A couple months ago I posted an announcement I saw that said Walgreen's was going to be releasing an exclusive line of Wonder Woman makeup. Well, this week was the week that it finally released! I got my hands on as much of the collection as I could (the cashier said people were literally lined up to buy it, meaning I was lucky to even get what I did) but I think I snagged most of the major pieces, including the Beauty Book, eyeshadow palette, lipstick, and liquid eye liners. I think the only items I am missing are some lip glosses and the bronzer, plus the brush set and cosmetic bags. I don't know if Walgreens will restock these or not, but if they do I'm definitely going back for the rest!
One thing I do have to disclose before we start. I am not 100% certain that this collection is cruelty-free. I am fairly confident, because every licensed collection that Walgreens has come out with before this has been, and this follows with the same exact packaging and style as the others. It is produced in China, but designed in the US. (Cosmetics do not need to be animal tested to be produced in China, only to be sold there.) The nail polish component of the set, which I also did not pick up because I have SO MUCH NAIL POLISH, is by the brand ORLY, who are definitely cruelty-free. I've drawn the best conclusions I can from the information that is available to me, and I trust that you will do the same when you decide whether or not to purchase this collection.
Let's get on with the swatches! All of the eyeshadows are swatched over the Bulletproof Primer that came with the set.
The first item, which, out of the whole collection, was the one I most wanted to be sure I got, is the Wonder Woman "Comic" Beauty Book. This is an all-in-one style kit that contains 9 eyeshadow colors, a blush, liquid eyeliner, eyeshadow primer, lipstick, and double ended sponge tip applicator. It retails for $11.99. It's got a fold out portion that directs you on two different looks ("Daytime Hero" and "Nighttime Hero") you can make with the kit, but honestly neither of the instructions they give look anything like the finished product picture.
The case is a nice, sturdy cardboard with crisp printing and awesome retro style Wonder Woman artwork. It seems a little unnecessarily bulky, but that's kind of a hallmark of the Beauty Books. I don't know if I would be comfortable travelling with it as the corners might get dinged up quite a bit, but then I am kind of neurotic about that kind of thing. There is a plastic sheet that rests over the products to help protect them, but it's hard to work around and ends up getting in the way a lot.
There is a nice mix of cool and warm tone shades in the eyeshadow portion, and the texture is super buttery and smooth. The pigmentation leaves a lot to be desired, however. The blush, "Grace and Power" is a lovely natural dusty rose shade that is also quite sheer can be built up for a more dramatic look. The lipstick, "Amazonian Red" is a fuchsia shade that built up to full opacity in just two swipes. Despite the tiny size and child-like packaging, this lipstick is actually really good. The eyeliner is named "Warrior Black" and it is super black and matte. Once dry I found it to be fairly budge-proof, with better opacity than I have found in some high end brands of eyeliner.
Next up we have the lipstick. This is in the shade "Heroine" and oh my gosh it is such a pretty, classic red! The lipstick itself is smooth and easy to apply, and the opacity is crazy good, especially considering as it only cost $2.99! The lipstick case is a lightweight red plastic with different Wonder Woman picture printed on it. It feels a bit cheap, because it is. Seriously... $2.99.
"An Eye for Justice" is the liquid eyeliner set. This was $6.99 and it includes three colors - "Warrior Black" (presumably the same formula as in the Beauty Book), a cool metallic blue called "Super Hero", and a gold and silver glitter called, what else, "Golden Lasso". I really liked the blue and gold colors as well as the black. The blue is a somewhat unusual, but gorgeous, color, while the glitter will be nice to use for accent work. The brushes are small and thin enough that they will be easy to use for that as well.
Continuing the pun train is "Paradise Eye-land", the eyeshadow palette. This palette was also $6.99 and contains eight shadows, mostly with a somewhat of a satin finish. there are a couple of colors, notably "Heroic Beauty" and "Spirit of Truth" that appear glittery, but that is just an overspray. The packaging is cute on the inside, with a Wonder Woman cling on the mirror that you can remove. However, if you do, that's basically the only thing that makes the packaging Wonder Woman themed, as the outside is totally blank. Again, the texture of the shadows is really nice, smooth and blendable, but the colors are more sheer than opaque. I would say that, unless you are a completeist like me, if you get the Beauty Book you can probably skip this one, as many of the colors are similar.
Final Thoughts: I was really looking forward to this collection, and I'm really glad I managed to get my hands on it! Not only is the packaging going to make great display pieces, some of the products are far and above the quality I would have expected for the price.
Bonus Rant: As I was doing my research for this post, I saw a lot of negative comments about this set, such as "Where is the Wonder Woman exercise equipment?" or "Cosmetics and accessories aren't powerful", "Wonder Woman wouldn't wear makeup" and the such like. It's comments of that nature that really bug me, because they highlight the dichotomous nature of society, especially towards women. Women in particular aren't allowed to be more than one thing - you can be feminine OR smart, you can be interested in makeup OR books, never both at the same time. In my mind, the act of being able to choose what I want to wear (or not wear) on my face is a powerful thing indeed. And being able to not judge others on what they choose to do is even more so.
Anyway, enough rant. What do you think of the Wonder Woman set? Are you going to pick anything up? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for hanging out!
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