Hoots of a Night Al

Two Years!

March 18, 2014 6 Comments

Two years ago today I became a Mrs. when I walked down the aisle and promised vows to the love of my life.

I first had a crush on him in middle school. Many AIM chats and classroom talks later, we became high school sweethearts. We shared some amazing years at Texas A&M, and during our senior year there, he proposed.

He is smart, funny, sweet, patient, caring, handsome, and wonderful. We are always laughing together, and even after all this time I’m still learning new things about him each day. He loves me so well, and I can’t imagine my life without him.

I can hardly believe we’ve been together for almost eight years and married for two! Time has seriously flown by.

This past year included living in San Antonio, spending over a month in Disney parks, and living in La Jolla for three months, but regardless of where we are, I’m happy when I’m with him. We’ve already shared so many memories and adventures, and I can’t wait to see what is to come!

Happy Anniversary, Handsome! I love you!

Beauty

It's Just Another Manicure Monday…Easy Going

March 17, 2014 3 Comments

Happy Monday, y’all! For today’s Manicure Monday, I’m sharing my favorite light pink polish. This “so light it’s almost white” pink is Sinful Colors Easy Going. My mom gifted me this polish a couple years ago, and I’ve loved it ever since.

It only takes about two coats to become opaque, and it’s relatively easy to apply. The brush is definitely thinner than OPI or Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure. If you prefer a brush more similar to Essie, this would fit the bill.

Want to know how it doesn’t compare to Essie? A bottle of Easy Going will only set you back $1.99 at most drugstores. That’s 75% cheaper than a bottle of Essie or OPI! Some people may claim the quality isn’t as good, but they’re full of it. Just kidding. I know next to nothing about nail polishes. I’m sure there are factors that make different brands superior, but, with a good topcoat, Sinful Colors polishes stay on my nails just as long as some of my pricier polishes. I think their colors are great for when you want to try something new but don’t want to break the bank.

This particular color is perfect for welcoming spring and Easter! It’s the lightest of pinks, but it isn’t sheer or shimmery like many other pale pinks. It really pops on my hands, and I always get compliments when I’m wearing it! If you’re a fan of pastel shades for spring, I’d definitely give Easy Going a spin. And make sure to check out the Sinful Colors section next time you’re at your local drugstore…with over 60 shades under $2, you’re sure to find something to try!

Beauty

Beauty Blurbs: L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

March 12, 2014 2 Comments

It’s time for another mascara review! Today, I tried out L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara in Blackest Black. According to L’Oreal this mascara “extends and lifts outer corner lashes to give you a winged-out effect, instantly volumizing lashes at the roots and stretching lashes outward.” It also has fibers (Cocoon fibers as they call them…butterfly…cocoon…get it?) that attach to your lashes for extra length.

The “Butterfly Brush” is definitely unlike any mascara wand I’ve seen before. It is most narrow near the inner corner of your eye and thicker as it heads towards outer lashes. It has well-spaced, firm, rubbery bristles that are asymmetrical on one side to create the “winged out” effect, and shorter, even bristles on the other side.

Above is a shot of my eye with no mascara on the left and with two coats of L’Oreal’s Butterfly Mascara on the right. The wand allowed for easy application. It allowed me to separate each lash to ensure little clumping without globbing (really spell check? Globbing isn’t a word? Disagree.) on mascara each time I touched my lashes. The formula was great too. It didn’t dry too quickly, so it was easy to apply a second coat.

I was enamored with this mascara when I first applied it, but looking back at these pictures, I’m less impressed. I just feel like my lashes don’t look as full or long as they do when I use different mascaras. I didn’t curl my lashes today, so that may have something to do with it. I do have to say, my lashes still felt soft after application, and I didn’t have any flaking all day.

At $8.99 a tube, I’m still happy that I purchased this mascara to try (Full disclosure: I had a coupon, so I got it for $2.99). The “innovative” wand is unique and easy to work with, and the formula is great. I think next time I’ll try curling my lashes and maybe even going for three coats (dream big, right?).

