Wet n Wild Color Icon "Greed" eyeshadow palette swatches and look

Does everyone remember the brand Wet n Wild? It has occupied drugstore shelves for as long as I can remember and is insanely affordable - like, $1 for a lipstick. It's probably one of the first makeup brands I ever tried, but before this weekend I hadn't used it in ages. 

Lately, though, Wet n Wild eyeshadows have been the talk of the beauty blogosphere so I just had to find out what all the fuss was about. I headed over to the drugstore and discovered that the brand I used as a kid has totally matured! They now have tons of really pretty eyeshadow palettes to choose from in a range of colors.

I picked up this lovely 6-pan eyeshadow palette called "Greed" from the Color Icon collection for just $5. The colors are all pretty neutral, with three matte eyeshadows on the left and three sparkly ones on the right. Check out the swatches below.

As you can see from the swatches, the lightest color matches my skin tone almost identically. The matte shadows have a much greater color payoff than the sparkly shadows. 

Now check out a look I did using these shadows: 

To create this look, I applied the lightest shade along my browbone and the matte peach shade all over my lid. I then blended a small amount of the matte black shade into my crease and topped with the bluish/gray sparkly shade. I lined my upper eyelid with a black eyeliner pencil then blended the matte peach shade over the line to soften it. 

Overall, I think this palette is very versatile and can be used to create many different looks that would be suitable for both day and night. The shadows were a tad hard to blend, but with a little bit of work they eventually went on smoothly. I will definitely be using these shadows again and may even pick up some more Wet n Wild products. I actually had my eye on a few of the other Color Icon palettes as well. Plus, at just $5 for 6 shadows, the price really can't be beat.

What do you think of this palette? Have you ever tried any Wet n Wild products?

I've fallen in love... with an eyeshadow palette

Earlier this month I mentioned I was planning to take advantage of Sephora's 2010 Friends & Family sale to purchase a Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow palette but I was tossed up between a few different ones. I typically don't like to buy things online without trying them first, so today I headed over to Sephora to test out the Dior shadows.

Incidentally, there's a Sephora just blocks away from where I work -- talk about a blessing and a curse!

Anyway, as soon as I walked up to the Dior display, I zeroed in on the "Ready-to-Glow" palette.

The colors in this palette are simply gorgeous and I've completely fallen in love. I swatched them on my hand but unfortunately forgot to take a photo.

The shadows felt extremely silky and seemed highly pigmented and true to color. They are iridescent and shimmery but not glittery. When I get them I'll be sure to do a thorough post with swatches. I did snap a photo of the tester palette:

At $58, this palette is certainly pricey, even with the 20 percent off. However, I will be able to use these colors to create several different looks, so that justifies the price tag, right?

Meanwhile, I've also picked out a face and eye travel brush set as well as an anti-bacterial brush cleaning product that I plan to purchase. Oh, and I also need a new tube of Diorshow Iconic mascara. 

Have you taken advantage of the Friends & Family sale? It's only going on for a few more days! Click here to view my earlier post with all the information about the sale.

Sephora is having a Friends & Family sale starting next week! See what I'm holding out for...

I just heard some really great news from another beauty blogger, FabDiva20 that I absolutely must share with you all! Sephora is having a Friends & Family sale from October 22 to November 3! Use offer code FF2010 to receive 20 percent off your entire purchase and free standard shipping on orders of $50 or more. 

I'm so happy about this sale because I was actually going to stop over at Sephora today to pick up some new stuff. I guess I'll have to suck it up, demonstrate some self control, and wait until I can get 20 percent off. In the meantime, I suppose I'll just have to window shop...

For starters, I've been eyeing the Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow palettes. I hear they're super pigmented and I'm loving the color combinations. I really can't decide which one to get, and I know it will be a spur of the moment decision, but here are my top picks right now:

1. 5-Colour Eyeshadow - 440 Sunset Café 

2. 5-Colour Designer All-In-One Artistry Palette - Amber Design 

3. 5-Colour Eyeshadow - Ready-to-Glow 

4. 5-Colour Eyeshadow - Mystic Smokys 004

They're all $58, which is a splurge, but I think totally worth it. I'm leaning towards #3 because I love all the colors and I think it would make some great combinations. On second thought, #4 would work perfectly with my new MUFE Aqua Cream shadow. Then again, #2 is so neutral and it comes with an eyeliner (the matte brown color on the bottom right). But actually, forget about all those others, isnt #1 just divine?

See what I mean? I really can't make up my mind! Maybe I'll just have to get them all (I wish). 

Which one is your favorite?

P.S. I also need a new lipstick. I'm thinking a light brownish red. Have any recommendations?

Heads up! Macy's is having a major beauty sale!

Hey beauty lovers! If you're in the market for some new products I suggest you get your pretty little butts over to Macy's STAT! They're having a major beauty promotion called Macy's Beauty Scene (in store and online) with tons of discounts and freebies from some of my favorite brands including Philosophy, Lancome, Clairisonic and a ton of others! Check out some of these amazing deals you can score: 

1. FREE Origins Starter Set with any Origins Skin Care Purchase! 
2. FREE Gift with $75 Peter Thomas Roth purchase!

3. FREE Sample Trio with $50 Lancome Purchase!

4. FREE Gift with Clarisonic Sonic Cleansing System Purchase!

And click here to see all of their deals. 

I am super excited about this promotion because I actually need a new bottle of Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel, which I got a few months back as a free gift from Sephora as part of their Beauty Insider rewards program. I absolutely love the Peter Thomas Roth anti-aging cleanser because it smells great and does wonders for my skin. It contains "glycolic and salicylic acids to gently exfoliate and stimulate cell turnover." After using it just once, I swear I could see and feel an improvement in my skin. And because it doesn't foam up too much it's perfect to use with the Clairisonic Sonic Cleansing System (another great beauty product, but more on the Clairisonic some other time). 

Anyway, nothing like a good sale to kick off the weekend. Happy shopping and let me know if you get anything! Find me on Twitter @PrettiedUp or email me at prettiedup@gmail.com.