I feel like I've been looking for the
Wet n Wild Au Naturel Palettes forever. They're a Walmart exclusive but my local Walmart doesn't carry Wet n Wild, so I was strongly considering an online purchase. Then last week, I ended up going to a different Walmart on the way to visit my parents and there they were! I picked up the shade
Nude Awakening, $5.62 because I loved the rosy neutral shades (there's another shade called Bare Necessities that reminds me a little of the original Naked Palette).
Let's take a closer look...
The packaging is a sleek and thin plastic case that has a latch closure. The back of the palette has four different looks you can create with the shades inside, which is really helpful!
Inside, there's no mirror, a double-ended sponge tipped applicator, and ten shades in a mix of matte and shimmer shades (6 matte, 4 shimmer). There's a nice mix of shades in here...they included both matte and shimmer highlight/browbone shades, some matte transition and shimmery lid shades, and some deeper shades including a matte cranberry and matte black.
Unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of the formula (even though I love Wet n Wild products as a whole) and I'll tell you why in one word: fallout.
The matte shades are drier and super dusty, kicking up powder everywhere. The shimmer shades feel softer and more buttery but have a chunkier fallout. Pigmentation isn't that great unless you're using primer, which I did end up using for my swatches below. Over primer, the shades are really beautiful, it just depends on whether you want to deal with the fallout to get there.
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| No Primer |
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| With Primer |
Overall, I really love the color selection of this palette, but it was really messy to work with and primer is definitely required to make it show up on your eyes. I might be unpopular for saying this, since I know there are a lot of good reviews on the Au Naturel palettes out there, but I wouldn't recommend this one. There are plenty of other good drugstore palettes out there!
You can find the Au Naturel Palette at Walmart and
Walmart.com
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Hi Jen...I completely agree with you. Although 99% of my eye shadow palettes are mid-to-high end, I occasionally buy something inexpensive and adjust my expectations accordingly. But I've found this to be horrible, but I also didn't like the Elf matte palette or the NYC Demi palette which you reviewed in your post about drugstore eye shadow palettes. -- Christina D.
ReplyDeleteHi Christina! Aw, I LOVE the Demi palette...it works really well for me. I wasn't as crazy about the elf Mad For Matte as it definitely needs a primer to help it show up but I included it in my list because it's an all-matte palette (rare at the drugstore) and the color selection is nice. :)
DeleteThanks for the review! I have eyed this a few times but I keep reminding myself that I have enough palettes. Glad I didn't buy it!
ReplyDeleteI'm so bummed that it didn't work out because I have also been eyeing it online for quite a while and always wanted to find it! :)
DeleteThank you for the honest review, the swatches look really great but I like palettes that are easy to work with and usually skip primer most days unless I am going to an event xxx
ReplyDeleteALittleKiran | Bloglovin
I'm the exact same way! I don't always wear eyeshadow every day...many days just liner and mascara but if I do, it's usually one shade all over the lid, no primer. I save my complicated eye looks with primer for the weekend (or if I'm going somewhere special). :)
DeleteIt's interesting. I have this palette and love it. I find the shadows pigmented and buttery and find I don't need to use primer to get a vibrant look. I've noticed that many of the stores in my area such as Target and Walmart have revamped their cosmetics departments to make them much brighter with spotlights on a lot of the products. I wonder if all that bright UV light and heat are actually degrading product over time. These lights are on almost 24 hrs in some cases. Just browsing the aisles, I've seen definite color changes in a lot of cream products (blushes, balm stains, etc. ) that just have a clear plastic top and are exposed to this light.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of my Wet n Wild eyeshadow palette, I picked it up as the store clerk was stocking the shelves, so it came boxed and directly from the manufacturer without being exposed to store lights for any length of time.
That's a really good observation...it could very well be the case! I also wonder if sometimes brands use different factories and the formula can vary between factories. I remember what happened a few months back with the Becca x Jaclyn Hill eyeshadow palettes... some were made in one factory and they came out buttery and pigmented while another batch was made somewhere else and people were complaining that it was dry and not pigmented at all. They ended up pulling them off the shelves all together. Whatever it is, I'm sad that it's not consistent. I have seen so many great reviews but have also seen bad ones (Kathleen Lights said in a recent video that this palette didn't show up on her eyes at all). I really wanted to like it! :(
DeleteIn the interest of quality control and "science', perhaps you can get one of your contacts at Wet n Wild to send you a duplicate palette that hasn't been displayed. You can then see if there's any significant differences between the one you purchased and the one from the manufacturer.
DeleteHaha good idea! I should try that! :)
DeleteReading your blog and the vastly different experiences posted in the comments has me thinking about why there is such disparity. Perhaps it's a quality control issue, particularly among inexpensive brands. I do think there is the expectation and/or experience issue (I've mentioned that most of my palettes are mid-to-high end so the bar is set rather high although I take that factor into account with lower end products), but I guess all products, even if they are from the same brand, are not created equal. -- Christina D.
ReplyDeleteI wonder the same thing, Christina! Once in a while, there are even disparities among high-end brands based on some wildly different reviews I've seen both positive and negative. I can't think of one off the top of my head but I remember looking at a palette on the Sephora site a while ago and there was no middle ground, people either loved it or hated it, which made me think that some people must have gotten dud palettes! As a blogger, it happens to me a lot...whether I give a palette a rave review or say I didn't like it, I usually get comments that are in agreement and opposite from my opinion. And like you said, this typically happens more with affordable brands!
DeleteThat's such a good theory, I never considered that there were cases of bad batches and good ones. I transport new RVs for a living and I must review the unit I am transporting for damage. Some are spotless, some have damage that I can't believe made it passed quality control. I must consider this for make up as well. I am interested in buying either this one or the Lovatics (Your review on that sold me!). Right now there is a 25% cartwheel for NYC Lovatics so I may get that one just to save a buck.
ReplyDeleteI ADORE this eyeshadow palette! But, I purchased mine at CVS and I know it's available at Walgreens as well. Just thought I'd mention that since I know a lot of people swear against shopping at Walmart, myself included.
ReplyDeleteAlso - I agree with the commenter who loved the shadow too and questioned if the lighting affected yours. The heat from heavy lighting could very likely make a difference.