Covergirl TRUblend Liquid Makeup in #410 Classic Ivory

Hi fellow makeup fans!

This blog is going to be about the Covegirl TRUblend Liquid Makeup (liquid foundation) in skin tone 1 in #410 Classic Ivory.

I think I used this in a video or two that I made. I used it because I am trying to get rid of it. I don't like throwing products away, even the not so good ones. I realized a few months ago that the reason why I am not a big fan of this foundation is because it is too liquid-like. I can't tell if it is water or oil. I would assume oil, but the website says it is oil-free which would explain why it dries out somewhat after application. That is also not very good for my dry skin. Because it is so liquid-like, I noticed that the coverage is light to maybe medium. The formula is not very easy to work with so building coverage is not really an option, at least for my dry skin.

For some reason even though it is very liquid-like, it does not work well with dry skin. It shows dry skin flakes. One time I didn't realize how dry my skin was because I guess I couldn't see it, but when I tried to put the foundation on, it was pretty gross looking. No matter what I did with the foundation I could not cover it up. That was a really horrible experience. That is when I decided that once I finished the product, I was not going to buy it again. It's also not quite what I was looking for. I go for the full coverage with oil/sweat proof. That is why when I first found out MAC made a foundation like that I went straight to the MAC counter close to my area to buy it. I really like it. But that's off topic.

The Covergirl Trublend liquid foundation did cover up my redness because I made the mistake of wearing it when I went to my first MAC counter. The sales girl could not tell I had redness until I wiped off some of my cheek area to try out the MAC foundations. I guess it must have been a good day when my skin was behaving, but it still didn't look the way I want my foundation to look. I like the packaging. It is definitely easy to store, it's small in size, but you do get a lot of product. I like the fact it comes with a pump so you can pump the foundation out. I would not recommend this foundation for dry skin or dry combination (dry with oily t-zone) skin types.

RATING

Price: 7/10
Amount: 7/10
Packaging: 9/10
Coverage: 7/10
For different skin types: 7/10
Application: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
Matches skin tone (as advertised): 7/10
Would I buy it again: 3/10
Total rating:61/90=67.7%=D+

My personal rating: 7/10=70%=C


Comments:
According to walmart.com their price is listed at $8.44, but I bought this a year or so ago so I don't remember exactly how much I paid for it. Probably around $7. I wouldn't say it's good for the price. I would not spend that much on it. You do get a decent amount of product though. It's just that this foundation was not for me. I would not recommend this product for people who have very dry skin because it shows. I would also not recommend this for dry combination skin with an oily T-zone because it applies really wet/oily so it might just slide off. The foundation is a bit hard to work with, especially for layering for more coverage, and it dries out a little bit after application, but it still comes off easily with sweat.

Sincerely,
Marina

MIA Explanation

Hi beautiful makeup fans!

A poor explanation for why I have not been making videos or blog updates:

I am so sorry that I seemed to have just completely disappeared without any explanation as to why I stopped. I am hoping to be able to explain that in this blog.

I am going to admit that maybe I was trying too hard to get videos and blogs out too quickly because I somewhat exhausted myself from trying to do too much all at once. Originally, I was only supposed to take a personal break for maybe a week or two from doing videos and blogging to clear my head and focus on some personal things that I felt I was neglecting. A lot of people do not realize how hard it really is to try to make weekly videos. That was the part that was stressing me out the most. Then as I was taking my break MAC decided to come out with a lot of products after their 'Hey, Sailor!' Summer major collection release. I felt really bad because I didn't have a lot of money to throw on makeup products in order to review them like I started out wanting to so I felt a bit defeated. I felt like I was letting people down because of that. A lot of MAC's collections don't stick around very long and I couldn't keep up with reviewing the products in real time. That was really disappointing to me. So basically I needed a break from doing this because it became like a 24/7 job, then MAC started coming out with a lot of small collections so I was falling behind in keeping up with products, and financial reasons because as much as I want to I don't have a lot of money to throw at keeping up with buying products. That was just from MAC, I can't even imagine trying to keep up with all these different companies.

