Paramore- Brand New Eyes

Hey, y'all! It's time for me to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!

Release Date: September 29, 2009

Genre: Pop punk, Alternative

When I bought the CD: If I remember correctly, I got it when it came out.

Track Listing

1. Careful
2. Ignorance
3. Playing God
4. Brick by Boring Brick
5. Turn It Off
6. The Only Exception
7. Feeling Sorry
8. Looking Up
9. Where the Lines Overlap
10. Misguided Ghosts
11. All I Wanted

Paramore lineup on this CD:
Hayley Williams- vocals, keyboards
Josh Farro- lead guitar
Taylor York- rhythm guitar
Jeremy Davis- bass
Zac Farro- drums, percussion

L-R: Taylor, Josh, Hayley, Zac, and Jeremy

About Paramore: 
Paramore has been a band since 2004. So far, they've released 4 CDs: All We Know Is Falling in 2005, Riot! in 2007, Brand New Eyes in 2009, and Paramore in 2013. The band has gone through several lineup changes. I mean seriously, their Wikipedia page has an actual TIMELINE showing the changes:

However, the timeline is partially inaccurate, because Hunter Lamb did NOT play on Riot!, and Taylor York didn't join Paramore until later, and I believe it was 2009. Josh Farro played all the guitar parts on Riot!, and Taylor was a touring member until just before Brand New Eyes.

My Opinion about Paramore:
Paramore was the first alternative band I got into, and they're actually what caused me to begin listening to alternative music. In the gap between Brand New Eyes and Paramore, I didn't listen to them quite as much and they fell down a bit on my list of favorite bands, but they've always been among my top 10 bands, and have been a staple in my ever-changing list of favorites.

About the CD:  

This was the first Paramore CD with Taylor York, and the last one with the Farro brothers. Some of the songs were actually part of the reason that they left the band. Hayley and Josh had dated and broken up, causing Hayley to write songs about it as well as writing some songs that the brothers didn't really agree with. It caused a lot of tension, and with other factors, eventually caused them to leave. Which, as we know, was very traumatic to Paramore fans everywhere.

IMHO: 
I don't think I'd call this one of my favorite Paramore CDs. It's one of those CDs with some really amazing songs, and then some songs that I've maybe listened to 5 times ever. If that. And pretty much every song on the CD falls into one of those two categories.

As always, I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating. 

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Careful- 7.5/10. This is one of the only songs that falls somewhere in the middle for me. I thought it was one of my least favorites on the CD, but as I listen to it again, I realize that it's pretty middle of the pack. It's not great, but not as forgettable as some other songs on this CD.

Ignorance- 10/10. First off, the music on this is just really awesome. Hayley's vocals are awesome as always, and the lyrics are really great too. It's just a really great combination of everything.

Playing God- 10/10. This is possibly my all-time favorite Paramore song. I haven't really thought too seriously about what my favorite Paramore song is, but I know that this would be in my top 5, if not right at #1. The lyrics in this song are so phenomenal. There are so many lines that I absolutely love.

Brick by Boring Brick- 10/10. Hayley's vocals are just really cool on this one. I really love the lyrics on this one as well, especially in the chorus. I don't often think about lyrics in a song (typical instrumentalist) but I've mentioned Hayley's lyrics 3 times already. Hayley writes great lyrics.

Turn It Off- 8/10. Honestly, Hayley's vocals and lyrics in the chorus are what I really like about this song. It's not my favorite on the CD, but it's better than most of them.

The Only Exception- 9/10. I think this song had a little too much hype as a single. Everyone seemed completely enthralled with it. I really enjoyed it too, but I felt like everyone made a bigger deal of it than they needed to. It's beautifully simple, and I really like that.  And of course, Hayley's vocals and lyrics are on-point.

Feeling Sorry- 7/10. I get this one and Looking Up confused constantly. The entire song feels like it's going nowhere. It does have a nice high point, but the rest of the song seems pretty flat.

