Mermaid Parties Review (pic heavy)

[Mermaasai]

I finally received my Mermaid Parties tail today!
Here is my review, it is picture heavy.

This is the box it arrived in, it was built by her to accommodate the tail. It was wrapped in wax paper, presumably to prevent sticking.
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It came with a set of instructions for care, an invitation to enter a contest for a mermaid parties calender spot, and a waver for the picture entered.
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The tail looked lovely upon removing it from the packaging and laying it out on my floor for closer inspection.
The latex was soft and supple and there were no major sticking spots.
The Spines were pressed down against the tail to allow flat shipping but when I pulled them up i didnt have any sticking problems.
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The ends of the fluke were a little wobbly from being squished in the box a bit but this didnt bother me at all.
I did note however that the ends of the fluke were not painted as the rest of the tail. In all honesty this didn't bother me, I was planning on having to do a little customization to the tail no matter what state I received it in. I'm just that kind of person.. I customize everything.
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Naturally I HAD to try it on immediately.
Everything fit very well and snug. The only discomfort I found was that the inner edge of the material that was encasing my feet for the monofin (around the ankles) was a smidge too tight. I took some scissors to it and snipped a small line in it to allow a little give at the ankle.
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Here is the back of the tail. I managed to pull the spines a little more straight than they were but this is where I ran into some trouble.
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The cloth that was making the webbing for the spines was pulling too taught. Me and my big butt ;)
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This is the foot spine, at kept pulling itself over because the material wasnt quite stretchy enough for that kind of placement.
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Which turned into another problem. I dont think the spines were cured quite enough so they had stuck to the edge of themselves on the tail and when my butt and foot went in and stretched the material out, it pulled away from the tail.
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Here is the fluke with my feet inside :)
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So everything said and done, it was a wonderful tail with a few small problems.
I wrote Stephanie, of Mermaid Parties, and she responded almost immediately.
I had written her to thank her for her work, let her know that it had arrived, and point out the few problems and suggest some alternatives for the next time she tried larger spines.
She apologized for the problems and explained that there were indeed some issues with the previous spines she had tried but by the time she found out about the problems AND had resolved them, my tail was already on its way to me.
Also, she immediately offered to replace my tail, at no cost to me, if I deemed it unusable.

I appreciated her offer but of course, I am a crafty gal, and since I had planned on making some personal tweaks and touches after it arrived, I declined ^.^
Ahhhhh the scent of a challenge on the wind.

Besides, with such a solid base, and just a few things that needed love, I knew I could handle it.

So I got to work.
I got some Alex Plus, some E6000, gathered by lumeire and acrylic paints, needle, thread, and a few other bits and bobs, and went to it.

First, I pulled off any of the already peeling Alex from the spines, and actually snipped the first spine away from the other spines so that it would be able to pull away with movement.
THEN I sewed the foot spines into the neoprene to better secure it (the butt spines were already sewn).

After securing the spines, I made the decision to actually repaint the whole thing.
While it was lovely the way it came, I decided that I wanted something darker and more vibrant in the gold area.
SO I mixed the alex with the paint and proceeded to paint the tail, being sure to coat the spines as well, bending the tail were it would bend if it was on me to ensure its ability to move with out pulling the alex apart.
I also used E6000 to fix the spines to the tail and blend the edges before I painted it.
I snipped the cloth webbing between the spines to allow for maximum stretch but I didnt cut it off, I just painted it with the tail and the effect was a ragged webbing look that I rather like.

I heat set the whole thing once I was done and it is now hanging in my room... Pics below :D

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So, All in all I was very pleased with the overall product and as soon as it is dry and cured and swimmable, I will take it to the pool and swim in it with pics and a follow up review :D


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[MermaidParties]

The changes you made look amazing!!! It's absolutely gorgeous now! :D Thank you for this informative and honest review. I'm so glad you were willing to be one of the first to buy tail from me. I cant wait to see it in the water!! :) Thank you again!

[Toxotes]

The final result is awesome.

