Swatchfest: Wet n Wild Limited Editon Coloricon Baked Eyeshadow Palettes

PLEASE READ: these are Walgreens-exclusive palettes and part of a larger display called Walgreens Beauty Bar (click here for a pic of the display). I cannot give you an exact release date because all locations put things out at different times (some readers have already spotted these in-store, so they should be nation-wide soon). The retail price per palette is $4.99.  I will create an interactive sightings map this weekend for this and the other LE holiday collections.

I received all three of the Wet n Wild Limited Edition Coloricon Baked Eyeshadow Palettes in the mail today (along with some of the other LE holiday goodies, which I'll show you soon). I was so excited to play with these that I literally couldn't even wait for the clouds to clear up before I took my photos (which explains why some of these pictures look a bit dark, but I assure you I edited them for color-accuracy).

After playing around with these palettes for the better part of the day, I have LOTS to say about them (which I'll get to a bit later). Usually, when I receive a new collection, I'm pretty good at picking out the "runaway hit" that everyone will seem to want the most (such as last year's Night Elf palette). But after swatching these colors, I honestly can't say that one will be more popular than the others. Each one contains some truly unique (for the drugstore at least) shades that would easily justify a purchase. But more on that later--let's get to the pics!

All photos taken outdoors with natural lighting unless otherwise noted:

Bake-Off Contest

 Baked, Not Fried

 Baking a Cake

Let's start with Baked, Not Fried:

 Here's the back of the packaging (which is the same for all three):

These palettes each come with a mini Kohl liner in a corresponding shade that would work with any of the shadows in the palette.

The palettes themselves are a departure for WnW in terms of packaging. The lids are fully removable; they don't swing open on a hinge like the other Coloricon palettes: 

The back of the palette (this looks the same for all three):

 Here's a photo I took for size comparison; this is Baked, Not Fried next to a standard Coloricon Trio:

 This photo was taken indoors, with flash:

Hopefully you can see in the above pic that these shadows do contain sparkle. But PLEASE NOTE: the sparkle is more visible and abundant in some shades, while in other shades it is hardly noticeable. I really had to look closely to see it in some of these colors, especially when the shadows were applied wet. When wet, some of these eyeshadows look like traditional shimmers (no sparkle) and some have a matte finish.

For all of these swatches, the first swatch was done using the shadow dry with no primer. The second swatch was done wet (by dipping my brush in water) with no primer:

In the above pic, you can see that the deeper blue shade has a lot more visible sparkle, while the sparkle in the other two shades is barely detectable at all.

In this second group of swatches from the Baked, Not Fried palette, there was a BIG surprise that I didn't anticipate when looking at the shadows in the pan: LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS, ICY SILVER TAUPE!

 I swear, this taupe is even more stunning in person.

 Next, let's take a look at Bake-Off Contest:

 

 This photo was taken indoors with flash:

The bottom shade above has a Stila Kitten vibe to it.

I think I spy some MAC and/or Urban Decay dupes here!

 I'm loving that deep reddish brown, and also the peachy-champagne shimmer.

And finally we have Baking a Cake:

 The following photo was taken indoors with flash:

ANOTHER taupe! But unlike the one in the Baked, Not Fried palette, this is a pink-tinged, warmer taupe.

The only problematic shade of the entire collection was the bright magenta (above). The texture of the shadow is on the harder side and when applied wet, it seemed to disappear whenever I would go over the swatch more than once. So my best advice would be to pack this shade on, as opposed to brushing it on. When I packed it on with my fingertip, the pigmentation was MUCH more even and vibrant.

The biggest surprise for me of all three palettes was this beautiful periwinkle shade. Looking at the color in the pan, it appeared to be a standard purple. But once on the skin, it morphed into what I would call an electric-periwinkle. It's so vibrant and beautiful and original. I honestly don't think I've ever seen a shade like this at the drugstore. My photos do not do it justice.

Here's quick summary:

• All of the shades in these palettes seem to contain varying degrees of sparkle. However, when applied wet, the sparkle seems to complete disappear for certain shades, while in other shades the sparkle is more visible. 

• Unless you're looking for a soft wash of color, these shadows work best when applied wet (although I have not yet tried them dry on top of primer). When applied wet, the pigmentation and vibrancy come alive. Also, when applied wet, some of these shades look like traditional shimmers with sparkle, others look like traditional shimmers (no sparkle) and others look completely matte.

• The texture of the solid shadows (the ones without any veining) is a bit hard, which is to be expected (most solid baked shadows I own from the drugstore are hard). The shadows with veining are softer than the solid shadows, but none of them are so soft that they're crumbly.

If you can only buy one palette, hopefully this might help make the decision a bit easier:

• If you love warm AND cool shades, get Baking a Cake--it's got that warm taupe and that stunning periwinkle. 

• If you love earthtones, get Bake-Off Contest (I'm convinced there are some MAC and UD dupes in that one, and possibly a Stila Kitten dupe too!).

• If you love cooler tones and icy taupes, don't hesitate to get Baked, Not Fried.

I never thought I'd be more excited about an LE collection from Wet n Wild than I was with last year's Pixie Holiday palettes, but I really think WnW knocked it out of the park with these. The more I play with them, the more I love them.

Have you spotted the Walgreens Beauty Bar at your local Walgreens yet? Is any palette in particular jumping out at you? I'd love to hear 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 editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.