Flock Party by Wet n Wild

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

Flock Party is the second of the eyeshadow quads from the Flights of Fancy summer collection by Wet n Wild (overview post here) that I have to show you. Very pretty colors, but probably the most disappointing of the 3 quads in terms of performance.  There is some good in here, however, and I still managed to get some pretty eye looks out of it.

The strong point for all of the quads for me are the transition shades, as I found them easy to work with, smooth, and nice colors for my fair complexion.  The transition color in Flock Party is a nice peachy beige and is just dark enough to darken my crease for a natural looking bit of definition.  The weakest link in this palette is the large eyelid plummy shade, as it just did not want to build up color for me. Even using my finger did not yield opaque coverage with several passes, and even using a liquid with it (Mac's Fix Plus), I still had to work harder than should be necessary.  The brass colored crease and brow bone shades are much easier to work with.

All that being said, I can't say I was disappointed in the eye looks I got from this quad, although it took a bit of work.  The lovely gold glimmer on the center of the lid below is from J.Cat Beauty's Pris Metal Eye Mousse in Electra.  Those things are phenomenal.

Here I'm wearing the quad without any other shadows, although I did use Mac's Fix Plus with the plummy shadow to build up the color.  It's a bit patchy, but it works.

 For $2.99, I've really got minimal complaints here.

Flights of Fancy Summer Limited Edition Collection Box by Wet n Wild

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

I've got to say that Wet n Wilds' limited edition Flights of Fancy summer collection box is the release I've been most excited about thus far this season. The price is uber reasonable as your are getting almost $55 worth of products for $34.99, there are a variety of different products, and the colors are working for me.  I also like that Wet n Wild is giving back, as

"By purchasing this collection, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles Audubon Society, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect birds and their habitats. These funds will benefit a habitat restoration project for the Allen’s Hummingbird, an endangered California native." 

The design details are so nice, from the bird of paradise on the side of the box itself to the hummingbirds stamped on the baked blushes, to the print on the gloss caps. Just really nice touches.

I've been wearing these items for the past week, and initial impressions are positive. The three eyeshadow quads have their high and low points, but for the most part have delivered some really pretty looks.  Today I'll showcase Stop Ruffling My Feathers ($2.99).

I know that Wet n Wild recently released all new shadows, and these are the first ones I've tried with the new formula. The colors in Stop Ruffling My Feathers appeal to me the most out of the three quads, and I thought they all worked well together.  You get one matte and 3 shimmery shadows, and I thought the matte and two smaller shimmer shadows were stronger than the larger pink with gold shift shimmer. That one was more stiff/dry, and even using it wet did not amp up the color enough to redeem itself. I wouldn't call that color a complete loss, but it is the weakest link.

The shimmery copper color has the most pigment and was easy to work with, and I found all of the matte shades in the quads worked really well for me as transition colors. Swatches below are over primer, and I think you can see that the pink is the weakest of the four out of this palette. 

I had no issues with creasing or fading, and I found that incorporating a cream base shadow amped up the look I was able to achieve.  I wore bareMineral's 5-in-1 BB Cream Eyeshadow in Taupe as a base in the look below.  The eyeliner is Urban Decay's Lucky, which I hear they have brought back from the vault where products go to die.  It's a great copper penny color.

In this look I'm not wearing a base, just the shadows over primer, and I thought it turned out pretty as well.

I've got lots more to say about these items, but will save it for future posts. I hope those in the US have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. A tropical system is threatening lots of rain here in Mobile, but I'll still enjoy my time off :-)

Rebel Rose MegaLast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick by Wet n Wild

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

The Wet n Wild MegaLast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipsticks ($4.99) claim to have vivid color and an ultra-matte finish that does not dry out your lips, and based on Rebel Rose, I'd say that's true. This is a really nice drugstore liquid lipstick!

Rebel Rose is a mauve pink that works for me, as it not too pale nor does not have too strong of a gray undertone. I'd say it's a good choice for those who like the idea of those mauvey-pink shades, yet need something that works with more neutral to warm tone complexions.

My lips did not suffer with this formula, which is a plus when it comes to matte liquid lipsticks. I experienced no crumbling or flaking, and baring an oily meal, wear time was a good 6+ hours.

The only thing keeping me from getting more of the Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipsticks are the colors: nothing else is particularly calling out to me. Hopefully Wet n Wild will expand the color range, but if not, I'm happy with Rebel Rose!

