long hair and lashes: Wet n Wild Lipsticks

Wet n Wild is relatively new to the Irish market but it's a really, really inexpensive brand with a few "hidden gem" products so I thought it was worthwhile doing a post or 2 on their products! I remember finding out that Wet n Wild had come to Ireland (that anecdote is here in my April Favourites if you'd like to find out more on that!) and one of the first things I knew I wanted to try out was their lipsticks. I'd heard so many things about their lipsticks from American bloggers/youtubers and before then, all I'd heard about was their eyeshadows (a friend of mine was kind enough to pick up one of their palettes for me when she was in the states, about a year or 2 before Wet n Wild came to Ireland!) As with a lot of brands, (particularly inexpensive ones) there are going to be quite a few misses - and these lipsticks are not one of them!

I had PJ & Duncan "Let's Get Ready To Rhumble" in my head while getting started on this!

The formula of these lipsticks is amazing and they all have the same texture and finish. They are opaque and pigmented, very long wearing yet incredibly comfortable on the lips. The texture is somewhere between an amplified and a satin by MAC. They go on creamier, like an amplified but after a while they dry down to a more satin (but not completely matte) finish which I love! It's worth noting that the lighter colours (Think Pink and Just Peachy) show up more dry skin on the lips but nothing too bad at all. The only thing I hate about these lipsticks - which I've touched on before, is the packaging. It definitely cheapens the overall look of the lipstick (but then again, it is €2.99!) but my real gripe with it is that the product comes over the black casing which means you can nick and take chunks out of the lipstick very easily when you're taking the cap off! I know it's a first world problem and it's definitely what's on the inside that counts! The lipsticks are also odourless so if you're sensitive to smells then these would be perfect for you! The shade range is also very good, too. I have 7 shades to show you today, but there are quite a few more in the range (I think around the 12 shade mark but I could be wrong!) I know they also offer a more brown nude shade, a mauve purple, a coral, and a few more rose/pink shades. I wanted to test out some of the lighter and darker shades (Cherry Bomb being the darkest in the range) and a few colours in between to get a good overall idea and feel for the lipsticks. I honestly can't say enough good things about these, they look and feel lovely on the lips and are such good quality for the price that they feel a lot like a higher end lipstick. Speaking of higher end lipsticks, while swatching the Wet n Wild ones, I noticed that a lot of them were very similar to some MAC and Urban Decay lipsticks that I have and thought it would be a fun idea to swatch and compare them side by side. There are, of course, some variations in texture and they're not all exact dupes but a lot of them come pretty close without the €18 euro price tag! I thought lip swatches would be the most useful for this kind of post. I didn't want to use any lipliner or anything because I wanted you to be able to see the true colour of the lipstick (that's really just an excuse to defend the not so perfect lipstick application!). I'm not sure of exact locations nationwide, but I know Wet n Wild are currently being stocked in larger Dunnes Stores and will probably be coming to all stores in the next few months. I picked these up in Dunnes in Eyre Square, Galway and Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, Dublin. I've also seen them in Penneys in Galway, too! :)

Think Pink is a beautiful baby pink nude colour. I say nude because even though it's pale, it's not quite pastel (Saint Germain, I'm lookin' at you) and has a more nude feel to it, making it very wearable! This is probably my most used of all the Wet n Wild lipsticks because it goes with a lot of different eye looks and looks really pretty when paired with a more dramatic smokey eye. I know that this colour is probably comparable to the likes of Snob by MAC but the most respectable dupe I've found in my own collection seems to be Native by Urban Decay. Think Pink comes up more coral/peach in the swatch but they look SO similar on the lips!

Wet n Wild Think Pink

Next up is Just Peachy which is a very pretty dark peach shade. It has quite a lot of brown in it but is still flattering on a pale skintone (although, this shade would look great on someone slightly darker than me!). It's another lighter, wearable shade and a nice change from a typical light beige nude. The texture of this, like all the other lipsticks, is great and very opaque! I honestly had a hard time finding a dupe for this lipstick in my own collection, purely because I don't tend to gravitate towards a nude this dark of a peach. I do really like this shade, though and will be wearing it a lot in the summer!

Wet n Wild Just Peachy

Smokin' Hot Pink is just that - a hot pink. It's a mid-tone fuschia with quite a lot of red in it. This is a really nice, punchy and bright lip colour for summer but could easily be made darker with a deeper shade in the outer corners to create an ombre lip. This shade reminds me a lot of Catfight (Urban Decay) and Mr Lover (Sephora brand). The obvious red undertones in it made it a nice change from a straight up red or a straight up pink and would look good on a lot of different skintones. If you're curious, this lipstick looks great with Beet lipliner by MAC!

Wet n Wild Smokin' Hot Pink

Red Velvet is a bit of an odd shade. I know they offer another, more pillarbox red shade in the range but this is the more unique of the 2. In the tube, it does look more red and at first glance I thought it would be a perfect dupe for Ruby Woo by MAC. After swatching them together, they're not a million miles off but Red Velvet does have a touch of pink to it and so is not really a true red shade which makes it more unique. It's so funny to see Smokin' Hot Pink as a pink with red and Red Velvet as a red with pink (they are definitely different though, if anything Smokin' Hot Pink is even a touch darker in terms of shades). I like to pair this with MAC Cherry lip pencil.

Wet n Wild Red Velvet

Sugar Plum Fairy is the one lipstick in this range I will hold my hand up and say is a perfect dupe for MAC Rebel lipstick. In fact, I actually prefer the Wet n Wild version the MAC one because the texture is a lot nicer! When I first bought Rebel, I thought it was such a unique shade but I've since realised that there are a lot of similar shades on the market (Venom by Urban Decay is also an exact dupe!) Sugar Plum Fairy is a deep berry pink with subtle purple undertones and is a great shade if you want to transition into darker, vampier lips but tend to stick to pink shades. I love this colour and find it flattering on everyone. It can be made more pink by just wearing it on its own, or made a lot more of a deep purple by pairing it with Currant/Vino/Nightmoth lip pencil by MAC.

Wet n Wild Sugar Plum Fairy

I looked at the brown sticker on the bottom of this lipstick tube in the store and thought it would be a very 90's burnt orange/brown shade which is pretty much everything I hate in a lip colour. I flipped the lipstick up and was confronted with a deep red with subtle brown undertones and instantly fell in love. This is a very vintage, Hollywood red and is the exact shade of red that I love to wear. The brown undertones don't really show through, they more so deepen the actual colour of the lipstick which I love love love!

Wet n Wild Cinnamon Spice

Finally, Cherry Bomb is a deep burgundy with a good mix of red and purple tones. This is a lipstick that I feel like I have quite a few versions of, because I love any kind of dark lipstick. I think the swatches speak for themselves but I do love this colour lip in Autumn/Winter. I pair this with Currant/Vino/Nightmoth pencil, add some liner and mascara and call it a day on my make-up. Its not always easy to find this sort of shade in a more inexpensive brand without it being overly glossy or frosty, so this would be a good one to try if you want to give dark lips a try but don't feel like paying the money for a MAC lipstick.