REVIEW: Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in "Comfort Zone"

throughout the blogging community, i heard applause for Wet n Wild's latest eyeshadow palettes. i found it a bit surprising in regards to all the praise the company was getting since Wet n Wild was even more affordable than the regular drugstore brand.
i bought Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in "738 Comfort Zone" (8.5 g; $3.99 at Superstore) which is, as the name applies, colors i can throw on easily. the 8-pan eyeshadow collections also come in a purple-based palette, "Petal Pusher" and a blue one, "Blue Had Me At Hello". i prefer to use browns and greens but the other ones look fun too!

the 8-pan palette is separated into 2 "sets" - each with a suggested browbone, eyelid, crease and definer color. also suggested on the back are different looks you can achieve, i.e. flirty vs. wild. at first i tried following the guidelines but you can definitely take your own spin on it and mix and match! my favorite colors to wear are 2, 3, 5 and 6. sorry they are not named but i will try to describe them to you:

top to bottom: natural light; artificial light

* 1 - pearly soft apricot (least pigmented in the palette)
* 2 - peachy bronze
* 3 - soft brown
* 4 - dark chocolate brown (darkest color)
* 5 - champagne
* 6 - moss green
* 7 - smoky gray
* 8 - brown/purple base with sea green shimmer

a closer look (in natural lighting):

6 of the 8 shadows are very shimmery with the exception of #4 and #7 which are more matte with a touch of sparkle.
#1 was the hardest one to swatch - the color is hardly visible. i really had to try to dig into the product but it was just too stiff.
the rest was no problem at all - they were very silky to the touch and very pigmented. the color payoff is amazing - especially the darker colors. as i was going down the column, i realized quickly that you show use a lighter hand with the darker shades. a much much lighter hand.
it is hard to tell that #8 is a duochrome unless you compare the top of the swatch on my arm with the bottom of it where the light does not hit directly.
the dark shades last all day while the lighter ones tend to disappear off my oily eyelids after a few hours so i would suggest using an eyeshadow primer to make them last longer. there was bit of fallout since the shadows are just soo soft. i'd recommend applying with your fingers instead of a brush and/or just gently pressing into the eyeshadow rather than swiping widely across it.
the packaging is simple and sturdy - still, i doubt the eyeshadows will survive a fall to the floor. it also comes with a brush (see third pic) but i don't normally use sponge tip applicators and the bristles on the other end is not packed densely enough - seems like eyeshadow would just fluff everywhere.

so final verdict is that this is a great product for a great price! the range of colors, the fantastic pigmentation and the color payoff make it really worth the price.

-- update -- i took this palette with me on my trip to L.A as part of my carry-on and on my way back, i found that one of the eyeshadows (#8) did not survive the plane ride. i'd suggest a little extra care with this palette since it is not all that sturdy! perhaps it is better off to be used just at home, rather than traveling. --

i've also heard wonderful things about Wet n Wild's Mega Last Lip Color so i am definitely going to keep an eye out for them too. have you tried their eyeshadows before?