Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
These Best-Selling wet n wild Makeup Finds Are Under $6
I have a vivid memory of seeing my babysitter’s wet n wild nail polishes all lined up inside her refrigerator at her house. As a curious and outgoing kid, I often walked to her house to visit her even when I didn’t need a babysitter. Her name was Missy and she had a red moped and big, curly hair. It was the 1980’s and that’s pretty much how the 80’s was. It was a time full of mopeds, lots of colorful makeup and big hair.
My wet n wild test subjects
Missy was an overall fun and sweet person and seemed to enjoy my company and curiosity, so I asked her about why she put her nail polishes in the refrigerator. She said it helped them last longer. She was mostly correct, as my recent Google search said you should keep your polishes in a cool, dark place. Makeup.com agrees (but there are rules to follow if you do this) and you can read about it on their site here.
wet n wild History
While I remember her fridge trick, I remember her wet n wild polishes being so colorful. Wet n wild has been on the beauty market since 1979. They have always been cruelty free (they are certified with PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program) and full of clean ingredients. It’s also been able to stay a budget friendly beauty brand, while maintaining a great quality. Read more about their history on their website.
The finished look using wet n wild finds
How wet n wild Keeps Their Prices Low
While many other brands have raised their prices significantly recently over the years, wet n wild has kept their products at a lower price point. They know their market and they are still putting the customer’s and their wallets first. There’s something great to be said about a brand that stays focused on volume of sales versus higher prices.
This business model can really keep loyal customers around. As I’ve written about before, my mother-in-law’s favorite high-end foundation went up $10 additional dollars in one year. She won’t buy it anymore because of this and I agree with her. When a brand sky rockets a price suddenly, you can say what you what (“oh, Carolyn, it’s just business, that’s how it works” as so many people out there tell me), but I don’t believe that’s how it has to be and wet n wild proves this.
These are great budget friendly beauty finds
What We Tested and Loved
I have used many, many makeup brands over my lifetime. wet n wild products have always been in my makeup drawers in some capacity. I recently challenged myself to create a budget friendly beauty look and took myself to Walmart to see what I was drawn to. The wet n wild brand really stood out to me (I totally saw Missy and her big curly hair in my brain as I peered over the makeup in the store), so I picked out some items and took them home to test.
See my full rose gold look come together in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
My Walmart location (I went to one in Naples, Florida) did not have any of the foundations that I wanted in my color (this brand sells out of items fast!), there were no brow pencils that were quite right, nor did they have a powder in my color, so I decided to stick with my own foundation, brow pencil and powder and choose to test the following products. I choose colors that gave me a “rose gold” makeup look to match my hair.
I wanted my makeup to match my new hair color
Remember that prices fluctuate by retailers, but when I purchased these, they were listed as best-sellers at Walmart and also some are marked as “Amazon’s Choice” (which means they are highly-rated, well-priced products) on Amazon.com and were each under $6.
If you ever see a product at a sky-high price at a retailer, check other retailers because sometimes individual sellers will buy products and then try to resell them at higher prices. See my article about the Bogg bag craze by clicking here, which gives you some insight to this form of overvaluing.
Using the wet n wild brown eyeliner
wet n wild Color Icon Kohl Liner Pencil: $1
I choose the color Simma Brown Now and loved this liner. It comes in other colors but the brown was a bit softer than a traditional black liner. It was smooth, sharpened easily and it didn’t smear or give me raccoon eyes. I was able to give myself a winged liner look with it, which was beautiful. I really think it’s worth having in your makeup arsenal and at $1, you can buy brown and black so you can play with each.
Buy it at the following retailers:
See the eyeliner in action via my 1 minute video above or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Using the blush side which reminded me of a popular Nars blush color
wet n wild Mega Glo Blushlighter in Flash Me: $5.47
This shimmery blush and highlighter duo was very multipurpose. I used the rose gold side as a highlighter on the tops of my cheeks and on my eyelids as an eyeshadow.
Using the wet n wild highlighter
I used the pink-ish peach side (which the color reminded me of the cult classic blush color by Nars in the color Orgasm) as a blush. Both lasted all day and looked great on my skin.
Buy it at the following retailers:
The wet n wild bronzer is very pigmented
wet n wild Coloricon Bronzer in What Shady Beaches: $4.47
I absolutely LOVE this bronzer. I have tried many, many bronzers over the years and this is now my go-to every day bronzer. I love how it makes my skin looked very sun kissed throughout an entire day. It’s smooth and very pigmented too, meaning a little goes a long way!
I use it on my forehead, tops of my cheeks and to contour my neck as it’s mostly matte. It does come in other colors, so if the color I choose isn’t for you, take a look at their other shades.
Buy it at the following retailers:
Using the wet n wild contour stick
wet n wild MegaGlo Dual-Ended Contour Stick in Medium/Tan: $5.47
I use this stick to contour my nose mostly, but it’s a great product for cheek contouring, forehead contouring and more. I thought it would be too creamy for my combination skin (dry and oily), but it wasn’t. It didn’t break me out (that’s always one of my tests as I have sensitive skin), it lasted all day and does what it’s supposed to do: contour!
The lighter shade on one end can also serve as a brightener, which can be placed in the inner corners of your eyes to make them look brighter. This one is getting a workout in my daily makeup routine and I’m keeping it around for sure.
Buy it at the following retailers:
The wet n wild gloss shimmers in two different colors
wet n wild Coloricon Lip Gloss in Capricorn: $3.18
This deep pink and gold gloss is fun and great for a night out. The shade I chose was like a chameleon paint you see on some cars, meaning it was almost like two colors in one. While it won’t be my daily gloss (I am still totally head over heels in love with Buxom glosses), it’s great for a budget friendly way to add more daring gloss colors to your makeup routine.
It’s lightweight, it lasted for quite a long while on my lips and shimmered beautifully. It comes in other colors that are suitable for many skin tones.
Buy it at the following retailers:
If you loved this article, we know you’ll love this one too: How To Get Rose Gold Hair
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.