This $5 Liquid Metallic Eye Shadow Out-Performs The More Expensive Ones

As a single, twenty-something female living well above her means in New York, there are few things I appreciate quite as deeply as a bargain. Dollar pizza? Yes, please. Beer-and-shot specials? Always. But as a beauty writer, the kind of bargain I appreciate most is the beauty bargain: There is nothing as satisfying as finding a drugstore product that works as well as pricier brands. So when I was recently visiting my mother in Rhode Island and stumbled upon some really cool-looking liquid glitter eyeshadows from Wet n Wild, called the Color Icon Metallic Liquid Eyeshadow,  I was intrigued and hopeful: Could a $5 glitter eyeshadow rival the $20, $30 and $40 versions I've bought from Sephora over the years?

The answer: Oh my god, yes. These limited-edition shadows (which, again, retail for just $4.99!) glide on easily, thanks to the small, flexible applicator that dispenses the perfect amount of product in a single swipe. They apply wet, but after about a minute dry to a matte, glitter-flecked metallic finish (to get a truly opaque cover, you may have to apply more than one coat, although one swipe usually does the trick).

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Gillian Fuller

And — this is the selling point, at least for me — once dry, the shadow does. not. budge. It's easily removable with water or cleanser, but as long as the shadow stays dry, it's totally smudge- and melt-proof, like the best kind of temporary tattoo. I have no idea what sort of magic Wet n Wild concocted to make the shadows so durable, because glitter makeup notoriously has the nasty habit of getting all over your face in a matter of minutes, and it seems insane that a $5 version could do it better than a super pricey version. But it does and it's awesome.

As mentioned above, the shadow is liquid, so it applies wet before it dries. The limited-edition tubes (they're part of a Halloween collection that includes Halloween makeup stencils, glitter eyeliner, and technicolor lip markers) come in four super-pigmented, chrome-finish shades: Aquatic Prism, a rich, multidimensional sapphire; Lara’s Necklace, a gold-flecked olive green; Moonlight Majesty, a deep, shimmery eggplant; and Mysterious Nights, a versatile, holographic silver. You can nab 'em at your local drugstore, probably where all of the new seasonal beauty is displayed, usually in the front of the store. Sadly, the shadows are limited edition — no word on when they'll disappear, but as they were launched for Halloween, probably within the next few weeks — so if I were you, I'd grab them all now. Trust me: It's worth your dollar pizza budget for the month.

Gillian Fuller

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More Wet n Wild news:

1. Wet n Wild’s Cult-Favorite Highlighters Will Now Come In a Palette
2. Wet n Wild Casts First Albino Model to Front a Major Beauty Campaign
3. Here's Wet n Wild's Midnight Mermaid Collection in All Its Sparkling Entirety

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Plus, some last-minute Halloween makeup inspo: