Guilty

I've been neglecting this blog... and I can't say I will pay full attention to it, because I have been so busy with school. If I get a good amount of time to sit down and right a good post, I will be sure to do that. Thanks :)

Review: L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Compact Makeup

This would be the first foundation I finished on my list. As you will know know if you go back a few posts, I've decided that instead of Project 3 Pan, I am going to finish what I have too much of: foundation and concealer.

This foundation is a cream-to-powder foundation that claims to feel like a liquid, but travel like a compact, with the added bonuses of it being blendable, never cakey, and never oily. Does it stand up to its claims?

To be short, no.

Why is it so craptastic? It sits on top of my skin, it disappears after a couple of hours, no matter how much powder I use, it still feels greasy. I'd almost recommend it for dry skin, but guess what? It's not good on dry skin, either.

I'm also not sure if mine went bad. The only reason I say that is because when I first got it, I loved it. I stopped using it for some reason I can't recall and when I used it again I wasn't impressed. I hadn't used any new foundations since then that I considered to be "revolutionary", so I don't think my taste in foundation changed (if that's even possible).

All in all, I don't recommend this. However, I do like the liquid form of this :)

More Quiz Results

I took the "Chinese Elements" quiz on gURL.com
		I am... Metal The ancient Yin-Yang scholars saw metal types as being very organized, disciplined--and trustworthy. Friends may turn to you for advice and appreciate that you generally take their questions seriously and try to find the most logical answer. But when you get competitive, watch out! Metal types hate to lose. Read more... What chinese element are you?

Results from a Quiz :)

I took the "scents and sensibility" quiz on gURL.com
		My aroma personality is... leaf Are you a bit detached? Often lost in your thoughts? Then you probably fit the profile of Worwood's leaf types, who are the absent-minded professors of the world. (Einstein was probably a leafie.) Read more... What's your aroma persona?

Wasn't Officially Tagged, But...

I saw Claire (makeupblogger) do this and she tagged anyone who wanted to, and I felt like filling out a survey :)

Vital Statistics:
Me: Hillarie
Nicknames: Ree-ree (but don't use it against me... ever)
Birthday: June 4
Place of Birth: A hospital near my hometown.
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Male or Female: Female
Occupation: Student
Residence: Indiana, USA.
Screen Name: hillariethenerd

Appearance:
Hair Colour: Brown
Hair Length: Long, with medium layers
Eye colour: Brown
Best Feature: Eyes, for sure :)
Height: 5'3 or so. I'm a shortie
Braces?: Nope. I have had them, but not for years.
Glasses?: I have them, but I wear my contacts more.
Piercing: Two
Tattoos: None
Righty or Lefty: Righty

Your 'Firsts':
First best friend: Emily (hmm... haven't talked to her in a decade. wonder how she's doing??)
First Award: I don't know, lol. Probably one of those trophies you get in elementary for participating. My first sport was softball, so probably that, lol.
First Sport You Joined: Softball
First Real Vacation: Upstate New York
First Concert: Officially, Fall Out Boy. I went to a mini concert at a zoo, but I don't think it counts. There were 40 people there tops.
First Love: If we're talking first crush, idk.

Favourites:
Movie: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (my favorite one yet)
TV Show: One Tree Hill or Degrassi: The Next Generation
Colours: Purple (with a dominant blue undertone, if that makes sense). It's better for me to list what I don't love: brown and orange, lol.
Song: Right now, it's "Never Say Never" by the Fray, but it might change when the song on my iTunes changes.
Candy: Sour gummy worms or Reeses.
Restaurant: Panera Bread or Quizno's
Store: Can't pick a number one, but Forever 21 and American Eagle are good
School: My current one? idk
Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Magazine: Seventeen (hmm... is that too teenybopper?)
Shoes: Flats and flip flops... and if Emma is reading this... MOCCASINS!

Currently:
Feeling: hungry
Single or Taken: Single
Eating: Nothing
Typing: A text message and this
Online: Yeah
Listening To: My AC
Thinking About: How hungry I am.
Wanting: iPhone, more clothes, NOT to go to school
Watching: Nothing
Wearing: Jeans and a t-shirt.

Future:
Want Children?: Yes
Want to be Married: Yes
Careers in Mind: Attorney, teacher, author, or beauty advisor. Stay at home mom would be good too :)
Where do you want to live?: Wherever life takes me

Have you ever:
Kissed a Stranger: Nope
Had Alcohol: Yes, it was nasty.
Smoked: Never have, never will.
Ran Away From Home: I actually don't think I have. I tried to help a friend run away to my house once, lol.
Broken a bone: No
Got an X-ray: Yes
Broken Someone's Heart: I'm not sure
Broke Up With Someone: Yeah
Cried When Someone Died: Of course
Cried At School: Ugh... yeah.

