Beauty – Hoots of a Night Al

Lexli: Aloe Vera Based Skincare

November 6, 2019 2 Comments

This post was sponsored by Lexli, and I am thrilled to share their amazing products with you!

Growing up, my mom had a huge aloe vera plant growing on our back deck. Whenever I had a burn she would cut off a fresh piece and use the amazing liquid inside to instantly soothe my skin. Since I had experienced the benefits of aloe vera first hand, I was thrilled when Lexli reached out to me. Lexli uses a base of organic, pharmaceutical-grade aloe vera (instead of water like many skincare brands), combined with other active ingredients for their skincare line. I have been using their products for over a month now, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you!

3 bottles of Lexli skincare products lying on a white blanket

I have combination skin with T-Zone oiliness and some dry patches. I also have redness in my skin. I shared this information with Lexli, and they sent the following products for me to sample. If you’re unsure of which items would benefit your skin type their website has a quiz you can take and a chat box available for any questions you have!

4 skincare products from Lexli skincare lined up on a granite countertop

First up, was the Cleansing Lotion. This product was amazing at getting all of my makeup off with just one or two pumps! I really enjoyed that it has a moisturizing component since some cleansers tend to try out my skin. My skin felt soft and clean after using the Cleansing Lotion, and it has become my daily face wash. I love that it is safe for sensitive skin!

The next product I tried was the Tone & Balance Toner. This is like the Swiss Army knife of skincare products! It has SO many uses! A makeup primer, a burn soother, a body lotion, a midday skin “pick-me-up”…the list goes on and on! I love using this right after the Cleansing Lotion to get off any remaining traces of makeup to prep my skin for my moisturizers and serums. I also use it in the morning to help cleanse and prep my face for the day. As I mentioned above, I have a lot of redness in my skin and this helps calm my skin and even out my skin tone.

A hand with long, unpolished nails holding an open, green skincare exfoliant

Possibly the star of the show is the AloeGlyC exfoliator. It is such a unique product! Smooth the product onto clean skin and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes before continuing with your skincare routine. You don’t need to wash it off, just let it sink in! It uses aloe vera and glycolic acid to smooth skin texture, reduce hyper-pigmentation, and diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Lexli does recommend easing into use of the AloeGlyC exfoliator by starting with every other day use or diluting the product some with a moisturizer. I followed their suggestions, and my skin has adjusted perfectly! I also love the scent and packaging of this product! It smells so fresh and crisp, and the tub is perfect for scooping out product for application.

A bottle of moisturizer laying on a white towel next to a jade roller

Finally, I sampled the Moisture Intensifier Serum. This serum can be used as a spot treatment, but I prefer to slather it all over my face! I can’t resist the scent or how smooth and moisturized it makes my skin feel. It helps calm any irritation in my skin, and it works perfectly under any of the moisturizers I use.

I have been so impressed with everything Lexli sent me, and I can’t wait to try more of their products! Whether you suffer from sensitive, redness prone skin like me, issues with acne, or just want to prevent aging skin, Lexli has a huge array of products for all of your skincare needs. Let me know if you give any of their items a try, and I will review any new products I purchase from them in the future for you!

Beauty

How to Perfectly Match Your Foundation with NYX Pro Foundation Mixer

July 25, 2019 2 Comments

Do you ever fall in love with a foundation’s coverage, but the shade range isn’t perfect for your skin tone? I’ve found a solution for you: NYX Pro Foundation Mixer!

NYX Pro Foundation Mixer laying next to IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer

One of my favorite foundations is the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation. The coverage is amazing, it’s perfect for my combination skin, and it has a built in SPF! The only issue I have is the color selection. The lightest shade is a smidge too light and the next shade is a smidge too dark. What’s a girl to do? Enter NYX Pro Foundation Mixer!

NYX Pro Foundation Mixer in white being mixed with foundation

Grab your foundation, foundation mixer, a small plate, and something to mix the foundation with. You could totally do this on the back of your hand and use your finger to mix it all up, but I think that would end up wasting a bit of product. Feel free to give it a whirl, though!