Looking Up- 7/10. I get this and Feeling Sorry confused, and they have the same problems as well. I just feel like most of this song is flat. Once again, there are a few seconds near the end that are nice, but overall, meh.

Where the Lines Overlap- 6/10. If I were to describe this song in one word, it would be boring. I can never remember how the song goes until I listen to it. It's forgettable and boring.

Misguided Ghosts- 6.5/10. Like with Where the Lines Overlap, I always forget what this song sounds like. I gave it a slightly higher rating because I like it better than Where the Lines Overlap, but they have basically the same problems.

All I Wanted- 10/10. Those lyrics. Those vocals. Wow. I have nothing else to say about this song. Just wow.

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Favorite Songs: Playing God, All I Wanted, Brick by Boring Brick, Ignorance

Least Favorite Songs: Where the Lines Overlap and Misguided Ghosts

Video! 

Playing God music video

All I Wanted video

Rating: 8.5/10. It makes me really sad that this CD has so many really amazing songs, but so many not-so-great songs mixed in with it.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! Have any questions? Do you like Paramore? Let me know in the comments!

I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date. 

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

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Post Project 10 Pan Makeup Haul!

Hey, y'all! So as you know, I finished my Project 10 Pan last week! Woot! So, since I'm going to go back on a makeup buying ban, I bought several things- mostly pretty inexpensive, but a couple high end thrown in. The majority of the products are shown above, but I also bought something after these and have an order for some other things.

So, I'm just going to talk about the products individually and give mini-reviews as well as discuss the products I haven't gotten yet. 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer- Porcelain

So, this was one of my high-end purchases. I've never tried a tinted moisturizer, but I wanted something lighter than foundation because it's almost summer and I want to be a bit nicer to my (very acne-prone) skin. Plus, it's oil free, so it's not going to oil up my face. I saw several reviews on Youtube saying that this was really great as far as tinted moisturizers go. However... I'm returning this on Saturday. I tested it in-store and thought it looked like a good color match, but when I got it home and looked at it in the natural light... NOPE. Way dark and brown on my skin, and it's the lightest shade. Normally, I'd try to make it work, but I have reached my threshold of too-dark face products and I don't want to waste my money on something expensive that I'm probably not going to use. I can't really give much of a review on this, since it was way too dark for me to wear out of the house, but I can say that a lot of people really like this. Yay for return policies!

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

I've been wanting to get this one for quite a while, because several of my favorite beauty gurus on Youtube have been raving about Real Techniques Brushes, especially this specific brush. It's really dense and great for packing on powder foundations for maximum coverage. I haven't gotten to use this enough to get a great feel for it (partially because I've been obsessing over another applicator that you'll see soon), but so far I really like it.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Stipple brushes have always been my preference for applying liquid foundation. My most recent favorite has been the e.l.f. small stipple brush, but I really like this one, possibly more than the e.l.f. one. This one is a little larger than the e.l.f. one, and is made a bit better. Also, the longer white hairs don't stick together as badly as the ones in the e.l.f. brush, allowing it to go a bit longer between cleanings. Overall, I really like this. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

Per usual, I have the lightest shade of this. I compared it to my Revlon ColorStay and noticed that even though the Ivory shade of ColorStay (the lightest shade) has a slight pinky undertone, it pales (terrible pun) in comparison to this. It's very very pinky undertoned. As far as formulation goes, it definitely didn't stay put as long as I expected it to. Even after setting it with powder, it only stayed in place a few hours. But I'll play around with it in the next few weeks and see what I can get out of it. One good thing I have to say about this is that it has a pretty decent light shade range. This is definitely quite a bit lighter than the lightest shade of most foundations I come across, especially considering that it's a drugstore foundation for about $5. So if you're pale like I am, and have pinky undertones, I'd give this a try. When given the choice between amazing staying power and great color-match, I'd go for color match every time. But that's just my opinion, as a person who can rarely find a light-enough foundation.

