Rant & Rave: Wet 'n' Wild
Tell us what you love and hate about...
Wet 'n' Wild
Their lip products seem to be the more consistent/stronger performer, and while years ago, the eyeshadows were better, I haven’t liked any in recent memory (to the point where I gave up trying to track their new eyeshadow palettes down).
— Christine
I like their MegaLast lipsticks and nail polishes, but I wish they would improve their pencil eyeliners and expand their foundation range.
I like their MegaLast lipsticks and nail polishes, but I wish they would improve their pencil eyeliners and expand their foundation range.
Here in Canada, very few of their products are available (though we did have those wonderful 6 pan eyeshadow palettes – Vanity, Lust – I guess they were all named after the 7 Deadlies but I only wanted the 2 I have – and also the 8-pan palettes and some of the original 3 pan ones) but so many other products just aren’t available up here. I guess I also would rant about how fragile and “shatter-prone” those eyeshadows are. But RAVE – recalling what a cheap and crummy brand they were when I was a teen, they’ve changed a lot. I never thought the day would come when WnW would be part of my makeup collection and that I’d be astounded by the excellent quality that would be available at such a low price point.
I agree that brand was a different beast 15 years ago!
Their 8 and original 6 pan shadows were excellent. I also own a number of their trio’s. (Which all these shadows are depottted into 3 Z palette in my permanent collection). The MegaLast lipsticks I almost own all the shades and I don’t regret it. ๐
There new silk finish lipstick formulas are and inprovment over the old one. But some are still crazy frosty.
WE really just don’t have the Fergie line up here……. >_<
I like their lipsticks a lot and their regular black liquid liner was my favorite on the market for years. It has an excellent skinny brush (better than most HE liquid liner brushes IMO) and the formula is very good provided you don’t suffer from watery eyes. I developed seasonal allergies and weird sensitivity to cold a few years back so my eyes regularly tear up a litte bit, leading me to switch to UD liner. I have to admit I like the UD even more because the wear is the stuff that dreams are made of and it STILL washes off with normal cleanser, but if I didn’t have the eye issues I might change on back to WnW just to save the money.
I dislike all of their other liquid liners. The non-waterproof ones other than black have pigmentation issues and the waterproof ones have an awful applicator that feels like a sharpie pen. Haven’t really tried their other makeup.
I love their Mega Last Lipsticks! They are a great price for the quality. One of the few drugstore brand lipsticks I use.
I’m kind of finding the same with the eye shadows. The Silverlake ones aren’t as good as I’d been expecting.
On the other hand, I’ve picked up two of the Balmstains on impulse, and they’re amazing. All they would need is SPF to make them the perfect summer product.
RAVE! I’m constantly stalking their fun displays of cosmetics to see if they have new shadow palettes. The color payoff and price are amazing! I tell everyone that I see looking and questioning their eyeshadows that they are a match for some high-end palettes. I have yet to try their lipsticks, but will be, and have never used their foundations because I’m a fan of my Dior Star, but everything else is a win for me.
Which of the eye shadow palettes do you recommend? I’ve always been wanting to try them, but not sure which one to get
The Comfort Zone palette is the best IMO. I like Petal Pusher, too. The trios are good: Walking on Eggshells and Sweet as Candy especially. The Naked Truth is pretty good. Tunnel Vision is good if you like grays. I like the LE Smoke and Melrose, Melrose Nights and Angels in Aubergine (you can find them on ebay and such).
Thanks for the recs, Rachel! I will check those out.
Petal Pusher! It’s all sorts of purples! ๐
Thanks for the rec!
I agree with you 100%. The lip products now are great, better than years back. But the newer e/s’s that are now released are a disappointment for me. The last one I picked up was a 5 pan palette, I think called smoke&mirrors. I think I gave it to my daughter, the colors were patchy, and hard to work with. So now I don’t even bother with them. If they would up their game I would seek them out but alas I don’t.
i 100% despise their packaging though and especially on the eyeshadow palettes. i think it’s unattractive and just… blah. I don’t like it. It’s the only reason I haven’t bought the palettes yet. it’s shallow, i know, i’d just want to depot them right away but there’s no way I’m buying a WNW palette and then buying a Z-Palette just for them. waste of my money. also the lipsticks tend to pop open in my purse/serving apron, which is irritating. LOVE the megalast lipsticks anyway, i own almost all of them.
