Wet n Wild Summer 2016 Lost in the Wildflowers Collection

Hello again readers!

Wet n Wild released some new limited edition products for Summer, and for once I found the display at my local Walgreens (usually I have to travel to get my hands on anything limited edition such as this). I couldn't resist trying a little bit of everything, aside from the nail polish. There were 4 Megalast Nail Polishes in this collection, but I wasn't fond of any of the colors, so I passed on them.

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Megaglo Multi-Stick

This is not my first time using a highlighting stick from Wet n Wild, but when there were three new options; pink champagne (Marigold Round), light rose pink (Light Up My High-Biscus), and a peachy-coral shade (Carnational Anthem).

These sticks can be used on the face, eyes, and lips, making a very cohesive all-in-one look. Marigold Round I chose because I am a sucker for good highlighting shades. The downside of picking such a light shade (for myself) is that I never found myself using it for anything other than a cheek highlight, perhaps a little bit of a brow-bone highlight. I didn't like it much as an eyeshadow without adding other shades in the look, and I didn't like it as a lip color either.

Like the stick product I've used before, I was blown away with the lasting power. Even with my oily skin, as long as I set the stick with a powder, it lasted all day on me, without fading or losing intensity.

For comparison's sake, I compared the new Marigold Round stick to the Pocahontas Great Spirit Highlighting Stick from the Disney Dare to Dream collection from last summer.

They're both champagne shades, with Marigold Round a more pink toned champage and Great Spirit a more yellow-toned champagne. They're just different enough in color that I can justify keeping both in my collection.

I loved this stick so much, I went ahead and bought Carnational Anthem, since I fell in love with the beautiful warmth of the shade and I can definitely see myself using that shade all over my face.

This product retails for $3.99.

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Megaglo Highlighting Powder

There were two highlighting powders in the collection; Precious Petals, and Crown of my Canopy. I chose Precious Petals as Crown of my Canopy was far too dark for me to use as a highlighter, as it's directed towards more medium to deep skintones. The packaging is a sleek black plastic with a clear plastic lid so you can accurately see the product.

The powder is absolutely gorgeous. It has an embossed petal design, perfect for summer. It looks very delicate and really luxe for a drugstore highlighting powder.

Precious Petals is a very pink-toned champagne. It's really dark in the concentrated swatch, but it blends out into a much more wearable highlighting shade if applied lightly.

This powder is absolutely gorgeous, even to the touch. It's very soft, finely milled pressed powder and blends out so very effectively that I don't find it to be a hassle at all. I found it to last through the day on my skin while looking incredibly natural. It caught the light in the perfect way, giving my face an incredibly healthy glow.

The biggest downside of this powder, is that it's SO soft that the decal in the powder I find will be brushed away quickly, unless you work at the corner and work your way to the other corner first.

This product retails for $3.99.

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Metallic Liquid Lipstick

This was one of the products that I was both really excited to try and also sort of dreading. I remember ages and ages ago in the late 90's when I would wear a frosty lipstick (handed down to me from my really cool aunt!) and ... it looked awful. Then again, as a kid I thought they looked great. As I got older, every time I tried a frosty, metallic looking lipstick I wasn't a fan.

This range came with 6 exciting, unique colors: Peony Express (rose pink), My Tulips are Sealed (pink nude), Coming up Roses (cherry red), Chrysanthemum's the Word (warm bright pink), Days of Fuchsia Passed (bright fuchsia), and Indigo Your Own Way (light violet).

The packaging is the most impressive part of this product (to me, since the metallic lipstick I find to be a fad more than a huge wishlist item for me). It's incredibly sturdy, has a weight to it, and with the black cap it looks more like a mid-range product than a cheap lipstick from the drugstore!

The wand is absolutely perfect. It has a doe-foot applicator, but the kicker is it has a little indented reservoir to hold onto more product. It holds just the perfect amount that I found I never had to go back in (at least with the shade that I chose).

Multiple swatches on the left, one swatch on the right.

The shade that I chose was My Tulips are Sealed, which I found to be the most unique out of all the shades available. Most of the shades had a traditional metallic finish, where it has a sort of white/silver shimmer to catch the light. My Tulips are Sealed has a gold shift, and I was instantly smitten with this trendy lip color.

