Desert Festival
Today I have my review of the New Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection Photo Op Eyeshadow palette in Desert Festival. Of all of the new Photo Op Eyeshadow palettes in the collection, Desert Festival called to me the most with its fiery oranges and chocolaty browns. The price tag for the Centerstage Collection is a little higher than we are typically accustomed to seeing from Wet n Wild, and I assume that is due to the celebrity tie-in. Though not thrilled with the higher price, the colors in this palette are gorgeous and I had high hopes for the Wet n Wild shadows we all know and love.
Desert Festival
Wet n Wild changed the formula for these Photo Op Eyeshadow palettes, and these are not ColorIcon shadows. I suppose that they wanted to bring us something new and different, but they really shouldn’t have messed with a good thing. You all know by now how much I love WnW ColorIcon shadows, and it is impossible to avoid the comparison. These Photo Op shadows fall very flat.
Desert Festival
I love the packaging that these Photo Op palettes have. I think the design looks classy and expensive. Unfortunately, that is the only improvement Wet n Wild made. The formula of these shadows leaves a lot to be desired. I thought the shadows were dry, chalky, and poorly pigmented. It’s kind of shocking because Wet n Wild is known for their super silky, highly pigmented shadows. These Photo Op shadows feel like they come from a completely different brand. If I took a blind test and didn’t know the label, I would never guess that this was a WnW product. I have seen a lot of negative reviews of these palettes, so I know that it isn’t just Desert festival that is the issue.
Desert Festival swatched over bare skin
Here are some swatches of the Desert festival Palette. The light beige shade (upper left) is close to my skin tone, so it is very difficult to see swatched here. It’s actually not a bad shadow, and will be great under the brow bone. I was most disappointed by the gorgeous fiery burnt orange shade (upper right). I was hoping for major drama, but the color lays back and turns what should have been major “wow” factor into a ho-hum shadow. The orange did have the smoothest formula, though, and blend wonderfully. The shimmery peach shade also has a smooth formula, but lacks pigmentation. The two dark brown shades not only lack pigmentation, but also have a very dry chalky texture (especially the center “liner” shade) and apply patchy and uneven.
Now all five shades are greatly improved over primer, so it’s not a total loss. If you love these colors, you can still make Desert Festival work for you. They can be worked with and built up, though I would not use the matte brown shade as a liner because it takes to much effort to get a smooth application. With a good primer and some work on my part, I can achieve a beautiful eye look with this palette that lasts on my dry lids for a solid six hours before starting to fade. The real problem is that none of that is necessary with regular Wet n Wild ColorIcon shadows. Usually WnW shadows don’t even need a primer for intense color that lasts all day. I’m a bit resentful that Wet n Wild has chosen to charge more for a substandard formula. Celebrity collections are never where a brand really shines, but come on Wet n Wild. You are better than this.
My advice is to skip the Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection Photo Op Eyeshadow palettes completely. These were retailed at $5.50 regular price at my local Walgreens. Save your money and stick to the ColorIcon shadows from Wet N Wild’s regular collection. They are cheaper and a million times better.
Beauty in Budget Blog 