Their gel liner is great as well as their liquid liners. Their eyeshadow is brulee is amazing. I also like some of their high lighters. I’m not a huge fan of their Fergie products
Pro – CHEAP, cruelty free, mega last lipsticks are awesome, nail polish is great (the squared off bottle collection, especially), their permanent eye shadow palettes are some of the best.
Cons – limited colors in their face products, their special edition products are generally awful, and there is no in between with their products – they are either awesome, or terrible. But at that price point…I take the risk.
Rave: the Megalast lipsticks! I love the shade range – I’ve been able to make my way through nearly the whole line as I’ve become accustomed to wearing different colors throughout the years – and the longevity and application are so good. I often find myself wishing you’d swatch them, Christine, given how accessible and popular they are for people looking for dupes.
Another rave is the liquid foundation – the shade range isn’t great, but I was lucky to find a match and the quality of the formula and finish really surprised me.
When Wet’n’WIld first hit the drugstore shelves way back in the eary 80s (I think), they were awesome and the only way to get “out therel” colors like black, blue, etc. This was pre-internet and easily available online ordering and for a wanna be punk in a small Florida town, they were the best thing ever. So, thank you, W’n’W for being there.
Not much to say about them currently, good or bad, I just haven’t used much drugstore make-up in a long while.
*Rant – love their Fergie Take On the Day Eye Primer! My oily lids have defeated probably 10 of the top primers on the market, but this one holds up, and is dirt cheap.
* Rave – I tried their Megalast lipstick in Cherry Bomb because it was a dupe of MAC Diva, but it was so drying and dragged so bad that I threw it away. Maybe I got a bad batch because others seem to like the Megalast. I want to try some of their new shadow palettes (especially the Fergie 10 pan shadow palette which is suppose to be good) , but my local drugstores never seem to get the newer or LE palettes, so I’ve given up trying to look for them
I only one Wet n Wild product, but it’s a good ‘un! Black nail polish, for the rare occasions I need it. All lovely and creamily opaque, and you can’t beat the price!
I have almost ALLLL of their lipsticks and my favorite palettes are the Comfort Zone, Petal Pusher, Blue Had Me At Hello, and of course Vanity!
I’m on a very low budget so Wet N Wild is really my kind of brand.I have about three quarters of their line and I like that makeup exists at such a low price range, even if not all of it is good. I enjoy the challenge of making terrible makeup work sometimes.
Rave: I love the magalast lipsticks as lipsticks and cream blush. I used to buy a wider variety of drugstore eyeshadow but I pretty much stick with WnW and Maybelline’s color tattoos at this point. I really liked the recent silverlake collection and their collection last summer had some beautiful matte shadows. They don’t work well without primer but that isn’t a dealbreaker for me.
My favorite product from them though is the new concealer palette. There are not a lot of color-correcting concealers at the drugstore and theirs is much, much better than the Physicians formula or Maybelline ones I tried. I only use the green one but it is perfect for spot-correcting acne because it is very pigmented and very stiff. It’s easy to get enough on my face to correct acne, but it doesn’t blend into foundation and turn my face green. 10/10 highly recommend.
Rant: Their eyeliners are awful. They changed the formula on their pencil eyeliners, and now they are easier to sharpen, impossible to wash off, and still too hard for the upper lashline. I use the black one for costume makeup across my face (stiff enough to be very precise) and the brown, black, & gray ones to use as “handles” for gel eyeliner (thank you for that tip Christine!).
Their foundation feels a little tacky and the powder emphasizes pores, but I do like owning cheap foundation to practice costume makeup.
I love the balm stains for lips… they’re so easy to keep in my purse for a quick swipe of color when I need a lift, and they feel good on my lips. The gel liner is a great basic black for my needs, the Fergie eye shadow primer performs every bit as well as UD primer potion, and the Fergie BB cream works pretty well for me. I also have one blush of theirs that I really love (the name has something to do with wine). What drives me NUTS is the inconsistency in the Color Icon line of shadows. What in the world did they do to that great formula?? Is it possible they priced themselves out of their former quality due to a higher cost for ingredients? That’s the only reason I can think of for going from So Very Good to So Very Awful over a relatively short period of time.
