Wet N Wild, the Little Brand That Could

For the most part, I am a true believer in the old adage, "you get what you pay for." It has rang true in most cases in my experience. Wet N Wild has proven otherwise, in the world of drugstore cosmetics anyway.

I remember the brand Wet N Wild from when I was younger, those memories scream glitter, 99 cent nail polish, and poor quality cosmetics. I would buy things from this brand when I was just starting to use make up in the sixth grade and needed pounds of black eyeliner and glitter for the Friday night dances (in case you were wondering, your visual is probably accurate, I looked great). In time, I traded the chalky textured eyeshadows, sticky glosses, poor color range, and barely pigmented eyeliners of Wet N Wild for other brands.

A while ago, maybe a year or so, I was beginning to hear chatter throughout the beauty community that Wet N Wild had pulled an overhaul. I figured for the prices, I could give Wet N Wild a second chance and I'm so happy I did! No longer was Wet N Wild the brand I remembered from the sixth grade making sixth-grade quality cosmetics, they had come out with some really great, pigmented and silky textured shadows, fun new and salon quality nail polishes, a variety of different mascaras, liquid and cream liners, nice blushes and lipsticks in various colors and finishes.

The following are some of the products I have tried and found to be the best quality and totally worth a try.

First up are the Color Icon Eyeshadow Collections, I have two of these but there are a few more if I'm not mistaken. These are great palettes with 8 full sized shadows in each and each palette's shadows are color coordinated which makes it easy to create a lot of different looks that always look nice. How can you beat 5 bucks for 8 shadows?!

The first one I bought was 738 Comfort Zone, I got so much use out of this when I first bought it that I even hit pan on two of the shadows. This particular palette has a lot of nice, more neutral colors but includes some nice dark shades for a more night-friendly look, great for day to night. All of the shadows in this one are a nice pearl finish and one of them has a bit of glitter as you will see in the swatches.

 

 

The other palette I have is called 737 Blue Had Me At Hello, it's a mix of nice blues, blacks and silvers. The nice thing about this palette is that one of the black colors is completely matte, which I love. The matte black is also very pigmented, which is something that can be hard to find in the drugstore. The rest of the colors are mostly pearl finish except for the other black color which contains trace amounts of glitter.

 

 

There is also a nice purple colored palette in this collection called Petal Pusher, but I don't typically wear purples so I didn't pick it up. I also saw an all matte palette at Walgreens once called I <3 Matte which I should have picked up because I haven't seen it since. I'm hoping it wasn't limited edition or anything because nice, pigmented matte shadows can be difficult to find at the drugstore.

 

Not only are these palettes great, the Color Icon Trios are wonderful as well. These shadows are all soft, blendable, and highly pigmented just like the 8 shadow palettes. While there are many of these trios I have only one that I can find right now but it's one of my favorites anyway. 380B Walking on Eggshells is a very popular trio with nice neutral shades for a nice every day work or school look that I think would work on a variety of skin tones, here they are on mine:

 

Wet N Wild also followed suit in the eyeliner department and came out with some creme liners. Each one includes it's own small angle brush for application which is decent, but I still like to use my own. The color variety for these aren't great, but they have a classic black which is nicely pigmented and doesn't leave a blotchy dull line. They are smooth and creamy and comparable to the Maybelline gel liners.

 

In terms of lip color, there are quite a few options, I have really been liking the Mega Last Lip colors lately, my favorite is a nice nude (shocking, I know) called 902C Bare It All. These have a nice semi-matte yet sort of creme finish unlike the  frosty 99 cent lipsticks of Wet N Wild's past. There are around 26 colors to choose from and for $1.99 a piece you can try a few!

 

A few other things to check out are the Color Icon Blushes, they are nice and very pigmented blushes for a few dollars a piece. The color selection isn't huge by any means but I think the color range is actually decent, as there is a nice light pinky shade that would look nice on fair skin, two medium toned peachy pinks that would suit just about any skin tone and a nice darker berry that could work well on darker skin tones. I also like Mega Last Nail Colors, these are only around 2 dollars and they have the larger, flatter salon style brush which is easy to work with, a bunch of colors from fun brights to classic neutrals, and they don't take 800 coats to see opaque color, just one or two and your nails are totally covered. I've also been loving the Wild Shine Nail Color in 460 D Kaleidoscope for anything from an accent nail to all over glitter.

