Colorful, cute and cheery! In 1981 the Care Bears were born. Artist, Elena Kucharik created them for American Greetings and they realized they could market these adorable colorful bears! By 1985 they were a Saturday morning cartoon staple, complete with a line of toys. It’s still going strong 40 years later because 40 year olds are legit still buying Care Bears clothing and makeup! (Speaking for myself of course!)
The Care Bears aren’t just for children from the 80’s, but children currently are growing up with the Care Bears! I am glad Wet N Wild decided to go with the classic for this collection. I wouldn’t have been so excited for a modern version. If brands keep coming out with nostalgic 80’s and 90’s characters, we are going to go broke! Color Pop and Pur did My Little Pony a few years back. If we are doing 80’s cartoons… Strawberry Shortcake, She-Ra, and Rainbow Brite are next! (But please don’t, I can’t spend any more money.)
Wet N Wild has been coming out with these box sets a few times a year. Trying to save money, I was hoping I wouldn’t be excited for the next one, but here we are. Another thing I like from back in the day! However this collection hasn’t been Funshine or Cheer Bear for us fans! I have a bone to pick with Wet N Wild for this disaster for a release! I am not the only customer that was left unsatisfied with the non-existent customer service and stores barren of this collection. Since April, I have been searching for this collection with no sign of it, or only to find just a tiny selection of items. You’d think ordering it through their official website would have been foolproof! I have to wonder how many customers felt ripped out because their cards were charged but orders not shipped. I ordered the minute I saw it launched on April 5th. I ordered the PR as well as the contents I did not see pictured with the box and it has been “on Hold” ever since. I’m just one of many this happened to. Wet N Wild really dropped the ball with the Care Bears release. Not with the products themselves but the actually getting it to the customers part.
I do not know if anyone who had ordered that day actually got their order. Update May 26th: The day after I posted this, my order was shipped. Pure coincidence, I’m sure. Looking at IG comments, and in my own experience: Wet N Wild’s orders have been placed on hold for several weeks with no response from a real human being after contacting customer service. I’ve contacted customer service a few times with only a bot response. And I have seen many comments on their Instagram with the exact same issue as myself. Sometimes they’ll get a response from their social media team “Hey Bestie, check your DMs” According to some comments they either didn’t respond or their order was cancelled if they asked for it or not.
We shouldn’t have to complain in a public social media to have our orders cancelled. Their team needs to communicate with the customers about what is happening. If they did not have enough inventory, they should have had the system mark it as sold out and not be able to oversell. Now there are disappointed and angry customers waiting for their order, with no signs of an update. I do understand there is a supply issue generally, particularly if the cosmetics or the components are made in China. I have dealt with it myself with my own business after all! However, I still think they shouldn’t have oversold it and then ignore all customer inquiries. It looks as if cancelling is near impossible unless you complain in public on Instagram, and then deal with DMing them.
Amazon has the same box for for $55. I don’t understand why it was $30 cheaper, but I can’t complain because who doesn’t love a discount?! The price went up to $72 eventually, and then up to $85! I am glad I got the deal I did. I almost didn’t order it because I was already waiting for my Wet N Wild order to ship. The downside is that Amazon shipped the box mid-May. But I ended up getting it! So that is why this post is out right now instead of early April like I had wanted.
Walmart was supposed to have huge displays and absolutely everything. (Not the box, but all its contents individually.) I saw videos on TikTok of these amazing Walmart displays. However, my local ones didn’t seem to have it. I got tired of driving to store to store and finding nothing. I was jealous of other Walmarts around the country having these gigantic, well-stocked displays. The rest of the drugstores barely got the collection. Walgreens has only 2 products and they aren’t even carried in stores. CVS, Ulta and Rite Aid stores got a small selection, and they varied by store. I would have appreciated if WnW let us know that the stock and selection would be limited in certain drugstores. There was definitely no makeup bag and that’s the item I want! Ulta.com may have had everything but I squandered that opportunity because I had already ordered from Wet N Wild… which never came.