[Prince Calypso]

you know each time i read your post i find myself smiling you are such a funny and creatively out going person.
the tail looked beautiful and dark when you got it
but after those few little changes it was Stunning.
i honestly can't wait to get my tail and give an epic review for MermaidParties
although i am slightly rethinking my color choices lol
but i'm sure it will be epically beautiful on me regardless.

[Merman_Ryan]

Well at least the dorsal fin was the only flaw, I'm sure improvements will be made when I order mine. :)

[Raivynn]

This was amazing. :) I love, love, love, love it.

[malinghi]

We're trying to encourage people to post reviews in the official review system. I just added an entry for Mermaid Parties. Could you post a review there?

Review section for Mermaid Parties
http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1773-Mermaid-Parties

[Kanti]

That looks awesooommme
I love the redone paint job too it's SWEEEEEET
NOW SWIM IN IT!!

[Mermaasai]

We're trying to encourage people to post reviews in the official review system. I just added an entry for Mermaid Parties. Could you post a review there?

Review section for Mermaid Parties
http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1773-Mermaid-Parties

Yes of course! As soon as I get home I shall :) and thank you every one! Especially mermaid parties!

[Mermaasai]

That looks awesooommme
I love the redone paint job too it's SWEEEEEET
NOW SWIM IN IT!!


I am working on it woman! Lol!
My public pool is open tues- sat so as soon as I know the tail is cured and everything fits well, I will dive on in :D I'm so excited.


Well at least the dorsal fin was the only flaw, I'm sure improvements will be made when I order mine. :)

Yes, She has already made steps to correct the problem in future tails from what I understand. ^.^ I'm sure your tail will be awesome!


you know each time i read your post i find myself smiling you are such a funny and creatively out going person.
the tail looked beautiful and dark when you got it
but after those few little changes it was Stunning.
i honestly can't wait to get my tail and give an epic review for MermaidParties
although i am slightly rethinking my color choices lol
but i'm sure it will be epically beautiful on me regardless.

Omigosh Calypso, thank you ^.^
I can't wait to see your tail, it will be absolutely lush I'm sure!

[MermaidParties]

You guys are great, thank you!!! Me and Mermaid Bellatrix and Mermaid Undine went and did a little mermaiding today in Rainbow Falls again. Pictures up soon. It was still too shallow to swim in and definitely still to cold to venture back in the pool under the waterfall. But eventually we will!! Mermaid Undine made it in there for a second before she got too cold. lol gotta love snow run off water here in Colorado. Burrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! haha Oh, and Mermaid Undine was wearing a fabric tail today, so there will be pictures of a fabric tail up soon :D
And Prince Calypso, if you are thinking about changing the colors on your tail you totally can. You still have time. Just let me know :D

[MermaidParties]

Oh yeah, the new Lexan Polycarbonate Monofins work GREAT! They can support a wet fluke in and out of water beautifully :D Thanks everyone for the suggestion!

[Mermaasai]

oh NICE!
I may have to replace the old material for that. It did bend along the left side of the fluke so idk how it will hold up with water force.
I'll shoot you an email for sure.

[Blondie]

Ahhh amazing :) Loved this review! Filled my need to see pictures <3

[MermaidRaegan]

You're tail is GORGEOUS. I love it, especially with the new paint job, and I can't wait to see how it swims!

[Mermaid Marla]

Wonderful review! These tails really seem nice! I especially like how she does the fluke! Great improvements also! Can't wait for underwater pics!

[Mermaid Dottie]

Awesome! I'm glad you were to make the changes you needed fairly easily. Please please PLEASE get us some water photos soon! SO excited for you!

[Mermaasai]

I made a video of the tail, just an upclose look at the details etc.. Swimming this coming weekend so expect another vid just for that! (no underwater cam yet though. sooooooon) And I kept saying E600 but I meant E6000 >.-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA0RrpJCI4s

[MermaidParties]

Love the video! I ordered some Lexan in bulk because it gave me a really good discount, it should be here tomorrow, I'll get it made and sent out to you :D I think you'll love it. I did when I tested it out this weekend. Unfortunately no swimming, but it handles the weight of the fluke dry and wet beautifully. I'm excited :D

[Mermaasai]

I went swimming today!!!