 

 

Wet N Wild has really put out some quality products over the past year or so and I no longer see the brand as a middle schooler's dream. I feel like they can compete with the best of the drugstore brands and you won't spend a mint. 

 

When things get hairy...

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair. I'll admit it, I'm a long hair lover, I envy Rapunzel and her animated, luscious locks. I've had long hair for most of my life, I typically keep my hair to about my mid-back with long layers, a few angles in the front and longer side bangs. When my hair is long, I find it to be really important to keep it healthy looking, otherwise it can start to look really stringy and dull.

 

Drugstore hair care can be really shotty. Many people only trust the products they find in the salon because most of the time, they comes at the recommendation of their stylist. A hair stylist must know what's best, right? I've tried and like many salon products, the bad news here is that these products tend to run at double the price of drugstore products and when you have hair as long as mine, they get used really quickly. The more hair you have, the more product you need. The good news, however, is that I have found some drugstore products over the years that really work for me and that are great deals and I'm here to share them with you.

Firstly, hair care products:

1. Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion
    I've been using this conditioner for a few months now and I really like the way that it makes my hair look smooth and feel moisturized. This doesn't leave a build-up or residue-y feeling in my hair and it smells nice. I also use the Heat Defense Leave in Conditioner from this line sometimes when I feel that my hair is extra dry, like during the change of the seasons. Lastly I use the Smooth & Shine Serum from this line on my dry hair (after a blow dry) to tame fly aways and make the appearance of split ends less obvious. All of these products have really worked for my hair and the best news is they each only cost between 3 and 4 dollars!

2. Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment
    I bought this once when I couldn't find the Suave Smooth & Shine Serum at Rite Aid and desperately needed a serum. I usually like the smell of Garnier products and this is no different, it smells nice and has a hint of that specific "Moroccan oil" smell. It's not too greasy in the hair as long as you only use a small amount (as is standard with most serums). I believe it cost around 6 or 7 dollars, which is not bad for the amount of product you get, 3.75 fl oz, which is a little more than the Suave's 2 oz.

3. Tresemme Split Remedy Leave-In Split End Conditioning Treatment
    This product is meant to conceal the look of your split ends making them look smooth and fused together. The over all effect is smoother, less frizzy looking hair. It does not remedy your split ends, as only a trim can do that, but it certainly helps the frizzy ends of hair that may be over due for a cut look better. I use about 4 pumps of this from the middle of my hair to the ends. You get 6 oz of product in this for around 6 dollars which is a good deal. I have found that one bottle lasts a fairly long time, I do not use it every day but I've had the same bottle for a few months now and it is still quite full.

4. got2b Guardian Angel Flat Iron Balm
    This is a heat protectant that is supposed to protect your hair while heat styling with up to 425 degrees of heat. It says it's a flat iron balm but I also use it when curling. I like this one as opposed to other heat protection products because it smells really good. I don't use it if I blow dry but after I blow dry if I'm going to flat iron or curl my hair I spray it all throughout my hair, focusing on the ends where my hair is more likely to break or split, and comb it through. I let it dry a little so my hair doesn't sizzle on the flat iron and then I just style as usual. It doesn't leave my hair feeling brittle or dry or like it is weighed down by product.

5. Tresemme Tres Two Ultra Fine Mist Hair Spray
    Tresemme hairspray has always worked for me, though I'm not too picky when it comes to hairspray. I do use hairspray every day but as long as it's an aerosol, doesn't smell terrible, or leave my hair feeling stiff, I'll probably like it. I've used this particular one for a very long time because it doesn't have that terrible 80's Aquanet smell. I liek the "ultra fine mist" because it doesn't leave big drops of hairspray in my roots (where I usually spray) making my hair look clumpy. I get it in the number 3 rather than the number 4 because I don't care for a super strong hold. I find the 3 works just as well without being extra stiff whether I'm wearing my hair up or down. I can get the extra tall can of this hairspray at Wal-Mart for around 4 or 5 dollars and I think it's a lot of product for the money.

