Beauty Review // Wet n Wild To Reflect Shimmer Palettes

If you've watched my recent haul (right here) you'll see that I sort of went mad with the new Wet n Wild products for 2015.  I love Wet n Wild and one of my favorite products from them is their To Reflect Shimmer Palettes.  I have every. single. one.  Every one.  I have the Limited Edition ones from holiday & summer sets and when there is a new one I am all over it.  So today I wanted to do a quick review and swatch fest of them all!  So lets just jump in:

this is a Limited Edition Shimmer Palette from Summer 2014 in Photo Bomb but it is the one where you can see the packaging clearly.

From The Website

Perfectly-coordinated shimmering trios in a beautiful pearl finish. Each palette provides an instant bronze or a slight hint of color for a glowing complexion. The baked technology delivers high pearl and high pigment payoff, and can be worn wet or dry.

info taken from the Wet n Wild website here.

First Impression & Application

I can't really give you a first impression here because I've had these for a while and looooove them.  But I'll try to just describe them here:  The packaging is very, very nice.  I wouldn't say it reminds me of something high end (like I commented on the Elf Pressed Mineral Blush packaging) but it's not cheap-o feeling.  The compact a rounded square shape with silver detailing and a clear plastic window.  It is pretty secure with a little clasp type closure and I'm never afraid it will open on me.  

left to right: Hollywood Boulevard, Rose Champagne Glow, Rose Golden Goddess, Carnival in Rio

There are several different looks to this product as they release different ones when there are limited edition collections.  The three original shimmer palettes as well as the new, permanent one for 2015 are all marbled.  Carnival in Rio has bee discontinued to make room for Hollywood Boulevard.  Since I now have a MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Lightscapade I can tell you that the marbling in these products is more chunky if that make sense.  Reminds me more of an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush.  I am so happy that the new permanent collect offers more of a range.  I felt like Rose Golden Goddess and Carnival in Rio were too close in shade.

left to right: LE Holiday 2013 (no name that I can find!), Video Bomb, Photo Bomb

Then there are the three limited edition palettes I have that range in texture (is that what you'd call it?).  The LE one from Holiday 2013 is much like the Bobbie Brown Shimmer Brick kind of style. Photo Bomb from the Summer 2014 collection is one solid color and reminds me of the Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light.  Video Bomb from the Summer 2014 collection is also marbled.

I apply these highlighters with a small brush - specifically the Elf Blush Brush.  It is small and flat so it is great for precision application.  I also use the slightly pointed tip to blend it out if I've used too much.  A large fan brush is also a great way to apply this product.

Wear Time

For a drugstore highlight, these do last rather long.  I'd say that they last anywhere from 5-6 hours.  Since I have oily skin I feel that sometimes the product gets blotted off through the day so I find it doesn't last a whole day because of that.  If you have dry skin you may find these last longer for you.

these are heavy swatches under my soft box to show the underlying tones/color of the product

I only put this product on the tops of my cheekbones and down the center of my face.  Unlike the Ambient Lighting Powders I would be afraid to set my whole face with these.  They do have a lot of pigment and may be too sparkly for that.  These are my favorite drugstore highlighters though.

here they are in overhead lighting to show how they blend out and how shimmery they are.  It is hard to capture but these are very glittery.  There are very fine shimmers in this product.  It's more visible in the top swatches of Hollywood Boulevard and Rose Champagne Glow.

Overall Impressions & Recommendations

If you are on a drugstore budget but you want an high end glow - I would be all over these.  They are so affordable - around $5.99 at my Walgreens - and you can always find a sale going on.  Because they have different shades I would recommend Rose Golden Goddess, & Carnival in Rio for darker skin tones (medium to deep) because of the bronziness of the shades.  I would also say Video Bomb is dark enough to give a nice highlight to medium to darker skin tones.  If you have fair skin Rose Champagne Glow & Photo Bomb would probably be perfect for you.  And one that falls right in the middle for medium skin tones but could go for fair or deeper is Hollywood Boulevard.  It is super golden toned so it depends on the look you're going for.

Overall these are my favorite highlighters for the price.  I can't stop collecting them when the come out!

Do you have a favorite drugstore product you just die over?

xoxo, Moe