Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 525D and 552A - Review & Swatches

Yesterday I popped into Walmart because I needed contact lens solution, and I came out with two new lipsticks, a set of nail files, and one of those mirror/brush travel compacts so I can touch up my makeup at my desk. I've never tried the Silk Finish lipsticks from Wet n Wild, but they were $.98, so I kept my expectations low and grabbed two.

(Picture taken with flash.)

I chose 552A (Just Garnet), which is a berry red, and 525D (Retro Pink) which is a cool-toned medium pink. Both lipsticks applied a little sheer at first, but you can build the color intensity up as you apply. They actually felt very moisturizing, and they didn't seem to sit on top of my lip like some other lipsticks do. 552A is a little brighter than it appears in the tube, but it's a really nice berry color for fall without being too dark. I love the vampy look, and this shade gives a bit of the vampy effect without making me feel too conspicuous. 525D is a little too cool for me, but if you generally like cooler pinks, then I'd definitely check it out. I do like that it's bright but not too light. The best part about these lipsticks is that they're less than a dollar, and you can experiment with tons of different colors without worrying about wasting your money if you don't like a shade.

Rating: 4/5They're not perfect, but the price range more than makes up for it, especially if you find a shade you love.

XOXO, Ally

(PS: I tried to take lip swatches of these but my lips are so chapped that they just looked disgusting, so I'll get the lip swatches up sometime in the next few days!) 

Wet n Wild Enter a New Realm Palette - Review & Swatches (& Comparison!)

When I saw the Wet n Wild Dream Weavers collection online, I knew that I'd have to go drugstore hunting until I found it. Luckily I stopped into a Rite Aid while I was vacationing in Maine, and they had a new display with these little palettes all set up.

Enter a New Realm was one of my biggest must-haves from this collection, mostly because of the red shade. Red eyeshadow is pretty hard to find in drugstores, so to be able to get a palette with a red shade for $2.99 is pretty crazy. And I love the quality of Wet n Wild products, so I was all over this new collection.

The palette has three shades in it - an eyelid, crease, and browbone shade. You obviously don't have to just wear the colors like the palette says, but you definitely could! I swatched the three shades over Too Faced Shadow Insurance and they all seemed vibrant and really pigmented. The browbone color is a metallic, shimmery silver color, the crease color is a matte black (with a tiny bit of shimmer if you squint and look really hard) and the eyelid color is a shimmery red. The colors stayed on really well (I had to scrub hard to get the swatches off my hand) and they blend nicely, as most Wet n Wild shadows do.

When I saw this palette, it instantly reminded me of another Wet n Wild trio that I own - Spoiled Brat. When I swatched them next to each other they definitely have the same concept, although the actual formulas seem different. The silver in Spoiled Brat seemed brighter, the black contains some glitter, and the pink ... is pink instead of red. But without a doubt, they share some similarities. I think they're both great to have in your collection - for only $2.99, you can definitely afford to pick up both.
Rating: 5/5
The quality is great for the price, and finding such a unique color in a drugstore is pretty exceptional!

XOXO, Ally

Five Beauty Tips for College Students

... or for anyone else! No, of course you don't have to be a college student to utilize these beauty tips - but if you are in college, believe me when I say that they help.

1. Practice, practice, practice - Ok, I'm not saying you need to devote hours a day to practicing every new look you want to try out. But if the opportunity presents itself, take it! If you're going to a friend's party on Saturday night and you want to look extra fabulous, use Friday night as a chance to practice the look you want and test it out in a situation where you're not so concerned about getting it right. Or play with your hair the night before - when you wake up, it may not look exactly the same, but the less you have to do to your hair in the morning, the better. Those drunk fraternity brothers probably don't care about how nicely you blended out your crease shade - so try out a new technique the next time you're going somewhere dimly lit with plenty of drunk people, and you'll be prepared the next time you need to wear that same look around people who are actually sober.
   
2. Make your makeup go further - I'll admit it, there are days where I re-do my makeup three or four times, and not because it fades. It's because I have my 'I just woke up for my 9 AM class and I'm too tired to wrap my brain around makeup' look, my 'I'm back from class and I'm actually awake enough to apply mascara' look, my 'I'm going out and need to wear half of my makeup collection at once' look ... the list goes on. So finding looks that can easily transition from "morning" to "day" to "night," or any combination of the three, will save you time and frustration. Add some dark colors in the crease and go a little heavier on the eyeliner, and a neutral day eye can turn into a night look in no time. That's not to say that you can never experiment with different makeup styles, but if you're pressed for time, a quick fix may be all you need.
   
3. Only splurge if you can convince yourself you love it - Everyone has their go-to, tried-and-true, expensive makeup products. I'm a sucker for MAC eyeliners and Bare Minerals foundation, even though I know that there are plenty of imitators available in drugstores for much less. But if I'm going to splurge on an expensive item, I make it something I can't live without, and something I know I love. If you don't have the money to impulse-buy gimmicky products, make it a rule to never buy anything on impulse.. Go for products you know and love, and give the new products a chance to stew in your mind. If you're trying out a nude lip or blue eyeshadow for the first time, go for the drugstore brands first before you shell out big money for an expensive product that may not work for you. And if you can convince yourself that it's a product you absolutely love, there's nothing wrong with splurging on something special every once in a while.
   
4. Expand your makeup repertoire - All last semester, I had a class that started at 9 AM. On a good day, I would roll out of bed at around 8:30 - and trust me, I was never happy about it. After shuffling around my room in the dark and trying to get some half-assed skincare done in the bathroom (which usually included splashing my face with cold water and then falling asleep on my feet while staring at my reflection), I was never in the mood to drag out my entire makeup collection and create a immaculately blended look from scratch. Instead, I would just rock my go-to morning eye look, which mostly consisted of a plain nude lid, a touch of brown eyeliner, and some mascara. It was a look that I could do in a second and a half, as well as in very dim lighting (because waking up my roommate that early was not a good idea at all). The more makeup routines you have down - ones that you could do backwards and with your eyes closed - the easier and quicker your mornings will be.
   
5. Don't be afraid to experiment - It's a scary thought, but for most people, college is the last four years before we all go out into the real world. That's not to say that you can't play around with your hair and makeup once you're in the real world, but the reality of the situation is that there are plenty of careers where blue and yellow eyeshadow may not be appropriate. So enjoy college while you can, and don't be afraid to express yourself through your makeup. Believe me when I say that now is the time that you can get away with anything.
   

XOXO, Ally