Wet 'n' Wild House of Thorns Color Icon Eyeshadow Quad Review & Swatches
House of Thorns
Wet ‘n’ Wild House of Thorns Color Icon Eyeshadow Quad ($2.99 for 0.16 oz.) is the last of the limited edition quads from the brand for the spring. It was, unfortunately, another dud–one shade was good (beyond wear time), one shade was so-so, and the remaining two were dismal.
Ingredients
Talc, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ethyl Macadamiate, Boron Nitride, Dimethicone, Silica, Nylon-12, Magnesium Myristate, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Polybutene, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Lauroyl Lysine, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, o-Cymen-5-ol, Water/Eau, Tin Oxide, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, [+/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR): Iron Oxides/CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Mica, Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Ultramarines/CI 77007].
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
House of Thorns
LELimited Edition. $2.99.
House of Thorns #1
House of Thorns #1 is a golden bronze with warm undertones and a pearly sheen. The texture was drier and more firmly-pressed in the pan, which made it more of a challenge to pick up product and to apply it evenly to bare skin. It seemed to get better as I wore away some of the rose pattern (or a few layers of product), which yielded mostly opaque coverage and marginally smoother coverage when applied with a wet brush. It lasted well for six hours before fading noticeably.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Guerlain Les Precieux #4 (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (95% similar).
- Chanel Intense #2 (PiP, ) is brighter (90% similar).
- Anastasia Paris (LE, $12.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Chanel Patine Bronze (840) (P, $36.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Chanel Lumieres Naturelles #4 (LE, ) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Tarte Starfish (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter (90% similar).
- Chanel Lueurs Ambrees #1 (PiP, ) is less shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Sephora Coconut Shell (LE, ) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Distilled (PiP, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar).
- Urban Decay Deeper (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar).
Formula Overview
-
The formula is supposed to be "powerfully pigmented" with a "butter-soft" texture that "glides on like a dream." The majority of the eyeshadows are on the drier side, sometimes feeling loosely pressed and other times more chalk-like and truly dry to the point where a primer became a must for getting good adhesion and wear out of the formula. Most of the matte shades were quite pigmented, and I found they actually applied better to bare skin than some of the shimmers, which often appeared faded and muted in practice compared to how they appeared in the pan. The pigmentation varied from decent to mostly opaque depending on the shade, and the wear was typically between five and seven hours on me.
I did not keep most of the previously-released trios and palettes from the brand as mine, but when I compared 2018's formula to the prior one (and mine are likely five or more years old), the previous formula was far better for their shimmers--slightly more slip, creamier in feel, and typically more pigmented and true-to-color on the lid. I think the mattes, overall, are improved as they are more blendable and pigmented on the lid.
Browse all of our Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow (2018) swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Silica, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Magnesium Myristate, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Boron Nitride, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Lauroyl Lysine, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, o-Cymen-5-ol, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tin Oxide, Water/Eau, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, [+/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR): Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Ultramarines/CI 77007, Red 40 Lake/CI 16035, Manganese Violet/CI 77742, Mica, Iron Oxides/CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Carmine/CI 75470, Black 2/CI 77266, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide/CI 77510].
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
House of Thorns #1
LELimited Edition.
House of Thorns #2
House of Thorns #2 is a blackened, emerald green with cool undertones and a sparkling sheen. It had rich color payoff applied both wet and dry, but wet application yielded an inkier base that made it appear darer overall. The texture was soft, drier and prone to fallout, but it at least went on evenly and didn’t sheer out too readily. I was able to diffuse the edges without too much effort. It stayed on nicely for six and a half hours before fading on me.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Urban Decay Floss (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, warmer (95% similar).
- ColourPop Mothership (P, $7.00) is more shimmery, warmer (90% similar).
- Morphe Diva (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Dose of Colors Nightsky (P, $20.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty TFX11 (LE, $36.00) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Makeup Geek Epic (P, $9.99) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Damaged (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Huda Beauty Emerald #4 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, warmer (90% similar).