 Rimmel Stay Matte Translucent Powder

This was a purchase that was less from curiosity and more from necessity. Even though I had a translucent setting powder as part of my Project 10 Pan, I completed that within about a month and then went back to using my Rimmel Stay Matte, which previously had been almost completely full...

Yeah, I can't really get my big fluffy brush in there very well anymore. It was best just to move on and get a new one while I was buying other makeup. As for a review, this is my favorite setting powder. I say this a million times every single makeup post, but I'm really pale, so it's hard to find a face powder that matches. The fact that it's translucent is really great, and I've found that it actually is translucent, unlike some others I've tried. 

Wet & Wild Eye Shadow Palette- Comfort Zone

I know what you're thinking- how on earth did I not already have this?! Well, put simply, I didn't discover how great these shadows were until recently, and at that point I'd just gotten a Naked 2 palette and didn't want to buy anymore neutral eye shadows since a Naked palette is such an investment. I'm sure I'm going to get great use out of this because I like neutral colors. The only one I don't expect to get good use out of is the green color simply because I just don't like green eye shadow. But I'm really excited about that interesting color in the bottom right- is it brown? Is it blue? Is it some really weird combination? Not sure but it's really pretty. I'm also extra excited for the lighter browns and taupe. Not sure that black is going to see much action, but I'm sure it'll get more than the green.

Wet & Wild Eye Shadow Trio- Silent Treatment

It's kinda like a smaller version of comfort zone. I got it mostly for the top and bottom shades. As you might have realized, I like pretty neutral eye colors. Nothing too terribly dark. But I can work with that dark color and see what happens. Overall, Wet & Wild shadows are really great quality and I'm excited to get into both this and Comfort Zone.

Rimmel ScandalEyes Eyeliner- Nude

I was really excited to get this, because of everything I've heard from my favorite beauty vloggers. Using this in the waterline is supposed to be a quick way to widen your eyes and look more awake. As a blogger who is also taking a 19 hour college semester, looking more awake is always appreciated. However, immediately when I used it, I realized a problem...

Will my pale skin ever cease to be a problem? This is darker than my skin, so when I use it in my waterline, it's very visible because it's such a different color. From far away, it does make my eyes look wider and more awake, but you get closer and it's incredibly obvious and looks silly. I really want to try to make it work, because I think it would be a really quick morning makeup trick even on days when I'm not putting on makeup, but if I can't either find a lighter one from a different brand or make this work, I don't think I'm going to be so lucky. 

NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray

I've been eyeing this one for a long, long time. The more matte finish on my face, the better. The longer I can get my makeup to last, the better. I've seen so many beauty vloggers talk about how great this is, and I'm really glad that I've finally been able to get my hands on it. I really like the way my face looks after using it, and I definitely think it helps my makeup stay on for longer. Most people wouldn't be that excited about this, but I was because my skin gets so oily and just eats through my makeup, so this helps a lot.

Beauty Blender

Remember earlier, when I mentioned an applicator I was obsessing over? I was talking about this. It took me a little while to figure out how exactly to use it and what kind of foundation to use with it, but once I figured it out, I fell in love. I really like the natural finish that this gives my foundation. I'm not going to go into any more details because I already did a review of this where I compared this to the CVS knock-off. You can click HERE if you'd like to check that out and find out more about the benefits of the Beauty Blender. It's quickly becoming my favorite way to apply my foundation. 

 So, that's it for the items I've actually purchased so far. I'm not sure yet whether or not I'm going to order something on the NYX website or go to Ulta. They get their NYX shipments on Thursdays, and are sold out of what I want by Friday, but I'm unable to get there on most Thursdays... so I may just order what I want. However, the NYX site gives free shipping if your order is more than 25 and one of the items I want to buy to get up to the $25 is sold out currently. So basically, what I'm going to get depends on whether or not the item I want comes back into stock before I can get to Ulta.

