Wet n Wild / Fergie Centerstage Collection Metropolitan Nights Photo Op Eyeshadow

I was quite disappointed by first Wet n Wild / Fergie eyeshadow palette I tried (reviewed here), but I really love Wet n Wild’s eyeshadow formula generally, so I wanted to give the new collection another chance. So, I went back and bought a second palette, called Metropolitan Nights.  Unfortunately, it turns out that the Fergie palettes have a totally different – and inferior –  formula to Wet n Wild’s fantastic Color Icon palettes.

Note: I do not recommend the Fergie palettes, but if you can’t find them locally and want to try them out, they are available to purchase online now at drugstore.com.

The packaging of the Fergie eyeshadows is okay – it’s a bit prettier than the standard Wet n Wild packaging, but less depotting-friendly (since the eyeshadows aren’t rectangles). It’s sturdy and functional though, and that’s really all I ask at this price point.

Swatches (as always, done with a sponge tip applicator over bare skin):

The upper left is a sheer, shimmering white – the quality here is fine.   The upper right is an extremely sheer gold with some glitter – I hope it was meant to be glitter only, because that’s really all that shows up! The glitter does not adhere to the skin – you would need to use some kind of sticky base.  Continuing clockwise, the lower right is a matte blackened brown with some copper glitter – this one is quite pigmented.  The problem here is that  he matte shade in the center is also a blackened brown that is almost identical (though more sheer).   I had high hopes for the lower left shade, a taupe shimmer, but it’s extremely sheer and doesn’t show up well on my skin tone.  And again, the center shade dupes the lower right shade.

In general, I have little patience for eyeshadow that requires primer, which I realize is a personal quirk, especially given that I always do wear eyeshadow primer.  But, since that’s just me, I also swatched this palette over Wet n Wild’s own eyeshadow primer (reviewed here), to see if it would help.  It didn’t do much for the gold glitter – probably since that one has almost no color at all – but it turned the too-sheer taupe shimmer into quite a lovely shade.

over primer

Overall, I would not recommend Metropolitan Nights eyeshadow palette. The taupe shade is pretty over primer, but the palette quality is poor overall.  And, after trying two of the Fergie Centerstage Photo Op eyeshadow palettes, I would recommend that you skip all four of them and stick with Wet n Wild’s Color Icon eyeshadows to meet your inexpensive eyeshadow needs.

Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Collection Photo Op Eyeshadow: Dutchess [sic] Lounge

I love Wet n Wild’s eyeshadows, so I was very excited when I heard that they were adding some Fergie collaboration eyeshadow palettes to the line, and even more excited when I spotted them in store! I had a hard time deciding which one to buy first; I ended up going with Dutchess Lounge (you can see photos of the others here; & you can buy them online here).

The packaging of these is okay – it’s a bit prettier than the standard Wet n Wild packaging, but less depotting-friendly (since the eyeshadows aren’t rectangles).  It’s sturdy and functional though, and that’s really all I ask at this price point.

Swatched clockwise starting with upper left; natural light

Same order – with flash

Same order – blurred to show sparkle

I’m quite disappointed in this palette – it’s fairly typical for a drugstore eyeshadow palette in my experience, but I have come to expect better from Wet n Wild! I will be buying another of the Fergie eyeshadow palettes to see if this is an outlier, or if they all are sub-par. (Review of Metropolitan Nights palette is now here).