Beauty – Page 18 – Hoots of a Night Al

Beauty Blurbs: ck one mascara Review

January 17, 2014 No Comments

Okay, I’m sure you’re all starting to think the only thing I care about is mascara after my recent posts. I promise I use other makeup though. 🙂 In fact, I have another Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain review coming up soon! Today, I wanted to share a review about ck one mascara.

I received an email from Ulta with a coupon for a free tube of ck one mascara for my birthday! If you ever shop at Ulta, I’m going to go ahead and recommend you join their rewards program. Every week I get coupons for either 20% off my purchase or $3.50 off a purchase of $10 or more. It’s not always a huge discount, but something is better than nothing! You can also occasionally redeem points for free products based on how many you’ve accumulated. And apparently for your birthday, you also get a special surprise!

I was excited to find out this was for a full tube of ck one mascara, valued at $18. The color I received was Black, which was perfect as that’s what I would have chosen! They do also have a blue one (along with other colors), which could be fun on occasion! The packaging was so sleek; I loved it. One thing to note however, is the black half of the tube is matte. This could cause some annoying fingerprints if it comes in contact with other makeup similar to NARS packaging. It’s not a huge deal to me, but it’s worth noting if that bothers anyone.

According to the box, the “multi-look brush expands or contracts for on-demand volume, length and definition.” The most unique thing about ck one mascara is definitely the wand.

It can be left straight or by twisting the top of the lid the brush curves and contracts. It’s great for anyone who prefers one type of brush over the other. I alternated with both styles, and I didn’t notice too great of a difference in application. Some people may though, depending on your lashes or style of application.

I wasn’t expecting much, but after one coat, I was happily surprised. The mascara was easy to apply and went on very smoothly. I don’t think it added much volume, but my lashes were definitely longer and more defined.

My second coat definitely added more volume and a little more length. It is also worth noting that I had trouble swiping the wand through my lashes for the second coat. It kept catching and was almost impossible to work through the roots of my lashes. I typically prefer to let my mascara dry some between coats, and that caused a slight issue with this mascara. Perhaps in the future I will try adding my second coat immediately.

Here you can see a side by side comparison of one versus two coats. One coat is definitely a softer look. I think if I applied a second coat immediately, it would eliminate some of the clumping. I really loved how well the tiny bristles accentuated my bottom lashes.

Another issue I had with the wand was some residue on my lids after the second coat. I’m sure most of that is just due to “user error,” but I typically don’t have that issue with wands with longer bristles (ironically?). Another thing to note is that my eyes were slightly irritated at the end of the day. There is currently lots of pollen in my area, so it may be due to that. I haven’t tested this mascara again to be sure though, so I figured I’d mention in just in case anyone experiences similar issues or has very sensitive eyes.

Overall, I have to say, I’m very pleased with the ck one mascara. At $18, I’m not sure if I’d buy it again over my $5-6 drugstore mascara, though. It’s definitely fun to try out new mascaras, but if it’s coming out of my own pocket I’m more hesitant to splurge.

I was happy to try out this birthday surprise from Ulta though! Anytime something is FREE, I’m a happy camper!If your makeup budget isn’t very strict, I’d definitely recommend picking up ck one mascara to give it a try! Or, if you have a birthday coming up, make sure to sign up for Ulta’s Rewards program! I’m not sure if this is their “free gift” in every region or not, but you’re sure to get something fun!

Thanks for stopping by, and I promise I’ll branch out from mascara reviews soon! 😉

Beauty

Beauty Blurbs: Maybelline Falsies Mascara Review

January 15, 2014 5 Comments

Hey everyone! Time for another mascara review! As I said before, mascara is my fave beauty product. In this review, I want to talk about my all-time favorite mascara: Maybelline Falsies Mascara in Very Black (as always). I’m no makeup professional, so the ability to get a false lash look without potentially glueing my eyelids shut is pretty thrilling to me.

This mascara contains fibers that cling to your lashes similar to other lash primers and more expensive products to give a lengthening and volumizing effect. Maybelline claims it increases lash visibility by 300%, and while I have no clue how they reached that statistic it definitely makes mine more apparent…maybe by 245%? 😉

Surprisingly, considering the fibers, there is little-to-no flaking, which is always a plus. Also, this mascara does not dry out quickly. It’s great quality for a mascara under $5! Considering the price and lasting value, I never hesitate before swiping on a second coat.

The wear is great, too. Even after running errands all day, my luscious, non-fake falsies are still intact! Much better than dealing with false lashes coming unglued and dangling into your eye like a restless caterpillar. If you’re a fan of drugstore beauty products (and their prices!) like me, definitely grab a tube of Maybelline Falsies Mascara next time you make a run to the store! Or just get one online, here!