NOTD:Color Club's Sparkle and Soar with Penny for Your Thoughts

Glowing ember.  That's what the orange glass flecked Sparkle and Soar reminds me of, especially mattified with Julep's matte top coat.  I've been watching the news clips of the lava flow in Hawaii approaching that poor village, and Sparkle and Soar captures that vivid orange gold glimpsed under the charred black lava crust.

After a few days of matte orange, I topped with Wet n'Wild's Penny for your Thoughts, part of the Hot Rocks glitter collection from last year.  It looked perfect for Halloween, so of course I had to use it.  One coat produced more bar glitter than the octagons, but it works.

The dogs will be trick or treating at their grandmother's this evening, and Koi Lily wishes everyone a fun and safe Halloween! 

Linking up with The Nail Files, hosted by Jennie Shaw:

Wet n' Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil in Techno

Techno is such a pretty color, a duo tone blue purple, that applies as a sheer wash of color.

Sadly, Techno is also  a hot mess that creases within minutes after application, even over a primer.  The formula is such that it never sets or dries, so the creasing is going to be inevitable.

This photo was taken within 10 minutes of application, and the one below just a few minutes later in the sun.  I wanted to see if Techno could be salvagable as a base for powder shadows and proceeded to experiment a bit.

On the plus side, Techno did make the Clinique shadows I tried on top of it much more vibrant.  You can see the difference between the top row of swatches, which was over bare skin, and the bottom row, which was over Techno.

However, I can see some patchiness and bald spots on the right eye within minutes of application, and 3 hours later it was awful, so Techno won't be working as a shadow base for me either. 

15 minutes after application

3 hours after application

So there was no salvaging Techno, but fortunately this was not a costly failure, as it retails for $1.99 and I got 40% off of that.  In the trash it goes, unless you know something I don't!

Disclosure:  I purchased this.

NOTD: Megan by Julep and Bow in my Presence by Wet 'n Wild

Megan is another Julep polish that I received in one of the August mystery box offers.  The ultramarine blue borders on frost and is so outside my comfort zone that initially after I applied it I thought "uh oh, I don't like this".  I'd already picked out Bow in my Presence to layer over it after a few days wear, so I figured I could always speed up that time table if Megan proved too much for me.

I wore a black and white outfit over the weekend and Megan provided such a nice contrast that I started seeing her beauty.  There is a glow from within quality that keeps this polish from going too far into frost territory.  I needed 3 coats for opacity but application was relatively easy.  I topped it with Seche Vite and fortunately did not experience tip shrinkage (thanks the Seche Vite gods).

After a day of punishing yard work that left some tip wear, I topped Megan with Bow in my Presence, one of the two Wet 'n Wild Coloricon polishes I get earlier this summer (you can see the other one here).  Bow in my Presence is an aqua blue that shifts pink with multi colored micro glitter.  I used two coats but wish I had stopped at one so that Megan's color would have peaked through more.  Still pretty though!

You can see the pink shift here, and it definitely shows up at certain angles on my fingers, although I didn't capture it in the below photo.

Bow in my Presence needs a top coat to smooth it out and make it shiny.  I also had to file my nail edges to get any rough bits off, one of the occasional hazards of glitters.  We won't even get into removal.....

Disclosure:  I purchased these.

NOTD: Dangerous by OCC and Born into Privilege by Wet n' Wild

It's been a hectic week that has rushed by, so I apologize for not having bottle shots of Dangerous and Born into Privilege.  Time just got away from me!

I just shortened my nails and every time I do I want to wear something dark.  I've seen the medium darkish gray Dangerous described as the color of a shark, and I think that's pretty spot on.  The formula was good but I did have a problem with polish running down the stem of the brush and consequently flooding it.  This is my first Obsessive Compulsive Polish and the polish was not thin or runny, so not sure what was up with that.

Two coats achieved opacity and I topped it with one coat of Seche Vite.  My Seche Vite is now half gone and has gotten stringy, so I threw it out and opened a new bottle.  **Shakes fist at Seche Vite and its temperamental ways""

Gray wasn't really jiving with my summer wardrobe, but I still enjoyed Dangerous and it wore quite well with minimal tip wear.  After 4 days I decided to jazz things up a bit and added one coat of Born into Privilege by Wet n'Wild.  This combo turned out very pretty, as Dangerous is dark enough to contrast nicely with Born into Privilege, but not so dark as to show how haphazard my application was.  Win/win!

Disclosure:  I purchased these.