Secondly, hair styling tools:

1. Revlon Perfect Heat Mineral Conditioning Curling Iron
    I use this iron in 1" most of the time, although I also have it in 2". I love wearing my hair curly but I'm not picky when it comes to the iron I use. I have tried many irons and wands and I find this iron to be just as good as most for about $15. It heats up quickly, in about 30 seconds (but I typically give it a minute or two to heat up anyway), has a long cord that can spin at the base so it's less likely to get tangled while you style, has multiple heat settings and has automatic shutoff. This iron is tourmaline ceramic so it's supposed to be better for the health of your hair than the old metal irons. I use this iron to curl in two ways, traditionally with the clip, and as a wand by wrapping my hair over the clip. (Tutorials to come)

With hair curled traditionally with the clip:

With hair wrapped around the barrel over the clip (wand-style):

2. Revlon Smooth Stay 1.5-Inch Titanium Hair Straightener
    While I do like a more high end flat iron most of the time, I have found that this iron works well for around 20 bucks. I have actually found myself reaching for this iron over my other ones lately. I got it with the 1.5 inch plates instead of the 1 inch plates because all of my other irons are 1 inch. With really long hair I think the 1.5 inch plates help me get through my hair faster, perhaps this is why I've been using it more. This heats up quickly and has multiple heat settings. The downside to this size plate is it is difficult to do flat iron curls so I will not use this iron for that. All in all, a good product for the money.

3. Conair Styling Essentials Spiral Rollers Set
    This set comes with 18 spiral rollers, I got the set with half medium (pink) and half small (blue) rollers. These rollers create really tight curls, think Taylor Swift curls. They are foam so they are more comfortable to sleep in. If I don't want to style my hair with heat but don't want to just wear it up in a pony tail I will often just shower at night, let my hair air dry just about completely (my hair is super thick and won't dry otherwise), and put these in. They are easy to use, just grab a section of hair, hold the rod vertically, wrap the section of hair down around the rod from root to tip and fold the rod over on the top and the bottom. As I mentioned, I have really thick hair, so I do need to use all 18 rods. In the morning when I take them out my hair is SUPER curly so I let the curls fall and pull them out a little individually and just spray with hairspray. These cost around 12-15 dollars and can be used over and over again. The effect I get is pictured below.

Gone Batty.

They say the eyes are the window to your soul. Well, if that's the case, I'm going to make sure I have lovely shutters. Mascara is undoubtedly my favorite and most essential beauty product. It's the thing I'd bring to a desert island, the thing I will wear if I choose to wear nothing else, and the most important piece in my beauty routine (besides skin care of course). The reason mascara is so important to me is not because I have terrible short or sparse lashes, but because mine are blonde. Let me tell you, blonde lashes do not do a good job of framing the eye.

Drugstore, or any mascara for that matter, can really be a hit or miss. Everyone has different mascara preferences and looks for different things in a product. For me, I like a more dry consistency than a really wet mascara because I find them to be more buildable that way. Buildability is important to me because I typically look for volume vs. length. I can't stand clumpy spider lashes, I really like a feathered and fanned out look. I typically buy the waterproof version of any mascara if it's available, one never knows when a sentimental and tearful moment may hit. With all that in mind, the following are my top favorite drugstore mascaras in no particular order.

1. L'Oreal Voluminous Original

• The brush is quite large and does a nice job separating the lashes and avoiding clumps.
• The packaging is classic and slim which makes it easy to travel with in a clutch or make up bag.
• The formula is not super wet and really buildable, it adds great volume.
• This is my tried and true, I've never had a bad tube of this mascara.

2. L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

• Like the original, this mascara is great for buildability. With one coat, it's average mascara with great definition, but with two or three it's fabulous.
• I typically don't like the plastic brushes on mascaras but this one is different. I find that it separates and defines my lashes so well and is able to reach the little inner corner lashes because the brush isn't huge.
• I also like the brush for bottom lashes because it doesn't deposit clumps of product under my eye giving me the rabid raccoon look.
• The packaging is a bit glamorous, a lush thick gold tube, and who doesn't like a little glitz?

3. Maybelline Full N Soft

• This one is much like the L'Oreal original in brush and formula.
• Simple classic slim packaging.
• The formula really does stay soft (for a mascara), it doesn't make my lashes feel crusty or like hard little spikes.
• The brush does a good job for separating considering the size of the brush and I feel like I get good volume with two coats.

4. Cover Girl Lash Blast

• I find the orange packaging of this product to be hideous! The product itself, however, is nice.
• Great volume with a few coats with little clumping.
• The formula is nice, a little wet for my taste but not too bad and it still doesn't smudge.
• This brush is plastic, like the Million Lashes, but it doesn't scrape my eyes and defines really well.

