As the Lady of the Manners has said (for what feels like centuries), mainstream fashion has realized that the goth subculture is a lucrative market. While there are some creatures of the shadows that are affronted by this, the Lady of the Manners isn’t. Being able to find clothing and cosmetics that can be appreciated by those with a darker sensibility without going to specialty shops or having to rely on mail order is incredibly helpful. Not to mention that the more awareness the mainstream has of us, there’s the possibility of more acceptance for the up-and-coming generations of goth. (The Lady of the Manners has discussed the pop culture growth of skulls, memento mori, and dark symbols in general here (the very last question in the article) and here.)
Therefore when the Lady of the Manners heard that Wet n Wild cosmetics were releasing a limited edition goth-themed collection, she was VERY interested.
Wet n Wild is a company that goths have been able to rely on for decades. Not only did they cater to us for years with decent quality black lipstick every Halloween season, but their liquid eyeliners are excellent, they have a good selection of eyeshadow colors, and they almost always have dark lipsticks in their main line. (Cherry Crush and Vamp It Up are two of the Lady of the Manners’ stand-by colors.) Their prices are shockingly reasonable, the product quality is very good, and they’re cruelty-free! If, unseen forces forbid, the Lady of the Manners’ day-to-day makeup suddenly vanished, she could pull together an acceptable replacement set from going to the Wet n Wild section at any US drugstore.
(Disclaimer: the Lady of the Manners purchased these products. They were not sent to her by Wet n Wild for review purposes.)
How Wet n Wild describes the collection:
Goth meets holographic in the Spring with our limited edition collection that melds broody and bright together. Eyes are smoky with graphic lines in bright pops of color. Dark moods lighten up with pops of holographic liquid eyeshadow. Dark lips shimmer with a new goth topper that gives them holographic dimension. Cheekbones get edgy, with our new highlighter stick and coordinating highlighters.
The Lady of the Manners is in favor of holographic and glittery makeup. Very, very in favor, and her collection of glitter and highlighters in unnatural hues is taking over all of her makeup storage space. However, when she read the original article about the collection on Bustle.com, a quote jumped out that made her feel uneasy:
Wet n Wild witnessed fatigue erupting alongside the plethora of unicorn-inspired products that were being released through 2017. […] But they weren’t all talk. They leapt into action and created moodier looks that were a direct contrast to the glittery, rainbow-and-unicorn aesthetic.
That didn’t seem to match up with how Wet ‘n Wild themselves described the collection. In fact, looking at preview photos, the Lady of the Manners saw distinct similarities between the Goth-o-Graphic products and ”¦ the glittery, holographic, unicorn-inspired products that every brand has released.
This is pastel goth. There is nothing wrong with pastel goth; the Lady of the Manners is quite fond of black with pink details. And while others have derided the packaging as something you’d see at a mall store, it’s no worse than when Sanrio released a goth-themed Hello Kitty line.
But the products themselves? The Lady of the Manners is a bit underwhelmed with the collection. The reviews, in the order of great, not bad, disappointing, and awful:
The highlighters
All of the highlighters are wonderful. They all have an excellent level of shimmer, the powder products apply smoothly, and could also be used as super-shimmery, if slightly sheer, eyeshadows. The highlighter stick gives a sheer holographic sheen that can be built up for an unearthly creature effect.
The swatches, from the Lady of the Manners’ wrist and proceeding up the bats are: Moon Tears MegaGlow loose powder, MegaGlow highlighting stick, White Raven MegaGlow pressed powder, and Purple Ashes MegaGlow pressed powder.
The MegaLast Liquid Catsuit eyeshadow
These are creamy eyeshadows that dry to relatively smudge-and-crease proof. The tubes have doe-foot applicator wands, and the best application method seems to be applying a thick-ish smudge of product, then using a stiff eyeshadow brush to quickly get the color all over your lid.
However, the “liquid” shadows had a slightly dry, crumbly texture, and went on unevenly, with streaks and splotches. Even when blended out with a brush, there were tiny crumbs of color that wouldn’t smooth out. The pink Mystic Dreamer color was especially bad, with a thin layer of pink oily liquid at the top and the glitter layer at the bottom of the (factory sealed!) tube. However, other people have said that the products they purchased had a fluffy, mousse-like texture, and applied relatively smoothly, which means there may be some quality control issues.
The swatches, from the Lady of the Manners’ wrist and proceeding up the bats are: Pure Intension (yes, that’s the spelling), Mystic Dreamer, Goth Tears, and Nyctophillia (one of two actual “goth” colors in the entire collection, in the Lady of the Manners’ opinion).
The MegaLast Liquid Catsuit lipstick
These are glitter liquid-to-matte lipsticks. They have a gritty consistency, which is to be expected with any glitter lipstick, and dry down to relatively smudge-proof. However, these also have the same uneven streaks and splotches issue as the Liquid Catsuit eyeshadow, and they’re very sheer. They might make a good glitter top layer for another lipstick, but you’d have to work fast to get a smooth application.
The swatches, from the Lady of the Manners’ wrist and proceeding up the bats are: Wicked Pink, Pastel Grunge (the Lady of the Manners has SO MANY issues with this name, because she was in Seattle during the original grunge era, and this is. not. grunge. At all.), Gunmetal Heart, and Death to Unicorns.