Beauty

Beauty Blurbs: Maybelline Volum’ Express The Mega Plush Mascara

January 8, 2014 7 Comments

I’m pretty sure if I could only have one makeup item on a deserted island it would be mascara. Looks would be the least of my worries if I was stranded of course, but we’re talking hypothetical situations here. Regardless, I’m always up for trying new mascaras because it’s one of my favorite types of makeup, and it’s relatively inexpensive to sample. The mascara I tried for this post is Maybelline’s Volum’ Express The Mega Plush Mascara in Blackest Black. This mascara retails at most drugstores for about $5.99. I’ve always been a fan of Maybelline mascaras for both their price and quality. This particular mascara is supposed to give your lashes extra volume, and it’s supposed to achieve this through its “revolutionary gel-mousse formula.”

First off, I loved the brush. It wasn’t as easy to apply the mascara as some other mascaras I’ve used, but the fibers were very soft and flexible as was the wand. Forgive me for not taking a picture. 🙂

Secondly, the formula is definitely different than what I’m used to. The texture is hard to describe, but it definitely feels unique. Once it dried, my lashes felt less stiff than with other products. I liked how soft they remained. The pictures below are after two coats of the mascara.

Honestly, I’m not sure if the product added much volume to my lashes. The wear was great; I hardly had any flaking throughout the day. However, I think I prefer mascaras that offer both lengthening and volumizing properties. Also, excuse my horrifically unkempt eyebrows in the picture below.

I would definitely recommend Maybellie’s Mega Plush mascara to someone who is happy with the length of their lashes but wants a soft mascara that adds a little bit of volume. I prefer pretty dramatic lashes, so if you wear a more natural look, this would probably work better for you.I’ve kept this mascara as part of my regular rotation, but I doubt I will be repurchasing it in the future. Maybelline still holds the spot as my favorite mascara creator, but Mega Plush just isn’t in my #1 slot. Hope this helps out anyone considering purchasing this mascara! If you want to try this one, get your own tube here!

Beauty

Beauty Blurbs: Wet ‘n Wild Fergie Eyeshadow

November 4, 2013 2 Comments

Hi everyone! Sorry for the huge gap in posts, but I’ve been so busy lately! Okay, not that busy…I just haven’t felt like blogging. Whoops. Anyway, I’m back with a Beauty Blurb about some of my new favorite eyeshadow. It’s a Wet ‘n Wild product, which means it’s well priced and easy to find! This eyeshadow palette is from the Fergie line and is called Desert Festival. I found mine at Walgreen’s, and it was only $4.99! Plus, I had a coupon, so I snagged it for just over $3. Not bad at all.

I read recently that wearing eyeshadow colors that contrast with your eye color, makes your eyes look brighter and more vibrant. I have blue eyes, so according to a color wheel, oranges contrast most with blues.

Now, I’m not saying if you have green eyes, you should go out and buy some bright red eyeshadow (or do…live your life). However, shadows with hints of red or plum would probably complement your eye color. That being said, I was excited to find some positively reviewed, inexpensive, orange shadow! Also…ummm, sorry brown-eyed girls…guess you got the shaft on the color wheel…

The Desert Festival palette contains five colors and a sponge applicator. I’ve never been to a desert festival (I doubt Fergie has either), so I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the colors. As a non-desert festival attendee though, I can safely say they are heavily pigmented and have great application.

1. This shadow is a light tan with a hint of shimmer. It’s great to use as an all over base color.

2. This is my favorite color in the palette! It’s a bold red-orange color that goes on so bright and colorful. It’s unlike any other shadows I have in my collection for sure.

3. This shimmery brownish orange would be a great color for someone who doesn’t want to cover their eyelids in bright orange like a crazy person (AKA me).

4. This is a dark shimmery brown that is great for a crease color or an all over lid color.

5. This dark matte brown is my second favorite color in this palette. It can be used in several different looks. I’ve used it as both a crease color and to pat over eyeliner to make it look softer.

In this look, I used color #1 all over my lid and up to my brow bone, color #2 on the outer 3/4 of my lid, and color #5 in my crease and on my outer corner. I also added a light cream matte shadow to highlight my brow bone.

Did it make my eyes extra blue and vibrant? Um, I doubt it. I do love the fun mix of the orange though instead of the simple browns I usually wear. I think with a simple lip color, this shadow palette is perfect for fall. And at under $5, it’s not like you’ll go into debt trying to recreate this look. If you have blue eyes and want to try out some orange shades, you could also try out a bronze brown as it will have some orange tones without looking like you colored your lids orange with a crayon. If you’re loving the Desert Festival look as much as me, grab your own here!