The pricing is a great point. WnW really hasn’t raised prices in 20+ years, but while the quality improved, the packaging became much less durable. In the last 5 years, when they seemed to have a resurgence, most brands have raised prices significantly, HE & DS alike (look at CoverGirl-they were a step up in price to WnW, but now they’re in line with L’Orรฉal!). I do commend WnW for trying to maintain their pricepoint, though, as there is obviously a market.
I think the eyeshadows are hit and miss. I won’t but their singles and the only trio I’ve found that I’m head over heels for is the Walking On Eggshells trio. I like a few of their limited edition 5-pan shadows. I’m not a huge fan of any of their other products. I find their lippies either too dry, messy, or unflattering. I have yet to really find luck with Wet n Wild, I’d rather pay a few dollars more to get NYX or Maybelline products.
Rave: I love this brand! I will cry my eyes out if they ever go out of business. Love love love their Megalast Lipsticks and the shade In the Flesh is one my favorite lipsticks among all brands, of all times. And the bronzer(?) Reserve Your Cabana is another favorite subtle highlighter for me. Its the perfect finishing powder to brighten my under eye. Also love the blushes – Heather Silk and Pearlescent Pink. Also love the Fergie Shimmer Palette in Hollywood Boulevard and Rose Champagne. They are super shimmery but i love to glow from a mile
Rant: Hate the packaging but what else can i expect for $2/$3 products. Hated their sparkle liquid eyeliner. It was flaky and lacked pigmentation; the black was hardly black. The applicator was also of very poor quality. The eyeshadows are too soft and powdery and staying power is not impressive. But i am not much of an eyeshadow specialist.
Yes, another fan of Reserve Your Cabana! Most bronzers look way too muddy, orange, or warm on my skin, but this is the only one that works. And it’s this humongous pan for like $4 and has SPF 15!!! So thrilled !
You’ve said it all Christine!
They have good lip products and their eyeshadows used to be drugstore gems, but none of the more recent releases have impressed me.
Wet n Wild isn’t available in stores in the UK but we can pick up bits and pieces online. I’ve only tried their colour icon shadows in Pedal Pusher and Comfort Zone. Love love!!!
Their 3-pan named Silent Treatment has one of the best silvery mauve taupes out there. Hands down. Perfect probably for all eye colors, but especially great for green eyes.
I absolutely agree! Silent treatment is a very special drugstore anomaly. The silvery taupe shade is soooo gorgeous and I really can’t seem to find a dupe for it. Go figure. The only thing is I don’t love the quality of their shadows. It’s not bad by any means, just really powdery. I wish there was a mid to high end brand that makes that silvery taupe shade!
Rave: Inexpensive, accessible, and Cruelty Free. They have some great products: Megalast Lipsticks, Silk Finish lipsticks, lipglosses, the Comfort Palette, many other good eye palettes, Fergie eyeshadow primer, Fergie Shimmer Palette in Rose Champagne, Color Icon blushes, Coverall pressed powder. Fergie Cream Lipstick: Bebop is one of my favorite nudes, and Pagan Angel is a fantastic opaque black cream. Wet n Wild come out with some interesting colors and eyeshadow combinations. I’ve used Wet n Wild since they first came out, and I think over the years, they’ve really upped their game and continue to do so.
Rant: It’s part of keeping the prices low, but the packaging is really cheap. I find this annoying mostly with the lipsticks, as they wobble and want to break off. I depot mine. I don’t like that they switched to labeling eye shades as “eyelid,” “definer,” “crease,” etc. and making the pans all different sizes. I prefer to have the pans the same size and use them where I want. Eye shadow quality is not consistent, though improving. LE items are so limited and hard to get. My Walgreens, for example, gets just three of each LE item.
RAVE: Their coverall foundation is my HG and so is their Fergie eye primer. The Megalast lipsticks are great and they come out with lots of fun colours in their LE collections! Plus they’re cheap as hell!
RANT: Don’t like any of the lip products except for the Megalasts, their packaging is fragile, their shadows are hit and miss- either the best thing that ever happened to you, or a complete and utter tragedy- and they are SO HARD to track down in Canada!
Rave: always very affordable, the Mega Last lipsticks are generally quite good, I like the one Mega Last polish that I have (a Latte Love), Mega Liner is really awesome for precise liner, and Mega Length mascara is great for my lower lashes
Rant: not a super aggressive rant, but it’d be nice if their pencil products were better, and some of their other mascaras aren’t very good at all. I got the Mega Plush (I think that’s the name) and it was just awful. Did nothing at all for my lashes and it was actually difficult to get the product on with the super stiff brush on the wand.