I had a lot of ideas of which I have written in my spiral notebook about the products I wanted to talk about, the things I wanted to talk about with each product, and video ideas, but I could not get myself motivated enough to go through with executing my ideas, especially when it came to videos.

I have really wanted to jump back into writing blogs and eventually making some videos again. But I am not going to try doing so much all at once because that became too much. I figure I will start out by writing a blog or two a week and make videos a few times a month. I really wanted to do a video on Clinique's facial system and the Aussie 3 minute miracle products. I am still really liking and using the Aussie 3 minute miracle products. I don't really use the Clinique 3 step skincare system the way that I used to. I still use it and I still really like it, but not as much as I used to for that month straight.

Thank you for reading and having patience with me. I am sorry for leaving without saying anything. I wanted to explain why I was going to take the break, but I wasn't sure exactly how to phrase it. I kept thinking I was going to come back, but then became overwhelmed with how much products were flying to the shelves. I would at least like to finish reviewing the products that I do have. I don't like leaving things unfinished. I am sorry that it took me so long to update. I hope this explains some things.

Sincerely,
Marina

Mac Studio Fix Foundations NW vs NC

Hi fellow makeup fans! 

I talked to a MAC person about a month ago because I wanted to know how to choose a MAC Studio Finish liquid foundation. I first tried to find my answer by searching, but everyone kept giving different answers which left me even more confused. So I decided to go onto the MAC website and talk to a MAC person online about it.

Basically what she told me is that the MAC Studio Finish liquid foundation. both the NC and the NW shades, have a gold tone to them. NC has a more yellow gold and NW has a more pink gold.

If you have greenish veins then you would choose an NC shade.

If you have bluish veins then you would choose an NW shade.

I told her that with my skin tone I could see both greenish and bluish veins at which point she didn't really have anything to say. When I do the wrist check I can see both color veins. One vein will look greenish and another vein will look bluish. I noticed on my chest that I can see more of greenish veins than bluish veins. I would assume that this would mean that I can go with either shade.

I have both shades now. My NW20 was the first foundation I bought from MAC about a year ago. About a month ago I bought my first NC25 shade. I thought I was an NW20 because I had redness to my cheeks so I thought it meant I had pink undertones. The NW20 works fine, but I did notice that it gave me a slight orange look. It didn't really blend in around my jaw line. I tried the NC25 shade and I feel that it blends in a lot better with my jaw line and I wasn't getting the slight orange color. I would say that I have more yellow gold. Which then would make sense why the NW20 shade was giving me a slight orange color. When you mix yellow and pink it gives you an orange-y color. Even though I have redness to my cheeks the NC25 covers that up really well.

I hope this helps! Thank you so much for reading.

Sincerely
Marina

Clinique 3-step Skincare (After a Month)

Hi fellow makeup fans!

I just wanted to do a last update on the Clinique 3-step skincare system for skin type 2 because I have been using it for a month. As I talked about in previous blogs about this system and skincare tips that it can take up to a few months for you to really see the difference when trying out new skincare systems.. This will be my last blog about this unless I change my skincare routine. I am still debating on whether I want to try their extra mild liquid facial soap or just stick with the mild. If I do end up changing to extra mild I might update about how that is working out.

I just wanted to mention mostly about the price of the products and sizes. I should mention that you do have the option of getting smaller sizes for cheaper prices. I noticed that through macys.com you can get a tube of the moisturizing lotion instead of the cute cube bottle with a pump for cheaper, but then you don't get the same amount and forgo the pump. I also went to Carsons.com because I bought my start up kit at a Carson's Department store and they had the same prices and options.

