Pride Isn't Much of a Sin, Right?

Wet n Wild's Color Icon Palette in Pride ($5) has an array of blues,greens, and of course, the highlights. I'm thinking their Greed palette and this one should switch names. The greens are wearable and very spring-like (think mint). The blues are bangin' also, deep and sensual navies.

Pride: Mattes and Shimmers

I probably won't wear the colors together (not that I don't like peacocks or anything, I just don't want to look like one). WAIT. Did I just have a revelation?! Maybe that's why pride is greens and blues (EQUALS PEACOCKS). Or maybe not. This set of colors has a super pigmented matte white. I like the minty shimmer the best, because It's probably the most wearable for me in the daytime. Following suit with the rest of their Wet n Wild trend, the dark colors have great color payoff and are super deep.

I don't believe I've mentioned this before, but all my swatches do not include a primer, so what you see is what you get.

And what you get is good.

Getting Greedy with Wet n Wild

First of all, Did you guys notice how adorable the names are by following suit with the 7 deadly sins? In that case, how was I only able to find FOUR quads at the store! I wanted all SEVEN! My. my, am I sounding greedy? *Blush*. It's this palette I tell ya.

I for one, think the colors in this Wet n Wild Color Icon Greed ($5) set should be green. Greed. It just makes sense. Maybe I'll write a letter.

Greed: Mattes and Shimmers

Greed has: a cream tan highlight, a perwinkle, two peach-pinks, and two blacks. 

The matte peachy color is BAM IN YO FACE. Look at it. It seems that I just painted my arm. Again, the blacks are SUPER pigmented. I don't see myself wearing this quad much, but It's ok. It'll keep my other Wet n Wild palettes company.

It's Not Love, It's Lust (From Wet n Wild That Is)

This palette makes me feel like a princess ;) . Wet n Wild, you're spoiling me with your sexy royal colors! The Wet n Wild Color Icon Lust palette ($5) is filled with cream, purples, a silver, and a black.

Do you guys see that color right there? That blackish-purplish shimmery color? I'm thinking Mac's Beauty Marked Dupe. Am I right? Am I right? Who's with me?

Lust: Mattes and Shimmers

Wowza. The pigmentation on their darker colors are ah-may-zing. This palette (not QUAD) consists of deeper purples/greys which are so deep and pack a lot of color. The violet is a really gorgeous plummy-violet. But my favorite color out of this set probably has to be that "Beauty-Marked dupe". The highlights are really stark-whitish though, so you have to be careful or else you'll look like you rubbed chalk all over your lids. That's right. Chalk. We aren't five anymore girls, and our faces aren't sidewalks. So, let's take it easy with the Wet n Wild highlights. That aside, me being a more neutral person, has to bump this set from a lust to an I-like-like-you. Other than my own personal taste, I'm sure you guys will like it =). 

Wet n Wild Makes Me Vain

Wet n Wild? Really?

Yeah that's right. I'm usually not a fan but they recently released some sweet eyeshadow palettes. They're a part of their "Color Icon" line. At 5 bucks a pop, you're in for a good deal. Even better? I got my palettes (I can't call them duos, trios, or quads... what comes after???) for 40% off. And I'm sold.

HEYYY GOOD LOOKIN'.

 Vanity: Mattes and Shimmers

Vanity is a gold/neutral/brown palette. Just my kinda thing.Wet n Wild knows how to do it right, three mattes on the right, three shimmers on the left. Vanity is nicely pigmented. The packaging is so-so, just your average plastic case. The colors make up for that though. The mattes do seem to apply easier than the shimmers (forget the white that is barely-there on my skin), but then again, shimmers are ALWAYS easier to blend... I wish the two sides didn't compete for my heart like so... It's really stressing me out.

Giveaway: Too Faced French & Fabulous.[CLOSED]

Ok, I figured I was overdue for a give-a-way. I told myself that when I hit 50 followers, I'd give SOMETHING away, and I'm at 70 now. As you guys know, I got the Too Faced French & Fabulous palette, what I didn't tell you is that I bought an extra to give away ;). WIN IT and become French & Freakin' Fabulous.

* YES, I'm using an old pictures from the previous post because my boyfriend took my camera for the weekend for a tennis tournament.

Contest is open internationally


Rules and how to enter:
*You must be a follower
*Comment on this post saying "enter me" or whatever you want
*One entry per person
*This contest will run until April 30th, 2010 at 11:59 PM. (That's the end of next Friday) Any entries sent after that date/time will not count. 