As always, it’s best to wear a look that makes you feel your best! Happy November, and I’ll do my best to start blogging more often…I have several posts waiting to be written!

Beauty, California, Disney, Disneyland, Married Life, Travel

God Bless America & Disneyland

July 12, 2013 4 Comments

Since Louis & I are in Cali, we couldn’t attend my parents annual 4th of July Party this year. To distract ourselves from that, we decided to spend our Independence Day at Disneyland. Nothing’s as great as being with family, but we definitely had a fun day! Since we are in a hotel, I didn’t get to decorate for America’s Birthday. To appease my pain, I decided to decorate my body as much as I could. Okay, that sounded weird. What I mean is, I wore red, white, and blue eyeshadow and painted my nails navy and glitter! It was probably too much, but when else can you be that patriotic and not be judged?

For anyone DYING to recreate this American look, the products are as follows: Blue-Ulta eyeshadow, Red-Urban Decay Gash, White-MAC Blanc Type. My eyeliner is Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner in Onyx, and my mascara is Maybelline Falsies in Blackest Black.

For my nails, I painted two coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Navy Baby. Once that dried I added a stripe of Essie Beyond Cozy for some American sparkle.

Don’t worry, I don’t always do my makeup and nails this obnoxiously, but I figured I might as well go all out for the 4th!

Louis and I headed to Disney California Adventure first, so we could ride the thrills over there before heading to Disneyland for fireworks! It was a beautiful, sunny, hot day. We rode Tower of Terror THREE times without a wait! I guess everyone wanted to spend their day in Disneyland, and we were happy to have DCA to ourselves.

After Tower of Terror, we enjoyed the Disney Animation Academy building (a nice break from the heat), Toy Story Mania (Louis’s fave), California Screamin’ (another great way to cool off…it’s speedy!), and Soarin’ over California (one of my faves). Those are all favorites of ours, so I’m happy we were able to enjoy them! We figured Disneyland may reach capacity for the fireworks, so we headed over there around 3:30 PM to enjoy more rides. We grabbed lunch right away (corn dog for me! Yummmmm.) and enjoyed some people watching in Frontierland. After a bit of relaxation, we headed to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. Is there a better way to celebrate Independence Day than with Pirates and Ghosts? We didn’t think so. By then it was almost 6:00, so we decided to get a spot for Mickey’s Soundsational Parade.

The parade was cute and a fun way to see several of my favorite characters. We also had a great view of Sleeping Beauty Castle and of Matterhorn Mountain.

As you can see, it was a beautiful, blue sky day! Another thing it was that day? CROWDED. The fireworks were scheduled for 9:30 PM that night. Louis and I assumed we could stake out a good spot around 8:00 PM. However, when we got our seats for the parade at 6:00 PM, there were already people saving seats for the fireworks! Even crazier, we talked to the people sitting behind us, and they had been saving their benches since 8:00 AM!!! They hadn’t gone on any rides or anything! They took turns grabbing food and using the restroom, and that was it! Louis and I weren’t that insane, but we decided to stay put to keep our spots for the fireworks show. While Louis saved our seats, I grabbed him a Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar and a nice cold Coca Cola to wash it down (along with some Space Mountain FastPasses!). The crowds were so crazy and thick, that it was almost impossible for me to get back to him!

The time went by surprisingly fast as we chatted with the fellow Disney lovers sitting around us. We all exchanged stories, tips, and memories, and had a great time. Soon the castle was lit up for the evening.

Finally, 9:30 arrived and the incredible fireworks show began! The entire thing was probably around 20-30 minutes with speaking interludes, fireworks synced to patriotic music, and projections on the castle. I can’t lie, I definitely teared up a few times, while thinking about how proud I am to be an American! The show was beautiful, whimsical, patriotic, fun, and magical! Everything I have come to expect from Disney! The pictures below are a small sampling of one portion of the show, but they definitely don’t do it justice. The final picture is from the finale, which was obviously too bright and amazing for my iPhone camera to handle! Haha!

When the amazing show came to an end, we headed toward TomorrowLand because I was craving a yummy Mickey Pretzel. We perused the gift shops until our Space Mountain FastPasses were eligible, and then we hopped on our rocket to outer space! Since Louis had work the next day, once our rocket returned to earth, we decided it was time to head home. I ~~passed out~~ kept Louis company on the drive back, and we got back to the hotel around 1:00 AM. After our showers, we fell into bed, exhausted from our long, exciting 4th of July. It was a fun-filled day and a great way to celebrate America!

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