MegaLiner Metallic liquid eyeliner
These are the products that broke the Lady of the Manners’ heart. She LOVES Wet n Wild liquid liner; in her opinion, the liquid liner from their regular product line is some of the best around, with better pigmentation and application than many higher priced “department store” brands.
These metallic liquid eyeliners are nowhere close to being as good as the regular liquid liners. In fact, these are awful. It’s not just that they have the same uneven streaks and blotches as the other liquid products, but the brush applicators are hideous. Pulled straight out from a factory-sealed bottle, the brush fibers don’t form a fine point, but instead some wildly splay out in every direction. There is no way to get a sharp line from any of these liners.
The swatches, from the Lady of the Manners’ wrist and proceeding up the bats are: Skull Prayer, Pink Coffin (why does such a wonderful product name betray the Lady of the Manners so badly?!), and Black Butterfly.
In the end, the only products from the Goth-o-Graphic collection that the Lady of the Manners can recommend are the highlighters. You may want to play spin-the-wheel of product quality with the Liquid Catsuit products if you have your spooky heart set on glittery eye and lip products, the Lady of the Manners won’t stop you. She will just remind you of her warnings.
Do you have favorite W n W products? Do you have other suggestions for glittery or holographic shimmer makeup? Do you want the Lady of the Manners to rant some more about the very idea of “pastel” or “soft” grunge? If so, go forth to the (moderated) comments!
I’m disappointed but not surprised that their collection for this turned out to be…mostly meh.
please rant all you want on the “soft grunge” nonsense, because I’m so close to screaming when I see that (also nu-goth when applied to things that are just…pastel or hipster…or punk being applied to girls in chokers and soft pink sweaters PLEASE. I know punk is a states of mind and being but if you’re going to call a STYLE punk then…let it…be…punk.)
Anyway. Wet N’ Wild’s “Cherry Bomb” lipstick was about the only dark shade that my mother would let me wear when I was in high school, and I wore it almost daily. Though Nyx’s liquid suede “Alien” black lipstick is my daily go-to; and I wear a lot of neons when I go out, if I HAVE to look ~professional~ (ugh) for interviews or family occasions I fall back on “Cherry Bomb” and have a stick of it at any given time in my make up tote.
Another thing the company did a Good with was their range of “nude” lip colors ranging from pale-pale pinks to very dark browns. My pasty white face still isn’t pale enough for most high-end make up brands “nude” shades, but here’s a drugstore brand, one of the cheapest ones out there, that has always had a very wide range.
Their “Fantasy Makers” Halloween line is a saving grace for young goths; cheap spooky & sparkly make up to stock up on when living in a household that would raise eyebrows at anything like that any other time of the year. My first ever black nail polish was WNW’s “Black Pearl” and it came in a little rectangular bottle with a tombstone cap. I still have it in my nail polish bag becuase I am a) a hoarder and b) sentimental.
A little rant of my own… I hate with the burning passion of a thousand suns the way the word ‘holographic’ is bandied about when brands mean ‘iridescent’! Even nail polish companies who should know better, as they use holographic glitter and pigments already, have been labeling iridescent products as holographic. Drives me potty. I love iridescent things almost as much as I love holographic things, so I don’t get it.
I’d love to hear you rant about the idea of pastel grunge, dear Lady. 😀 So yes please!
And it’s a shame this collection isn’t all that great. Although Wet ‘n’ Wild are hard to come by in the UK, I had wanted this set. But there are other brands that are easier to get hold of who do similar things, so I’ll just get those instead. *sigh* Oh well, my bank account will thank me. 😉
I have never tried this brand, but I live in Norway, so xD
And I’m not into glitter or holographic make-up.
I’d love to read your rant! When I heard this, I just went.. NO. This is like that pastel goth thing Kat von D came out with. Just.. why?
While WnW claims unicorn fatigue, Too Faced has just released a heavily rainbow-and-unicorn-branded collection of iridescent products called “Life Is a Festival.” The prices are higher than drugstore brands, but OTOH the quality is much better.
I love Wet N Wild, Vamp It Up is one of my daily go-to colors, but I’m really disappointed that their goth collection doesn’t have anything black and shiny in it. Nictophilia would have been a gorgeous lipstick color, while Death to Unicorns looks like brown shoe polish.
I feel as though there was some kind of disconnect between the people who created the products and the team that marketed them. I’m not entirely sure that their marketing team knows what a goth is – other than someone who will buy things that have skulls on the boxes.
I am not one to cringe from bright or sparklies (they go well with lots) but this is making me cry. This is not goth. This is the stereotypical ”˜hipster’ goth trend going on now, and its quite annoying and sad
Please share the aforementioned rant! I would love it!
I adore this seafoam colored Wet ‘n’ Wild Fantasy Makers lipstick I bought at Halloween, I use it as an everyday color, so I wish Goth-o-Graphic had been more like Fantasy Makers. Alternative and spooky aren’t just for Halloween!
YES PLEASE DO RANT ABOUT SOFT GRUNGE!!!
I’ve got a massive soft spot (pun not intended) for grunge, by way of a soft spot/deep admiration and adoration for Kurt Cobain (also despite the fact Nirvana is decidedly not a goth band , Heart Shaped Box is a pretty gothy song lyrically and thematically), and seeing the term “soft grunge” actually makes me cringe. Grunge is not soft. It is dirty and angry and loud ! Is Nirvana soft? Mudhoney? Hole? Soundgarden? Pearl Jam (well pearl jam sucks anyway haha)?
Ugh. So irritating.