The facial soap options:

You have technically 3 options to choose from, but one could be a one time deal. You have to choose between using a bottle of a liquid facial soap or an actual bar of soap. After you buy the actual bar of soap you have the option of rebuying the soap holder or just the bar of soap. I personally use the facial liquid soap because it comes with a pump and is easy for me to use.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap 6.7 fl oz bottle is $16

Clinique Facial Soap (with holder) 5.2 oz bar soap is $13

Clinique Facial Soap (without holder) 5.2 oz bar soap is $12

 

The liquid clarifying lotion (exfoliate):

The liquid clarifying lotion or the liquid exfoliating lotion comes in two different size bottles. I noticed that on Macy's website their big bottles are all priced the same but the skin type #3 bottle has only 13.5 oz for $21 and the other skin types are 14.5 oz for $21. I am not sure if that is a typo or not. That is very strange.

Clinique Liquid Clarifying lotion (exfoliate) for skin types 1,2,4 comes in 14.5 oz bottle for $21

Clinique Liquid Clarifying lotion (exfoliate) for skin type 3 comes in 13.5 oz bottle for $21

Clinique Liquid Clarifying lotion (exfoliate) for all skin types comes in 6.7 oz bottle for $12.50

 

The Different Moisturizing Lotion:

This comes in like 5 different ways. You can either get this with a pump in a cube shaped bottle or you can get it in a tube form without a pump. There are two different types of lotions. One is called a moisturizing gel the other is called a moisturizing lotion.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel with pump (in cube shaped bottle) is 4.2 oz for $24.50

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion with pump (cube shaped bottle) is 4.2 oz for $24.50

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (cube shaped bottle no pump) is 4.2 oz for $23.50

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel and Lotion (in tube) is 1.7 oz for $13.00

Longevity of each Clinique product:

What I really wanted to talk about was how I used the products and how long each product lasted. The liquid facial soap I used 2 pumps twice a day. In the morning I used two pumps and at night I used two pumps. The liquid facial soap lasted me a month doing it this way. The liquid facial soap will need to be bought monthly.

When it comes to the liquid clarifying lotion and the different moisturizing lotion/gel lasts a lot longer and will not need to be bought monthly. With both of these products I have barely used them half way in a month. I would say that I need to use more of the clarifying lotion because I might not be using enough. With the dramatically different moisturizing lotion I used 2 pumps twice a day. In the morning I used two pumps and at night I used two pumps. I have the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion with pump cube shaped bottle that is 4.2 oz. I have not even reached half the bottle with that so that will last at least another month.

Overall, the liquid facial soap will need to be bought monthly. Both the clarifying lotion and the dramatically different moisturizing lotion will last at least two months. These two products will not need to be bought monthly, but maybe every couple of months. That will dramatically reduce the price of how much you are spending on this 3-step skincare system. If you go with the bigger bottles for the more expensive price the only product you will need to worry about is the liquid soap being monthly and the other two products every couple of months. So you will not be spending $65 a month which is nice!

 

Rating:

O being the worst, 10 being the best.

Price: 8/10

On pimples: 7/10

On large/medium pores: 9/10

Smell: 10/10

Product Quantity (size/amount): 9/10

Packaging: 10/10

Product options for skin types: 8/10

Product options for buying separately: 10/10

Skin effectiveness: 9/10

Overall product effectiveness: 8/10

Would I buy this product again: 8/10

Total product rating: 96/110=87.27%=B+

My personal rating: 9/10=90%=A

Comments: once I figured out that after the initial price of $65 for buying all 3 products and then only having to buy the liquid facial soap monthly makes the cost not seem so bad. Clinique does offer a few different options for prices for their products. I have only seen the product work once on one of my pimples where when I popped it stuff came out. I might have stress/hormonal pimples that pop up or something and this product doesn't work on those. When you buy the big bottles even though it's a bit pricy it lasts. I don't think Clinique has the best variety of products for skin types I do feel like they have a good variety to where majority fit into one of the skin types. I have overall noticed a dramatic difference in my skin appearance. I don't get oily as often in my T-zone, my pores have decreased in size so they aren't standing out so much, the application of my liquid foundation has been superior because I don't have dry flaky skin so I haven't had to worry about that which is so nice, and my skin overall looks healthier and hydrated.