OK, so there you go! I hope you enjoyed this little post- project 10 pan haul! Hopefully, if I have time this week, I plan on posting about my makeup storage and how I've changed it around with new products and getting rid of products, plus a new section I've added on. Basically, I'm shoving makeup down your throat this week. I promise it won't be this makeup heavy for much longer!

Anyway, if you enjoy my posts, I'd love it if you would subscribe/follow, since it lets me know you're liking what I'm doing. See y'all back here either Thursday or Saturday!

Products I Regret Buying (Part 2)

Hey, y'all! Today, I'm going to be doing part two of the products I regret buying!

If you haven't read part 1, you can click HERE to check it out!

A couple weeks ago, I talked about the products I regret buying because of things like incorrect color or other problems that aren't due to the quality of the product.This post is going to be the products I regret buying because I don't like it or think that it's not a great product, so it's mostly problems with formulation or design.

Disclaimer: Just as everyone says, this is just my opinion. Some of these, I regret purely because of shade or personal preference. I get really bothered when people use the words "horrible", "terrible" or "hate" to explain why they don't like something. Something that doesn't work for me may work for someone else. There are definitely products on this list that I wouldn't recommend to anyone ever, because I just don't believe the quality is there. BUT, I'll try to explain myself as thoroughly as possible and if you find me using the aforementioned words, please point it out to me, because I don't want to come off as bashing products.

Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation

I tried this out because it was only 3 or 4 dollars, so if I didn't like it, I wasn't wasting much money. Honestly, I'm really glad I didn't spend more than that, because I don't think it's even worth that. I don't think that the paddle is very good at getting the makeup out. I actually don't get the packaging being used like that . I also don't especially enjoy the foundation. To me, it felt far too thick and a bit gloopy, both when applying it and after it has been completely applied. Per usual, it was too dark for my skin, but for once, that was the least important issue to me this time. I would probably have to say that this is my least favorite foundation I've tried.

e.l.f. Zit Zapping Concealer

If you saw my elf haul post, you'll know that I had A LOT to say about this product. I'm going to try really hard to be nice about this product, because I really, really, dislike it. I'll start with the packaging. I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to have huge problems with this "click-up" form of packaging. These little tubes seem to never work correctly. Often, I'll have to click it 8 or 9 times before product will come out, and then 8 or 9 clicks worth of product will ooze out. Then, when you put the cap back on, even more oozes out. I just don't think this packaging works for any product.

On to the actual formulation. This product is very very thick and difficult to blend. I bought it because I thought it would be great to conceal blemishes, reduce their redness, and (according to the packaging) zap the zits. However, it's so thick that rather than eliminating redness, it turns everything green. A little of it goes way too far. On top of all these aspects, it also had a strong Noxema scent and was almost impossible to remove from my skin. I tried so many times to make it work, but I just couldn't, and I couldn't find any redeeming qualities to it.

e.l.f. Loose Eye Shadow

The big fail with this product is the packaging, but I honestly can't tell you how good the product inside is, because I simply can't get it out. The eye shadow is all in the cap and there's a sponge on the end of a springy wand, which is supposed to get the product both from the cap and onto your eye. It's a nice idea to have the product and applicator all wrapped up into one packaging, but it simply doesn't work. It's hard to get the shadow out because the applicator is springy. The sponge is tiny, so it's really hard to get the product onto your eye. Those two things combined make it nearly impossible to get anything onto my eye or even see how good the product is, which is really sad because the color looks so pretty. Also, this definitely isn't a loose shadow, because it's all packed down into that little purpley part of the cap that you'll see in the picture above.

e.l.f. 3 in 1 Lengthen, Define, & Volume Mascara

I thought this might be really great because the brush is such an interesting shape, but while I liked that, I wasn't a huge fan of the formulation. After putting it on, it looked like I had about 5 lashes. It's not clumpy, but it did stick my lashes together, which certainly is not defining or volumizing. I feel like this brush might be good if used with a different mascara.

e.l.f. Precision Liquid Eyeliner

This is the $3 liner from elf's studio line, but I honestly feel like the $1 eyeliner is much better. This is partially due to the brush, and partially due to the formulation. This brush is larger than the brush on the other one, and I think that's its downfall. Although this is the precision liner, the other one is able to be much more precise. I find it very hard to get a thin enough line with this. I also think that this liner is far too wet. It took a very long time for it to dry- much longer than a liquid liner should.