Drugstore mascara fails: (I've had many so these are just the recent ones)

1. Maybelline The Mega Plush

• The brush is bizarre. There is no other way to describe it. It has a bendy bit at the tip which makes it near impossible to get the brush really into the roots of your lashes without it flopping every which way. The bendy tip did have good intentions, to make it easy to reach all of your lashes, but it did just the opposite for me.
• The formula was just "OK" for me, I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. It was supposed to be light and mousse-like for super light volume. I didn't see that, the texture was strange and it looked decent on my lashes but not great.
• I would not re-purchase this.

2. L'Oreal Double Extend

• I've never had good luck with the two step prime and coat mascaras so I should have expected to not like this too much. I find that the primer tubes (the white side), which is supposed to create "tubes" around your lashes to make them thicker when you put on the actual mascara, just made my lashes clump more. I couldn't find a good method to apply this so I stopped using it.
• My lashes were clumpy and sticky feeling with this mascara, I will not be purchasing this again, either.

3. Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies

• I wanted to love this mascara. Everyone else loved this mascara. The ads looked so great. I hated this mascara.
• I bought this right when it came out and I LOVED the way it looked when I first tried it. After a few hours, though, I found that my lashes were sticky and stuck together. It made my eyes itch (perhaps I was allergic to it) and every time I blinked I felt like my eyes were going to stick together. The formula never really "dried" on my lashes.
• The brush is great, all things considered, it's a good size and shape and it reaches all of the lashes. It isn't great, however, for the bottom lashes as it is easily smudged and the brush is sort of large to fit down on the fine, short lower lashes.

Mascaras are a funny thing, what I love in one mascara, another person may hate and vise versa. If your mascara preferences are simliar to mine, though, these are options that may work for you too! My current mascara routine is a coat of L'Oreal Million lashes followed by two coats of L'Oreal Voluminous Original. L'Oreal has really been hitting the nail on the head for me lately in terms of mascara.

Nailed it.

I have always had a love/hate relationship with painting my nails. I love having them painted but I hate actually painting them; waiting for them to dry, having to itch my face the second I'm done painting them and smudging one or two. With this in mind, you could imagine my excitement a while ago when Sally Hansen came out with a new product, Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. The mere thought of being able to "paint" my nails without even having to actually paint them was enough to make me shake. So, I've been using this product for quite a while and I have had nothing but good experiences with it, I've tries a lot of the colors and patterns and I like that they last a long time and have absolutely no dry time! In fact, I just put on a new set tonight and thought I'd share a bit of the process.

These typically run from around $8.00 to $11.00 depending on where you purchase them, I find them to be cheaper at Wal-Mart and a bit more expensive at CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid. I like to pick them up when I find them on sale and save them for later (I got a few boxes at the Ocean State Job Lot for $3.00 a piece recently!) I got this particular one from Target on the clearance rack for $5.98 and I couldn't pass them up, after all, they were SHINY. This pattern is 002 Snake Charmer, it seemed like it may be limited edition.

The process is quite simple and just takes a bit of practice, each box contains everything you need to apply these from start to finish. This includes 16 nail strips, 8 for each hand (you'll choose the 5 sizes and shapes that fit your fingers best). If you have shorter nails like me, you can double the use out of a box by cutting each strip in half and using each half on opposite hands. This way only one package needs to be open and the other 8 strips can be used in the future. The box says they last up to 10 days and I find this to be true. I've even worn them for up to 14 days before they start to look grown out or peel at the ends.

 

 

Now, after Sally Hansen's success in the nail polish strip realm, a lot of other brands came out with similar products. I was excited to have new and different patterns to try. Here's a bit of a spoiler, I wasn't excited for long.

 I first tried Kiss' Nail Dress in bustier. The pattern was pretty and had sparkle accents which I liked. The Kiss strips were not "real nail polish strips," however, they are more like nail stickers. You apply them in a similar manner to the Sally Hansen ones but the texture is completely different. They are much thicker and the ends are much more likely to fray and become torn. The Kiss Nail Dresses do not last as long as the Sally Hansen ones either, if you're looking for a cool nail design for a special event, these would be great, but for long term wear they are not ideal. I got about 4 days out of them (they did not look nice for all of the four days either) before I HAD to rip them off.