Sincerely,

Marina

Covergirl Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Eyeliner

 

 

Hi fellow makeup fans!

This blog is going to be about the Covergirl Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Eyeliner in Radiant Sapphire. I find that this product is hard to work with. I can usually only get it to work by pressing hard and getting a lot of product out. I don't really have any other complaints about this product.

I bought this product to go along with my other Covergirl Exact Eyelights collection for blue eyes with the eye shadow palette and the mascara. I personally think that black brings out every eye color and I don't feel like this product goes above and beyond what a normal eye liner would do. I have written in my notes that I have broken this product at least once by using it because as I mentioned I do have to press kind of hard to use the product. When I did a swatch on my hand I waited a couple of minutes then tried to wipe it and it didn't wipe off easily which is good. I have not had any issues with this product transferring easily so that's good. The quality of it isn't bad. I don't have any major complaints about this product. It gives a lot of product. I like the packaging because it twists to come out and twists to go back in. That is cute and kind of fun. I don't really like dealing with sharpening so I really like the way they did that where you don't have to deal with trying to sharpen it. Although, the other day I went to go use it and when I twisted no product came out. I accidentally flipped over the cap and it came out. I just popped it back in and it seems to be still workable.

I think I bought this at Walmart. I probably bought it when I bought the mascara. I am not entirely sure how much I paid for it. There is no price listed for this product on Walmart.com. When I added the item to my cart it says it costs about $7.

Even though it's not a bad product I don't have any intention of buying this product again because I feel like I can buy from another company that might be better to work with. I am also looking for an eyeliner that is advertised as waterproof that actually works. If I can't find anything better then I would return to this product. 

 

Rating:

0 being the worst, 10 being the best.

Price: 10/10
Advertisement: 5/10
Pigment: 8/10
Product quantity (amount/size): 10/10
Application: 7/10
Longevity: 8/10
Packaging: 10/10
Product overall: 8/10
Would I buy this product again: 6/10
Total product rating: 72/90=80%=B-

My personal rating of this product: 8/10=80%=B

Comments: I don't really feel like anything needs to be explained and I have said what I wanted to about the product. 

Sincerely,
Marina

Covergirl Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Mascara (Blue Eyes)

 Hello everyone!

This blog is going to be about the Covergirl Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Mascara for blue eyes. The product is called Black Sapphire. I have had this mascara for a couple of years. I remember watching the Rihanna commercial where she was in a commercial promoting this product. I thought to myself, "I have to have this!" It wasn't necessarily because of Rihanna. I was really excited about a new product that had come out that was geared towards Blue Eyes. At the time I didn't really stop to think that black is a color that can be used by anyone to bring out their eye color. But this product was advertise as supposing to have I guess either blue crystals in it or something that was supposed to bring out blue eyes. I thought that was pretty cool. I wanted to try it.

If you had asked me like a year ago if this was my favorite go to mascara I would have answered yes. Without a doubt. Not because I felt it actually brought out my blue eyes the way that was advertise, but because I didn't know any better about the different formulas and styles of wands and so on. It is a decent mascara. I don't have anything really against it. It did the job of being a mascara. Would I say it necessarily brought out the blue in my eyes, no, but it is a good mascara. It just didn't do what it advertised to do. That was a bit disappointing.

I noticed that either the mascara wand or the formula was too thick so when I applied it to my lashes I would have tiny clumps stuck in my eye lashes. That was a pain. I did not think that it locked onto the lashes for easy application. Because I have oily lids I felt like it would leak into my eyes causing irritation. It isn't a waterproof mascara which means there is no way I can use it. I did put up with it for a long time. I just assumed that's just how mascaras are. Until recently when I bought my MAC waterproof mascara and I absolutely adore it! But this blog is about the Covergirl mascara.

