Review: WOW Moisturizing Lipsticks with Swatches

I've never been one to buy a lot of lipstick shades. I generally stuck to the few shades that I was happy with. Recently, I've become more adventurous and ordered a whole lot of shades from the WOW range and find myself recommending it to my clients as touch up lipsticks for their functions as they are very inexpensive and safe to use- (by safe, I mean they are not the 'made in China' brand)

They have 2 types of lipsticks in their range- the moisturizing lipsticks and the long lasting, matt lipsticks. The ones I have swatched is the moisturizing lipsticks which has about 90 different shades. I hope to slowly buy a lot more to build up a collection as I really like the quality of the product-especially since it is not overly priced.

They apply very easily with little effort and have a glide on application with no tugging on the lips. As the type suggests, it's moisturizing and has an amazingly pleasant smell. They are creamy and highly pigmented. The color pay off is excellent and did I mention that they are cheap??? Lol.

I realized after swatching them that I was attracted to shades very similar to each other in color. But, I'm not complaining as I'm thoroughly happy with each and every shade that I've bought. Right now, in Durban, u can purchase it through individual agents and the prices range from R25/R30 for a 3.8gr tube.

The swatch colors on my hand are bang on but the pictures of the lipstick itself is not the best. My apologies....

Four Top Quality & Affordable Makeup Brands in South Africa

Recently, I seem to be drawn more and more to store brand beauty and makeup products and I'm beginning to realize with each day how misguided we are in terms of the make of products that we keep in our private collections. Most makeup artists and even prospective clients turn their noses down at anything other than Mac and Kryolan....myself included. Truthfully speaking, in the past few years, I would not have even considered swatching ANY other brand except Mac. After spending thousands of rands on brand named items, I became a lot more disillusioned in my beliefs as I encountered items that did not meet my expectations and which left me totally disappointed and regretful that I had spent so much on them only for it to be tossed at the back of my drawer never to be used again:(

Now I get an unusual high when I get 2, 3 or even 4 products for the price of what I would normally pay for just 1.

Here is a list of store brand makeup or beauty products that you should seriously consider experiencing. It's definitely worth the try... Being a once upon a time self confessed, die hard Mac fan, I can safely state that the products that I have tried and liked are comparable in every way...quality, duration of wear, pigmentation, texture and application.

My 4 top favorite affordable, quality makeup brands in SA.

The first brand that makes my list is:

Essence Cosmetics

I love the fact that the Essence range is extensive and well thought of it includes everything that you
would ever need- from eyebrow stencil kits to trios and quad eyeshadow palettes. Whatever I have
tried thus far has exceeded my expectations and I honestly cannot figure out how this awesome brand had escaped my makeup radar. They can be purchased at Clicks and The Hub stores.

WOW Cosmetics

Super, super cheap range of quality products catering for all ages and skin types. Here again, the range extends from makeup brushes to eyeliner stickers and ANYTHING else in-between. Am LOVING the range of lipsticks(have 19 colors out of the 30 some odd shades in the moisture range). The gel liners are TO DIE for. I have just placed an order for 12 of their single eyeshadows. Oh, and did I mention their range of eyelashes??? Need I say more??? I didn't think so....! WOW cosmetics is available in Durban only through private agents at the moment. There possibly are a few pharmacies that stock them but I am not really aware of which ones.

NYX

A brand boasting an extensive range of makeup goodies as well. The color range of their eyeshadows and lipsticks are endless and what I especially like about this brand is that they are often introducing combo editions that keeps their fans waiting and guessing. They are a little higher priced than Essence and WOW cosmetics....with good reason I suppose. There are a lot of NYX eyeshadows whose colors very closely resemble Mac eyeshadow shades so if you are finding that Mac is not within your budget range, check out our Mac/NYX dupes. Their quality also is something worth raving about. The only place that I have seen NYX products is at Clicks.

Catrice Cosmetics

I have very recently discovered Catrice whilst browsing through a local Hub store. I am simply taken by their eyeshadows and they are priced from R39 for 2gr of product. I was very attracted to the
texture and pigmentation of their products and will be posting reviews of my purchases in a few days. Their prices are so reasonable that you can have the luxury of experimenting with many of their products without feeling guilty. Catrice is a 'sister brand' to Essence cosmetics and are available at Clicks and selected Hub and Dischem Pharmacies.

