Essence Cosmetics Haul and Review

Hello everyone, 

Today I am writing a post regarding a company I had the pleasure of working with a while ago. 

Essence Cosmetics are affordable cosmetics that really pack a punch in pigmentation and value when compared to other drugstore brands.  

I was sent these products, but as you all know that it no way impacts my review. All opinions posted are my own. 

The full haul

I was sent an eyeshadow palette, three eyeshadow singles, and four lipsticks! You guys know how much of a lipstick junkie I am, so those were an amazing surprise. 

First, let's look at the first eyeshadow single. The essence 3D eyeshaodw is a two toned, shimmery shadow pressed into a wave pattern in the pot. This design is super cool, and so far it hasn't impacted my ability to pick up color on my brush. 

Silver on the left, pink on the right. 

The colors inside were a nice, subtle rose pink color offset by a silver color. Both were really nice and paired together well. When swatched, the pink didn't really come out as strongly as I had hoped and looked more silver than in the pan. The silver however, was beautiful and vibrant. It really overpowers the pink, and should be used as a crease color or a liner because it is SO PIGMENTED. 

Next, let's look at the other two single pan shadows. They both were from the Metal Glam line, a line that aims to create metallic-like shades that are wearable for every day. The two I received were Choco-Chic and Are You Grey? Choco-Chic is an almost metallic brown with hints of golden shimmer. I really liked this color, however as I got down deeper into the pan I noticed that the golden shimmer seemed to disappear the further down I got. Perhaps this was a mistake in processing? I love the color, and wished the golden shimmer was consistent throughout the product. 

Choco-Chic on the left, Are You Grey on the right. 

The Are You Grey color had more consistent pigmentation, but that pigmentation wasn't great. It was somewhat patchy to apply and took a while to build up an opaque layer of product. This color was a cool grey color with silver shimmer.



Next we'll take a look at the eyeshadow palette, called All About Nude.  I think this palette is supposed to be a direct competitor to some of the bigger name nude palettes like Urban Decay's Naked series and more. Nude shadows are having a big moment right now, and companies are trying to cash in on that.

Below you can see the swatches on my hand, and I didn't see any color names on the palette itself. The colors were swatched in the same pattern as in the palette. The color in the upper left corner is a soft of green/yellow grey color. It doesn't really show up on my hand, but serves as a nice base color on the eyelid. I've never really seen a color like this before because of the green/yellow undertones, and I think it's a super unique color to wear, without being too showy. The middle top color is a light, dusty pink. I really loved this color in the palette, and it really works as a nice, neutral highlight for a soft, romantic look. The upper right color was a warmer light brown color that was a nice offset to the pink color. It is almost golden, and pairs nicely with the two other colors in the top.

The bottom left color is another pink color, very similar to the other pink in the palette. It's a tad more pigmented, and has some more gold shimmer to it. This color could easily replace the other pink color as a highlight for a romantic night out look. The bottom middle color is a deep, cocoa brown with some silver shimmer. I really love this color for a deep brown liner for looks that are too soft for black liner. it's beautifully pigmented and easy to apply. The bottom right color is a warmer brown color with golden shimmer. This could be exchanged for the bottom middle color for a warmer colored look, and the two tones are pretty interchangeable.

Next, let's take a look at THE LIPSTICKS! I got two products from two different lines, two from their plain lipstick collection, and two from their long lasting lipstick collection. 

This color is from their regular lipstick line and is called Look at Me. It's a pretty nude color that doesn't add much color to the lips. It applies smoothly and doesn't stick to dry portions of your lips. I really liked the formulation of this lipstick and regularly wear it. 

Look at Me

This is one of their long lasting lipsticks in the color, Love Me. This color was pretty sheer on my lips, but added a nice little flush color to your lips. Great if you want a little color, but not if you want something that stands out. This also fades pretty quickly, but because the color isn't that bright you can't really notice it. 

Love Me

This was a super fun color, with an even funner name! All About Cupcake really tastes like cupcakes! I like this color in the tube, however it doesn't turn out as vibrant on my lips as I would have liked. It is pretty sheer, but the formula is smooth and glides on easily!

All About Cupcake

This color is Blush my Lips, and I really love this bright, fuchsia color. It's unlike any other color I currently have in my lipstick collection. The pigmentation is pretty great, but it doesn't last very long on the lips. If you're planning on wearing this throughout the day, may sure to bring it with you to re-apply. 

Blush my Lips

So that's all folks! Thanks for reading and make sure you check out some Essence products at essence-cosmetics.com or at your local Ulta!