Lessons In Humility From a Six Dollar BB Cream: Wet 'n' Wild Fergie BB Cream Review

I am a snob.

I don't mean to be. It's certainly not intentional, and I absolutely don't think I'm better than anybody else. That's not it, at all. I just have a real problem believing that a six dollar BB Cream from the drugstore is going to be anywhere near as good as an exponentially more expensive one from, say, Sephora or Ulta. Somewhere along the way, I got it into my head that cheap equaled, well, cheap.

I am a snob.

The thing is, I'm only like that with certain products. I will happily skip off to the drugstore for skincare. My lipliners are almost exclusively Rimmel. Cream shadows? Maybelline Color Tattoos ftw. Powder shadows, on the other hand? Pretty much going to be Urban Decay or Stila. Eyeliners? Urban Decay, period. BB Cream? Too Faced or Urban Decay, and the Urban Decay isn't even that good. Occasionally, I'll be in a pinch and have to use a Garnier that I've had for probably too long for it to still be sanitary, and I will marvel at how much I like it, and wonder why I don't use it more often. Then I'll put it back in the cabinet and forget about it--just like my CoverGirl Outlast foundation that is freaking amazing, but gets passed over for Urban Decay or MAC. Why? Because, apparently, I am a snob.

This needs to stop.

So, about a week ago, I had to go for a physical (ain't that fun?), which led to a trip to Walgreen's, where I decided I deserved a treat, goshdarnit. While perusing ye olde wall o' cosmetics, I saw this little darling by Wet 'n' Wild, and curiosity got the better of me: Fergie BB Cream 8-in-1 Beauty Balm. Everything about this screamed, "BAD IDEA!", but I just had to know.

You know what? I like it. I mean, I really like it. I've used it several times since purchasing, and have been impressed. Let's break it down:

Packaging: The packaging looks fantastic. I have it on my counter alongside NARS, Urban Decay, Tarte, and a few other high-end beauties, and it fits in surprisingly well. The product comes in a black squeeze tube with silver accents. A clear strip near the bottom shows the cream, so you can check the color, as well as see when you're running low. The cap is flat, and allows the product to stand up on its own. I do have a problem with the absence of any sort of safety seal, but there are advantages (more on that later). 9 out of 10.

Scent: Here's where things get tricky. The tube I own has a very distinct maple syrup fragrance. It smells exactly like you just smeared pancakes all over your face. I have absolutely no problem with this, as I happen to enjoy pancakes, and the smell disappears once the cream is applied. However, other people have purchased tubes with a drastically different, far more unpleasant scent. I believe I heard someone use the words "toxic" and "waste". That sounds dreadful. My advice: take advantage of the no safety seal issue. Buy a tube, keep the receipt, and before you leave the store take a good whiff. If it stinks, swap it out. I DO NOT advocate opening a tube you have not paid for. It really sucks when you buy, for example, a lipstick and get it home, only to find a fingerprint or worse waiting under the cap. Don't be that person. Plus, if the tube is defective, it's better the store know so that they can prevent someone else from buying and using it. 8 out of 10.

Texture: The cream has a very light, gel-like consistency, and is slightly tacky. It feels like nothing on the skin. 10 out of 10.

Range: Five shades are available, as of this writing, ranging from Light to Deep (a vast improvement to most brands' one- to two-shade ranges). I am a MAC NW15 and have been using Light/Medium, which is, perhaps, a skosh too dark. It looks fine in my bathroom lighting, but in natural (as you'll see in a moment), it's iffy. I think it'll be great during the Summer, though. Right now, I'm two shades lighter than Casper. 9 out of 10.

Application: I've been using my fingers, and the product has absorbed quickly and blended easily. I do recommend finger application, as opposed to brush. I find BB creams and tinted moisturizers (which, face it, Western BBs tend to be repackaged tinted moisturizers) apply better with fingers, because they warm up the product, which aids in blending. 10 out of 10.

