Mini Essence haul & review
I’ve been using Essence products on and off for years. I’m big on affordable makeup shopping, and Essence were around, doing their thing, long before Makeup Revolution and MUA et all burst onto the scene. The problem I have with Essence, is that it’s so hard in the UK to find a good range of their products. You can’t purchase online. If you’re lucky, your local Wilko will have a mediocre selection, the stand usually half-gutted before you get there, and even than they only really have a very small assortment of what’s available. It’s disappointing really. But, that asides, on with the review!
Essence the gel polish in ‘need your love.’
Well, now I’ve started humming that song, so thanks for that Essence. I really like Essence’s nail polish. I can usually get 4-5 days out of them without chipping, which for a polish costing less than two quid, is really something. I was really happy to finally get hold of this polish as it’s the perfect autumn-into-winter shade. ‘Need your love’ is a dark, blackened burgundy. It looks dark brown in photos, but there’s a hint of red there in person. It’s a solid two-coater, glossy and gorgeous. I would wholeheartedly recommend trying any of Essence’s nail polishes, they’re one of my favourite nail varnish brands, and not just because of the price.
Essence Mad about Matte liquid lipstick in ‘Magnetic Gloom.’
First off, what a bizarre name for a lipstick, and secondly, I’ve tried Essence’s lipsticks in the past and liked them a lot, so I was interested to try their liquid lipsticks. They also have a ‘vinyl’ aka super glossy version if shiny lipstick is your thing (it absolutely is not mine). Unfortunately, they have a very limited colour selection in this range. All the other colours were very pale nude-y pinks. This was the only deeper colour and judging from the packaging I thought it was a rust-red. Alas, it is a very festive mid-toned pink-based red. It’s a nice colour, but not what I was expecting. I rather like the formulation of this, it’s not too drying, and dries down to an almost powder-like finish. I find it quite flattering on the lips. Unfortunately, the doe-foot applicator for this lipstick is just odd. As you can see from the photo it flares very widely at the tip, and this makes getting a precise line very difficult, several times now, I’ve overlapped my lips without meaning to. The formula is decent, it doesn’t fade, but it won’t last through eating and drinking. However, it’s easy to reapply and layers well.
Here it is in person, apologies for the change in lighting, it gets dark so early now!
Essence Volume Stylist Curl and hold mascara
And now we come to the dud of the review. I’ve used some absolutely, amazing mascaras from Essence, sadly, this is not one of them. When I saw the wand, I was all excited, since I love a curved mascara wand, but it does sweet ‘eff all. This mascara coats, and I mean coats, your lashes with sticky formula, turning your lashes into one big, clumpy mega-lash. It’s impossible to de-clump, no matter how many times you brush them through. I even tried using a cleaned mascara wand but nothing doing. And, as though that’s not bad enough, the mascara then sheds those tiny clumps everywhere. Avoid this mascara like the plague, it is awful!
Watch this space for another Essence review, this time on my favourite mascara in the range! Stay golden, makeup bargain hunters.