I'm going to start this off with that it's NOT a liquid to matte formula! It will not dry down to a matte finish. Rather, it's more like a traditional bullet lipstick, just in a tube. It does dry down a bit so it's not as slick, but it remains creamy and moisturizing on the lips. It's a very comfortable lipstick to wear.

It looks incredibly bright, washing me out a little bit. The lip color almost looked fluorescent in some lighting, and because of the metallic finish it always looked incredibly glossy. I managed to get 4 hours of wear before I noticed that it faded too much and only left behind the gold shimmer.

The biggest (and really only issue I truly had) is that with the shimmer, sometimes it would feel gritty if I pushed my lips together too much. It wasn't something I took notice of often, but on the off time that I would notice it I wasn't a fan. I took it as a good trade-off to have.

This product retails for $2.99. 

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Thanks for reading!

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blush - Rose Champagne

Hello again readers!

So many brands have released new products for 2016, and Wet n Wild is no exception. Wet n Wild released SO many new goodies that I'm still trying to keep myself in check. It's so easy to go over-board with "new," but I don't need to buy as excessively as I did when I was first starting out (when I'd buy every color ...).

They relaunched their ColorIcon blushes in new, sleek packaging. With a new bonus color: Rose Champagne. Now, I have all of the others, but this one immediately caught my eye, and what better way to give a new relaunch a try, than a color I knew I'd love.

The new packaging is leagues more attractive than the old; a clear plastic window to see the accurate color of the blush, with black plastic "iding the unsightly brush.

To be honest, I never keep my brushes to my blush in the packages. I've tried them out, and I don't find them to blend out my blush nearly as well as my blush brushes, so it just ends up making unnecessary noise. Since the brush is also scratchy, it found the way right into the rubbish bin.

Rose Champagne is such a beautiful neutral blush. I was really impressed immediately because when I first got the blush I had to swatch it (which I almost never do, I like to take photos of the blush first ... so I conveniently cropped out the corner that I swatched the blush from, for full disclosure) and found the powder to be very finely milled, and incredibly soft to the touch. 

Rose Champagne is a nice neutral pink with gold shimmer. It can be applied lightly for a more sheer look, or layered to look more opaque. It looks really natural on my skin, and I can make it work no matter the look I'm going for (over the top or natural). I was really impressed with the staying power, since it lasted all day on my skin. No surprise, since I really liked Pearlescent Pink from the original line.

The only thing I don't like about this product, is the gold shimmer. It adds a nice effect since it looks natural with a nice glow to it, but sometimes I found the shimmer would settle into my pores and it was just not a cute look.

The blush retails for $3, with .2 oz of product. It compares to the original ColorIcon blushes, where they were $3 for .14 oz of product. So, with the new launch, you get more aesthetically pleasing packaging, and more product for your money! I'm really pleased with this change because these blushes are really amazing in quality, and very affordable.

Thanks for reading!

Wet n Wild The Naked Truth Palette

Hello again readers!

Pretty much behind the times on certain products. Either I've seen them so much they become invisible, or I just... haven't gotten around to buying them with all of the new products coming out. But the good news is that I have them now, and that's what matters.

The Naked Truth is a palette from Wet n Wild that is a neutral-lovers dream. A good assortment of five neutral shadows for a variety of looks.

Browbone: 

Pearl shimmer, with a hint of taupe. Has some glitter in it. Illuminates the area, but doesn't have a load of pigmentation.

Base: 

Warm cream matte. Pretty basic, but nice.

Definer: 

A warm, medium brown matte. I love these sorts of shades, and I'm happy to have one in this palette.

Eyelid: 

Taupe shimmer. I will always love taupe shades, and this is no exception.

Crease: 

Warm brown shimmer with glitter. Really nice pigmentation and color, but I wish it didn't have the glitter included. 

This palette is easy to work with, blends well, and I like the colors. Are they the most unique? Of course not! But they're colors you're going to have eventually, especially if you have a larger collection.

This is a great palette if you want something easy, or if you're just starting out and you feel you don't have enough neutral shadows.

Thanks for reading!