Want Another entry?: 
*You can gain another entry if you post the first picture above that says "win it" on your blog (either on the side or mention in a blog post) and link back to this post (http://ahautepassion.blogspot.com/2010/04/giveaway-too-faced-french-fabulous.html). Show me a link to your blog in your entry/comment that you've done so.

*And I'm sorry I haven't really updated for a few days, as I said last time, my laptop got a virus. A tech professor on campus was nice enough to fix my laptop for me, so I finally got it back today. YAY

New Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

I adoreeee mascara! Revlon is releasing their new Grow Luscious mascara which is the their first mascara to "help your lashes grows stronger while visibly adding length and volume, 96% saw instantly longer lusher lashes".

I'm a little excited to try this. I'm all for mascaras that claim to promote lash growth!

You can preorder now at (with free shipping!) at :
CVS.com
Drugstore.com
Walgreens.com
Riteaid.com 
Ulta.com
Target.com

Walmart is all sold out, so as of now, Target is the cheapest at $7.69.

I recommend purchasing at CVS, because right now they have coupon codes. You can get $5 off $15 with code 15SHIP. Also, use SAVE20 for 20% off. You must be signed into your CVS account to apply coupons.

*NOTE: I wanted to post up some product swatches, but had to resort to this post because my laptop has a virus. So, I'm using the computer on campus until it's fixed =( Everyone, beware of the rogue virus called Antispyware Soft that's disguising itself as an anti virus application.

Sephora & Korres Haul w/ Swatches

I got two packages in a few days ago. One from Sephora, and one from Korres.com. I'm not going to swatch everything, because I feel like that would be a bit excessive. I will swatch and review the Korres eyeshadows from Korres.com and the Korres blushes I got from Sephora.

Blushes (L-R): Orange, Purple-Brown, and Brown
Eyeshadows (L-R): Base, 24K, Orange, Golden Brown, Golden Bronze, Olive Green

Don't they have the most BORING names EVER?!


Swatches of blushes: (same order as above)

 First off, the packaging is really nice. It's simple, durable, and sleek. The blushes themselves are well-pigmented. The colors aren't exactly what I expected when I bought them though. The orange is simply scary in the pan. It's a bright Red-orange. It's actually really UGLY in the pan. However, with a light touch on the cheeks, the color is very subtle and gives a nice peachy-orange glow. Purple-brown is more of a rosey-plum color. I have yet to wear it, because it's not exactly my color choice. Brown reminds me a lot of Benefit's Dallas. It's a rusty brown-rose. I'm pretty sure I'll be using it more as a bronzer/contour. But hey, they were a steal at $10 a pop!

 Swatches of eyeshadows: (same order as above eyeshadow picture)

First off, these were a lot smaller than I had anticipated. They's cute little squares with 1.8 grams of product (bigger than a MAC shadow, but sure doesn't look the part). These were a hit or miss. Some had better color payoff than others. I'm reviewing them from the bottom of my arm. First color is base. Base sucks. You can barely see the swatch HUH?! It's kind of a weird grey-ish tan, and I'm not sure what to do with it. 24K is NOT gold. The name is very misleading. It's a pale shimmery beige, with just ok pigmentation. But, as we go to the darker shades, the colors get a lot better. Orange is actaully a peachy color with a golden sheen. Golden brown and golden bronze are exactly what theire names say, as well as Olive green. My fav by far is golden bronze. It's the most vibrant, maybe thats why they plopped it into different packaging??

Overall, I was a bit disappointed in the eyeshadows, but for the most part because I'm not digging the packaging and some of the sucky pigmentation. The blushes are simply OK for me. They're not the best colors (whatever happened to peaches and pinks?). Between the two, I say the blushes are a much better buy than the shadows.

Have you guys tried Korres shadows or blushes?

Urban Decay Deals at Ulta!

Yes, another post about another good deals (can you tell I spend ALOT of time shopping?)
Ulta has Urban Decay Smoke Out Kits for only $19.99!!! (Originally $34 each!)
Yeah, I hyperventilated a little when I saw this... The kits each include four eyeshadows, a mascara, and two eyeliners (including the loved 24/7 pencil in zero)
It comes in three colors: (Pictures from Ulta.com)

Sweet Lucy (silvery gray):

Ju-Ju (rich brown):

Yerba (greens):

Get them HERE!
AHHH! I want them ALL! GIMME GIMME!

Ulta also has an exclusive Urban Decay Mother's Day Face Case:

Only $14.00!
It comes with 3 eyeshadows, one blush, and 3 lipglosses. Check it HERE.

I'm not really wanting the Face Case, not too keen on the colors, but the Smoke out kits are a great deal!

