Review: Illumi-Naughty Highlighting and Concealing Pen by Wet n' Wild

I'm writing this review for a specific friend (you know who you are, Kim) because she's considering buying this product -- the Illumi-Naughty Highlighting and Concealing Pen by Wet n' Wild -- and asked me what I thought of it. (Of course, if you're name isn't Kim, feel free to read this post as well).

Originally, I bought this concealer from Wet n' Wild's website because KathleenLights talked about how much she liked it. Plus, I'm all about trying new concealers (as always). Basically this is an illuminating concealer in "pen" form. The applicator is a little brush that you can use to "paint" the concealer onto your face. Wet n' Wild describes it as "This 2-in-1 highlighting and concealing pen will help cover up those naughty areas and illuminate your best features! It's a lightweight, liquid pen that gives you the ultimate control to instantly lift your features for a flawless complexion." It comes in three shades; I have mine in the shade I-Vory Into You, which is the lightest shade.

First of all, I would like to give Wet n' Wild props for inventive naming. Illumi-Naughty? I-Vory Into You? I see what you did there Wet n' Wild. I appreciate your puns. Rock on with your pun self.

Secondly, I love the concept of this product. Concealing and illuminating in one step is a no-brainer, especially because a lot of people purposefully use concealer to illuminate anyway. This product certainly does illuminate. I notice that it gives me a nice, radiant glow, which I really like.

However, it doesn't conceal quite as well as it illuminates. It doesn't really cover blemishes or dark spots very well. The formula is fairly thin. If you really have a lot of discoloration or blemishes, this product probably won't work for you. If you have fairly clear skin and don't really need to conceal very much, this would probably be the perfect product for you. If you do need a little more coverage from your concealer, you can mix this product with a concealer that has better coverage. However, if you mix it with another concealer, it won't be as highlighting.

I'm also not the biggest fan of the packaging. I'm not sure why this has to be a pen. I don't see why it can't just be in ordinary concealer packaging. There's nothing wrong with normal concealer packaging. Don't fix what's not broken. You have to twist the product up in order to get it on the little brush, which just seems to be unnecessarily complicated to me. I would prefer this product to be in ordinary packaging; however, I like this product generally, so I'm willing to put up with the packaging.

I'm especially willing to put up with the packaging because of the price. This product is $4.99, which -- obviously -- is a great price. I'm willing to put up with a lot of little quirks for a product that's only $4.99. Even though it's not a super concealing concealer, I think this is a really good product for the price, and, in general, it's quite effective. 

Final rating: 9/10