Wet n Wild Photo Focus Stick Foundation | Review

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Typically I’m a lipstick gal, but I’ve been all about that base lately! Meaning I’ve wanted to try every foundation that hits the market as of late. When I caught word that Wet n Wild was releasing a stick foundation as part of their Photo Focus line, I knew I had to get my hands on it.

The Basics

The Wet n Wild Photo Focus stick foundation is new stick foundation available in 21 shades. Like most stick foundations, this is marketed as a multi-use stick for covering, highlighting, and sculpting. Wet n’ Wild claims the Photo Focus stick offers long-lasting coverage in a lightweight formula and as semi-matte finish. It also contains sunflower seed and argan oils for moisture and blendability.

I’m going to insert swatch comparisons to some of my other stick foundations:

It retails for $5.99 and you get .42 oz. of product. For comparison sake, here’s how the WW Photo Focus stick compares in size to some other stick foundations:

• Wet ‘n Wild Photo Focus: .42 oz.
• MUFE HD: .44 oz.
• Hourglass Vanish: .25 oz.
• Maybelline Super Stay: .25 oz.
• Colourpop No Filter: .3 oz.
• Loreal Infallible: .32 oz.

So you get nearly as much product in the Photo Focus foundation stick as you do in the Hourglass Vanish Stick for a drastically lower price tag — which is awesome! But only if it’s good.

The Formula

The formula is stiffer than I thought it was going to be; it’s not as creamy as the MUFE formula. However, even though it’s stiff and tugs just a bit, it blends out easily onto the skin. Once applied on the skin, I do agree that it blends to a matte finish but not in a chalky way. It looks really natural.

I’d say this is a solid medium coverage that’s buildable. I applied it with both a brush and a beauty sponge, and liked the finish both ways. Naturally, you get a more subtle level of coverage with a sponge, but it looked flawless. The brush I prefer the WW Photo Focus foundation with is my Sephora Pro Airbrush #55, which is a dome shaped brush with longer bristles. For maximum coverage, use a dense brush and build where needed.

The Review

Let’s start with the shade range. There’s 21 shades, which is a fairly decent amount for the drugstore, in my opinion. However, the swatches online seem like it focuses heavily on those medium shades and lack in tan and deep shades. It could be different IRL, but I think the shade range lacks in diversity. For example, the Maybelline Super Stay didn’t launch a ton of shades, but there was a lot of range in the color selection. I was able to find a good shade match for me, the lightest shade ‘Alabaster.’

Initially I thought this was going to be really thick and full coverage like Wet ‘n Wild’s liquid Photo Focus foundation. I like that foundation a lot, but I’m not a full-coverage girl day to day. To my pleasant surprise, the stick wasn’t as heavy, and I think I like it even better than the liquid. It really does feel lightweight on the skin. I saw some reviews stating it sat atop the skin, but I think it looked really natural.

I noticed it lasting all day without budging, fading, or feeling dry on my skin. Even though it tugged a bit on the skin upon application, once it was blended out, I noticed my complexion was brightened and my skin tone was evened out. It looked seamless and the formula felt breathable, even though it was covering everything I needed it to. The Photo Focus stick doesn’t feel as expensive as the Vanish Stick from Hourglass or the MUFE HD stick; it kind of feels like a drugstore foundation. But even so, I really enjoy it.

The Bottom Line

While the WW Photo Focus Stick Foundation has some quirks (like the slight tug and iffy shade range), I recommend it.

The seamless finish, comfortable formula, and low price tag makes this almost too good to pass up!

If you liked this review, you may be interested in reviews of these popular stick foundations:

Colourpop No Filter

Maybelline Super Stay

L’Oreal Infallible