Wet n Wild H20 Proof Liquid Eyeliner

Once again, my problem is both with the formulation and the applicator. The actual eyeliner is fairly thin and watery, and the applicator is very stiff. I feel like the stiffness of the tip makes it too difficult to apply the eyeliner, especially with how thin the eyeliner is. It seems like it practically scrapes it off as it's being applied.

e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen

While it's certainly easier to apply this eyeliner than the other eyeliners I've mentioned so far, it's almost impossible to get two good lines in a row, which is extremely problematic. I'm not sure if it's only the applicator or the actual product, but it simply doesn't work. I bought a second one to see if it was just this one, but the second one had the same application problem.

EOS Lip Balm: Strawberry

These products are so big and I'm sure some people will be upset that I'm putting this on here. Aside from the strawberry, I also have the lemon. I'm not sure if my strawberry was a dud, because the two balms are very different textures and consistencies. The lemon is very smooth and hydrating, and I really enjoy it. My strawberry, however, is really waxy and not very hydrating at all. It feels like it sits on my lips and doesn't do much. And the strawberry scent is also not very pleasant for me.

e.l.f. Hypershine Gloss

I really like the color of this gloss (fairy), because it's a really natural pink shade. The problem I have with this gloss is that it's very thick and sticky, and I feel like it just doesn't feel comfortable to wear on my lips. I only used it a few times to review it, and just haven't used it since, because I don't like the feeling of it. Another strike this has against it is the packaging. As stated earlier, the click-up style of packaging is one that I'm not a fan of.

e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shine

I bought the clear one just for something to put in my purse, but it quickly moved back out of my purse. Just like the hypershine gloss, this is very very thick and sticky. I bought the second one to see if maybe a different color would make a difference, but it felt exactly the same. Although the hypershine gloss and super glossy lip shine are different products, they seem like the exact same product in different packages.

e.l.f. Total Face Brush

This brush just doesn't seem to have any actual purpose. The bristles are very scratchy and extremely sparse, so it doesn't really spread anything well, and it doesn't feel good on the skin. I just don't think it's worth buying, even though it's only a dollar. 

So, there you go, a handful of products I regret buying! I bought a lot of these without looking to see reviews or anything, which I've decided is never a good thing. Often, I don't buy any makeup product unless a beauty guru I trust has said it's good. Or I see them recommend things and it convinces me to buy it.

Hope you enjoyed reading! What products do you have that you regret buying? Let me know in the comments! If you like my posts, I would really appreciate if you'd follow/subscribe, as it lets me know you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all Saturday for the next chapter of The Secret Lightning Scar!

Products I Regret Buying (Part 1)

Hey, y'all! Today, I'm going to be talking about the products I regret buying. Lately, I've been watching a lot of videos of youtubers talking about products they regret buying, and since I did my "10 Products I Would Repurchase" post last month, I decided to go ahead and talk about the products I regret buying.

This is going to be the first of 2 posts. The second post is going to be the products I regret buying because I don't like it or think that it's not a great product. This post is going to be products that I regret buying for other reasons (wrong shade, etc.).

Disclaimer: Just as everyone says, this is just my opinion. Some of these, I regret purely because of shade or personal preference. I get really bothered when people use the words "horrible", "terrible" or "hate" to explain why they don't like something. Something that doesn't work for me may work for someone else. There are definitely products on each list that I wouldn't recommend to anyone ever, because I just don't believe the quality is there. BUT, I'll try to explain myself as thoroughly as possible and if you find me using the aforementioned words, please point it out to me, because I don't want to come off as bashing products.