I was a teen in the 80s and it’s still hard for me to get past the reputation they had then. The only WnW products I own are a few of their nail polishes (no issues with them), the Comfort Zone palette (so buttery! I love this palette!) and the Lust pallette which I’ve only used a couple of times.
Their brow pencil in Taupe is HG for me. I prefer it over Anastasia’s pencils. Also love the Reserve Your Cabana highlighter and Mellow Mauve blush. Their permanent eye palettes are lovely, but the quality of the limited edition ones is always terrible. Their mascaras are pretty awful too.
Everyone raves about Wet-n-Wild trios, but I really dislike them. The shadows have the strangest sheen .. ugh, I also just tossed the 8 pan purple eye shadow palette in Petal Pusher for that same odd sheen. There’s so much better eye shadow on the market, in my opinion, but gals do like their stuff!
Monica.
their lipsticks are very pigmented and durable for the price and a wide range of mac dupes if i can recall haha but their packaging is sturdy and horrible, (the cap of the lipsticks sometimes is too loose and sometimes is too hard to open) basically it’s non practical in all senses. Their eyeshadows are really chalky and underperformed… The only ones i can work with are usually the base colors that are part of the palettes.
I have yet to try my first Wet ‘n Wild product. For some reason the brand never grabs my attention that much, not sure why.
I love the matte lipsticks and megalength mascara. I own 10 of the matte lippies and 2 backups of the mascara!
My first experience with WnW was in the 90’s – their lipsticks were sooooo cheap and were like wax crayons. Everything was lower quality than dollar store makeup. I think it’s great that the brand survived and upped the quality. The only WnW I own today because it’s not really sold in Canada anymore (or I can’t find it) is the “bronzer” which is actually a highlighter – Reserve Your Cabana. It’s a nice enough product (though I wouldn’t call it a dupe for Hourglass Luminous Light as I’ve heard from others).
I agree to your answer. Mega last lipsticks are so great, and oh man their old formula of eyeshadows was so dope! I still have one more unopened Vanity palette that I’m saving ๐ I’m quite disappointed that they changed the formula three or four years back… I’m still very much hoping they’ll decide to bring back the old formula and the old products with them.
Rave: Besides the price point, the eyeshadows are highly pigmented, the lipsticks are rich and long-lasting, and the polishes can compete with mos to ther drug store brands.
Rant: I wish the lipsticks had slanted instead of straight tips for easier application! Also, I’ve had a few tubes to smear inside the cap.
Hmm well.. The stands used to be more appealing, the eye pencils were much better and this was where my young self went to grab colors that no one else was making yet, so I loved them for that! I’ve bought a lipstick here and there and the amazing Petal Pusher palette, recommend, but I really don’t play here anymore so I can’t really comment on present products. ๐
I think they’re one of the best drugstore brands out there, especially for the price point. Drugstore prices keep going up and I have seen no price change with Wet N Wild. I really enjoy their MegaLast Lipsticks.. I believe I own around ten. The formula is definitely worth more than the $2 but the packaging is not lol. I think their 99ยข lipsticks are pretty nice as well. Their shimmery shades in their eyeshadow palettes are so creamy, I love it. I am unhappy with a few shades in their Comfort Zone palette due to the fact they look nothing like they do in the pan.
I also love their liquid liner but the non-waterproof version! I absolutely hate the waterproof version’s applicator. The Fergie line looks really interesting, so far though I only one item from the Fergie Collection. Shimmer palette! The glow it gives off is amazing and it’s very pigmented! I did see some brushes on the Wet N wild display at my local Walgreens but I have heard nothing about them.. I wonder how well their brushes are!
RAVE – lots of decent products and the first drugstore contour palette out there. And it’s GOOD.
RANT – I am so sick and tired of trying to track down WnW LE products. I’m over it. 90% of the time, I go into drugstores every other day–and I normally NEVER go into drugstores, except to check for LE makeup releases, so I make special trips for these damned products–and they NEVER SHOW. NEVER!!!!!! It’s seriously 1 in 10 products I see on the internet that ever appear in any store in my area–and I check drugstores over like a 30-mile radius, cuz I look near my home and both my jobs. What is the point of that?
Consistent feedback. Lipstick and nail polishes are fantastic, eye products (pencils and shadows) are subpar.