Cinique Sale at Gilt

I LURVE SAMPLE SALES AT HAUTELOOK AND GILT. 

Gilt groupe usually doesn't do beauty sales, so this is exciting!
Gilt, unlike hautelook, is invitation only, so here's mine for you: http://www.gilt.com/invite/jhuyn
Yes, I do get money for referring, so it'll be awfully nice of you to use my invite (YES you do need an invite, lol)

Things I'm interested in:

The 3-step skincare intro kits for dry combo skin $17 (Orig. $24)

Eye favorite collections for $24 (Orig. $36)

Of course, there's a lot more too! There's lip products, more skin care, fragrances, and men's.
Shipping is kind of high ($7.95 for orders under $50) but I'll bite my tongue... 

See anything you like?

Physician's Forumula Shimmer Strips: Bobbi Brown Dupe?

 I'm really digging Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Bronzers. I was looking at them last week, and I had the strangest "de ja vu"  feeling I've seen them before... Well, that's because they look A LOT like Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Bricks. I'm not doing a color comparison, because they're pretty different. One, I use Bobbi Brown's as more of a highlighter where as the PF is a bronzer. They both contain five strips of color and are the same size.

Don't they look like they could be sistahs?!

PF Shimmer Strips L-R: Malibu, Waikiki, Miami, Vegas, and Sunset 

Swatches Top to Bottom: Sunset, Vegas, Miami, Waikiki, Malibu, and Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick in Beige 

I feel like the PF Shimmer Strips are actually easier to get color from than BB's. Plus, they're about $13 a pop, instead of $38. PF has more of sheen to it, whereas BB is more shimmery. My favorite Shimmer strip is Waikiki, because the top color is a peachy one, and I can double it as a glowy blush.

Have you guys tried either? Yay or nay?

Mac Rubenesque Paint Pot Dupe!

I don't know if you've guys noticed the box on the left, but my product of the moment is Mac's Paint Pot in Rubenesque. Rubenesque is a peachy base with gold/champagne shimmer. I LOVE IT.

So, imagine my surprise when I was riffling through my makeup collection and came across a Revlon dupe. I own almost every Revlon Illuminance Cream Shadow quad, and I've only use a few colors out of a few quads. Anyways, my Va Va Va Bloom quad has a color that is basically an EXACT dupe for Rubenesque. It's the THIRD color from the left in the quad. They looked really similar in the pot, but when I swatched them, they were twins!

Mac's Rubenesque is $16.50 while Revlon's quad is about $5.50. STEAL! Go pick this up!

*I hear that the indellible cream shadows at jwcosmetics.com are exact dupes for paint pots also, but they retail about 9 dollars. I'll be trying them out to see soon

What do you guys think?

Essence Mini Haul w/ Swatches

I'm not sure if you guys remmeber or not, but I blogged about Essence being released at Ulta last month. The brand is dirt cheap so I finally decided to try it out. I ended up buying six eyeshadows

Top row: Eyeshadows ($1.99 each) in Love Talk, Pretty Funky, and Metropolitan
Bottom row: Colour and Shine Eyeshadows ($2.99 each) in Fabulous, Pretty Rockin', and Stage Beauty

Swatches: (In same order as above)

All of the regular eyeshadows have a shimmery sheen/sparkle to them. Love Talk is a pretty deep green color and is pretty pigmented. Pretty funky is kind of an olive color, and it SUCKS. It took me awhile just to swatch it because the pigmentation is so bad. In the pot it's such a pretty color, and is actually one of the prettiest. I don't see myself actually using it though, because the quality is so poor. Metropolitan, however, is the most pigmented and the smoothest out of the three. It's a really vibrant brown. It looks lighter in the pot than when swatched.

The Colour and Shine Eyeshadows are gorgeous. They're all baked and can be applied wet or dry. I haven't tried them wet yet because the pigmentation is great dry already. Fabulous is a brown-bronze color with copper shimmer. Pretty Rockin' is black with silver shimmer. And Stage Beauty is a pretty golden tan.

I highly recommend the baked shadows. As for the regular shadows, I feel like it's a hit or miss. In stores, however, they do have pull out testers so you can swatch the colors. If you can't get to a store, get them online at Ulta. HERE for the regular eyeshadows, and HERE for the baked ones.

Be a Savage Beauty!

Victoria's Secret Limited Edition Spring 2010 Makeup collection has just been released. I'm super excited because I love Victoria's Secret makeup! The packaging is usually pretty sleek and cute. (Again, I'm a sucker for good packaging). I'm not so sure about their slogan for the collection, I would want to be anything but SAVAGE. Ugh. Savages AKA flesh-eating barbarians. That's what I think of it.

