While I Was Out...a Hautelook Mini Haul!

Stupid smartphone!!! I had a mini-Hautelook haul come in yesterday, and I immediately grabbed my phone and snapped shots of the unopened packaging, then each item unopened, opened, and swatched.

Then my phone ate them. AAAAAARGH!!!!!!!

Seriously, there must have been ten pictures, and they're all gone. I'm going to try to recreate what I can, but I've already thrown out the packaging and used the products, so they're not all pristine. I'm sorry, guys.

Anyhoo, before I go any further, here's a quick...

While I Was Out!

For starters, I gave a recital of classical and musical theatre vocal pieces on Friday. Instead of blogging, I took the day off to finish last minute errands and rest my voice. I also had my hair and makeup done by the amazing Jessica Price. She also created the gorgeous pearl and crystal headpiece I wore that night. We had a wonderful turnout, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Hopefully, I'll have some audio files up soon.

I also saw The Avengers this weekend, and while I won't post spoilers, I will say that I highly recommend dropping whatever you're doing and running like mad to get to the next showing. It's smart, funny, and incredibly action-packed. I already loved Mark Ruffalo, but now I have a huge celebrity crush on him.

And speaking of awesome movies and audio files, the official soundtrack to The Night Shift is now available to own on CD! You can find it on Amazon, and I'll get a permanent link to it on the sidebar...well, eventually. You know me...

And now...on the to Hautelook mini-haul! (Good Lord, these pictures are nowhere near as good as the ones I took yesterday. Please forgive me...)

Anyhoo, I got in on the Vincent Longo sale that was held about a month, or so, ago. I can't remember the prices, but they were dirt cheap--otherwise, this broke girl wouldn't have bought anything. I picked up the Diamante Quad in Roja and the Hydro Stick in Rosewood Dawn.

The packaging is really luxe, and just screams "high end". I'm not thrilled with the closure on the quad, though. It's only magnetic, and could open very easily if tossed in a purse or bag.



Inside the quad are pink pearl, copper, cool bronze, and rose baked shadows. The hydro stick is a peachy cream blush, similar to NARS Orgasm (sorry, Mom) Multiple, but peachier and without the shimmer.

My first impression of the quad is...meh. It's okay, but if I'd paid anywhere near the retail price for it, I'd be really upset. Dry, the shadows barely show up. Wet, they make a huge mess and aren't true to color. That goregeous pink--the reason I bought the set!--shows up almost white. As soon as I tried to add the copper and bronze to the crease and outer v, it ran, and I ended up with nothing even resembling pink. Now, this was my first time using it, so I might be able to work with it a bit and figure out how to make it do what I want. I just really hate having to "make things work". I'd rather they just work to start with. The sparkle is really pretty, though, it blends (a little too) well, and I haven't had any creasing, yet. So, there's that.

Alrighty, I tried to take a picture of just my cheek with the hydro stick applied, but that turned out about as well as you'd think. The best I could do was snap a pick in my car before I left for work. I do like the hydro stick. A lot. It gives a very subtle glow that looks like a natural flush. The cream texture is perfect for this time of year, too. I'm not the best in the world at applying cream blush, but this one seems to be easier to work with than most, probably due to its light shade. All in all, not a bad haul. 

I won't bore you with all the details of what I'm wearing here, since it's just basic "I threw this on" makeup. The highlights, though, are the Diamante Quad on the eyes, Hydro Stick on the cheeks, and this where-have-you-been-all-my-life Tarte Lipsurgence Natural Lip Tint in Enchanted. I can't stop wearing it!

Question: Trying out Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush mascara on my lashes. What do you think? I have my own opinions, but I'd like to hear yours. Leave them in the comments below, please.