Wet n Wild Halloween and Fall Lip Colors

Hello again readers!

Here is some more backlogged posts. I'm hoping to get into the proper swing of things, and I hope I won't feel so lethargic this semester. All of my professors seem to be wonderful, and amazing, and even though I'm already getting drowned in reading and journals and writing, it's a good feeling that I'm going to be getting some proper critique and replies to my work.

In the fall, Wet n Wild launched a matte collection, containing four lipsticks, and then six matte nail polishes. Out of the six mattes, I only picked up two of the polishes: Distressed to Impress (a taupe), and Echo Dark (navy). They weren't particularly matte, but they all have something in common: the caps of the polishes, and the bases of the matte lipsticks, were all coated with a rubberised matte plastic finish. Really, they already look ten times better (if only the issue with the caps would be resolved, and they'd be perfect)! After this, it's astounding that all of their mattes aren't packaged in this way. It feels more luxurious and looks so much better, and they were the same price as the lipsticks and polishes usually are. I personally think they should make a change.

Out of the four lipsticks, I bought all of them. Big shocker there, right?

Sweet Cream, Sunset Siren, Urban Night, and Bordeaux Boulevard.

A better look at the bases of the lipsticks. The downside is like any other packaging like this, is shows oil and dirt, but the regular plastic isn't a saint either, because it shows oil and fingerprints like nobody's business.

Sweet Cream:
A cream nude with just a hint of pink. This is one of my favourite nudes ever, because of how surprising it is. In the tube, it looks stark foundation-colored (thank you former photo for saying otherwisse, but in real life it looks very foundation like) but applied it actually turns into the perfect light nude. Not too pink, but not too skin-like either. A great medium, and I wish this one was permanent.

Sunset Siren:
A really pretty red with a touch of orange. It's bright, it's warm, and it definitely reads 'sunset'. It's not my favorite color, because this one does bring out how yellow my teeth are (something I'm working on) but it's really pretty. It's a great alternative to the classic red lip, and I think this is one of those colors that you can wear no matter what.

Urban Night:
This is one of those colors that I reach for a LOT. It's a beautiful deep, cool red. It's such an odd shade, because it's not really a true red, but it's not a berry either, kind of like wine. It's sort of in limbo between the two, and it's just one of those shades that really strikes you as beautiful.

Bordeaux Boulevard:
Is a deep violet-toned mauve. Really a striking color in the way that it's so different. It goes great if you're into the violet lip, but it's also warm enough that it doesn't come off as too strange either.

This entire collection was such a hit! I can't believe that they're only limited editions, because I just love them all dearly. What a shame. :(

It was strange, because for Halloween, they also released a shade: Urban Nights. They look identical in the tube, except for their bases. I didn't want to open the one from the Halloween collection, unless I could confirm that they were similar.

I didn't compare them myself, because I'd rather have the one with the matte packaging anyway,  but to see just how similar they are, here's a link to the comparison on gymbagmakeup. They were similar enough (barely a difference) that I just kept the one, and returned the other.

Now onto the Halloween collection:

It has been ages since I've tried one of their glosses, and after trying them again, I could see why. I picked up the shades Bloody Good, and Perishing Bare.

Perishing Bare looked pretty pigmented on my arm, but on my  lips it was a disaster. Patchy, goopy, and it settled into the lines of my lips. I was expectng a nice nude gloss, and I didn't get it here. Plus, it had surprise shimmer in it, and it was just a disappointment all around.

Bloody Good is better, in fact I ended up not returning this one, even if now I wish I did. It's not a bad red gloss. It's pigmented, a good red shade, and it doesn't go on patchy. It's still rather thick, and I'm not fond of the scent of these lipglosses. Never again.

I wanted to pick up one of the Balm Stains, because I wanted to try their take (I wasn't too keen on the Jordana ones, even though my original review I raved about them!) and see how well I'd like it. It was between 2AM  Call Time, and Lady and the Vamp, and I went with Lady and the Vamp because 2AM Call Time was opened, and I didn't want to risk it.