The collection includes two mineral eyeshadow palettes ($15 each), a luminous cheek and face highlighter ($14), a mineral bronzing powder ($14), and two lip glosses ($10 each).

Also...

 Yes that's right, you can get the above lipglosses for $5 instead of $10 if you buy something else from the collection!

I'm probably going to end up getting an eyeshadow and the bronzer. I LOVE MY BRONZERS ;).

What do you guys think?

Too Faced at Nordstrom Rack

I LOOOOVE it when I find makeup at Nordstrom Rack! A lot of people are unaware that they carry makeup at a discounted price because they're so busy checking out the clothes and shoes! From what I've seen they carry Shu Uemera, Stila, Smashbox, Bare Escentuals, and this time... TOO FACED! I went in on whim, and now I'll definitly be hitting up Nordstrom Rack more often!

I snagged the Too Faced Glamour Revolution and French & Fabulous palette, which were being sold at Sephora for 40 and 30 dollars respectively. I got them for 15 and 10! STEAL!

SIGH. The packaging is soooo GORG.

Here's what Glamour Revolution looks like on the inside: (A blush, bronzer, 3 lipsticks, 9 eyeshadows, and a mini shadow insurance)

and... French & Fabulous:

Inside: (Includes 6 eyeshadows, sun bunny bronzer, and pink leopard bronnzer <-the reason why I bought the palette, this bronzer size alone is 12.50!)

I tried to go back the next day to buy more, but they were all out! I even checked another Nordstrom Rack, and no cigar. SIGH. Oh well. At least I got these =). 

Do you guys find great deals at the Rack?

Urban Decay Friends and Family sale!

YAY! Urban decay is at it again! It's been awhile since I've seen a Friends and Family sale! I'm super excited for this one because I've been wanting the Deluxe shadow palette =). I'm still sad that I didn't get the Book of Shadows 2 last time around.Go to the page HERE.

Are you guys planning on getting anything?

Maybelline EyeStudio Quads(Post 3/3)

Continued from previous post...


Whew. Finally on my third and final installment of the Maybelline EyeStudio quads.
This post will include: Irresistibly Ivy, Mad for Mauve, Pink Persuasion, and Green With Envy

How freakin amazing does that look?! The third color is more green-toned in the palette, but when swatched it's a lovely aqua. I'm also digging that gold (golds are my weakness).

My favorite is the mossy green. I probably won't use the colors in this quad together, but they'll be great seperately.

This is one of the quads I was unsure about buying, but I did anyways because, well, I was buying all of them so I might as well. It's not really anything different. I'm sure we've all see the pink/black before. This black color is also included in I think two other Maybelline EyeStudio quads.

I'm gonna start off first with apologizing about the crappy quality. I rushed to take this early this morning in bad lighting because my sister was asleep. I took this one last because I didn't want to open the package because I was a bit peeved that it was sealed BUT was missing an applicator! I know I don't use the darn things, but I gave up on calling in to complain. ANYWAYS, the colors are much better IRL, I promise. 

Overall, I can safely say I'm a huge fan of these quads. Even though they each included a highlighting white color that's 2X the size of the other shadows (highlighting colors are the least used....), and the fact that they include gratuitous amounts of glitter, the pigmentation and soft texture of the shadows make up for its faults. I also find that they are pretty easy to blend. I say you should go out and try one to see if it works for you, because I highly recommend them. =)

Maybelline EyeStudio Quads(Post 2/3)

I was supposed to post this yesterday, but I didn't have time. Sorry!

Anyways, to continue from the last post... 


This post will include Maybelline EyeStudio Quads in Purple Icon, Legendary Lilac, Sapphire Siren, and Spirited Seas.
*I'm going to reiterate again that these eyeshadows are not for everyone, they are VERY sparkly.

Purple Icon isn't one of my favorite quads, but that's because I'm not big on wearing a lot of purple eyeshadows. The qaulity is, again, great. I love the dark vibrant purple.

Even though I already said I'm not found of purple, I'm digging this quad. The violet is just gorgeous, and I can't wait to actually wear these colors.

LOVE. These are beautiful true blues. Isn't that the most legit royal blue you've ever seen?

I've always loved the gold-blue combo. But I've never tried copper with blues, so I'm really excited for this.

All the quads in this post are catergorized as colors I'm kind of scared of using. I've seen one too many girls wearing blue eyeshadows that end up looking like hookers. I'm more of an everyday-neutral type of gal, but these are way too hot to pass up.

To be continued...