beauty blog – Page 6 – Hoots of a Night Al

Blo Blow Dry Bar

April 8, 2016 8 Comments

Goofy snaps aside (I’m mrsalilang on Snapchat, by the way), this review is about my experience at the new Blo Blow Dry Bar in San Antonio. Blo’s whole mentality is “no cuts, no color,” meaning they strictly deal with washing and styling your hair.

I immediately loved Blo’s crisp decor, which was chic gray and white with fun pops of pink! Fresh flowers, instagram-worthy wall phrases, and bright, clean styling stations greet you when you walk in.

Once I checked in, I was greeted by my stylist who offered me a drink and asked what style I was looking to achieve. Blo offers 7 signature styles to choose from, but you can alter them to your liking or ask for something else completely. We talked about my hair type (mega straight and smooth) and what I wanted before she took me back to wash my hair.

After washing my hair, we returned to the styling station to get started. My sweet stylist (or “Bloer” as Blo refers to them), chatted with me as she combed my hair and began blowdrying.

During my style, she used a wide range of products, all from the Unite haircare line. She started with the 7SECONDS Detangler, aptly named because, you guessed it, it starts detangling your hair in only 7 seconds.

She used a round brush to completely blow dry and smooth my hair before curling it with a straightening iron after spraying each section with TEXTURIZA Spray. After all of my hair was curled, she went in with the EXPANDA Dust on my roots to tease and give me some volume. Finally, with some GO365 Hairspray, I was finished!

What do you think? Considering how naturally straight my hair is, I was amazed at what they achieved with the right products and tools! My hair had so much volume and curl, and it’s currently several hours later and still holding strong! My stylist told me some people come in once a week to have their hair washed and styled and don’t wash their hair until they return the next week! I think that’s a great testament to how well their styling techniques work, but I also think that’s sort of gross? My hair gets oily about 10 seconds after I wash it though, so I don’t think I’ll ever understand the magical mystery of people with dry hair!

The style closest to what I chose is “Pillow Talk,” and my stylist said this is one of their most popular styles. I can see why! I felt so glamorous all day, and I think a visit to Blo would be a relaxing treat for anyone.

If you’re looking for somewhere to get a fun updo, some beautiful curls for date night, or a pretty braid for Girl’s Night Out, I definitely recommend Blo! Here is the location I visited (which is having their grand opening this weekend!), but there are several across the United States.

Happy Saturday!

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you 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

Covergirl Clump Crusher Extensions LashBlast Mascara

April 4, 2016 4 Comments

Covergirl Clump Crusher Extensions LashBlast Mascara…is that a mouthful or what? This mascara is my first foray into the world of LashBlast mascaras…shocking, I know!

This mascara claims to provide “buildable volume and length instantly.” First of all, how can the volume be both buildable and instant? Doesn’t the buildable qualifier automatically make it not instant? Regardless, it definitely needed to be built up. I applied three coats of this mascara before seeing any results, which, ironically resulted in some clumping. Shouldn’t I have been “crushing” the clumps instead of creating them?

The Very Black color I chose was nice and dark, but I was disappointed so many coats still resulted in such a little impact. Maybe that’s my fault because I want a false lashes look from my mascara. However, I was definitely left wanting more from this mascara.

If you’re someone who loves a more natural makeup look, this mascara may be great for you. A few coats is basically a “my lashes, but better” look if that makes sense. The bristles on the wand are fanned and well-spaced, but VERY stiff, which made me nervous about stabbing myself in the eye (especially since I had to utilize the wand so much to try and “crush” the multiple clumps…).

I loved that this mascara didn’t flake throughout the day and washed off relatively easily, but those were basically the only pros for me. I know some people are diehard LashBlast fans though…do I just need to try a different version?

Have you tried the Covergirl Clump Crusher Extensions LashBlast Mascara? What did you think?

Talk to y’all soon!

Beauty

Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara

March 31, 2016 2 Comments

What’s that? Another Maybelline mascara review? Well, if you insist! The Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious mascara is a variation of the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara that I reviewed recently. However, they don’t have many similarities apart from their names.

As usual, I chose the darkest option, Blackest Black. It is definitely a deep, rich black, which I love.

I also love the matte black packaging. I know it will get dirty so quickly in my makeup bag, but I love how chic matte products look!