NYX Pro Foundation Mixer being mixed with IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer to create a lighter shade

As you can see I pumped a few pumps of foundation, squeezed out a few drops of NYX Pro Foundation Mixer, and mixed it together with the back of an eyeshadow brush. Is that the most sanitary tool to use? Nope, but who cares. I would suggest only adding a small amount of the foundation mixer at first. You can always add a few drops if it isn’t light enough! Don’t worry if you add too many though, just add another pump of foundation to darken things up.

NYX Pro Foundation Mixer partially mixed with IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation Full Coverage Moisturizer

I find it helpful to have a foundation that matches my skin nearby for comparison to ensure I get the desired shade just right. For me that’s Covergirl Outlast All Day Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in Classic Ivory. As you can see, I think I got my mix spot on…hooray!

Mixed foundation that matches Covergirl Outlast All-Day Stay Fabulous Foundation

I wanted to mention there appear to be NYX Pro Foundation Mixers that allow you to darken foundations as well. I haven’t tried these personally, but if that’s something you need, I’d give them a try!

I’m happy to say, this doesn’t change the consistency or wearability of whatever foundation I’ve mixed it with so far. As we head from summer into fall, you may lose a bit of your tan, but no worries! Now you won’t waste that half-used bottle of too dark foundation waiting for the sun to come back. I hope this helps you get some use out of the products that aren’t the perfect shade for you!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on these links or make a purchase using these links, I may receive a small percentage of the profit at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Hoots of a Night Al!

Beauty

Custom Shampoo & Conditioner from Formulate (+ A GIVEAWAY!)

March 29, 2019 No Comments

ENTER TO WIN YOUR OWN CUSTOM SET OF SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER FROM FORMULATE HERE!

Does anyone else spend what feels like forever walking up and down the haircare aisles at the store trying to figure out which products to buy? Some products promise volume but don’t protect from frizz. Some are anti-dandruff but aren’t for color-treated hair. Some are great for curly hair but you hate the scent. Surely you can relate. Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could have a shampoo and conditioner created just for your hair needs and mailed right to your door? Enter Formulate.

Formulate reached out to me a few months ago to see if I would be interested in receiving a set of products created just for me to test out. As someone who struggles with oily, straight hair AND lives in a crazy humid climate, I was psyched to try it out! They sent over a fun, simple quiz to determine my hair needs, and then they started creating my custom formula. I was amazed at how the quiz really nailed my hair concerns!

As I mentioned above, I have straight, fine, oily hair. The goals for my haircare were to volumize, prevent frizz and thinning, and add thermal protection. Basically, I was hoping my hair would look thicker but still remain smooth and shiny. Plus, I was so thankful to have the anti-frizz component because every Houstonian knows what its like to battle the humidity! They take so many factors into account to solve a myriad of hair issues! The questions covered whether or not my hair was color treated, hair texture and length, scalp sensitivity, hair thickness and moisture, and more! You even get to pick your scent and the strength you want it.

One of my favorite things about the creation process is the fact that Formulate has actual chemists and engineers working on their formulas to ensure they’re perfect for each client. They even include a list titled “ingredient insight” with your package, so you can see some of the ingredients in your shampoo and conditioner and exactly how they’re helping to improve your hair. My other favorite thing about working with Formulate was their customer service. They were consistently checking in with me to confirm that my formulas were working out for me and seeing if anything needed to be tweaked. At one point, I mentioned the scent I received was too floral for my liking, and they immediately reformulated my products and sent a different scented option over. The exceptional customer service wasn’t just because I was collaborating with them either. I truly believe this is how they treat all of their customers!

I have been using my Formulate shampoo and conditioner for a couple of months now, and I’m in love! They have made my hair feel healthier, thicker, and more voluminous with minimal styling.🙌🏻 I just wash and condition my hair according to the instructions they provided, blow dry it wth my favorite blowdryer, and I’m done!

I love that now I have the perfect hair products created JUST for my hair type, and I would love for you to have the same experience! Using the link below, you can enter to WIN your own set of custom shampoo and conditioner from Formulate! I just know you’ll love it as much as I do…plus, think of all the time you’ll save not having to wander up and down the hair aisles. 😉

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!

This post was created in collaboration with Formulate, but, as always, all opinions are my own.

