Hangout Fest 2013

Remember the girl who used to blog on the reg more than twice a week about beauty-related things? Yeah, me too. But sometimes life gets in the way. I'm learning not to put a post just for the sake of having one up. I'm just writing as I find the time and inspiration. I'm trying! Hope that's okay with you guys. Anyway, today I'm sharing some photos from my recent trip to Hangout Music Fest in Gulf Shores, Alabama! 

It's been a few years since I've attended a full-blown music festival, I really don't enjoy music festivals just because the large crowds in the hot sun can bother me. But this one's a little different. It's right on the beach. So I had high hopes for the weekend and it exceeded all expectations. I was in heaven. For three days, I just laid on the beach, brought out my inner hippie, listened to music, drank a few beers, and soaked up the sun. It was absolutely amazing! I definitely want to go back next year. So depending on the line-up, it's on the wish list! 

The highlights of the artists I was able to see were Macklemore, Imagine Dragons, Bassnectar, Afrojack, Ellie Goulding, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Not going to lie, I was so excited for Kings of Leon, and they just weren't all that great after seeing so many artists after them who connected with the audience and played their hearts out. Their music was good, I just didn't feel a huge connection with them like all the other artists.  

Seeing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis perform "thrift shop" and "can't hold us" was awesome. It's funny how you get sick of a song that's way overplayed on the radio, but when you hear it live, everyone just goes crazy excited. I have so many videos that I just keep re-watching, pretending I'm still there! 

And Imagine Dragons. Holy moly. Their music is crazy good and Dan Reynolds (the lead singer) was incredibly humble. I like seeing artists like that. Makes me want to support them even more.  

I also highly enjoyed being "au naturale" for the weekend. Just some BB cream (which served as my sunscreen) and waterproof mascara, and natural hair. Very low maintenance for me.

My dream line-up for next year would include Florence + the Machine, Lana Del Rey, Mumford and Sons, and Coldplay.  And more time for Imagine Dragons. That's not too much to ask! 

See you next year, Hangout! (I hope...)

xo, Mallory

beauty battle: waterproof mascara

Greetings from Florida! I hope everyone's having a great week. I'm not going to lie, I don't want the week to end yet. I've been in Navarre, Florida and we're headed to Destin tomorrow for the rest of the week. My boyfriend and I have our families here so we're spending time with both throughout the week. It's been a great few days, and I just hope the weather stays nice. 

While I'm here, I haven't put on any makeup. Which is just fine with me. My routine consists of washing my face, loading up on sunscreen, and applying some waterproof mascara. I brought two drugstore mascaras with me. I had them in my collection and thought this was the best time to test which is the best. 

The two I'm testing this week: 

1. L'oreal Voluminous Waterproof in black 

2. Covergirl Professional All-in-one Waterproof in very black

It's no secret that L'oreal Voluminous in carbon black is my holy grail mascara for everyday. It's a drugstore mascara that outperforms even most high end mascaras. For around $6.00, you really can't beat it. So, I decided to try out the waterproof version of this to see if it compares to the carbon black. 

I also like the Covergirl mascara. I find it to be a very underrated, but it has always worked for me. 

I simply just wanted to try this one out again. 

The bristles on the brushes are very different. The L'oreal brush (above) is denser and larger than the Covergirl brush (below). 

To test these two, I've been wearing the L'oreal on one eye and the Covergirl on another for the past few days. I've been in the pool, the sun, and the big salty gulf of mexico. 

When first applied, the Covergirl provided more length and volume than the L'oreal. I like the L'oreal too, but it didn't look as "volumized" as I had expected. 

As far as staying power, the Covergirl didn't smudge nearly as much as the L'oreal. The L'oreal gave me a little bit of a raccoon eye by the end of the day. Although both did perform well for most of the day. 

I really expected the L'oreal to work the best. But, in the end, I would have to pick the Covergirl Professional. I haven't tried any high end waterproof mascaras. So if anyone has had any luck with any others, definitely let me know. I 'll continue to use the Covergirl, but always on the hunt for something better! 

xoxo,