Hoots of a Night Al

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!

Fashion

Personalized Handwriting Disc Necklace from Sincerely Silver

July 14, 2019 8 Comments

Thank you to Sincerely Silver for gifting me a custom handwriting disc necklace!

Custom Handwritten Gold Disc Necklace with "life moves pretty fast" written in cursive

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller

Gold Necklace with "life moves pretty fast" written on circle disk in front of pink hydrangeas

Just over thirteen years ago, I sat down to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with a boy I’d had a crush on since middle school. Today, he’s my husband.

Louis and I had our first date on June 1, 2006. We were chatting on AIM one day, and he said Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was one of his favorite movies. I quickly agreed (even though I had never seen it.😂), so we made plans to watch it together. The rest is history.❤️

Woman smiling with closed mouth wearing black v-neck shirt and gold disk necklace

We have dubbed June 1, “Ferris Bueller Day” and make a point to watch it together that day each year. I love and totally agree when Ferris says life moves pretty fast. I already can’t believe it’s been 13 years since our first date! We’ve since married, lived in multiple cities, been on countless trips, and experienced so much life together. When the opportunity to collaborate with Sincerely Silver came up, I knew that quote would be perfect to commemorate on their handwriting disc necklace.

Gold Disc necklace that says "life moves pretty fast" dangling on gold chain from a bouquet of baby's breath flowers

These necklaces can be ordered in gold, silver, or rose gold, and have a perfect disc on a dainty, 18″ chain. The most special part of these necklaces though, is how they are customized. You can have whatever message you want added to the disc in personalized handwriting. This quote is special to me because of Louis, so I had him write “life moves pretty fast” for my disc. It was as simple as getting Louis to write the quote on a piece of paper, taking a picture with my phone, and emailing it to Sincerely Silver. The next thing I knew, it was engraved on my handwriting disc necklace!

Custom Handwritten Gold Disc Necklace with "life moves pretty fast" written in cursive in front of fiddle leaf fig

Isn’t this such a meaningful, precious idea? You could use the handwriting of anyone that’s important to you, or even your own handwriting to personalize your necklace. Have your child write “mom”, your spouse write “I love you”, sign your own name, or even take part of a message from a card someone wrote you in the past. The options are truly endless.

I can’t thank Sincerely Silver enough for creating such a special piece of jewelry for me. I know I will treasure it for years to come! If you’d like to create your own handwriting disc necklace, use promo code SINCERELY15 for 15% off your purchase! Let me know in the comments what you would get on your necklace!

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.

Disney

Best Walt Disney World Accessory Under $15 – Magic Band 2 Puck Holder

March 13, 2019 8 Comments

A quick google search will prove there are literally thousands of Disney accessories out there you can buy. From ears to bracelets to handbags to scrunchies…the list goes on and on! I wanted to share one of the most useful AND least expensive things I’ve purchased that made our Walt Disney World vacation so much smoother! A Magic Band 2 Puck holder!

If you aren’t familiar with Magic Bands, they are bracelets you wear at Walt Disney World that function as your park ticket, hotel room key, form of payment, Fastpass+, and more! Basically they streamline almost everything you would need to use at Walt Disney World into these colorful little wristbands. When you receive your Magic Bands, they come in the packaging below and look like this. You can definitely just wear the Magic Band like a bracelet, and they function perfectly! We’ve done this on several previous trips.

However, this trip, we had our Apple Watches for the first time, and the idea of wearing more than one thing on my wrist didn’t really appeal to me. Enter Magic Band puck holders. In a Magic Band the oval-shaped area where you see the Mickey head can be unscrewed and popped out of the band. That little puck is what holds all of your information and gets scanned throughout the Disney Resort, so it’s the only “important” piece of the Magic Band.

These puck holders came with a tiny screwdriver to unscrew and pop out the puck, and after that I simply slid it into the holder and onto my Apple watch band! The whole process took seconds, and my puck stayed snug it its little holder our entire trip.

This could be a great solution for anyone else wanting to minimize their wrist accessories for the parks. It’s also a great idea if you’re traveling with little ones, and you’re worried they may take off and lose their Magic Bands. You can easily add their pucks to your band for convenience (and piece of mind!). As you can see, I went with a red puck holder to match my puck, Louis got classic black, and there are tons of other colors to chose from! Even if you don’t use an Apple Watch, I think these would work on FitBits or any bracelet that can be unclasped (so you can slide the puck holder on).

What are you favorite accessories to bring on a Disney trip?? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Food, Recipe

Easy Weeknight Marinara Recipe

February 20, 2019 4 Comments

To me, nothing tastes as delicious as homemade marinara. Trust me, I won’t ever turn down a jar of Ragu, but sometimes it doesn’t hit the spot like fresh spaghetti sauce. However, I always thought marinara was complicated to assemble and had to spend an entire day simmering on the stove to turn out delicious. How wrong I was! My sweet friend Anne shared this delicious recipe with me, and I’ve since shared it with my mom and sister…we all love it! With only 5 ingredients and 30 minutes cook time, it really couldn’t be easier!

Ingredients

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes (I always check to see if these are from Italy…no clue if that makes a difference, but it can’t hurt, right? 😂)
8 garlic cloves diced (I typically use an entire head because you can’t ever have too much garlic, right?)
1 TBS Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp Salt (or more to taste)
Basil (1 spring of fresh basil or 1/4 tsp of dried basil)

Directions

Crush up the tomatoes with your hands.
Heat 1/4 cup of Olive Oil over medium heat in a large pot
Add garlic and cook until fragrant (just about a minute)
Add in tomatoes with their juice
Add salt, Italian seasoning, and basil
Simmer covered for 30 minutes
Serve over your favorite pasta!

You can also add in ground beef, Italian sausage, or ground turkey (yuck.) if preferred. Note that you may need to adjust the salt or spices. I love to serve this marinara with homemade pasta, and I’m sure it would work wonderfully in baked ziti or lasagna as well!

Are there any recipes you thought would need tons of time and effort that turned out to be easy and quick? Let me know below! Also, it’s definitely not as quick and easy, but would you like a post all about my homemade pasta? It’s pictured above, and IT. IS. DIVINE.

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