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The only issue I had was with the monofin. it was the old material so it folded along the lines it was bent at and wasn't usable as a monofin at all.
BUT as I have said, she is sending me a new monofin so once that is installed I should be able to swim with out issues (I just got impatient lol)

The paint did flake where I was kneeled down the pavement to get into the water and along front where I touched pavement while hoisting myself from the water, but all in all not too much paint loss.
It should be noted though that the actual ALEX layer didnt peel, just the paint.. so I think if the original ALEX layer is tinted to the base color, this wouldnt be a problem especially if you are just painting on the accent colors sparsely afterwards.

I'm thinking of making a tail with my finis monofin.. in the style of the fabric tail I already own.. I really need to wait until AFTER my wedding though...

It was awesome swimming in my tail though! I am going to install a belt at the top, sew it into the neoprene on the inside and have it be a clip/adjustable belt so it can be nice and tight and not allow the neoprene to gape open with the water rushing past.
Once that is established I also think that I might not glue the next monofin in.. I might put it into the tail and then sew the ends with a netted material so the water can travel through with out a problem. that way it wont bubble or bloat with trapped water when I lift it from the pool/ocean and also wont allow the monofin to slip out either.

All in all it was a wonderful experience and I had a LOT of fun ^.^

[michellerobison]

So cool,I love the fins sticking up. I'm waiting on a customer jewellery order to come through,so I can get one ordered. Gotta get some time to come up with a design too!

[Mermaid Star]

Your tail looks so epic! I love it! Great job to you and Mermaidparties for the awesome collaboration! I looks wonderful!

[Kanti]

Omggg it looks amazing! xD
I loooove the underwater photos! I especially love the scales and the fins.
Urrggg it's all super awesome!

[MermaidRaegan]

So pretty! I'm glad to hear there weren't many problems with it: I was sceptical when I heard the tails were being made with Alex, but now I may have to consider MP since their tails are so pretty and so cheap! I also can't wait to see how it looks with the new monofin!

And just fyi, I completely support the idea of a realistic tail in the style of your fabric one. The design is so unique and gorgeous, I'd love to see it done in latex/silicone.

[MermaidParties]

Hi Mermaasai! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the pictures of you swimming! It looks fantastic! Would you mind if I posted some on the facebook? Or would you tag some? If you haven't already. I noticed today you posted on the "timeline" but I'm having the hardest time figuring out the stupid timeline thing on fb. I hate it, and I never wanted to switch to it, it did it on it's own :( Oh, and I had a question, did you happen to spray the tail with Silicone Spray after you repainted it? I was just wondering cuz you said your paint chipped a little. If you didn't, you can get it at Lowes for like $3 and it will protect the paint and add a little extra waterproofing. You're super smart and crafty so I'm sure you've already done this, I just wanted to check :) Love how it looks on you! I'm so glad you bought a tail from me :D THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LindseyLu]

Your tail looks sooooo amazing! Totally blown away right now! :) You gave a great review too, thanks for sharing so much good info! Totally going to look in to buying a tail from MP!!!! :)

[Mermaasai]

^.^ Hi Steph!
Yah I did spray it with heavy duty silicone before swimming, I think they only reason it flaked was because it came in contact with rough cement. I'll post up a few pics here shortly, I hung it up with a fan beneath it all day yesterday and now that its completely dry I can work on the little fixes.

I was pondering what I could use as a full tail coating... like a sealant that will keep a barrier between the painted alex and the elements.
Something a little more heavy duty than silicone..
I thought I could coat the whole tail in one solid coat of something.. like more clear, unpainted alex or some kind of spray sealant but I'm still hunting for something that will work.
Of course, the idea is that once its coated you cant change the details any more, so it would have to be a fully finished paint job etc.
If I work something out I will post up about it.

