wedges or sandals, you want something with height but also stability. You're running around in them during the day and dancing in them at night!
Now that you got the basic look down, you may be wondering about accessories and for those I saw keep it simple in design but not necessarily in amount. Stack your bracelets! Wear beaded and gold anklets and get that extra piercing you've been thinking about.
The most fun part just may be the makeup. Sticking to its vintage inspiration (Cleo the Goldfish from Pinocchio), you want that well--golden orange glow. For that you need a good base which is tanned skin. Go with the self tanner or the tanning oil (with caution) for that natural bronze to the skin! A good shimmer body oil is also perfect for this look. Again you want to glimmer in the sun the way fish scales do, and NUXE has beautiful oils in a pinky gold shimmer as well as a classic gold. The plus to this oil is it can be used on your hair, face and body and you truly want to shine all over for this. It's really important to look for things that are pink-orange if you can and not rose gold, which is a completely different kind of finish.
Since orange is the name of the game here, orange blush is a must and thankfully more brands have a true vibrant orange than they used to. Coral is fine too, but orange truly lights deeper skin tones from within. Fenty, Makeup by Mario, About Face and more have many true oranges to look for. Combine this with a bronzer of your choice for a truly sunkissed glow.
What may be the scariest part of this look is an orange lip. People may be afraid to look clownish and I understand! But it's all about picking the right one. You can go for a coral-pink like the Fenty Glow Bomb in C U In Maui & the Maybelline Teddy Tint in Baby Tee. Or if you're brave enough you can shoot for Mac 'Flamingo' and Fashion Fair 'Olè Orange'. Either way, they can both be tampered and tamed by a simple brown liner or a plum (pink if you're fairer) lip liner like Buxom's Power Line Plumping Liner in Powerful Plum or the Colourpop Lippie Pencil in Shot Clock.
And the most important lip product for this look in my opinion is Mac's Lipglass in Nymphette. It's a beautiful orangey-pink with an orange iridescent shimmer and can truly be worn by anyone. Where alone, as a topper or in a lip combo, it's a truly stunning shade that pulls more pink on some and more gold on others.
To balance out the look with some more pink, I recommend the INLP Nail Polish in Yes Please for it's pink holographic shimmer on the hands and toes. No white toes around here!
Alright, the sun's gone down and you've been invited to a beach party. You want your nighttime look to pop. What do you wear? Well Kiko and Half Magic have you covered with their gorgeous shimmer eyeshadows. Kiko's Water Eyeshadows give more of a wet effect, while the Half Magic Eyeshadow Singles emphasize the glitter. Whether its gold, orange, purple or blue, these shimmers will dazzle without a doubt. Just top it with a waterproof mascara for longevity.
When it comes to hair, I imagine the Goldfish Princess to be eternally windswept. The curls are never 100% defined, there's always a little fuzz to them. But I also imagine the hair to be short whether it's a TWA or a pixie. There's something carefree about shorter hair. As for the color, coppers and honey blondes and reddish golds. Like the sun's been caressing your head all your life.
Now we've gone over what the Goldfish Princess looks like, but what does she smell like? Salty, briny aquatics? Juicy tropical fruits? Well. Sorta kinda both! Poesie Perfumes has a perfume of the same name, which a lovely twitter mutual (persephone_girl) reminded me of and I'm 100% sure that's where the name came to me from, just sitting in the back of my subconscious for years until I was directed towards where I got it from. It's a playful scent described as 'sea salt caramel, shimmering golden amber, ocean waves whipped by a cool wind, magic potions'.Unfortunately the scent is seasonal and is currently unavailable for purchase (keep an eye out).
So I scoured for something to supplement it, and I knew realistically, this was a scent profile that could only be conjured by an indie perfume brand. Instead, I figured I make it a combo with two scents that individually fulfilled my two requirements: gourmand and aquatic. And if you know me, you know I view perfume layering as an art It's glamour magic, it's crafting a story and a new persona using the luscious sense of smell.
What I found was something better than I could have dreamed of.
Starting off we have Suspended Water Lily by Syd Botanica
To preface and for full transparency, this is not a scent I've experienced myself, so I am going based on various consumer reviews.
Many describe Suspended Water Lily as a 'mermaid' or 'water nymph' scent. Some get a more freshwater feeling to it, likely due to the algae, but it's still a bright and refreshing aquatic scent with a light ginger note that makes it fizzy and effervescent. It opens with a white floral blast before giving way to the ocean beneath, and some remark that the seashells have an almost briny sea creature smell. But a sweet one.
This to me sounded perfect. It has the exact aquatic qualities I wanted for the Goldfish Princess.
But where would I get the gourmand not? Well, apparently on my beauty shelf!
If you're in the know then you know PrtygrlBeauty. An independent business beloved by all the girls who love to smell good (and apparently Monaleo as well). Her range of body care is no joke, and smells absolutely amazing while lasting forever and actually keeping the skin soft.
Her body nectar 'Brown Sugar Babe' is amazing, smelling sweet and caramelly all day. I truly recommend mixing it with an unscented lotion for this, it's that strong. But it's a testament to it's quality.
Now that you're the shimmering Goldfish Princess from head to toe, I think you're ready to conquer the beach. You don't need to be an ultra sexed up girl or the dolly little beach bunny if it doesn't speak to your heart. Instead you can be something in between, dazzling the beach and after it's all over? The sushi restaurant.
Hey it's not cannibalism! It's the circle of life!
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