- Smashbox STFU (PiP, ) is lighter, warmer (85% similar).
- Estee Lauder Burnished Sage (LE, ) is lighter, warmer (85% similar).
Formula Overview
-
The formula is supposed to be "powerfully pigmented" with a "butter-soft" texture that "glides on like a dream." The majority of the eyeshadows are on the drier side, sometimes feeling loosely pressed and other times more chalk-like and truly dry to the point where a primer became a must for getting good adhesion and wear out of the formula. Most of the matte shades were quite pigmented, and I found they actually applied better to bare skin than some of the shimmers, which often appeared faded and muted in practice compared to how they appeared in the pan. The pigmentation varied from decent to mostly opaque depending on the shade, and the wear was typically between five and seven hours on me.
I did not keep most of the previously-released trios and palettes from the brand as mine, but when I compared 2018's formula to the prior one (and mine are likely five or more years old), the previous formula was far better for their shimmers--slightly more slip, creamier in feel, and typically more pigmented and true-to-color on the lid. I think the mattes, overall, are improved as they are more blendable and pigmented on the lid.
Browse all of our Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow (2018) swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Silica, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Magnesium Myristate, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Boron Nitride, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Lauroyl Lysine, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, o-Cymen-5-ol, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tin Oxide, Water/Eau, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, [+/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR): Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Ultramarines/CI 77007, Red 40 Lake/CI 16035, Manganese Violet/CI 77742, Mica, Iron Oxides/CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Carmine/CI 75470, Black 2/CI 77266, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide/CI 77510].
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
House of Thorns #2
LELimited Edition.
House of Thorns #3
House of Thorns #3 is a deep red with warm undertones and a matte finish. It had sheer–at best–coverage applied dry with lots of jabbing at the surface to dislodge product off of the ridiculously, firmly-pressed texture and was difficult to blend out. Applied with a dampened brush, the coverage improved to medium, but it was impossible to blend out–it was only workable stamped onto the skin as a liner. It started to show signs of fading after five hours of wear on me.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- KKW Beauty Hanami (PiP, ) is darker (95% similar).
- Anastasia Venetian Red (PiP, $12.00) is more shimmery, cooler (95% similar).
- Urban Decay Fire Starter (LE, $19.00) is more shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Huda Beauty Mauve #6 (PiP, ) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Pretty Vulgar Snitch (PiP, ) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Missy (LE, $4.50) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
- Milani Time to Un-wine (PiP, $5.99) is warmer (90% similar).
- ColourPop Get Out (P, $4.50) is brighter, warmer (90% similar).
- NABLA Cosmetics Fahrenheit (P, $8.00) is lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Scandalous (PiP, ) is darker, cooler (90% similar).
Formula Overview
-
The formula is supposed to be "powerfully pigmented" with a "butter-soft" texture that "glides on like a dream." The majority of the eyeshadows are on the drier side, sometimes feeling loosely pressed and other times more chalk-like and truly dry to the point where a primer became a must for getting good adhesion and wear out of the formula. Most of the matte shades were quite pigmented, and I found they actually applied better to bare skin than some of the shimmers, which often appeared faded and muted in practice compared to how they appeared in the pan. The pigmentation varied from decent to mostly opaque depending on the shade, and the wear was typically between five and seven hours on me.
I did not keep most of the previously-released trios and palettes from the brand as mine, but when I compared 2018's formula to the prior one (and mine are likely five or more years old), the previous formula was far better for their shimmers--slightly more slip, creamier in feel, and typically more pigmented and true-to-color on the lid. I think the mattes, overall, are improved as they are more blendable and pigmented on the lid.
Browse all of our Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow (2018) swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Silica, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Magnesium Myristate, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Boron Nitride, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Lauroyl Lysine, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, o-Cymen-5-ol, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tin Oxide, Water/Eau, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, [+/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR): Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Ultramarines/CI 77007, Red 40 Lake/CI 16035, Manganese Violet/CI 77742, Mica, Iron Oxides/CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Carmine/CI 75470, Black 2/CI 77266, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide/CI 77510].