Coverage: This is very light coverage. I wouldn't go so far as to say light to medium. This is strictly for evening out skin tone, and not for covering blemishes or extreme redness. It's definitely recommended for folks who don't need the coverage of an honest-to-God foundation, but just want a little something to keep from being completely bare-faced. It covers a little better than the Urban Decay Naked Beauty Balm, but that's not saying a whole lot. Here's a shot of my cheek after applying the cream. You can still see freckles and a slight amount of redness. The skin's texture, however, is nice. You don't see a whole lot of pores, and there's a slight glow. 4 out of 10.

See if you can find a constellation among the freckles! I have the Big Dipper on my right arm. I don't tan; my freckles just connect...

Finish: I've found this to leave a very natural, glowy, but not shiny or oily finish. I think it's quite lovely, and much nicer than expected. It looks much more expensive than any other drugstore BB I've tried. There's no shimmer, either, which also sets it apart from others I've looked at. Everything about this reminds me of the Stila tinted moisturizer I used to swear by around the time I graduated from college. This is just slightly less sticky and a heckuvalot cheaper. 10 out of 10.

Wear: On my normal-combo skin, in 64% humidity (I checked), with slightly above-average exertion (I had a voice lesson and took a whirlwind trip to the mall before heading on to work), no touch-ups were required by the time this godawful selfie was snapped. That was about three and a half hours. I don't look shiny, and there doesn't appear to be any wear or rubbing off. I did touch up with a little bit of powder about half an hour later, but it wasn't absolutely necessary. I was checking my lipstick and figured I might as well. 8 out of 10.

Pay no attention to the catterpillars over my eyes. It's pollen season, and I don't want to sneeze while holding tweezers near my eyes. I'm uncoordinated. It would end poorly. I'm making an appointment at the Benefit Brow Bar soon, I promise.

Other: This BB cream is cruelty-free and contains SPF 15. That's kind of low for a BB, but better than nothing. No score.

All in all, I think this is a winner. I especially like it for traveling, when you might not want to bring your expensive makeup for fear of it being lost or damaged. Plus...six bucks. Really? I mean, really?

Final Verdict: 8.5 out of 10. It's super cheap and works like a champ. Kind of a no-brainer.

Frugal Friday: Checking Out Wet N Wild's Megas!

If you've been around here for any length of time, then you'll know how much I love Revlon lip butters. They're beautiful, moisturizing, last a decent length of time, and the packaging is precious. Still, I do love a good bargain, and I'd heard that Wet N Wild had their own version. I didn't know the name of the product, though, so I picked up two items that looked similar to the lip butters (I've since seen a third, a lip lacquer, but have not had the opportunity to try it) to see if there was any comparison. Let's take a look, shall we?



Left to Right: Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy, Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 in Pink Champagne




Top to Bottom: Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy, Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 in Pink Champagne

 I think you can tell by looking at these swatches that neither one is a lip butter, so I need to keep looking. Still, since we're here, and since these are only $1.99 each, let's take a look at these.

Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy
I really hate this product. There it is. I said it, and I'm incredibly sorry. It's going in the trash can. The swatch isn't bad, but on your lips...okay, let me describe it this way: when I was about 12, my Mom and Dad let me start wearing lipstick. That was it; just lipstick. Immediately, I became enthralled by the Wet N Wild display at Phar-Mor. I'd say at least 75% of my allowance went to different shades of lipstick, each pinker and tackier than the last (I was 12!), and my favorite was called Petal Pink. It was this godawful Barbie-pink, chalky, super-dry abomination that make my lips look like I'd coated them down in Pepto-Bismol, and I thought it was fabulous.

This looks exactly the same, only slightly more orange. In 20 years, only the packaging and my taste have improved.

Mega Shield Lip Color SPF 15 in Pink Champagne
In direct contrast, I'm really enjoying this lip color! It's closer to a CoverGirl Gloss Balm than a lip butter, but that's just fine with me. In addition to being a lovely shade, the product is very moisturizing, has no discernible flavor or scent, and contains the all-important SPF. It's not very long lasting, though. That's really the only drawback I've seen. This is also a much more pigmented product than I originally thought it would be. There's nothing sheer about this pink!

I thought the packaging for both products was very pretty, though both caps are difficult to remove, and I finally gave up on ever getting all of the plastic off of the Pink Champagne.

Final Verdict: Skip the Mega Last, but pick up every color you can of the Mega Shield. They're beautiful, feel good, give protection, and are less than two bucks a pop.

