Review: Wet n Wild Ultimate Minerals Loose Eyeshadow

Continuing my reviews of the new Wet n Wild products I received recently, today let's talk about the Ultimate Minerals Loose Eyeshadows (retail: Around $3.50). Many of you have probably seen these in your local Wet n Wild displays but perhaps you've been scared to take the plunge. Personally, I don't immediately gravitate toward drugstore loose powders. In the past, I've found that some of them are hard to work with, the color payoff might not be great, and also the staying power can less than stellar. Well, I'm pleased to tell you that these little loose powders from Wet n Wild are different, but there are some things you need to know about them before you make a purchase. First let's take a look. Here are the colors I received:

(L to R: Copper, Amethyst, Graphite, Crown Gold)

Let's take a look at the applicator:

As you can see, it's got one of those little spongy nub applicators. I have to say that the first time I tried to apply these shadows to my eyes, I put the applicator directly on my eyelids and, uh oh. It was messy. I had a lot of fallout on my cheeks and honestly, I felt that it just wasn't going to work for me. But then I talked to my contact at Wet n Wild and she told me that Wet n Wild's resident makeup artist had some great suggestions for application, such as using your fingers instead of the applicator (apparently, fingers are the best application tool for this product). You can pour a little of powder on a cap of some sort (I actually used the back of my hand) and then just dip your finger into the powder and apply it that way. As with any loose powder, you have to be careful that you don't have too much on your finger before you apply it to your lid to avoid fallout.

I found that using this method made a WORLD of difference, and once I got the shadow exactly where I wanted it, I just used a blending brush to soften it up and I was sooo pleased with the results. And the next time I used these shadows, I took my eyeshadow brush and just swiped the powder directly from the applicator tip and that worked great too. Swiping it from the applicator tip also ensures that you're not picking up too much powder, which eliminates the possibility of fallout.

Let's take a look at some swatches:

As you can see, Copper and Crown Gold are the most shimmery of the four, and I found that these two colors are a bit more pigmented as well (isn't it always the case that the shimmers are more pigmented??).

Also, I'd like to show you a picture of me wearing Copper. I used my Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Wet/Dry Eyeshadow in Gold Rush all over my eye, with Wet n Wild Copper in the crease:

I love this combo for when you want a subtle pop of copper but you don't want a "Hey! Check me out!" type of look. And I'm delighted to report that the Wet n Wild Copper shadow lasted beautifully all day!

Have you tried Wet n Wild Ultimate Minerals Loose Eyeshadows? I'd love to know your thoughts!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and gratis samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.