I'm going to email you a few of the pics right now for your FB page. I can't figure out how to tag you in my albums since MP isnt a people its a page.

And to every one who has posted up:
Thank you!!! I'm so glad my review was informative for you :)
I really enjoy mermaiding and all its aspects.
Any time that I can contribute anything I will, I believe in sharing knowledge.
I'm so anal retentive about details and little things like that, that I HAVE to do things myself, either to learn the hard way, or to get it right.
I see Mermaid Parties as a wonderful supplier.
You can love her product as is, arrived in box, and swim to your hearts content, OR if you are like me, edit the CARP out of it to make it all your own.
She's an up and comer and I'm glad I got the chance to be one of her first tails, it was a very positive experience.

When I get some extra funds I think I'm going to try my hand at making a tail. Though the argument for trying a silicone caulk tail is fairly interesting to me.. Thats a whole other conversation lol.
I think I'm going to try it out with my fabric tail design (thank you Raegan for enforcing the awesomeness of nontraditional merflukes ^.^ )
I'll keep a detailed pic heavy thread for that when it comes about.
I am going to try a few things I've seen tried here on smaller scales. I'm hoping that the combination of everything I've learned here will culminate in some solid experience and know how into making a really sturdy, beautiful tail with some new techniques, as well as shared in depth knowledge on how to accomplish it for yourself.

[Prince Calypso]

ARGHHH!!!! so impatience to see my tail im like chewing on my nails and everything, if i had a real tail i'd be biting my fins out of pure angst!!!!
its gonna be to freaking epic i can't stand it!!!!!

[Mermaasai]

I did some more small edits to the tail, I added an elastic waistband. I just hand sewed it in, and not very well, its just to test it out before I install it hardcore. I did this because I dont like it when the tail flaps open while swimming. I just think it looks meh, and I prefer things to be VERY stream lined. Also I think it will help with keeping the tail a bit more insulated. I like to be warm. Its pretty tight, and sliding it over my fat @$$ is fun, but once on, it is really stuck to my skin, so I dont think I'll have problems with flappage.

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Interior

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Exterior. You can't really tell there are threads sewn through the tail. (small, half inch length interior)

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I took the old monofin out, it was a !()$#(& to get out of the tail, the glue that was used to secure the neoprene was INTENSE. So I ended up having to use a razorblade. I nicked a few spots but its ok, adds to the character IMO.
My new Monofin will be here later today and I'll do a temp install with netting sewn in to the fluke and see how it holds up at the pool. If its good- I'll proceed with netting and make it permanent (probably with glue)

The netting will hopefully allow water to move completely through the tail instead of ballooning in the water and when I pull the fluke from the water, with out letting the monofin be visible or moving much at all. But we shall see.. I may add a little black frill (just the smallest amount) to the end of the tail to further hide the netting.

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[Mermaid Lorelei]

It looks so fish like without the monofin in. XD

[MermaidRaegan]

Can't wait to see what you do with it!

[Mermaasai]

Quick little vid of the updated monofin, its BALLING


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiiQk5f6HkI&amp;feature=youtu.be

I'm soooo happy with it. It really holds up to a lot more and I think swimming in it is going to be a breeze.
I have some kind of stomach flu, I've been nauseous for almost a week and so half way through resewing the monofin into the tail I had to stop.
But I'll finish tomorrow morning and take it to the pool.

And can anybody tell me WHY I sound like a 13 year old girl?!?!?!??!
I'm 27 for petes sake!!! What the merf!

[Ilonka]

Such a cool tail! Looks wicked! I love the spiky fins and the colors, cant wait to see a video of you in action~

[MermaidParties]

I'm so glad you love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot wait to see it in the water again!! and hear how it works for you :D Thanks for such a thorough review, I so appreciate it!!!

