January 29, 2014

Wet n Wild Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain Review & Swatches

Wet n Wild Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain

After my fiasco with Wet n Wild Megalast Liquid Lip Color I wasn’t sure I was ready to jump into bed with Wet n Wild Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain ($4.99 at Walgreens).

Wet n Wild Fergie Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain is a new lipgloss stain available in ten shades for Spring 2014 that apparently will be a permanent part of the Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection.

I didn’t address it in my Wet n Wild BB Cream Review or my Wet n Wild Fergie On Edge Long Wearing Eye Pencil but the prices sure have went up on Wet n Wild products since Fergie became their spokesperson. I read a few reviews that the Wet n Wild Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain was $3.50 but I got mine at Walgreens it was $4.99. By Wet n Wild standards that’s pretty high!

Anyway…

Here’s some thoughts!

Wet n Wild Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain is a high shine lip stain slash gloss. This is a hybrid formula so it has the shine of a gloss, a superior long wearing staining effect, and the color of a liquid lipstick. I’ve read some poor reviews on it bu I have to say I’m impressed.

Wet n Wild Runway Red Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain

Wet n Wild Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain swatches

Runway Red

There are products a plenty like this at the moment that aren’t necessary stands such as Maybelline Color Elixir Liquid Color Balm and L�Oreal Extraordinaire Lip Color or even products that are suppose to stain and add shine to lips like L�Oreal Color Caresse Shine Stain but Wet n Wild is onto something here with their formula.

I do find gloss/stains typically are one trick ponies and don’t necessarily succeed at both tasks of staining and offering a glossy finish on lips or sometimes not even being able to perform either of the two tasks but never mind both together.

Wet n Wild Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain actually successfully multitasks. This is a high shine gloss product with excellent full opaque color and well after it wears away it leaves behind a beautiful and vibrant stain.

The texture is a runny, watery gloss with a high shine that lasts for a solid five hours into the wear. Yes, it really wears that long. Color remains fresh, vibrant, and beautifully pigmented through that wear. It has a bit of a cling to it so at first application I was worried it would migrate but it stays within lip lines perfectly through the wear. Although, this deserves mentioning, it seems to have a knack for transferring to my teeth. I’ve never had an issue with lipstick or gloss popping up on my teeth but this does indeed seem to end up on my teeth for some reason! The shine factor is incredible because it lasts for about four hours into the wear which is unheard of since the shiny finish of a gloss typically dulls quickly. I will say that seemed to be a little bit of moisture loss through the wear for me and I didn’t feel like my lips were terribly hydrated through the entire wear especially when the gloss and color began to wear at hour five and I was left with the stain only. The staining effect lasts for about an hour or two after the gloss has worn away so you’re looking at a solid 7 hours of good color without eating or drinking.

I was pretty impressed!

It’s not the most comfortable gloss experience due to the slight moisture loss I experienced so do expect a bit of drying but the long wear and incredible pigment might just be worth it in the end!

Wet n Wild Vicious Varnish High Shine Lip Stain fotd

I’ll be picking up some more of these soon!

Tried ’em?

Do share!

I purchased this item.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • kimkats

    I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking that the appearance of Fergie has jacked up the price of WnW!!!! It frankly kinda pisses me off that WNW felt the need to have a “celebrity” spokesperson, which either caused them to raise their prices to pay for it, or to just jack the prices up to make it look like it isn’t dirt cheap makeup, which used to be the whole allure of it…. Any more, I look at WnW as I do any other ds brand-it’s not the cheap thrill it used to be, and if it’s not any good, I’m not going to buy it, or if I do, I’ll return it. Sad that they felt they needed someone “famous” to shill for them… it was a nice company the way it was, but I guess everyone feels they have to compete in the Big Arena, and being a niche company isn’t of any interest to anyone…

    Ok, rant over. 🙂

  • Ellen

    I am surprised your’s was “runny” the one I bought seemed more like paste. I must have gotten a bad tube. It applied fine and was smooth and shiny but it was just thicker straight from the tube. Might buy another one to see if I find a difference. Thanks for doing a review!!

    • Isabella Muse

      it’s a bit watery to me ellen def not like paste, off, could be a fluke, mine was like a melted down lipgloss…! I’m going to buy another too, curious if I’ll experience the paste issue! my pleasure! How did you find the wear?!

      • Ellen

        Most likely a fluke. It wore fine/as I expected a stain would, at least for the short time I wore it (though I haven’t worn it since). I also noticed it smelled a little plastic-y so that could be another hint it was a fluke. It was cheap enough that I’ll probably grab another one, just maybe at a different store.