I went from store to store looking for items because I wasn’t too confident I was going to receive either PR box I had ordered. (It’s good to know that Amazon can be trusted.) You can see pictured that I have doubles, triples, and quadruples of items. That is from slowly collecting them via store, Amazon order and from the PR box also from Amazon. There were things I didn’t mind having more of, such a the blending sponges and skincare.
The majority of what I ordered comes from Amazon. I you are looking for a specific item, I would search for it every day and see if it pops up. Some of the items I got from Ulta and at CVS. But their displays were really small. I was able to get the blue bear lashes from WetnWild.com. I took the risk and placed the order a month after my original huge $177 order and they sent it! I ordered 3 sets of the lashes plus some other non-Care Bear items to make the shipping worth it.
If Wet N Wild does end up sending my order, I’ll have two PR boxes and several duplicates. For a lot of items this isn’t a huge problem: Skincare gets used up. Sponges you could use a warehouse full of. Lip glosses get used up. I’m even known to use up powder cheek products. The only thing I don’t need a duplicate of is the eyeshadow palette, but I can simply give it to a friend! From what I have seen, customers are only able to cancel after complaining on Instagram and handling it via DM. Contacting WnW through their website isn’t working and apparently they don’t pick up the phone!
I went to many, many stores and only found the display at three of them:
The Display at Ulta. I asked someone who worked there and she grabbed a few things from the back for me! Really great service!
The display at one CVS of many I visited. There is indeed a slim selection of items! I snagged the serum, facial sprays and sponge. The one sponge isn’t even a part of the collection! Not sure what was there, but someone must have changed their mind.
This is how small and wiped out the display at my usual store was. At this point I had the collection, so I left it alone for people who didn’t have any at all.
The first things I got after a long hunt: My haul from Ulta, plus the face gem mask that was delivered that day from Amazon.
PR Box $55- 84.99
(Depending on where and when you purchased it)
This box has two layers. In my opinion, they could have made the box a lot larger to include the rest of the collection. The number one complaint I have seen is that the PR box doesn’t contain the absolutely everything from the collection. It doesn’t matter if it would have costed more. The people who really want it will spend the money anyway. The box is pretty small compared to the past boxes. Seeing how huge the My Melody and Kuromi and Little Twin Stars boxes were, they definitely could have made the box huge and fit everything in. Not only should they have done that so this collection wouldn’t have been such a HUNT! But they should have not oversold… or waited to release it until they had enough stock to send to everyone who ordered.
The Little Twin Stars box is huge! If they made the Care Bears one that big, we could have all gotten the makeup bag….
Caring Counts Eyeshadow Palette
This is super cute because they have imprints of the Belly Badges, and they are named for the various bears!
The following are my own descriptions of the eyeshadow shades:
Love- A-Lot Bear- Matte pink
Tenderheart Bear- Matte light brown
Birthday Bear- Metallic gold
Good Luck Bear- Spring green with sparkles
Wish Bear- Teal
Cheer Bear- Warm pink pressed glitter with iridescent glitter
Funshine Bear– Gold pressed glitter with larger iridescent chunks
Friend Bear- Orange with sparkle
Heart Song Bear- Shimmery teal
Bedtime Bear- Blue pressed glitter with larger iridescent chunks. Marked as a “Face Pigment”
Share Bear- Shimmery lavender
Care-A-Lot Bear- Really cool tie dye look of a shimmery white, pink, lavender and blue. Swatches to a shimmery white with blue sparkle
Harmony Bear- Shimmery lilac
Best Friend Bear- Matte purple. Marked as a “face pigment.” You know you’re not using this dark purple on your face. It just says that for legal reasons because it stains. It’s fine, it goes away.
Grumpy Bear- Matte cornflower blue
Definitely opt for a glitter primer for longevity and to protect your eyeballs from fallout. Glitter will fall through out the day. I saw glitter on my shirt!