Wearing Pink Champagne.

Building Kits and Looking for Glitz

The indie film company that Thomas founded is filming in a few weeks. There's no crazy hair or makeup involved, and pretty much all of the actors and extras are taking care of their own. Still, I like to keep a kit on-set for touch-ups. Plus, there's always the possibility that someone will show up wearing either no makeup or way too much--I like to prepare for all contingencies. Now, I'm not a makeup artist (and if one would like to volunteer, that would be unbelievably cool and I'd love you forever and be your best friend), but I've been at this long enough to handle the basics to ensure folks show up on camera.

Of course, that doesn't mean I'm breaking out the high-end products. Good God, no! Along with figuring out that extra blush and bronzer are necessary to avoid being washed out by the lighting equipment, I've also learned that anything you bring on-set has the distinct possibility of being broken. You're in a crazed atmosphere, with people constantly bustling by, extension cords as far as the eye can see, and a lot of hurry, hurry, hurry. It's also not a big-budget studio setting, so I might be doing makeup off of a folding table, picnic bench, or, most likely, out of my car. I'm careful, and I keep a neat kit, but accidents happen. I know that if I brought my $25 NARS Orgasm (sorry, Mom) blush, and it was knocked off a table and broken into a million pieces, I'd be devastated. However, if the same thing happened to a $3 copycat...eh, I'd get a new one. Not a big deal.

With that in mind, I hit the drugstore around the corner to pick up a few staples. I have greasepaint out the ears, but my "normal person" makeup was severely lacking. I needed translucent powder, a couple of blushes, and a matte black eyeshadow (every kit should have a matte white, matte brown, and matte black shadow. Period. I've heard this from a few different places, and it's completely true. You'd be shocked how much you can do with just those three products). Rimmel makes a great translucent powder, so that was pretty much a no-brainer. Wet 'n' Wild had a pretty rose blush, along with a peachy pink that looked so much like my NARS it wasn't even funny (I'll have more on those another day), and a matte black eyeshadow that vlogger DivaMakeupQueen raved about recently. But it was while picking up the eyeshadow that I noticed this beauty:



Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Single in Trashed



This made me think so much of Urban Decay Stardust in Void that I had to give it a shot. For two bucks, even if it was terrible, I wouldn't really be out anything.

Photo Credit: Urban Decay

It's not terrible. Not even close. It's also not even close to Stardust, but it's still a darn good eyeshadow. Trashed goes past "highly pigmented" into "scarily pigmented". Yesterday, I added just a dab to my outer corners, but it blended all the way through my crease, along my lash line, and added a little color to my lid. It didn't sparkle, though, which was a little disappointing. Today, I decided to go whole-hog and do a black lid, just to see how much glitter I could get, and it wasn't much.

I do want to point out that I did not use a shadow brush to apply this. I was terrified of how much fallout there might be from thickly packing on such a densely pigmented soft shadow. Instead, I used my blending brush to pick up enough for a thin layer, and applied two "coats" to each lid. There was almost no fallout from using that method, and I ended up with deep black lids with a lovely satin finish. There's just not very much glitter. Also, the packaging, while attractive, is insanely difficult to open. Like, "keep a butter knife handy" hard to open.

Lid: Trashed, Highlight: Stila Kitten, Liner: Urban Decay Zero,
Inner Corner: Urban Decay Sin, Lashes: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes,
Brows: E.L.F. Brow Kit (Med) and Treat and Tame (Deep),
Skin: E.L.F. Mineral Foundation Warm/Benefit Porefection/Benefit Bo-ing

Wow. That looks like a ton of makeup, but it really only took a few minutes. I keep a small stash of seasonally appropriate makeup on my counter, so I don't really have to think too much in the mornings. I'm not good at thinking in the mornings...

Anyway, overall, I'm really happy with my purchase. Sure, I was looking for more glitter, but for two bucks, I really can't complain too much. This one's not going in the film makeup kit. It's going on my counter.

Final Verdict: 8 out of 10. It's beautiful, it's pigmented, it's cheap as all get-out. It's just not glittery, and a pain in the rear to try to open.