Review and Swatches: Wet n Wild Knock on Wood

After being extremely impressed by my other Wet n Wild eyeshadows, this trio in 383B Knock on Wood ($2.99 at the drugstore) was a little bit of a letdown in terms of pigmentation. The trio consists of a satin finish peachy pink, slightly shimmery medium-dark brown with neutral undertones, and a shimmery cranberry.

Below are swatches with flash.

The light pink is definitely the weakest link in this trio. It is chalky, powdery, and poorly pigmented, not to mention it's definitely not a browbone shade as the palette suggests. I might use it to blend out the crease or perhaps on the lid for a subtle look.

The brown is also not super pigmented, but is workable and is great for the outer corners, crease, or outer half of the crease depending on how dramatic you want your look to be. Despite the slight shimmer, this color works great in the crease for a natural look, in the outer corners for definition in a very light look, or to blend out a darker crease color in a darker look.

The cranberry color is my favorite of the bunch. The pigmentation is better than the other two colors, though still not quite up to par with what I've come to expect from Wet n Wild. The color is very versatile, mostly because you can actually blend out the shimmer. If I'm using the color on the lid and I want to keep the shimmer, I pack it on with my finger. However, if I'm using it in my crease, I lightly buff it in with a stiff blending brush and it creates a matte look. The latter is definitely my favorite way to use it, because it warms up any look, adds an interesting bit of color that isn't too bright, and brings out my green eyes.

Longevity is slightly less than other Wet n Wild eyeshadows I've used, with fading occurring after about 6 hours without primer and 10 hours with primer. I wouldn't use these if you have a long day ahead of you or are going to a special event. The upside of the slightly dry texture is that even though it decreases longevity, I've had absolutely no creasing. However, I think this palette is worth it for the cranberry shade alone, especially if you have green or blue eyes because it will really make your eye color pop and can liven up a neutral eye look.

In terms of dupes, the cranberry color is a little darker and more brown than Mac Cranberry, but they create a similar effect on the eye.

Pigmentation: 7/10 (Pink shade was not good, brown and cranberry were ok)
Texture: 8/10 (Pink shade is powdery, other two are nice but don't have the same almost creamy texture as some WNW shades)
Longevity: 8/10 (Primer is pretty much required to get through the day)
Price: 10/10 ($2.99 is a great deal even if you're never going to use the pink color. The brown shade is a nice reliable neutral and the cranberry shade is a staple in my collection)

Overall: 8.25/10

Review and Swatches: Wet n Wild I'm Getting Sunburned

The 334 I'm Getting Sunburned trio from Wet n Wild ($2.99 at drugstores) immediately makes me think of summer, but you could definitely use it all year round. The trio consists of a gorgeous frosty blue-toned pink, a matte deep brown with red glitter, and a golden bronze shimmery shade.

Here are swatches without flash; it's slightly out of focus so you can see the glitter in the middle shade and the frosty finish of the top shade.

The pink shade is perfect. It is smooth and silky with excellent pigmentation and it just glides on. It's legitimately pink, as opposed to some shades such as Urban Decay Sin, which are pink-toned champagnes. This makes is unique and fun but a little more difficult to wear- it's less of a neutral, and can be used more as a pop of color. The frosty finish makes it really brighten up the eyes. If you are familiar with color theory for eye makeup, you know that you should wear the same color as your eyes or the opposite color on the color wheel to make your eyes pop, so I've found that this pink is great for green eyes, but I think this could be flattering on anyone. Personally, I would not use this as a browbone shade as the palette suggests (I would use it on my lid) but someone with darker skin might be able to pull that off.

The brown shade is also very pigmented, but is a little drier and can go on patchy if you don't blend it well. If you blend it too much, you can lose the glitter, which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. The glitter doesn't detract from its function as a crease or definer shade. This is the exact same shade as the left definer shade in the Comfort Zone palette by Wet n Wild, but I think they reformulated it because that one is a little less dry and stains the skin slightly.

