Mascara Under $1?! See What Our Makeup Guru Thinks of Wet N Wild Cosmetics
Budget beauty buys at their finest.
I’ll try any beauty product once, even when they’re cheap budget beauty buys with products under $1. When I was tasked with testing out wet n wild cosmetics, it brought back some memories from my inexperienced makeup days as a teenager—yikes! I didn’t have high hopes but I’ll admit there were some real winners after applying a full face of just wet n wild makeup.
Primer
wet n wild PhotoFocus Matte Primer – $4.68
This should be considered double-sided tape for your face… in a good way! I normally love when my primer has a smooth and slick feel, but this formula applied evenly and made my foundation stick in place. If your skin is oil-prone, you’ll love the matte finish. However, I’d prefer if this product had a touch of tint in it like my BH Cosmetics primer.
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Foundation
wet n wild PhotoFocus Foundation – $2.39-$5.99
I have yet to see a foundation applicator like this! When an applicator wand is part of the packaging, most of the time they’re felt-tipped. With this applicator being soft plastic, none of the foundation gets absorbed into the wand ensuring you use each and every drop of foundation.
I normally apply my foundation with my fingertips but gave the wand application a try. I kind of just globbed it everywhere (yes, this is definitely more foundation than I should have used) BUT it did blend out surprisingly well and dried with minimal cakiness, even for the amount applied.
A big downfall of this foundation? The scent is kind of reminiscent to paint… not great. The smell was gone after the foundation dried but I don’t know if that’s something I would love to apply to my face every day.
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Concealer
wet n wild PhotoFocus Concealer – $3.93
Like many people, I have undereye circles, so concealer is something I have with me at all times. After applying this wet n wild concealer, I thought I had struck gold. It went on smooth, blended perfectly, and dried quickly to avoid creases. Yay!
However, after 15 minutes or so, I noticed it was TOO dry, and my undereyes started to look dehydrated and a touch flakey (you’ll see this in the close-ups that follow). I’m bummed it was too good to be true, though there’s a potential this could be avoided with a non-matte primer or some undereye cream applied prior to the concealer, since other reviewers really liked this formula.
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Eyebrow Pencil
wet n wild Retractable Brow Pencil – $2.93
I prefer to apply my brow products as a retractable pencil so I was very excited to try this product by wet n wild. While I love the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, it’s just too expensive for me to buy regularly. And even with the NYX dupe, I still get annoyed when I run out and have to shell out $10 for a new pencil. But an under $3 strongly pigmented pencil with easy application? Yes to that!
The pencil isn’t quite as thin as the other two brow products mentioned, but the one edge of the tip is pointed so you could attempt thin strokes if you’d like. I applied the product to my entire brow and blended with the spoolie end for a powder brow effect, and I’m really loving it!
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Eyeliner
wet n wild Kohl Eyeliner – 74¢
This may be an unfair review but I do NOT like pencil eyeliner. From the application to the wear, I just feel like it’s too much of a hassle and mess, which is why I prefer liquid eyeliner instead. That said, eyeliner pencils are a typically inexpensive product and this one by wet n wild is definite proof of that.
I tried my best to apply this liner as a crisp line but it still turned out with a smudged effect and not precise like my usual liquid application. It would probably work better in a smokey eye look.
I also noticed the entire line had transferred and smudged to my upper lid after just a few minutes. A setting powder could help here but this liner is just not for me. However, the reviews for this pencil are great so if you know how to properly rock this product (which I clearly don’t 😆) you may still want to check it out!
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Mascara
wet n wild MegaWear Mascara – 93¢ in store only
For under $1, I didn’t expect much out of this mascara. On the positive side, it went on easily and clump-free. Plus, it held my lash shape pretty nicely so I was initially happy with it.
But after a few blinks, the formula fell onto my lower lid and started to become a mess. In a pinch, this mascara is fine (it’s only 93¢ after all!) but I’d rather spend that dollar elsewhere.
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Lipstick
wet n wild MegaLast Lipstick – $1.93
I’m more a liquid lipstick person, but I figured I’d give this longwear tube a shot. It did not disappoint! It’s super pigmented and has a creamy texture without leaving my lips feeling sticky. I noticed a faint lipstick mark when drinking out of my coffee cup but there was no noticeable impact on my lips.