Do What You Love Blush
This one I could not find in stores and had to wait for the Amazon PR box and I am so glad I was able to get the peachy pink shade! I think this is a flattering shade on me. It can be buildable for more medium skin tones because it can intense on me. So I go for a more bristly, wispy brush and it looks great!
Live, Laugh, Hug Bronzer
I was worried that this bronzer would be too dark on my complexion, but it is far from it! I am happy with the pigmentation because it’s not too strong on me. I don’t know if anyone else can say the same, but personally this works for me.
Let Your Light Shine Highlighter
Wet N Wild’s highlighters are usually pretty good. This one isn’t as strong as I am used to from them, however, it does show up. It’s just a little more subtle. Many people don’t like “see-you-from-space” highlighters, this will be fine for them. It’s more subtle than Ofra, Becca or Jeffree Star, but not unwearable subtle. You could really pack it on if you need to!
All 3 Cheek Powders
Give Me TLC Lip Scrub and Mask
When I got the box the lavender scent of the Bedtime Bear overpowers everything. I hate the lavender scent. Especially on my lips because it’s right under my nose and I can smell it. (I hate floral scents)
The Make It Sweet lip scrub is Cupcake scented, it’s very subtle. I’ve used scrubs like this in the past. They scrubby bits are embedded in a moisturizing base. It’s not very exfoliating in my opinion, but I have dry lips that need industrial strength sanding.
The packaging is pretty trippy as you can see from the photos!
Free To Shine and Stand Out & Shine Glitter Gel
In the late 90’s, I wore body glitter when going out to a dance or for a Halloween party. But at my age… I just don’t know! You do whatever you want! I can try working with these for editorial style, cosplay-ish looks. They’re pretty glitters, but I don’t see myself wearing them often.
Friendship Goals Mascara and Lash Curler
Black mascara in an adorable Care Bear adorned packaging! Included is a metallic purple eyelash curler and a transparent, silver glitter Care Bear head.
Another bottom lash mascara for me! I have straight lashes that won’t hold a curl if I use regular mascara. I need a super industrial strength, waterproof version.
The lash curler is super cute, but the eye area is very curved, which works with that eye shape. I need a flatter one for my eye, Shu Uemura and Shishedo are brands that work for me. However, I can indeed curl my lashes with this Wet N Wild one! It’s just not as fool proof and I have to work with it some more and try not to pinch my eye lids!
Lip Gloss
The packaging makes it so no one can tamper with it at the store…. but it also makes it super frustrating to open at home. Otherwise, I don’t think they go wrong with gloss! I am already using these and Share a Smile is already in my makeup bag! It’s nothing mind-blowing here, two are clear, but it doesn’t hurt to have the moisture ready at hand!
Sing A Lot- Clear with micro silver and iridescent glitter
Share a Smile- Transparent lilac with micro shimmers of blue and pink
Spread The Love- Pink with subtle micro shimmer
Free Hugs- Coral red with subtle micro shimmer
Face Serum
I absolutely love the scent! This serum smells like lemon lime soda! It is a Vitamin C and Niacinamide serum to brighten your complexion and I often layer various serums everyday. I am glad I picked up extras because these are going to be used!
Pick Me Up and Get Through The Night Setting Sprays
I absolutely love the Grumpy Bear spray! It smells like berries. I am constantly spraying my face with it because it smells so good. I am glad I have an extra one!
Wish Bear was the little figurine I had, that one must have been my favorite bear. I’m not a fan of floral scents so I am disappointed that it’s lavender scented but it does disappear. It is supposed to be a calming scent, but I still don’t care for it. I haven’t tested the longevity of the makeup with this setting spray yet.
Resting Bear Face Cleansing Balm
I am not terribly familiar with cleansing balms. I’ve only used one and that was the Jeffree Star Skin one, I am still very new to the concept.
It’s a gel consistency, a lot thinner than the Jeffree Star one. Smells faintly of coconuts.