This mascara claims to provide a “full fan effect,” by coating your lashes with its “precious oil-infused formula.” Well, I’ll give them one thing. It does COAT your lashes. Warning: if you’re a 2 or 3 coat mascara kind of girl like me, DON’T try that with this mascara!

As you can see, this wand comes out with a LOT of product on it, and, regardless of how I apply it, a second coat always results in clumpy, wet lashes that I can’t separate. In these pictures I did 2 “coats,” but I never inserted the wand back into the tube between coats to grab more product. There is plenty (probably too much) from the first time you pull out the wand. It’s also super wet and takes forever to dry. I have be careful not to get any of this on my eyelids after I apply it, which is something I never usually have to worry about.

Thankfully, it never flakes throughout the day, which is great.

In the picture below, I switched the side of my face I’m holing the mascara on to REALLY liven it up for y’all. Yikes…think I need some new selfie makeup poses?

Do I love this mascara? No. Do I like it? Meh. I’ll probably keep using it, since I already have it, but it’s definitely not my first choice. If you’re wanting to try a new mascara, there are much better options out there like the original Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara or Maybelline Falsies mascara. They’re both more buildable without the issue of clumps.

Maybelline rarely lets me down, so I’m hoping if I keep working with this mascara, I’ll get better at applying it. Have you tried it? Any tips for helping it not clump?

I hope this review was helpful for you, and that you’re having a great week!

Beauty

MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme Perpetrual Flame

March 26, 2016 No Comments

As someone who mostly wears drugstore makeup, MAC is considered a splurge for me. When I really want to have a “treat yo’ self” moment, I know I can’t go wrong with their products…and I recently discovered, their MAC Prolongwear Lipcreme is absolutely amazing.

This color is Perpetual Flame, and it’s a gorgeous red with just a hint of berry to it. The color payoff is amazing, and it applies smoothly and easily.

I used to not care much about lipstick, but in the last few years, it has become one of my favorite beauty products, and this one is near the top of the list.

The picture below is from FOUR HOURS after I applied my lipstick AND after I ate Pappasito’s. Anyone that knows Texans knows we don’t mess around when eating Tex Mex. I didn’t hold back, and this lipstick stayed in place perfectly. (Also, I’m not sure what I mean by “I didn’t hold back”…I don’t eat Tex Mex like a ravenous dog…most of the time…)

Here I am reapplying my MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme. JUST KIDDING. IT NEVER WEARS OFF. Seriously, I’ve worn it for at least 8 hours before, and it didn’t budge. It’s also great because even though it’s long-wearing, my lips never feel dry or uncomfortable when I’m wearing this lipstick.

As you can see, I’m a BIG fan of this lip product, and I think you’ll love it, too! It’s worth the tiny splurge if you’re looking for an amazing, long-wearing lipstick.

What are your favorite shades of lipstick from MAC? Let me know!

Beauty

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

March 24, 2016 4 Comments

Y’all. Whoever is creating the mascaras at Maybelline needs a raise. THEY’RE ALL SO GOOD. In the last few months, I’ve started loving Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Mascara.

It’s from the drugstore (duh), so the price is awesome, but that’s not why I love it so much. It adds so much length and volume to each and every lash!

As you can see, the brush has tons of bristles at varying lengths, so each of your lashes gets coated with this amazing mascara. The tiny bristles are perfect for getting the product on your eyelashes, and the longer bristles help separate them and create the fan effect.

I chose the darkest formula, Blackest Black, and I love how rich the color is. I typically apply 2-3 coats, waiting for my mascara to dry between each coat.

According to Maybelline, the “Liquid Ink formula coats from all sides.” First of all, um, what? When is ink not liquid? Secondly, it actually does coat my lashes well! However, you definitely need to be careful to separate them out before the mascara dries so they aren’t clumpy. Unless that’s the look you’re going for, of course.

This mascara also doesn’t flake or smear at all throughout the day, which is so nice. That’s essential for mascara in Texas with our HOT summers looming!

As you can hopefully see, Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara is an awesome product because it makes a big impact on your eyes for a very small cost!

If you give it a try, I hope you love it as much as I do! What are your favorite drugstore makeup products? Let me know in the comments!

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