 

Next I gave Maybelline's Color Show Fashion Prints in Midnight Lace. I liked this pattern a lot also because of the sparkle detail, similar to the Kiss ones. I sort of new what to expect with these, I thought they'd be more simliar to the Kiss Nail Dresses than the Sally Hansen nail strips. These are more sticker-like and do not last too long. Again, these are nice for a special occassion or a few days wear.

For me, Sally Hansen is still the queen of nail polish strips. They are made of real nail polish which is why they last so long and once they are applied and have a minute to form to the nail they really last. I love when Sally Hansen comes out with seasonal colors and patterns. Next on my list to try is Revlon's Nail Art Style Strips. These seem more like "nail polish" than nail stickers and have a lot of great patterns.

Update: Found the Revlon Nail Art Style Strips at Ocean State Job Lot, and for a deal as you can see. Will be trying these out soon and doing a review! I'm excited to see how they work.

Punch up your pout?

My name is Amanda and I am nude lip junkie. With that said, I have decided to stray from my comfort zone and try some different, more fun lipsticks this season. Now, when I say I am a nude lip junkie, I mean that I have approximately 30 different nude lipsticks, glosses, stains, pencils, balms, etc. New eye makeup trends? Sure, I'll try them. I'll do anything from glitter to rainbow shadow to colored mascara to fancy liner. When it comes to lips, I realized that I never stray far from a classic nude. I took a trip to Wal-Mart to explore the world of color on my lips.

First up, Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in shade 130 Rose Velvet.
Price: $4.97

I wore this color all day at work today and I found that it had decent staying power for a lipstick vs a lipstaine. I needed touch ups every couple hours but nothing major. The "creme" formula was nice and it doesn't have any shimmer, which I like as I'm not one for shimmery or frosted lipsticks. I didn't find much of a scent, which was nice, and no weird lipstick taste.

Next I tried out Rimmel's Moisture Renew in shade 380 Vintage Pink.
Price: $5.47

 

 

This shade caught my eye because it was so different than anything I've ever worn. As a fair skinned red head I typically lean away from pinks. This has a bit of a clay scent but it's not over powering. The formula is nice and creamy and it goes on smoothly. There's no frost or shimmer here either and I really like the look of this on my skin tone, it's a cool-toned purply pink.

Another Rimmel, Rimmel's Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in shade 08.
Price: $3.97

Okay, so maybe this shade doesn't look like anything too different from a nude on my lips but trust me, it is for me. This is from the Kate Moss collection of lipsticks that Rimmel put out (I saw a lot of very fun and different shades in this collection but this looked like something I'd actually be comfortable wearing out). These lipsticks have a distict scent, to me it smells like artificial raspberries. I don't hate the scent and it's definitely something I could put up with and probably fades. I like the formula of these lipsticks, it is similar to the other Rimmel one I tried. They both feel moisturizing and smooth.

The best price, NYC's New York Lipcolor in shade 309 Sheer Red.
Price: $0.97

I always envy girls who wear a red lip and I love the look of classic red lips and winged black eyeliner. How could I pass up a red lip for 97 cents?! I chose this particular red from the reds on the NYC rack because it was labeled "sheer." I assumed a sheer red would be easier to wear than a dark, opaque red for a nude lippy lover. This lipstick has a classic lipstick scent; to be honest, it reminds me of my grandmother. The scent is similar to those cheap lipsticks that come in kids makeup kits, like clay and plastic. What do you want for the price, right? The lipstick itself, however, isn't bad. The staying power was not the best, I needed touch ups quite often (maybe when wearing a red that's part of the deal, I'm not sure) as it faded easily toward the middle of my mouth. I like the sheer color, it's not so sheer that I couldn't see it, definitely better color pay off than a balm. 

Lastly, a Revlon Lip Butter in shade 001 Pink Truffle.
Price: $6.48

 

I really like Revlon's lip butters, this was the first shade I bought when they first came out. This is my second tube of this color and I still really like it. It's a very wearable shade of darkish-pink, like a "my-lip-color-but-better" shade. This, and all the lip butters, feel very moisturizing on the lips which is love. I like the finish of this also, it's a bit more glossy looking than a lipstick but definitely more subtle than a high-shine gloss and it has no scent.

Here is a skin swatch of each color, from top to bottom:

Pink Truffle
Sheer Red
08
Vintage Pink
Rose Velvet

And so begins my journey down the path from nude attitude to a punchy pout.