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
House of Thorns #3
LELimited Edition.
House of Thorns #4
House of Thorns #4 is a soft black with warm undertones and a matte finish. The swatch might look like I reversed it on readers as a hidden test, but the dry version was actually much, much more pigmented than when I tried to use it wet. The texture was very dry, but it had enough give that it did yield good pigmentation applied dry and blended somewhat along the edges. When I used it with a wet brush, though, it seemed to instantly harden the surface of the pan and did not want to transfer or spread out over my skin at all. This shade wore well for five hours before starting to fade on my skin.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Ciate Beauty (LE, ) is lighter (95% similar).
- Sephora Black Lace (304) (P, $9.00) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Spy Glass (PiP, $4.50) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- Milani Black Tie Affair (PiP, $5.99) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
- NARS Fauna (DC, $25.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- Chanel Affresco #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Wet 'n' Wild The Night's Quad #3 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar).
- Stila Essence (PiP, ) is cooler (90% similar).
- ColourPop Gloves On (LE, $4.50) is more shimmery, darker (90% similar).
- Viseart Tuileries (PiP, ) is more shimmery, cooler (90% similar).
Formula Overview
-
The formula is supposed to be "powerfully pigmented" with a "butter-soft" texture that "glides on like a dream." The majority of the eyeshadows are on the drier side, sometimes feeling loosely pressed and other times more chalk-like and truly dry to the point where a primer became a must for getting good adhesion and wear out of the formula. Most of the matte shades were quite pigmented, and I found they actually applied better to bare skin than some of the shimmers, which often appeared faded and muted in practice compared to how they appeared in the pan. The pigmentation varied from decent to mostly opaque depending on the shade, and the wear was typically between five and seven hours on me.
I did not keep most of the previously-released trios and palettes from the brand as mine, but when I compared 2018's formula to the prior one (and mine are likely five or more years old), the previous formula was far better for their shimmers--slightly more slip, creamier in feel, and typically more pigmented and true-to-color on the lid. I think the mattes, overall, are improved as they are more blendable and pigmented on the lid.
Browse all of our Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow (2018) swatches.
Ingredients
Talc, Silica, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Magnesium Myristate, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Boron Nitride, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Lauroyl Lysine, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, o-Cymen-5-ol, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tin Oxide, Water/Eau, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, [+/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR): Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Ultramarines/CI 77007, Red 40 Lake/CI 16035, Manganese Violet/CI 77742, Mica, Iron Oxides/CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Carmine/CI 75470, Black 2/CI 77266, Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide/CI 77510].
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
I like the top 2 shades but they’ve rated so poorly and I have far better dupes for both. So disappointing about these – all of them.
I hate how poorly the red and black performed. The green is gorgeous! I could see an amazing Christmas themed eye look coming from this combo–albeit by duping the poorly performing ones!
Because it’s cheap, and I do like 3 out of the 4 shades, it’s a “maybe” if I happen to spot one at a Walgreens or something. Believe it or not, I not only love the super deep, rich green, but also that soft, somewhat greenish black to soften and blend out the edges!
If you use a primer, then a neutral transition shade through the crease, the mattes blend out beautifully. Also, the more sparkly shimmers really do benefit from a glitter primer (I use the one from NYX), and patting instead of swiping. They are a bit high-maintenance, but because I love the shades, I find the extra effort worth it.
I heard this palette was bad, but ouch! I’m glad you reviewed it though – I liked the tone of that red and am glad to have dupes. And as always I love the budget brand reviews.
Here’s hoping WNW’s next launch is better!
This is definitely a sub standard quad and I even think the shade selection wouldn’t really work either. The green shade is a stunning colour, but to be wearable – it needs to be surrounded by lots of softer shades so that it can be hero of the eye look. The inclusion of the black shade is redundant too.
What a shame, with a little more thought this could have been a lovely little quad.
I’m happy to see this review, but only because it means you don’t have to keep suffering through these wretched quads!
It’s so easy to toss inexpensive stuff like this in the cart at the drugstore, glad I resisted!