Review: Wet n Wild Limited Edition Fergie's Jet-Set Makeup Palette

Press Sample

My first post about these new limited edition Fergie's Jet-Set Palettes was back in September but, in case you missed that post, these palettes are available exclusively at Walgreens stores across the nation. You can find them in this free-standing display, and also at the bottom of this Holiday 2013 display. 

I was sent the 132-shade palette for review, but there is also a 131-shade palette, which contains cream eyeshadows instead of lip colors (you can see what that palette looks like here). For a brand that's known (and loved) for $0.99 nail polish and $2.99 eyeshadow trios, this palette is the most expensive product I've seen from Wet n Wild in the 20+ years that I've been using Wet n Wild products. So let's see if I can help you determine if it's worth the "unusual" price tag!

Wet n Wild Fergie Limited Edition Fergie's Jet-Set Makeup Palette

(retail: $30, exclusively at Walgreens)

This palette is heavy and substantial. It does not feel cheap, flimsy or light in the hands. If you dropped it on your foot, it would hurt. A lot. The shape is a perfect square, measuring about 4-1/2" by 4-1/2". If you look at the photo of the packaging (above), you can see that this palette opens up like a book. Once it's open, you slide the different levels out, like drawers. There are three levels on each side, for a total of six levels altogether.

Let's begin with the left side of this palette: 

LEVEL 1:

Thirty-six eyeshadows

LEVEL 2:

Twenty-four lip colors (glosses and lipsticks)

LEVEL 3:

Six blushes, two mini eyeliners (black and brown) and one mini lip pencil (red)

A closer look at the blushes:

I'm not saying "dupe" but that bright orange-y coral shade on the left side looks like it could be similar to NARS Taos. I wish I had Taos to compare but, sadly, I don't. Anyway, I see some other "lookalikes" here as well (some MAC blushes are coming to mind...that pale cool-toned pink on the top right looks a bit like MAC Well Dressed, no?). 

Now on to the right side of this palette:

LEVEL 1:

Thirty-six eyeshadows

LEVEL 2:

Twenty-four lip colors (glosses and lipsticks)

LEVEL 3:

Level 3 on the right side of this palette contains a compartment that you lift up to reveal a full-size mirror, some face powders and applicators:

Three face powders, two double-ended sponge-tip applicators, one lip brush and one face/blush brush

A closer look at the face powders:

SWATCHES

If I swatched and thoroughly tested all 132 shades in this palette, I'm afraid my review wouldn't be up until sometime next year. I like to test things for several weeks before I share my opinions with you, but that's just not possible given the enormity of this palette. Therefore, I tried my best to show you a little bit of everything, and please note that I did test several of these eyeshadows, lip colors, blushes and face powders over the past three weeks.

Let's start with the eyeshadows:

A few of the mattes and satin-mattes in this palette

First up, a few of the mattes and satin-mattes. Notice how pigmented even the yellow shade is without primer (usually mattes this light don't show up at all on my skin without primer). Also, I was VERY surprised by the texture of all of the mattes in this palette. They are all soft and buttery, but not too soft. None of them are hard and/or powdery. Honestly, they're some of the best mattes I've ever seen from Wet n Wild. I wore that brown shade (above) the other day with primer and the pigmentation was insane--right up there with my Bobbi Brown matte shadows (which are some of my favorite mattes ever).

A few of the sparkly shades in this palette

Most of the shades I swatched above are shimmers with sparkle, but the dark forest green on the left is a matte with sparkle (by the way, how unusual to find that color in a drugstore palette, right?). The texture of the sparkle shades a bit crumbly, so there is fallout when you're using these (both on your eyes and on the palette itself). They're a little bit messy to work with, but the good thing is that this palette isn't dominated by sparkly shades.

A few of the shimmers in this palette

The majority of the shadows in this palette are shimmery (but there is a nice amount of matte shades in this palette as well). What really surprised me with the shimmers above is how unique the shades are, for a drugstore palette. The first shade is sort of a mauvey-grape-taupe that looks much better on the eye than it does on my arm. I also love that icy lavender, the red, the lime-ish army green and of course the teal. I think the pigmentation is great without primer, and even better with primer, of course.