Do You Believe In:
God: Yes
Miracles: Yes
Love At First sight: Yes
Ghosts: I'm not so sure...
Aliens: Also not sure on that
Soul Mates: yes
Heaven: Yes
Hell: yes.
Kissing on The First Date: It depends on how well the date goes :)
Yourself: Usually, but I have moments when I don't

Project 3 Pan is NO MORE!

Yes, you've read this correctly. I decided that I just want to focus on finishing my foundations and concealers. Project 3 Pan was not for me. I have 13 foundations (yeah, 13!) and I am going to finish them and my 6 concealers. When I finish a product, I will post a photo here (as proof of finishing) and a full review of it. I also went on MakeupAlley and checked the ratings for each foundation, then I listed them in order from the lowest rating to the highest. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that the one with the highest rating is the best... I was actually surprised about 12 and 13... but for the sake of the challenge, I'm doing it this way.

Foundations:
1. L'Oreal True Match Compact Makeup (I agreed with the ratings... this foundation is not good and although I did hit pan, I won't repurchase unless they reformulate it)
2. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse (I have bought, loved, and hated this foundation so many times it's not funny. None of the colors are right for me, but I can't resist the texture)
3. Almay Smart Shade Makeup (this has zero coverage... meh)
4. Almay Pure Blends Makeup (also zero coverage... and it has a floral smell, which doesn't bug me, but it claims to be fragrance free..)
5. Neutrogena SkinClearing Liquid Foundation (this is the new formula with 0.5% salicylic acid)
6. L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation (great match)
7. L'Oreal Bare Naturale (not bad, not great... Everyday Minerals is better)
8. Mark Speedway Do Everything Foundation Stick (ahh, one of the few foundations I've only used a couple of times)
9. MAC Studio Fix Powder (I don't know if I actually like this or not... I've had it a year and I almost can't justify using it too often just because of the price... hmm)
10. MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation (this stuff has great coverage)
11. Almay Smart Shade Smart Balance (and we go from great coverage to really bad coverage)
12. Mark Get A Tint Tinted Moisturizer (this stuff is streaky and gross)
13. Max Factor Pan-Stik (I don't know if I will actually finish this or not. The color is so wrong for me, it has mineral oil, and Max Factor is being discontinued in the US)

Concealers:
1. Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Concealer (this stuff is nasty... it's greasy and it creases badly)
2. Almay Smart Shade Concealer (I actually like this... low coverage, but it's lightweight... why should I complain?)
3. Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer (to be used with Dream Matte Mousse, so the order is not definite)
4. Almay Clear Complexion Concealer (this stuff is really good)
5. Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer (this is also good... usually I wouldn't think a liquid concealer would have coverage, but this stuff does)
6. Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer (I got this for my birthday and I've used it a couple of times... I love it so much)

I hope this post didn't bore you. Have a great week! :)

Smart Shopping Series: Tip 1

Sign up for newsletters to companies you purchase from.

I signed up at Philosophy and got a free 4 ounce cleanser with any purchase and free shipping. That means I saved about $15.95. All I payed was $12 for the cheapest item I could find- a lipgloss.

Then I signed up for a newsletter from all of my favorite stores: American Eagle, Vanity, Aeropostale, Hollister, Forever 21, Delia's, Bath & Body Works, and more. I haven't gotten any coupons or crazy deals, but it's only been 24 hours. I was informed of a sale at Aeropostale, but that's all so far.

Another great thing to do is become a Beauty Insider at Sephora. When you buy a product from there the money you spend becomes one point per dollar. Once you have 100 points, you get a deluxe sample. That way, you really get to try out a product you'd want... without dishing out the extra cash! I could go on about how to act at makeup stores, but that's an entirely different blog post.

Thanks for reading! <3 Hillarie

Mark Skincare Review

As some of you may know, I am a Mark representative. That means I can get samples of some Mark products, including their skincare line. I recently ordered sample packs of their skincare so I could try it for myself and so I could recommend it to friends and find out what works the best and what to avoid. I tried the two cleansers (Calming Effect Cleanser and That's Deep Cleanser) and the three moisturizers (See Things Clearly, For Goodness Face, and Matte Chance) with each cleanser, just to see how it worked out. I'm here to review each product. But, before you read I think it would probably be fair for me to talk about my skin type first. My skin is acne-prone and combination. It is normal in some areas and oily on my cheeks. My skin also dries out very easily... so as you can see, my skin is not a pleasant thing to deal with. All of the products are fragrance and odor free.

