When I first became interested in beauty products there were three items I started with. The first was a set of Lip Smackers lip balms that smelled of various soda pops. The second was a bottle of Love’s Baby Soft perfume and the third was a selection of Wet n’ Wild nail polishes.
While the Lip Smackers continued to appear in Christmas stockings for the next few years and Love’s Baby Soft held on for quite some time, my Wet ‘n Wild collection expanded exponentially from nail polishes to eyeliners and pretty much everything in between as I started to try out products.
Eventually my repertoire expanded beyond the Wet ‘n Wild realm and the brand was relegated to the past. I always smiled fondly when passing it, but to be honest I didn’t give it much thought beyond occasionally noticing that the section looked bigger than I remembered it being.
Then all of a sudden it seemed everyone was talking about the Wet ‘n Wild photo focus Foundation. I found it surprising, but when I started gathering foundations to test out, I decided to give it a try as well, for nostalgia’s sake if nothing else. I went with the matte version rather than any of the dewy ones. On the Wet ‘n Wild site the foundation retails for $6.49. I think it was on sale when I picked it up at Target because I bought it for less than $5. In the spirit of full disclosure I also purchased a pink glitter nail polish, because if you are going to do nostalgic then you need to go in with both feet and glittery toenails.
Also it looked pretty and I was getting ready to have an at home spa day with a group of ten year olds.(Mostly nail polish and face masks and water with enough fruit in it that I am pretty sure it qualified as fruit cocktail and needed to be eaten with a fork, because why would you stick to cucumber and lemon when there are raspberries and strawberries around?)
In case you missed the foundation hype…
Your skin, only better. Our new high-performing, skin-perfecting foundation underwent major road testing under several different photo lighting conditions to deliver flawless camera-ready makeup every time. Specially made with a matte, light-diffusing complex to give your skin #nofilter perfection. High-performing, breakthrough formula, Featuring light-adjusting complex to help prevent white cast in photos, Tested under several light conditions with and without the use of flash.
I have to say I was surprised it was in a glass bottle. I know that sounds kind of snobbish, but I always think of glass bottles as being for more expensive products. (Even though I know quite well that isn’t true). I am perfectly happy with a glass bottle though as it can be more easily recycled where I live.
And the impression of luxurious doesn’t last past the opening, the applicator wand is a piece of flat plastic. Before you even get to the applicator though you have to deal with the scent. It is the scent of fresh paint and it is strong. As the time of trial went past and I repeatedly opened it every day the scent became less noticeable. I’m not sure if I just became used to it or if it was just the initial opening of the bottle that blasted the scent out.
Regardless of the reason, the first day I wasn’t sure I was going to make it past the scent. The second day I didn’t think it was that bad and the third day it was just a minor scent. So it became more manageable. If the scent stops you, maybe open the product, leave it open for a few minutes and then close it back up and try it the next day.
I will say though there were a couple of days where I didn’t wear foundation (which is why this test took two weeks rather than the usual one). When I opened it after not using it for a few days, the paint smell was back with a vengeance. I think with this foundation as soon as you stop using it regularly the paint smell returns and builds up. So if you get it and continually use it then it is fine, it just has to be routinely aired out or you can get a paint headache.
Once the bottle aired out a bit, the scent wasn’t too bad. The applicator I sort of found annoying. The applicator is designed as a stick with a flat panel at the end. You really can’t put the foundation on your hand and apply it the way I usually apply foundation. You have to basically dot your face with the stick. While I have used a doe foot this way before, I found I had less control over the amount of product I put on my face. Sometimes I’d dab a tiny spot, sometimes I would glob a bunch in one area. It was less controlled than I prefer, but I got there in the end.
I know it is not a terribly expensive product, but I think just changing the shape of the applicator end to something more round and less paddle shaped would give a little more control. I think if I were to use this for an extended time I would probably use a dropped taken from another product in place of the applicator but for this weekly trial I used the applicator as it came in the bottle.
I have to say once I finished with the applicator and began to work with brush and sponge, I really liked the formula of the product. It went on well and covered blemishes. The soft beige was the perfect shade for me and it didn’t settle into my fine lines.
It lasted throughout the day and stayed in place without creasing. The longest day I wore it was eight hours. It was starting to wear out a little around my mouth and at the edges of my nose, but otherwise it was fine. I wouldn’t use this formula for an extended day or when I was going out straight after a day in the office, but for a day in the office alone it would last well.
It’s just happy hour that would get you in trouble.
Of course that’s not just limited to foundation issues.
Over all I was pleased with the way this foundation performed and I can see where it gets the hype. In this instance it is actually well deserved hype. It is a good, affordable product that performs well. I have to say seeing the name Wet n’ Wild on a product in my bathroom this week caused some older memories to float to the surface of my mental pond. That’s not an entirely bad thing either.
I suppose the only thing left to say is that the Wet n’ Wild Photo Focus Foundation passed the initial wearability test and will take it’s place in the line up once each of the five foundations I’ve tried has had it’s week of exclusive use. For those counting, this was foundation number three in the second section of the Grand Foundation quest. Next up is the Becca Ultimate Coverage. Stay tuned.
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