    • Codename Duchess

      I wouldn’t say the texture was watery but it was definitely more thin/runny than paste like! My only get thick like that as they dry.

    • It’s Gamayun

      Mine (Epic) is midway between paste and runny. It’s basically an amped up version of the Physicians Formula Sexy Booster glosses they had a while back. I wonder if the weather is making any difference? I bought mine literally while they were setting up the display at Walgreens and the tube was still partially frozen…

  • Simone

    Darn! I saw these and skipped, thinking they’d be like the liquid lip color.
    The colors were so pretty too!

  • Anne K

    I have about six of these and just love them. The texture is a bit weird, but not uncomfortable. And the color really does last! I agree the Megalast Liquid Lip Color was an unmitigated disaster on my lips, and I tried so hard to get them to work on me. The Vicious Varnish lip stains are like a shinier, cheaper version of the L’Oreal Color Caresse Shine Stain and the stain lasts most of the day. I just wish the color selection was a little better. I would like to see some more neutral, wearable colors because this lipstick is intense! Also, agree about prices being jacked up most likely due to their Celebrity endorser. I don’t even like Fergie and wouldn’t want to emulate her “style”.

    • Isabella Muse

      agreed Anne, it kinda clings to lips and hugs them, feels a little odd! and yup, and actually, they are better than L’Oreal’s version as L’Oreal isn’t as pigmented nor as glossy 😀 I agree again, this colors are VERY bold and many are red/berries/pinks not nearly enough natural, neutral shades.

  • Adrienne

    I also agree with the higher prices and what has happened for me is that my expectations of a higher quality product go up along with the higher prices. That’s another reason I always check this site before buying!

    • Isabella Muse

      the funny thing is quality went down with the new collection while prices went up, granted these are nice thankfully but I’ve run into other products from the Centerstage/Fergie Collection that was a total miss 🙁 aw thanks very flattered to hear that!

  • fancie

    I totally agree about the price and the quality! I’ve gotten so used to their $2-$3 lipsticks that $5 for glosses seems steep. I’ve heard horror stories about those liquid lip colors but these glosses sound really nice. Probably one of the few nice products they’ve released since the Fergie pair up. I’m the most disappointed with the new eyeshadows! WnW had the BEST drugstore shadows and since Fergie they’ve sucked. The appeal isn’t there for me like it used to be.

  • Codename Duchess

    Huh. I wonder if prices vary per region or If I got mine on sale and just didn’t realize it, because I only paid $3.50 for mine at Walgreens! I have several of these and just love them. I was wearing Global Fierceness when I went to buy my new UD Naked glosses at Ulta on Monday and the SA checking me out asked me what I was wearing. She was surprised to hear it was Wet n Wild (she had assumed it was UD based on my purchase) and even more surprised to hear that I had applied it 6 hours earlier.

    • Isabella Muse

      could be, I got mine in New York/Walgreens set me back $4.99 ouchie for WnW but otherwise a great gloss/stain ;D I believe it because the formula really is pigmented like UD! 😀

  • Rachael

    I am def NOT a gloss chick…I don’t even care for lipsticks that aren’t matte but… I got this in ball in vienna and the colour is awesome! It’s unique considering most pink lippies these days are all the same couple tones like candy yum yum or girl about town. These feel just like the loreal or ysl gloss Staines. They actually do stain. My only prob is my tube broke..which I don’t think I’ve ever had happen with tubes like this.

  • Jennifer Pham

    Hi Muse,

    I really like these, but I do find that when applied straight from the tube it left a jelly-like layer on top, which rubs off anytime I accidentally touch my lips. This leaves an uneven finish. How I like to wear these is as a full-out stain: apply straight from the tube, intentionally wipe that top layer off, and then for extra intensity pat on some more stain. This lasts all day with even color, and there’s also the option to top it with a gloss.

    • Isabella Muse

      Hey Jennifer thanks for sharing! It does indeed feel like a bit of jelly! I didn’t have a problem with it being uneven but it looks like the formula varies a lot because folks said the consistency was different across the board…! Patting sounds like an excellent option to just get the staining effect.

  • kaydoll

    i saw how amazing the color looked on you and had to try them, needless to day i fell in love with them and bought 8. i will say that it felt more balm like for me, i didnt have any weird smells, taste, or any paste like product i will say i am not a fan of the applicator though.

    • Isabella Muse

      yayyyy happy to hear it kay! why? I thought the applicator was pretty good, saturates well with color!

  • Suzza

    Now they are all at the “dollar tree” for a $1.00!
    Must not have done too well?
    Most of entire WnW collection.