So far, these are my 4 favorites that top my list and I'm hoping to add more along the way. If you know of other worthy products, give me a shout out so we can share them with the rest....

Makeup Looks: Silver & Teal Smokey Look

This look started off as a simple silver and black smokey look but then we decided to give it a pop of color by adding the teal blue. We were more than impressed with the outcome.

Products Used

For the Face

• Smashbox face primer
• Kryolan Dermacolor corrector- D2
• Kryolan cream foundation- OB3
• Kryolan translucent powder- TL2
• Mac blusher in Breezy
• Gold/Pink shimmer powder above blush line to highlight cheek bone

Doesn't she photograph beautifully?

For the Eyes

• Mac Shadestick in Overcast as a base for the eyeshadows
• Mac Elektra for inner 1/3rd of the eye
• Mac Freshwater for middle 1/3rd 
• Kryolan Black for outer 1/3rd 
• Mac Knight Divine to smoke out crease area
• Mac White Frost for highlighting brow one
• Star Dust pigment over the White Frost on brow bone
• WOW glitter dust over entire lid for more glamour
• WOW gel liner
• Mac eye pencil in Smoulder to line waterline
• BodyShop mascara
• Store brand fake lashes

For the Lips

• Lipliner- WOW No 15
• Lipstick- Mac Rocker 
• Clicks brand lipgloss

Take it up a notch by applying some lip gloss

Makeup Looks: Red & Gold

The sister if a friend of mine got married this weekend and I did the makeup for a few girls there. It was a hectic, rushed 2 days but when I look at the photos, I can't help beaming with satisfaction.

Before n After

Products Used

For the Face

• Smashbox face Primer
• Kryolan Dermacolor- D2 for color correction of under eye circles
• Kryolan cream foundation- OB3
• Kryolan translucent powder- TL2

For the Eyes

• NYX jumbo pencil in Gold
• Mac's Goldmine for outer corners
• Loose pigment in Maroon Sparkle for the middle of the lid area
• Pac's loose pigment in shiny Gold over the Goldmine
• WOW cosmetics silver glitter/ shimmer powder over the entire lid area to give it a shimmery effect
• WOW gel eyeliner
• WOW false lashes in No. 086883

For the Lips

• PAC lipliner in Eggplant
• Lipstick in Rocker
• Lipgloss- Uberbabe, Lips To Go Dazzle Gloss in Gold

Review: WOW Cosmetics Gel Liner

One of the greatest makeup inventions in my opinion are gel liners. Gel liners offer the same application technique and purpose without all the fuss and mess of pencil and liquid eyeliners. My very first gel liners that I owned were Macs Fluidline in Blacktrack, Sweet Sage and Jadeye. My next purchase of a gel liner was Inglot's No.77- as much as I loved the fact that they stayed on all day without smudging or fading, it either dried up after just ONE use(and trust me, I was very careful with regards to air exposure whilst I was using it) or it dried tight onto the lid after the application, leaving me a bit uncomfortable. Despite them hardening very quickly if proper care is not taken, I don't think I would ever go back to liquid and pencil liners.

With my experiences of gel liners hardening up on me, I wasn't going to invest a lot of money this time round and decided to purchase something that is not quite as expensive as Mac or Inglot. Which brings me back to my latest discovery of an affordable, quality makeup brand.....WOW.

Now, I have reviewed 2 other products of WOW cosmetics and I must say that so far....I am quite impressed. I have been back for my second makeup haul purchase and am seriously loving every use that I am getting out of their products thus far. My experience with their gel liner is also worth raving about....

Comes in a durable, plastic tub

The Price: R60 for a 5gr tub

The Packaging

The liner comes in a neat, clear, plastic square tub that is nestled in WOW's brand labelled box with sufficient information about the product and it's application on the back. Ingredients are listed clearly and it comes with its own mini brush applicator. The container is sleek and small enough to comfortably fit into your handbag or carry along makeup purse.

The Product

I did not use the brush that came in the box to apply the liner. I used a very thin synthetic brush. The consistency of the gel is very creamy allowing for a smooth, glide on application. It does not dry quickly, giving you ample working time. I was able to play around with it to eventually settle on an elongated winged application. It has a brilliant depth of pigmentation and I just had to apply it once over for an intense color pay off. Despite my slightly oily eyelids, I found that there was no smudging or fading and the product stayed on throughout the day... it did not leave a tight, dry feeling on my lids like I've experienced with some major brand gel liners. It dried to a semi-matt finish, which is exactly how I like it.

Applied as a single stroke- look at the intensity
of the pigmentation

My Overall Impression

I honestly believe that this is real value for money. R60 for 5gr of product is certainly a budget friendly replacement for any major brand gel liner. It is long lasting, easy to work with, gives excellent color pay off, is inexpensive and definitely worth the try...now that's certainly getting all the boxes ticked...

My Personal Rating: with eyes closed, a non-hesitant 10/10

Disclaimer

Please note that all products that I review are purchased with my own money and I do not get paid to provide any sort of positive or negative feedback on ANY product. All opinions are solely my own and is 100% honest. What may work for me, may not necessarily work for you. This is just to provide a guideline on what you can expect if you are considering purchasing the product.

Review: WOW Cosmetics Liquid Eyeshadow

I remember purchasing a liquid eyeshadow many years ago and somehow back then, it just failed to tickle my fancy. Thereafter, I found myself steering clear of them despite the attractiveness of some of the shades and colors. In my vague recollection of my experience with it, I recall that it hadn't totally met my expectations and since then, they have never made my favorites list.

With my recent makeup haul of WOW makeup, I couldn't resist a duck egg blue(which happens to be my new favorite color for ANYTHING) shade liquid eyeshadow(No 08). I tried it on the previous day to test its wearability and to see if maybe this time round it cut the grade.

WOW's range of liquid cream liners

The Price: R25 for 5ml bottle vile

Shade No 08

The Packaging

There really isn't much to say about the packaging except that it comes with a sealed, see-through,
tamper- proof plastic and label around it. The label has the importer and ingredient details. Imprinted
on the clear bottle which allows you a view of the shade and color is the company logo. Nothing fancy, pretty simple....

Soft, velvety applicator

The Product

Wow's liquid eyeshadows come in a range of 9 metallic colors. The color range consists of some bright, funky colors (01, 02), a few pastel shades (03, 05, 08) and the basic neutrals (04, 06, 09). They seem to have skipped 07 for some reason, lol, but we can forgive them for that. The mix of colors
cater for every type of makeup lover which is a definite plus.

Applied as a double layer

I swatched the shadow on my inner wrist as well as on my eyelids up to the crease area without any base or primer. It comes with a doe foot applicator for quick and easy application. It applied quite effortlessly to a silky smooth finish. I didn't try building up the color as the metallic aspect served well for an intense enough look- so at this stage, I can't comment on whether it's a build-able product. If I remember to do that on my next use, I will include it in here later.

I have slightly hooded eyelids that tends to fall over my lid area which is also a bit oily. I noticed that the area where the lid touched whilst blinking, the color had faded a bit leaving that area looking a bit patchy. The area below the crease remained intact throughout the day and it resisted color loss exceptionally well. It stayed fast despite me intentionally trying to rub it off. Those that do not have hooded eyelids will especially benefit from this.

I like the fact that due to its excellent staying power, and it can also double as a funky eyeliner. The swatch on my inner wrist stayed on for more than 8 hours despite all the rubbing and touching. I expected it not to budge when washing it off, but warm soapy water was all it took to leave my skin clean and stain free.


My Overall Impression

Pros

• Quick and easy application
• Comes with own applicator
• Dual performance....eyeshadow/eyeliner
• Dries to a silky, smooth finish
• Good range of colors
• Smudge and smear proof 

Cons

• If you do not know how to apply it evenly, it ends up looking a bit blotchy.
• For those that are cursed with hooded lids, keep the shadow away from the crease line to avoid the shadow from fading away.
• Not everyone is fond of metallic, shimmery colors...range should include a few simple colors .

Liquid eyeshadows are an excellent alternative to traditional eyeshadows which require little or no blending skills. It's endless staying power certainly gives it an upper edge over powder shadows. Try it...you may just find yourself a gem product that you are unable to do without. However for me, I'll just wait for WOW to introduce some non- metallic shades in their range...

Was this review helpful...??? Feel free to comment and share your experiences with us.