Lady and the Vamp ended up being a berry shade. Not too surprising, but I wouldn't really call it a 'vamp', either. It goes on... really odd. It's sheer, and it applies patchy. Even building up pigmentation, it still applies patchy. It's such an odd thing to work with, because it feels smooth, but then wearing it is kind of greasy.

And on the lips it was a disaster. It slipped, and slid, and it settled into the lines of my lips. I couldn't keep it even without putting on some concealer around it, and a lip liner. It didn't want to stay put at all!

And did it stain? If you could call it that. It left what resembled a stain, but it was very light. Barely anything. The lipsticks leave more of a stain than this product does, and it just turned me off of them completely.

I'm going to forever kick myself for not getting the limited editon 2AM Call Time Balm Stain, but the past is in the past, and this Balm Stain ruined me for all the others because of how much I hated it. Can't win them all.

And then I picked up all 6 of the limited edition lipsticks in the display.

Sunset Stripped, Clothing optional, Rose to Fame, Coming in Latte, Tangelinos, and Urban Nights.

Sunset Stripped:
This was the biggest disappointment. In the tube, I thought it would go on like a liquid gold. The King Midas touch, really. Swatched, it doesn't live up to the expectation at all. Instead of a gold shimmer in a gold base, it's just packed with gold shimmer, in a clear base. Since it relies so heavily on  the shimmer, it's gritty, and doesn't apply evenly at all. It needs multiple swipes, and even then it just doesn't look good. I couldn't even use it as a topper, because if I were to swatch it over another lipstick, the grit of this one would wipe away whatever lipstick I laid down first. I thought there was potential, and I was terribly wrong.

Clothing Optional:
Another fabulous nude. It's nothing like Sweet Cream, it's just... wow. It's lighter, for one, and then to top it off it almost looks scary. Since the lipstick has a peach tone in it, it ends up working surprisingly well, and doesn't look like concealer lips gone awry. It's really creamy, and though these are marketed as 'matte' lipsticks, this has a creamy shine to it.

Rose to Fame:
Probably my favorite from the limited editions, a dark rose pink. I am always drawn to rose pinks, even though my collection is severely lacking. I find they always look good on me, and they just go on with ease. This lipstick did not disappoint, and it was such a great pick to put in their Halloween collection, just in time for fall and winter.

Coming in Latte:
A mid-tone brown. Really a shade I wouldn't have usually picked up, but you know, grunge is coming back apparently, and having at least one brown-tone in the collection is a good thing, right? It goes on really creamy, and I surprisingly don't hate it. I wouldn't find myself using it all the time, but on occasion I've found myself drifting towards it.

Tangelinos:
An outrageous shade. Orange, almost straight orange, if it wasn't for that bit of red. I can't really pull of orange (though I wish I could) so I ended up passing this on to Emma, but it's a firecracker. It catches attention, and goes on soooo smooth.

A day late, a buck short, but I put it up. :) I need to get my game up and start pre-writing out reviews and posts so I don't manage to fall behind. I know my 'to-swatch' drawer for nail polish is getting to the point of overflowing, and they don't sit pretty anymore, and I was almost caught up!

Thanks for reading!

Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick in Wine Room

Hello again readers,

I was sure that I would get at least two more, but this is the last color in the permanent line that I wanted for my collection. Take that as you will, but I'm pleased I have some self control (if only I had more...)

I thought at first this would be a dark shade, but I was really pleased with how it really looked. Instead of wine, it looks more like wine-stained lips. Not too unnatural, and so pretty. A great lipstick to swatch on and go.

Thanks for reading!

Wet n Wild MegaLast Matte Lipsticks

Hello again readers!

Going through photos, I realized that I had so many swatches of lipsticks, without the names attached, and since I have so many (19. I have 19... ) Though they're not new, I thought, why not just put them all in one post?

So, I present to you the  19/28 Permanent MegaLast Lipsticks from Wet n Wild:

I can't help but to love these lipsticks! They are a matte lipstick, two dollars, and they aren't too drying on the lips. The formula is consistent through most of the shades, and there are so many colours to choose from! 

The only two downsides I have, is that if you haven't bought the lipsticks recently, they won't have the shade name on the label. For me, this isn't a huge deal since I remember which ones are which, but if you are someone with a large lipstick collection having only the number will be frustrating.