Has anyone else tried L’Oreal’s Voluminous Butterfly Mascara? Did your lashes become so winged out and fabulous they almost fluttered off your face? Did the “Cocoon fibers” allow your lashes to escape to new dimensions? Do tell.

Beauty

It's Just Another Manicure Monday….Cloud

March 10, 2014 2 Comments

Better late than never, right? Squeezing in another manicure Monday with a couple of hours to spare! This week, I’ve been welcoming spring with Revlon’s Top Speed Nail Enamel in Cloud. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you don’t like it), I don’t think they produce this polish anymore. It looks like Revlon still has a few bottles to sell via Amazon here.

I thought Cloud was a great polish for March because it is a crisp, light lavender (as opposed to a dark lavender?). The cool, rainy weather outside we’ve had doesn’t exactly scream “SPRING,” but it felt like I needed to brighten things up anyway.

I painted my nails in a rush before heading to sub one morning, and I must say, it did dry very quickly.Unfortunately, I only had time for 2 coats, and I think this polish really needs 3 to become opaque. I’m in favor of the high speed drying, but it’s kind of counterproductive if you have to add multiple coats to achieve the desired color. I also think the polishes marketed as “quick drying” chip easier. Sometimes the “saved time” isn’t an even trade off when you have to paint 7 coats, and it chips easily.

If you want to rock a lavender nail for spring, maybe check out Essies’ Lilacism or Nice is Nice. I think lavender colors are perfect for someone wanting to branch out from traditional pinks/peaches/corals but doesn’t want to try anything too bold. Hope you add lavender to your spring nail color line up! (Like anyone has a spring nail color line up…ridiculous.)

Beauty

Beauty Blurbs: NYX Infinite Shadowstick in Crystal

March 5, 2014 4 Comments

Today I’m reviewing the NYX Infinite Shadowstick in Crystal. I picked this up at Ulta a few weeks ago, and it’s been part of my daily routine ever since. And by “daily routine,” I mean days I’m subbing or days I feel like the cashiers at HEB deserve to see me in makeup. Living that crazy life, you know.

I love that my Ulta offers testers for NYX products even though they’re on the “drugstore” side. Not that I haven’t been guilty of “testing” non-samples before (so sue me.), but it’s nice to be able to test out the products that are under $40, since that’s the makeup I tend to gravitate towards. Anyway….I swatched all nine of the available colors on my hand, and those suckers wouldn’t BUDGE. I tried hand sanitizer, tissues, and whatever random liquid they had to remove makeup at Ulta, and they were staying put! I figured that was a good sign of staying power, so I bought the color “Crystal” which is a pearly white.

Crystal is the perfect color for highlighting the brow bone and inner corner of the eye. I typically draw it on and blend it out with my fingers. It glides on easily and doesn’t smear off throughout the day. I haven’t tried it as one, but I bet it would have great staying power used an eyeshadow base. However, they have several neutral tones that would probably make better base shades. I’m pretty sure the bright white shininess of Crystal could easily throw you back to middle school makeup days if used all over. And no one wants that. (Though, personally, I favored pink, shimmer shadow in middle school.)

Crystal is great for brightening up my brow bone or inner eye corner, and I love how long it stays put. All but two of the NYX Infinite Shadowsticks are pearly with all being varying shades of beige with the exception of one light, mauve-pink shade. The remaining two shadowsticks are matte black and matte dark brown. I think the matte sticks would be great for creating a matte, smokey eye look.

Overall, I’m definitely a fan of Crystal. It’s a pearly, subtle white shadow perfect for a highlight. I think I may try Almond (pearly taupe) or Flushed (pearly coral-beige) in the future as an all-over shadow base. At $8.99, these shadowsticks aren’t exactly cheap (if you’re a cheapskate like me), but they do offer great staying power and versatility depending on your color choice. Hope this helps anyone considering purchasing one or more!

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