Review: WOW Cosmetic Liquid Foundation

I generally am not fanatical on foundations as I've previously never had much luck with finding shades that complement my typical Indian skin. My skin has a pronounced yellow undertone leaving me looking too grey, ghost-ish or pale with the majority of foundations that I have tried. In all my years of using makeup, there were only TWO foundations that I used that gave me total satisfaction- Kryolan's cream based foundation in OB3 for event and occasion use and Clinique's 'Even Better' liquid correction tint with SPF in Sand(09) for everyday use.

My latest foundation discovery is totally impressive and I just couldn't wait to share it with you. It's from a make up brand called WOW cosmetics which was introduced in South Africa in 2007. You can read the little that I managed to research about the product range and company here.

Back to the product itself...

The Price: R55- R60 for a 30 ml bottle

Packaging

Wow cosmetics liquid foundations come in a black box with their logo printed in white and all product ingredient information is found on the back of the box. The information regarding the manufacture and use of the product is absent with just the South African importer address listed. The product itself comes in a press, dispense bottle similar to Mac's Mineralize Satin Finish foundations.

Product

The foundation itself is a thick, creamy liquid that has a soft, satin feel to it. What I love about the consistency of this product is that there is no real need for a brush or sponge application. Just dispense onto the palm of your hand and apply as you would any cream or lotion- at least this is the way I like to apply it- this I find is super advantageous for those of us who need a 'slap and run' application for those mornings where every second is precious. I set the foundation with Kryolan's translucent powder. It provided a light, sheer coverage which I normally prefer for day use. However, it is build-able to provide medium to heavy coverage as well. For the duration of the wear, my skin felt moisturized and silky to my touch. It also gave my skin a lovely glow and radiance so much so that I am comfortable and satisfied enough to use it on its own without any blusher or eyeliner. I got a decent amount of wear time (about 5 to 6 hours) after which it starts to fade. Apart from consistency, wear and texture, it has a really pleasant fragrance which was one of the first things I had made a mental note of.

Improvements

Being the type of person who loves to be armed with the knowledge and know how of everything that comes across my path, I find myself always researching anything new in my life- be it  a new development, renovation to even buying makeup. The one disappointment for me on this product is that I cannot find enough of background information about the brand and company itself.
Another property that I feel can elevate the ratings of this product is the addition of SPF. This is not really a huge train smash though but in terms of keeping up with makeup production trends, built in SPF is something that is taken for granted in all foundation types. Other than this, I really cannot find any other fault with this product. I hugely recommend this foundation and it has certainly made it on my 'less money! more makeup- feeding your makeup addiction on a budget' list.

Feel free to share your experience with WOW cosmetics with us.....

WOW Cosmetics, South Africa

There's nothing that I love more than finding new make up brands that offer a range of quality products that are both affordable and practical on the pocket. Now that I have started with product reviews on my blog, I find myself more and more in search of products that don't burn a hole in my purse and which also has the ability to impress me to such an extent that I can hardly wait to share it with you. One such cosmetic brand being 'WOW cosmetics'. I had come across this brand a while back when I googled for 'affordable makeup brands in South Africa' but never really followed the search through. Then one our fellow MUnT members, Rita S Ranjith, asked me to check out this cosmetic range...well, to cut a long story short, I have just received my haul of WOW cosmetics and I am sooooooo excited. I feel like I am in makeup heaven and can't wait to create looks and post reviews on them.

My WOW cosmetic makeup haul...

A little bit about WOW cosmetics....

WOW cosmetics originated in Israel in 2005. They boast a vast range of cosmetics, perfumes, face, body and nail products on a budget that almost any woman in any age group can afford. The brand was brought to South Africa in 2007 and is now stocked in over 390 pharmacies and cosmetic shops. Why it hasn't reached brand named retailers yet is a question still left to be answered- in that case though, we would have to be prepared to pay brand retail prices...so I'm not complaining really- it was just a thought. Their prices are ridiculously low- but don't associate it's price tag with its quality. As in all cosmetic ranges, I don't expect every product here to be a winner- and I am sure that a few product items may not be to my satisfaction but you know what....? so is the case with Mac, Estée
Lauder and other high end brands. Not every product is going to hit right on target.

In order not to overwhelm you, I will be reviewing each item individually over the next few days or weeks. I can hardly contain my excitement....