The other issue is the packaging. I love these lipsticks, but the packaging is a bit of a fail for me. The clear cap of the tube gets dirty quickly, and though it's great so you can see the shade, you can also see all the lipstick that gets smeared on the inside too.

Pinks:

Just Peachy: a bright peach-toned pink. I didn't think I would like it as much as I do, but it's beautiful and perfect for spring and summer.

Think Pink: light pink. Definitely a must have if you love pinks that are good for everyday wear.

Rose-Bud: Rose pink. 

Pinkerbell: Barbie Pink. This one is much brighter in person, almost neon sometimes. It's really attention grabbing, but surprisingly wearable.

Don't Blink Pink: a cool-toned medium pink.

Smokin' Hot Pink: a dusty medium pink.

Oranges and Browns:

24 Carrot Gold: Orange! Can you believe it, this lipstick is fantastic. It leans more to the coral side, but it's so beautiful on the lips. 

Purty Persimmon: Red-Orange. If you're not willing to wear basically straight-up orange, then this is a good alternative to dabble in the orange lipstick trend, without going too crazy.

Coral-ine: The name says it all, a coral lipstick. Not too red, but not too orange either. A great mix.

Spiked with Rum: This is a brown-toned red that I was really worried to wear, but it looks surprisingly good on my lips. Great for fall.

Mocha-licious: warm brown. I can't wear this shade at all. It makes me look a bit like a corpse, and it's just not flattering at all. 

Reds:

Spotlight Red: Cool-toned Pinup Red, really the best way to describe these. A classic red to add to your collection. Can't go wrong with this shade.

Red Velvet: blue-toned cherry red.

Cherry Picking: Berry Red. I wasn't as fond as this one as I thought, even though it's cool toned. It's just not that wonderful on my lips as I hoped.

Vamps:

Sugar Plum Fairy: Berry Pink. Surprisingly, though I'm not fun of Cherry Picking, I love this one! Not too dark, but not light either. Great for stepping into the fall trend without going too dark.

Cinnamon Spice: Brick Red. I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did, but it looks so great. It would look even better if you have a bit of a tan.

Ravin' Raisin: Warm plum. I was instantly so in love with this. It was my first violet lipstick and I just can't get enough of it.

Cherry Bomb: Oxblood Red. Really when you want a red lip, but you want it to be extra intense. This shade was a little dryer to apply.

Vamp It Up: Blackened Violet. This lipstick had single-handedly destroyed my love for black lipsticks. It's dark, without the void-look of black. It's such a beautiful lipstick, that just looks fantastic.

There are a few that I want to still buy:  Bare it All, Dollhouse Pink, Wine Room, In the Flesh, Mauve Outta Here.... and the limited edition ones. What can I say, I really love the formula, and the colour selection presents you with pinks, oranges, reds, brows, and violets! At two dollars a pop, why not try all the ones you can get your hands on, or stick with your comfort zone of the colours you know you'll love. :) 

Wet n Wild Swatch Spam

Hello again readers!

When I have free time, I've been going through my monster folder in my computer of swatches that got shoved in there for 'safekeeping'. Meaning they've been sitting on my computer collecting dust for ages!

Today, I have a few swatches of some of the Wet n Wild polishes, both the Wild Shine and the Beauty Benefits.

Frank is Mine is an electric green that came out during Halloween season of 2013. I saw it, and I couldn't resist adding it to my collection. I was really disappointed though, that it needs at least three coats, and even then you can still see the nail bed. This would be better suited to layer over a lighter green, maybe even white, but worn by itself unless you do a nail tip it's just not cutting it. This was with three coats.

Eggplant Frost is a beautiful duochrome polish. It has a red violet base, with a blue violet shimmer. Absolutely gorgeous, and a colour that I find myself wanting to grab again when I'm out shopping, but I can contain myself because I have this beauty. This almost applied in one coat, but I used two to even it out.

The next few polishes are from their Beauty Benefit line that you can find in dollar stores. Unfortunately, none of them have names, which makes it hard for you to track down if you fancy them.