The color I chose (for no rhyme or reason) was Smokin’ Hot Pink… and I LOVE it! It’s bold, for sure, but the color is so pretty for the end of summer. I would probably wear this shade around the holidays as well for a bright statement during the chilly season.
Rating:
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this budget-friendly wet n wild makeup line and gained a new appreciation for their eyebrow pencil and lipstick. Let me know if you have any favorites of your own!
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I always buy the eyebrow pencil it’s great
Oh awesome! SO glad you have liked that one, Christina! I’ll have to try it!
Looks great! I actually love the Wet N Wild Silk Finish Lipstick and my favorite shade is Breeze. It is a light shade with some shimmer in it. Reminiscent of a tinted lip balm but with slightly more shade. It is $0.82 at Walgreens this week. This reminded me to stock up on it before they discontinue this shade and people start selling it on Ebay for $25 because you can’t find it anymore.
I loved this post!
Ooo! I’ll keep my eye out for that Allison, thank you for the recommendation!
A few years ago I ran out of foundation so I picked up the wet and wild at the grocery store and it was a huge mistake. At first it was ok, it did smell weird but after a week or so I got a rash along my jawline. The good news, as soon as I went back to my regular foundation it got better:)
Yikes! Definitely not what you want from a foundation. I appreciate you giving your honest feedback about the product and I’m glad to hear it cleared up easily!
Thanks so much for showing us before & after pics. Really let us see the result. And you’re beautiful…with & without makeup!
So glad they were helpful, Lori! And thank you so much for the incredibly sweet comment! 💛
Wet n wild makes my daily go to highlighter. I have a nice makeup collection and their highlighters are my favorite!
Thanks so much for the heads up on your favorite Wet N’ Wild item! I’ll have to add that one to my list too!
I’m not a huge fan of the mascara reviewed above, but have had really good experiences with the waterproof variety of their Mega Length mascara. I think it costs $1.99 at the Rite Aid near me–even less with sales. I also love their nail polishes!
Thanks for the tip, Beverly! I’ll have to check out the Mega Length version. That’s a really great price too!
I like this! I’m gonna try that brow pencil 🙂
Let me know what you think, Regina! I really loved it 🙌
I’ve never been a fan of putting applicators that come with the foundations on my skin because you can easily transfer bacteria into the bottle m, I swipe it on my clean wrist.
You make a great point! My current one has a pump (so no applicator) but I didn’t even think of that. Thank you for sharing that tip!
I bought that teal mascara from $1 tree and really thought it was wonderful -hers maybe was old ,that may have been why it shed
I agree with you Hey there. On a whim I recently purchased the Wet N Wild mascara and love it! I have been using mascara for over 45 years and found this to be one of the better brands. I like washable type and I will be returning for more!
Hmm… mine was actually a brand new tube BUT I’m used to wearing a waterproof formula, so perhaps that makes a difference? I think the transfer happened because the mascara didn’t dry as quickly as I’m used to. It definitely could be user error on my end too. 😆 I’m glad to hear it works well for you though!
Lots of great wnw products but you need to research it. One of their blushes is often argued as being a nars orgasam dupe and the stop light red of that lip product considered a Mac ruby woo dupe too. Keep trying… I love the cushion foundation but hate the other foundations. Love the blush, highlight, brushes, contour, lippy, setting spray. And at such a good price point I can try all the shades of the things I do like. I haven’t tried it but thatayla on YouTube loves the purple tube of mascara specifically
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing those recommendations, totally agree they have a huge product line to try!
Can anyone recommend a good Water based primer ? Any brand Any price.
I’ve been an Anastasia Brow Wiz addict for years for the same reasons you mentioned above. Well today I received an email and it’s 50% off for Rouge members and maybe others? That’s right the brow definer (kinda the same if you want to test it out) pencil regularly $23.50 is only $11.50 and combined with Rakuten, fka EBATES, gets you 8% cashback!!! If there are exclusions or details, well I don’t work at H2S, I just noticed the ad and thought I’d share! https://www.sephora.com/beauty/sephora-sale-2019