Calming Effect Comforting Milk Cleanser:
This cleanser is soap-free. It also claims to have a nourishing milk complex and banana and oat milk protein. It has a milky consistency, but it foams up a little and cleans surprisingly well. Although the description of this cleanser may lead one to believe that only dry or sensitive skins can use it, I think almost any skin type can use this without problems. However, I'm not sure any Mark skincare products would work for people with very dry skin.
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

That's Deep Purifying Gel Cleanser:
This is also soap-free and it is a greenish gel with no added fragrance. It also has willow bark, which is a more natural form of salicylic acid. It cleans wonderfully and isn't irritating. It's definitely worth a try if you have acne-prone skin, but it might be too drying on even combination skin.
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

See Things Clearly Brightening Moisturizer:
This moisturizer has lotus flower and a citrus blend that is supposed to be brightening. This moisturizer is almost a gel consistency. It's very lightweight, and it should also be good for any skin type... with the exception of very dry skin. It really isn't too special, but it's definitely not bad.
Final Rating: 4 out of 5

For Goodness Face Antioxidant Skin Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30:
This is supposed to be full of antioxidants such as dark chocolate and blueberries, plus SPF 30. This moisturizer is somewhat greasy (it's SPF 30, so I wasn't surprised). This one is best for any skin type but oily. It's definitely a lotion consistency and is quite lightweight for a moisturizer with sunscreen.
Final Rating: 3 out of 5

Matte Chance Mattifying Lotion:
This has sugar cane, which is an alpha hydroxy acid. This one is a lotion that truly does feel matte when you apply it on. I would almost use this as a primer (but since I've never really used a primer, I don't exactly know if they feel like this). This is perfect for oily skin and doesn't feel heavy at all.
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Conclusion:
Overall, I do like the Mark skincare products. Would I buy the full size of anything? Yes, I'd buy any of the products, sans the SPF moisturizer. They're all really nice. The only reason I am reluctant to buying this is because I know how these companies work... they bring something out and take it out of the catalogues as soon as they come. Mark doesn't seem to have any staples in their skincare, and that's what prevents me from buying the full sizes (then again, I seldom repurchase any products, and usually it's just something I tried a year before and forgot why I didn't like it)

Project 3 Pan

This is mostly for my own personal use, but I know some people might be curious about what I've finished so far for Project 3 Pan.

For those of you who don't know what Project 3 Pan is, I finish 3 makeup items in certain categories (ex: foundation) and buy one to replace the three I used. If a product goes bad, it counts toward a used item if I've used more than half of it. Another example of an exception is a CoverGirl blush palette I have... it comes with 3 colors (highlight, blush, and a contour) and I will never use the contour they put in there (it's bright pink...nobody would use it for contour). Therefore, if I use the highlight and blush, it still counts as "used". Another thing, if I hit pan on something and it breaks and cannot be re-pressed (like if it falls out on the floor), it can count as "used". Then, I have a miscellaneous category. It has products that I didn't list as categories, but something I did finish. Once I finish the miscellaneous category, I'm allowed to buy one item from *any* category that I want to.

Now that I've rambled enough, here's my list (I only list items I have completely finished):

Foundations:

1.

2.

3.

Concealers:

1.

2.

3.

Powders:

1. Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

2.

3.

Blush:

1.

2.

3.

Fragrances:

1.

2.

3.

Lip Products:

1.

2.

3.

Eye Shadows:

1.

2.

3.

Eyeliners:

1.

2.

3.

Mascara:

1. CoverGirl LashBlast

2.

3.

Bronzer/Illuminator:

1.

2.

3.

Miscellaneous:

1. Clean & Clear Oil Blotting Sheets

2. Stridex Sensitive Skin Pads

3. Neutrogena Rapid Clear Spot Treatment

Purchased: Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer

Miscellaneous 2:

1.

2.

3.

Why Do Cosmetic Companies TORTURE Me?

Seriously. Maybelline has released the new "SuperStay Makeup" and there's a shade that is passable for me (which honestly never happens with Maybelline). They have two new concealers, also! Not to mention four new quads for smoky eyes (they have a black, brown, purple, and green.. all a bruise on my soul! haha)

Then Neutrogena released the Oil-Free Acne Wash with ingredients that are supposed to calm redness in your skin... which is totally cool... problem is, I can't buy it... salicylic acid doesn't work for me and I have to accept it.

Herbal Essences released the "Tousle Me Softly" collection, but since I don't have an overload of hair products, I bought two.

Project 3 Pan, how I hate thee :(