The golden bronze shade has the same silky texture as the pink but is not quite as pigmented. It still has good pigmentation and just crosses the line between satin and shimmer. I wanted to see how this color compared to Half Baked by Urban Decay, so I pulled out my Naked palette and made some comparisons.

Comparison swatches with flash

Comparison swatches without flash

I compared the dark brown to Darkhorse by Urban Decay and found that Darkhorse was a bit lighter and had gold glitter rather than red glitter, but blended out I think the Wet n Wild shade could create the same effect on the eyes.

As you can see, Half Baked is lighter and more of a true yellow gold compared the orange undertones of the WNW shade. Half Baked also has that famous ultra-metallic finish. Urban Decay Smog has a more similar finish and undertones, but is a couple of shades too dark. I found that if you blend two parts Half Baked with one part Smog, you can create a shade that is identical to the WNW color in some lights, but at other angles the metallic finish of Half Baked comes out too much.

While the WNW palette doesn't have any exact dupes that I could find, it does allow you to create a somewhat similar look to the Naked palette that would be great for a summery, bronzy smoky eye.

In terms of longevity, I found that these shadows were the perfect mix of silky and slightly dry so that they avoided the creasing seen with overly "creamy" powder eyeshadows, while escaping the fading that can be caused by shadows that are too dry, even without primer.

With a variety of finishes, a couple of near-dupes for Urban Decay classics, and a lovely unique frosty pink, I definitely recommend picking up this trio for summer and transitioning into fall!

Pigmentation: 9/10 (The pink is great, the brown can be a little patchy, and the golden-bronze is fine but I wish it were just a little more pigmented)
Texture: 9/10 (The pink and gold are lovely, the brown is a little dry)
Longevity: 10/10 (Fantastic even without primer)
Price: 10/10 (For $2.99, this is a great deal- you get three nice, usable colors, two of which are near-dupes for Urban Decay shadows)

Overall: 9.5/10

Top 3 Workwear Tips

It can be hard to express yourself and feel fashionable while staying within your employer's dress code, especially when it's as restrictive and casual as mine- jeans and sneakers required. But hopefully these tips will help you out. No heels? No skirts? No problem!

1. Work within the guidelines. Remember how I mentioned sneakers are mandatory here? Well, while everyone else is running around in tennis shoes, I prefer to interpret the rules in my own way.

My favorite Rocketdog "sneakers"

Sinfully comfortable, thankfully free of that squeaking noise sneakers can make against a linoleum floor, and far more expressive of my personal style than exercise sneakers. I'm so obsessed with these that I even got my gym teacher to accept them as sneakers, and I wear them so often that they are literally falling apart- the canvas is worn thin, the edges are fraying, and the red thread at the toe has unraveled. This beat up effect, along with the model of the shoe, adds a rocker/grunge vibe to any outfit. My style changes from preppy to boho to edgy depending on the day, so having these shoes is great for instantly changing the feel of an outfit while sticking to my dress code!

2. Use colors, cuts, and textures to your advantage. Although I love jeans, somehow being told I can't wear any other pants makes me resent them a bit. When I really think about it, though, the category of jeans is so expansive, I know I can't get bored! Especially with the trends this summer, it's so easy to incorporate jeans into your wardrobe. For a girly, flirty look try floral jeans, which have been everywhere this season!

Try these adorable jeans from Wet Seal!

Not into patterns? Bright solids are also huge right now.

These awesome jeggings from Delia's come in a bunch of pretty shades!

3. Use makeup to express yourself! First check what other people are wearing- if absolutely no one else puts on any makeup, you might feel awkward. But otherwise, it's a great outlet! Try a bold winged or cat-eye liner for an edgy look.

For a flirtier vibe, go with a fun lip color- as I said above with the jeggings, brights are all the rage this summer!

This bright pink is super daring and sure to make you stand out!

Hope these tips help you keep sight of your style within the restrictions placed upon you at work, and have a great rest of the summer! Back-to-school posts will be coming your way soon :)