Next up, the blushes:

All of the blushes in this palette contains some type of shimmer and/or glitter, with the exception being the rose shade above (third from the left), which is 100% matte.

Here's a close look at all six shades:

I love all six of these colors. The texture is firm (as opposed to soft and crumbly), but not chalky or stiff. They don't leave a lot of fallout behind when you're picking up color with your blush brush, and they apply evenly and blend easily. The pigmentation is great on all six shades, but obviously the deeper shades are more intense. For me, these blushes are the highlight of the entire palette and I hope that Wet n Wild releases these colors individually at some point.

Sadly, the low-light for me in this palette is the lip color selection. First of all, I'm not a fan of lip colors in large palettes like this. The main reason is that I like to be able to reapply my lip color throughout the day, and that's just not practical if I have to carry around a big palette in my purse. But I would make an exception if the colors were worth it. Sadly, I tried several shades in this palette and found the pigmentation to be a bit lacking overall. Some shades are more pigmented than others and can be built up for good pigmentation but, for me, the prettiest and most unique-looking shades all went on very, very sheer, with only a hint of color. The gloss on the far right is one of those pretty lavender purples in the pan, but on my skin it just looks like a very sheer mauve.

As is the case with a lot of mini liners that come with palettes, I thought that the liners in this set were probably going to be very hard and waxy, but I stand corrected! The texture of both the eyeliners and lip liner is very soft and smooth, with almost a powdery feel to them. I quite like them, but I've been afraid to wear the eyeliners for any length of time (they're so smooth that I'm afraid they'll run on my oily skin). I don't generally wear lip liners, but this is a nice brick red and it's got a lovely, creamy consistency.

And finally, the face powders. 

This was an interesting choice by Wet n Wild. Two of these powders are true face powders (the warm shade and the cool shade) with no shimmer or glitter. They are more like color-correcting powders and have a nice, finely-milled texture. They don't translate as highlighters on the skin--they are true face powders. The middle shade is more of a bronzer and as you can see, it does contain shimmer and a bit of sparkle. I was able to use this as both bronzer and as a contour shade, but it's a very warm shade with yellow undertones, so I don't think it would work if you have a cooler skintone. I like all three powders, but the warm and cool shades just aren't practical to me, considering that I apply my face powder a few times throughout the day. However, if you're blessed with less oily skin and only apply your face powder in the morning, these powders could work well for you.

FINAL VERDICT: The big question that I think we're all asking ourselves about this palette is, "Is it worth $30?" I'm going to say YES but if you're still in doubt, allow me to explain. The blushes in this palette are fantastic and the size of the pans is comparable to smaller, full-size blushes on the market. They are 0.16 oz each and, for comparison, a CoverGirl Cheekers blush is 0.12 oz. So right off the bat, there's your $30 (CoverGirl Cheekers retail for $4.99 each and $4.99 x 6 = $29.94). But I also love the eyeshadows in this palette, and just about every shade exceeded my expectations. None of the shadows have a hard or difficult-to-work-with consistency. None are lacking in pigmentation (they're even better over primer) and the mattes and shimmers are downright awesome. The eyeshadow pans are 0.049 oz and, for comparison, a MAC eyeshadow is 0.05 oz. Considering that you get 72 shades and a great variety of colors including some shades that are quite unique for drugstore, that's yet another reason why the $30 price tag is justifiable (especially if you consider that just two MAC eyeshadows will set you back $30). Even if you're like me and don't use the lip colors or face powders too often, the value is there with just the blushes and shadows alone. But of course the choice is yours, and the great thing is that this palette is sold at Walgreens, which means you can use any Balance Rewards points you may have on your card to bring down the cost (and you can also wait for a sale...hopefully there will be another one soon!). Just remember that this palette is limited edition, so you only have a small window to grab it. I hope this review helps you better determine if this one's for you!

The Wet n Wild Fergie Limited Edition Fergie's Jet-Set Makeup Palette is available now, exclusively at Walgreens stores throughout the nation. You can find it in this free-standing display, and also at the bottom of this Holiday 2013 display. 

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. For more information, click here.