When I saw this colour, I HAD to have it. It's a beautiful grey-taupe shimmer. I had a Maybelline polish like this forever ago that dried up, and I'm glad to have a replacement in my collection. It does show brush strokes, but they are less noticeable in person. This applied in two coats.

The next is a pale, dusty blue shimmer. This one also shows brush strokes, and I noticed that the formula for this polish was a little runnier than the others. It got all over the place and was a little hard to control. This applied in three coats.

This is a nice royal blue, with shimmer. This polish had a little issue, where it would pool in the cuticles. Even clean up was a bit of a nightmare because when I'd clean it up, more would come.  This polish does show brush strokes, but they aren't as noticeable in real life. This polish applied in two coats.

This polish is a dusty violet taupe. It's a strange colour, but it looks good on the nail. This polish showed brushstrokes, but they weren't as noticeable in real life. I used two coats for the photo.

The last one I picked up was a berry shimmer. This is the only polish out of the ones that I have bought, that didn't have brush strokes after applying. This went on like a dream, as it was easy to control. I used two coats for the photo.

Thanks for reading!

Battle of the Eyeshadow Primers

Hello again readers!

I love being able to try new makeup products, nothing beats being able to test out a new product to see if you'll fall in love with it, or if you'll hate it. I've tested my fair share of eye primers, and after using a primer for the first time, I can never go back! Of course, not all of them are created equal, so I compared the ones I have to see which ones are really worth your money, and which ones are better worth a trip to the bin.

For the shadow, I used the dark green eyeshadow from Forever 21. I love the shade, but without a primer it just will never reach it's true potential. I applied it with my ELF Essential Eyeliner Brush, and left it on my arm for 8 hours.

The competitors:

ELF Eyelid Primer – Original

ELF Eyelid  Primer – Pearl

Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Primer – Original

Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Primer – Shimmer

Milani Eyeshadow Primer

Hard Candy Eyeshadow Primer

NYX HD Eyeshadow Base

Urban Decay Primer Potion – Original

Too Faced Shadow Insurance – Original

I put them in order with the (C)ontrol being the shadow by itself.

Obviously right out of the gate, they all look very brilliant, aside from E1, and F1, that look duller than the rest, and C which was almost completely rubbed off.

The next is after 8 hours of wear:

Clearly there is a lot of fading present in all of the swatches, which isn't surprising at all.

I have separated them into three categories: Low, Medium, and High Performance Categories.

Low  Perfomance:

Elf Eyelid Primer – Original

Elf Eyelid Primer – Pearl

Both of these primers are better than no primer at all, but only by a little. E2 started out looking brighter, but ended up fading the most. Out of the two, I will stick with E1 for swatches.

Medium Performance:

Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Primer – Shimmer

Milani Eyeshadow Primer 

These both had better wear, but not as great as the higher performance products. They faded, but still retained color and shimmer well. I was surprised with Milani as I've heard many times that it's a dupe for the Urban Decay Primer Potion, but clearly that is not true.

High Performance:

Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Primer – Original

Hard Candy Eyeshadow Primer 

NYX HD Eyeshadow Base 

Urban Decay Primer Potion – Original

Too Faced Shadow Insurance – Original

I was really impressed with how many did well. I found that the higher end products did hold up (as they should, since they are so expensive), and I was really impressed that the Fergie primer did as well as it did, since it's so cheap. They held color and shimmer for 8 hours.

I hope that this helped some of you make decisions on some of the products you're interested in.

Thanks for reading!

Wet n Wild Megashine Nail Polish - Poison Ivy

Hello again readers!

I've been digging through my computer, and I found entire FOLDERS hidden... It's really a shock how many products got pushed under the proverbial rug, and I'm working on trying to dig them out and organize them again.

A quick polish swatch for the day, is Poison Ivy by Wet n Wild. I saw this polish in one of the displays ages ago for two dollars and HAD to have it!

Poison Ivy is a rich, blackened green with green shimmer. It's absolutely gorgeous, and reflects light well, giving it a glowing appearance for being so dark. 

The formula is really wonderful, as it is so dark, but it's not a runny formula with only needing two coats for full opacity. Clean up was relatively easy, and I did not notice any staining. Oh, it's such a lovely polish!

Thanks for reading!