[AniaR]

this is really awesome, really glad to see all of this. I'll be ordering from them in a few months to purchase a tail for my youngest sister. She just turned 15 and will be graduating junior high and headed off into high school. I'm going to hire her for some mermaid gigs this summer :) She needs design ideas, so far she just knows she thinks purple will look nice. lol.

Thanks for the very thorough and pic heavy review!

[Mermaasai]

So- I finally went swimming!
I did a brief video review with some video of me swimming in the tail at the end.

Some chipping problems with the paint came up again, but it was expected. Painting latex after it has cured just doesnt seem to do well.
I'm going to remake the tail eventually with the method of mixing the paint into the latex before laying the scales.
The bra I made hasn't had any problems so far, and its not chipping AT ALL, so I'm assuming that by applying the same technique to the tail, it will remedy the problem..

The monofin swam WONDERFULLY. It was perfect propulsion and I seriously GLIDED through the water with almost no effort.
I attribute this to the monofin and the fact that I sewed the elastic band into the top of the tail, keeping it skin tight, and not allowing it to gulp water which would slow me down.

Any way, Here is the vid I explain a lot of it there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?edit=vd&amp;v=VnUcJCoS1hs

[New York Mermaid]

it says the video is private

[MermaidParties]

It said the video was private for me too, and I so wanted to see it haha I'm so glad the new monofin worked well for you :D

[Mermaasai]

FIXED sorry!

[MermaidParties]

It let me watch it :D It looks awesome! I'm so glad it worked well. I have been mixing more Alex with the paint, hopefully it helps :) Thanks so much for your extremely thorough review, I love it! :D You're too awesome, thanks so much!

[New York Mermaid]

Wow that monofin can really move huh. Thats great :)

[MermaidParties]

Random question, who sings the song at the end of your video? Is it the Postal Service or Owl City?

[Mermaasai]

Its owl city "how I became the sea" love the song, love the artist :)

[MermaidParties]

Me too! I was such a huge Postal Service fan I always get the two confused haha thank you :D

[Alveric]

Very nice! But you need some sun screen or shade, you're burning up!

You swim very well in that tail.

[Mermaasai]

Thank you! I am headed back to the pool today, I just cant get enough, its so much fun ^.^

[Mermaid Marissa]

I made a video of the tail, just an upclose look at the details etc.. Swimming this coming weekend so expect another vid just for that! (no underwater cam yet though. sooooooon) And I kept saying E600 but I meant E6000 >.-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA0RrpJCI4s

What did you use on the top again? Sorry my audio is kinda crappy sometimes ;P

[Mermaasai]

The top was a white bathing suit top I had laying around.
I mixed black acrylic paint with ALEX and coated the top. Then lay scales with an aluminum grate I got from publics (used originally for grilling on a charcoal grill).

I heat set the whole thing and waited a few hours, once it was fairly stiff, I mixed ALEX with some gold lumiere paint I had and hand painted the scales. then heat set it again, but not too long so the alex wouldn't bubble.

It cured in about 4 days, and then I coated it with silicone. I lay the alex kind of thick.

Its held up REALLY well since I've started using it.
No peeling, or discoloring while I swim.

[Mermaid Caspiana]

Your tails are awesome! I am all for you making a latex or silicone version of your awesome fabric tail! It was inspired by an eel right? And I love the owl city song!

[Mermaid Caspiana]

What movie is your signiture from?

[Mermaid Oshun]

http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=2548&d=1334922741
are their monofins just sign board (polypropylene twin wall sheets)
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[Blondie]

Their monofins WERE Lexan Polycarbonate (I think) sheets. She no longer makes these though. Now she uses legit finis and other store made monofins.

[ShyMer]

Where did you find that image, pearl? Your link only goes to the image itself.

I'm curious as to who put that stuff in a tail instead of a monofin.

[MerAnthony]

WOW!!! That is really cheesey for somebody to do.

[Mermaid Oshun]

Fish Butts did it. Mermaasai posted that picture herself on page 2 of this thread. She took out the "monofin" they sent and put in a new one they sent her. I don't know if the new one was the same plastic board or not