Beauty, Uncategorized

Best BeautyBlender Makeup Sponge Dupe! Sonia Kashuk Makeup Blender

September 26, 2018 No Comments

Lately, I’ve been on the hunt to find a replacement for my BeautyBlender. While I love that makeup sponge, it’s hard for me to spend $20 every time I need to replace it (which means I usually end up using it for MUCH longer than you’re supposed to… 🙈). Thankfully, I stumbled upon these Sonia Kashuk Makeup Blender sponges, and they’re only $7! I loved the idea of saving 65%, but only if the quality didn’t suffer.

My first thought was that I loved the chic design. It’s a black and white marble pattern, and I actually loved it so much I resisted using it for almost a month! I didn’t want my makeup to dirty it up.😂 It has a flat base perfect for applying foundation and a pointed tip great for areas like under the eyes and around the nose. If you remember, the Flower Beauty sponge didn’t have a tapered enough tip for me to apply makeup to those areas well, so I was hoping this sponge performed better.

As you can see, this thing is HUGE. Like, comically huge. I included my (quite dirty) BeautyBlender for comparison, and I’d estimate the Sonia Kashuk sponge is almost twice as large. On the left is the sponge dry, and on the right is the sponge after I dampened it. If you aren’t familiar with beauty sponges, most of them are recommended to be used when damp. When wet, they absorb less product and allow for a more even, sheer application.

I ended up loving how huge the sponge was, since it cut down my application time by almost half! My foundation and concealer went on smoothly, and the sponge worked great with my setting powder as well. I pumped my favorite foundation directly on the sponge, and I used less product than usual but got wonderful results. Even though the tapered side was large, the shape was still perfect for using under my eyes and around my nose.

No exaggeration here, people. This is my favorite makeup sponge I have ever tried…BeautyBlender included. As far as I can tell, it’s only sold at Target, which is an added perk as I’ll take any excuse to go there! For a fraction of the cost, perfectly applied makeup, a quicker application time, and a beautiful design, I couldn’t ask for anything better! This will definitely be my new go to makeup sponge!🙌🏻 Do you have any other BeautyBlender dupes I need to try out? Comment below and let me know!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on these links or make a purchase using these links, I may receive a small percentage of the profit at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Hoots of a Night Al!

Beauty

Best Drugstore BeautyBlender Replacement? Flower Beauty 3-in-1 Blending Sponge Review

August 20, 2018 2 Comments

If you’ve read my blog before, you know I’m a huge fan of drugstore beauty products. I love trying higher-end products from time to time, but I believe that you can get equally amazing results with cheaper products. Based on that, I was so excited to try out a “drugstore” 3-in-1 blending sponge from Flower Beauty.

For the record, I typically use the Original BeautyBlender, and I love it! It costs $20, but it lasts me for several months, so I consider that a good investment. However, I saw that the Flower Beauty Sponge was getting amazing reviews, and it only costs $10 (hello 50% savings!), so I figured I would give it a try!

As you can see, it’s a beautiful lavender color and offers three distinct areas for applying your makeup. According to their site, “The Precise Tip allows for application around the eyes & nose. The Flat Teardrop Surface may be used for contouring and hard-to-reach areas. The Cupped Base buffs foundation seamlessly to create airbrushed look.”

So, how does it stand up against my BeautyBlender? In some ways it’s better…but in some ways it’s worse. As you can see below, it’s roughly the same size as a BeautyBlender when dry. However, when dampened it. is. HUGE. I loved this! The rounded bottom got so large that I could apply my foundation in half the time! This is my current favorite foundation, so I’ve been pumping it directly on my Flower Beauty Sponge and just dabbing away.

While I love the larger size for applying foundation, it made applying and blending my concealer under my eyes and around my eyes much more difficult. The “precise tip” gets pretty wide once dampened, so it just doesn’t work for my under-eye area when blending. However, I did like the “flat teardrop surface” for contouring and applying setting powder around my nose.

So I guess you could say it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. 🙂 The Flower Beauty 3-in-1 Blending Sponge is a great, cheaper alternative for applying your liquid foundation and setting powder quickly, but I would have another tool handy for applying and blending out your concealer. Do you have any other drugstore BeautyBlender alternatives I should test out?

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on these links or make a purchase using these links, I may receive a small percentage of the profit at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Hoots of a Night Al!