Rimmel BB Cream

This was one of the BB creams I tried this summer, and as you can see, it was just too dark for me... and I have it in light! I swear, though I am pale, I'm not THAT pale! There are plenty of people lighter than me! Anyway, it's not a bad product, it's just too dark for me! Make more colors!

Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream

Very simply, this is just not a color match at all. It's lighter than most light BB creams, but as you can see above, it's still a bit dark and orangey on my skin. 

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

My problem with this is partially because of the product, but also the color, so I'm including it on this one. I tried it during the period where I was going BB cream crazy. One reason I gave it a go was because I have really fair skin, and this had one or two more shade options, as well as starting out white and then "adjusting" to your skin tone. They can claim that this adjusts to your skin tone all they want, but I just don't believe it. I have the fair, and this comes out to be both darker and more yellow than my skin, so it just doesn't work for me because of that. So like I said, the problem is with the color, but also the fact that it doesn't actually adjust to my color even though it claims to.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

TruBlend is on the left, Outlast on the R.

This is a good foundation, but I have a huge problem with the color. I have Covergirl's TruBlend, which has the same shade range as the outlast stay fabulous. However, ivory in trublend and ivory in outlast stay fabulous are totally different colors, and the outlast is significantly darker. Ivory in trublend works really well for my skintone, so obviously the outlast doesn't. If you look at the swatch above, you'll notice two swatches on my hand. The top is TruBlend, the bottom is Outlast. It didn't pick up quite as well on camera, but they're significantly different colors, both in a little dollop and when blended out. They also look very different in the container, which the camera also didn't pick up as well.

Mary Kay Concealer

When I bought this online, I THOUGHT I knew what color to get, because I always need the lightest one. Shouldn't be hard to figure out which one that is, right? WRONG. When I got it, it was so insanely yellow that it was completely unwearable. They've since changed the labels and there is one labelled "yellow," which I can only assume is the one that I have. It's just so incredibly yellow. That swatch above is all the way blended in. Just for fun, here's what it looked like while I was blending it.

This was literally bright yellow in person.

e.l.f. Jumbo Eye Shadow Stick- Midnight Rendezvous

I have 4 jumbo eye shadow sticks, and I do like them, but I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when purchasing this black. I don't wear black eye shadow... ever. This must have been some sort of impulse buy.

Almay Eye Shadow Stick Duo

 

I have the one for green eyes, even though I have brown eyes because honestly, anyone could wear any color they want. The only reason I regret buying this is because I just haven't used it. The light blue and purple are both really pretty, but I've just never used it. Not sure why, but I just haven't.

e.l.f. Matte Lip Color- Nearly Nude, Rich Red

My issue with these is partially color and partially formulation. I bought Nearly Nude because I like nude lips, but the texture was like a concealer. It was so thick and dry and cakey. Then, I bought Rich Red to try and figure out if the problem was with that one color or with all of them. The red was much more smooth and felt like a lip product actually should. However, I didn't think beforehand about the fact that I NEVER wear red lips. I like nude/natural/ pinky lips, so I have no idea what I was thinking. So, I definitely wouldn't recommend the nude due to the formulation, but the red is nice... just not for me.

e.l.f. Lip Stain

 

I have this in natural. It's a perfectly fine product, I just don't like the color. I think that the color doesn't match the name it was given. It's far too reddish to be labelled natural.

So, there you go, a handful of products I regret buying! I bought a lot of these without looking to see reviews or anything, which I've decided is never a good thing. Often, I don't buy any makeup product unless a beauty guru I trust has said it's good. Or I see them recommend things and it convinces me to buy it. Anyway, the second list of products I regret buying will probably be my Feb. 11 post. That one will be a bit more interesting for me because the products on that list are products that I have some pretty major issues with.

Hope you enjoyed reading! What products do you have that you regret buying? Let me know in the comments! If you like my posts, I would really appreciate if you'd follow/subscribe, as it lets me know you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all Saturday for the next chapter of The Secret Lightning Scar!