Putting Grumpy Bear and calling it Resting Bear Face is so appropriate! He’s the one plush I had. Well, technically it was “for my grandfather” as a gag, but being the only child in the house, I played with it.
Always Care-A-Lot Color Changing Sponge
I stocked up! Sponges are much needed! When I test the color changing aspect I will update this post.
The following items are not included in the PR Box:
Think Happy Thoughts and Good Vibes Only Artificial Nails, $6.49 each
It doesn’t really fit quite right.
For me, the problem with press-on nails is that my natural nails are a lot longer than the false ones! However they do tend to break! (I currently have 3 broken nails in this photo!) The falsies will work on the shortened nails so I can keep a bit of length instead of having one ugly sister.
The glitter is rough, which I don’t like. But that can be fixed by using a few layers of clear top coat!
Care Package 5- Piece Sponge Set, $16.99
Sometimes sponges are so cute that I don’t want to use them! So I bought two sets! One to use, one to display. (Or for makeup “emergencies”)
Wish Big! and My Lucky Day Lashes, $6.49
The packaging is seriously too cute for words! I hope to get another set or two of My Lucky Day. I think both of these lashes are flattering for my eye. I love lashes that flare out on the end. I haven’t worn them yet because I like how they look in the packaging (and I have a TON from IMATS!)
Cheer You Up Face Gems, $6.49
I don’t really see myself wearing face gems. But I will be doing Euphoria looks soon with the Half Magic Beauty products I just bought. I could wear these face gems with one of the looks.
Sharing Is Caring Brush Set, $16.99
Makeup bag, $16.99
Wet N Wild finally sent my order and I got it almost two months later! I finally have the glorious makeup bag! This is a great size for taking on vacation, (meaning it holds a LOT!)
So where can you find these?
You can search every single drugstore in your area and perhaps have bad luck! Some items are currently on Amazon, If you want something, I would suggest to buy it immediately. What I am really hoping for is that Wet N Wild will restock and make sure to send the orders to the customer who have already ordered everything! I am not sure what is happening but I have to wonder if there is just a worldwide supply issue and perhaps some components are made in China and they just cannot produce them fast enough. I can say for sure that there are disappointed fans who want the items who could not find them in stores and never got the order they placed. It was handled so ridiculously, with no communication. They could have at least addressed it via email, and on their social media. Instead of just leaving us hanging! We customers want honesty, no run around that insults our intelligence!
Despite the stock disaster, I think the team who created these products did a great job! The colors and designs show a respect for the classic characters. I think they were well represented. I think there was a good variety of products from skincare to color. While I may not wear face gems or body glitter, there are people who will! The only things I didn’t like was anything lavender scented and the fact that I never received my order.
Previous PR Boxes
Are these really PR if I paid full price for them? No, they’re just called that. I don’t own every single box Wet N Wild has ever made, but I do have a good collection. I don’t have Flights of Fancy or Crystal Cavern.
I have posts on Little Twin Stars + Sponge Bob, My Melody & Kuromi and Saved By The Bell.
I didn’t blog about the first three (Unicorn Glow, Midnight Mermaid or Goth-O-Graphic) but there may old Instagram posts about them. I remember they slapped the shipping label right on the mermaid box, ruining it!
More Items with Care Bears:
Okay so there’s a LOT out here! You’re going to find Care Bears licensed good at many common stores. This is just a short list, just for fun! Here are some mainstream and some indie brands to feed the Care Bear nostalgia addiction:
- Lights Lacquer
- By Samii Ryan
- Cake Worthy
- Forever 21- Sweatshirt, Socks
- 80s tees
- Hot Topic
- Paislees Closet
- Unique Vintage
- Black Milk
- Violet Voss Palette
- Loungefly
That is just a few items! There are so much more out there!
Update: May 23
What a coincidence! The day after I make a post complaining about how terrible customer service is and how so many customers never got what they ordered… I get a reply and a shipping notice.
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and I paid for all of the items myself. None of the links are affiliate links.