I am not going to say it is a horrible product. Actually it is way better than their eye shadows. The black color actually shows up. As far as what was advertised I feel that the color black brings every eye color out so that's not really anything special. It clumps easily. It is not waterproof, but it wasn't advertised as such.

I'm pretty sure that I bought this mascara at Walmart. Their advertised price is about $7 but I don't remember how much I paid for mine.

Rating:

Price: 9/10
Advertisement (bringing out blue eyes): 6/10
Formula:  7/10
Wand: 7/10
Pigment: 10/10
Mascara longevity: 7/10
With oily lids: 5/10
Eye lash breakage/falling out: 7/10
Overall product: 7/10
Would I buy this product again: 5/10
Total product rating: 70/100=70%=C-

My personal product rating: 7/10=70%=C

Comments: under formula I was thinking about the thickness of the mascara formula and the wand. They are both on the thick side, but don't really grab the lashes to put the mascara on. I noticed this mascara lasts longer when it's not hot out or when my lids aren't as oily. The wand doesn't have long bristles so it doesn't grab the lashes the way it should to put the mascara on. I noticed I have had issues with eye lash breakage and falling out. I think because the formula is so thick my eye lash could not hold it so it bent, got in my eye, and then I had to break it off. That has happened a few times when using this mascara. I wouldn't rave about this product, but I also won't say it is the worst.

Sincerely,
Marina

Covergirl's Exact Eyelights Eye-Brightening Shadows (Blue Eyes)

Hi fellow makeup fans!

 

This blog is about the Covergirl Exact Eyelights Eye Brightening Shadow in Radiant Blues 710 for blue eyes eye shadow palette . When I first bought this I was super excited because for some reason I thought the Covergirl eye shadows were going to be pigmented and it would bring out my blue eyes. I think I have worn this maybe once. I don't even remember when I bought it, but I know it was within a year. I think it was around the time I was buying EyesLipsFace products. It was fairly recent.

The palette looks really cute. The colors looked super cute and pigmented. I was really looking forward to using this product, but the eye shadow colors are really hard to work with. I was very disappointed that the eye shadows were hard to work with, the colors are not as pigmented as I would like, and the tan color does not show up at all. I don't know why they even put it in with the palette. The green shows up, but very lightly. It is packable to some extent. I feel like the blue and the green colors are power struggling over each other.

I tried both with a primer and without a primer, but it was still the same issues. I noticed that the eye shadows are very chalky and dry. That is what makes them so hard to work with.

The palette came with a Covergirl eye shadow brush. Honestly, that is the one thing I really liked about the palette. I use the brush with other eye shadows. I have washed it a couple of times. I have not seen any issues with it. But it's not worth buying the palette for the brush.

I can't remember if I bought it at Target or Walmart, but it is about $7 at Walmart. I spent a lot more than I thought I did on it. For the price it is definitely not worth it because that's a lot of money for eye shadow that barely shows up and hard to use.

Rating:
0 being the worst, 10 being the best.

Price: 7/10
Brings out blue eyes: 6/10
Palette colors: 9/10
Eye shadow pigment on fingers: 7/10
Eye shadow pigment on eye lids: 6/10
Eye shadow longevity: 6/10
Size of the eye shadow: 10/10
Eye shadow blend ability: 6/10
Overall product: 6/10
Would I buy this product again: 5/10
Total product rating: 68/100=68%=D+

My personal rating: 6/10=60%=D-

Comments: You definitely get a lot of eye shadow product and the brush is a very good added bonus. The blue eye shadow does show up fairly well and I think blue eyes shadows bring out blue eyes even though some people may disagree. You have to rub the eye shadows very hard and get only a little bit of product. I think the green and the blue are hard to blend because of the colors, but also because they are so dry.

Sincerely,
Marina