Essence Cosmetics: Haul, Review and Swatches

As many of you know cosmetics in Australia are very expensive, usually double or triple the price compared to other countries around the world. So when I heard about the brand Essence (a year and a half or so ago) I was very pleased. The price of this makeup is ridiculously cheap and the quality of the makeup itself is pretty good!

So onto the haul and swatches...

I went into Priceline (Australian drugstore) one day with my mum as she was looking for a concealer as well as a few lip products, but she didn't want to spend a lot of money. I was a bit disappointed as the display did not have a lot of stock, and the testers were unhygienic and messy.

After looking through the Essence stand we found the Match to Cover Cream Concealer ($4.25). My mum wanted a concealer that would cover her blemishes and under eye dark circles. This concealer has two colours a warm toned light camel and a peachy under-toned neutral (great for under the eyes). The texture of this concealer is creamy, however it can look quite 'cakey' under the eyes if applied with your finger tips (to avoid this I recommend applying with a concealer brush or a dense eye shadow brush).

My mum also wanted a new lipstick for work as her other one had finished. I was happy to see a new line of lipsticks at the Essence stand with a broader range of more appealing colours, (Longlasting Lipstick $4.10) as the other Essence lipsticks are more like a heavily tinted lip balm. My Mum wanted a lipstick similar to 'her lips but better' so I picked out a dark nude called Barely There.  I also picked up one of these lipsticks for myself. I was looking for a coral light pink colour but there where no more Coral Calling left so I went for Wear Berries. As the name suggests it is a deep pink berry colour. The lipsticks are long lasting and have a nice smooth texture once applied, the colours are also very vivid.

 Barely There, Wear Berries

 Barely There, Wear Berries 

Wear Berries, Barely There

Barely There

Wear Berries

Speaking of lip products, my mum and I also picked out a lip pencil each. We tried to match our lip pencil colours with our lipsticks. I chose 07 Cute Pink, and my mum chose 05 Soft Berry. These lipliners are amazing, they are buttery, long wearing, opaque and are smooth on the lips...everything you need in a lipliner. Did I mention they are only $1.75! Bargain! I use my lipliners alone as a 'lip stain' or under lipsticks to make the colour last longer. I honestly won't be buying any other brand of lip liners.

Soft Berry

Cute Pink

I also wanted a neutral eye palette, that would be good to keep in my travel makeup bag so I can create eye looks on the go whenever I need to. I thought that this Quattro Eyeshadow Quad Pallette in To Die For ($5.35) would be perfect for this. These eyeshadows are good for the price, they are quite chalky and the pigmentation is a 2.5 out of 5, nothing special. However this is a versatile compact palette and the colours are great! There is a pearly cream colour, great for the inner corner of the eyes and to highlight the brow bone. I also use this shade as a highlighter for my cheek bones. I use the second shade, the pearly champagne one as an 'all over the lid' colour. The next shade is a warm-toned dark brown I use this on the crease. The fourth and final shade of this quad palette is a matte dark brown, the only matte shade. This can be used to darken up the outer 3rd of the eye to create a more intense/smoky look. I like to use this to fill in my eyebrows as it is the perfect colour for my hair. This matte shade is also a great transition colour for darker skin girls. I use my Real Techniques Starter Set brushes to apply these shadows, however I like to use my ring finger to apply the champagne shade in order to give an intense finish to the lid.

Matte Brown, Shimmer Brown, Champagne Pearl, Cream Pearl 

My last and final product from Essence is the I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara ($4.95). I saw a lot of great reviews of this mascara online through YouTube videos, so I thought I would also give it a try myself to see what all the hype was about. I already have quite long, dark and thick lashes to begin with but this mascara has taken my eyelashes to the next level. As the name suggests this mascara DOES give you 'crazy volume' as well as length, dark black spidery lashes and it also holds the curl nicely. I find it best to brush out my lashes with a lash comb as it is quite 'mousy' however it does a pretty good job at separating the lashes if applied well to begin with. My only problem with this mascara is that after a few hours of wear it flakes and leaves fall-out just under my eyes, however I try to avoid this by applying less coats of the product. The wand of this mascara looks exactly the same as the Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara. 

Now to the ultimate verdict, is Essence worth it? I think so! You honestly cannot complain as the prices are so cheap. I think that you get so much more than what you pay for. I am definitely going to try out some more of this great affordable brand.

I have had my eyes on;
Longlasting Lipstick in Coral Calling and Natural Beauty
More of the lipliners
Silky Touch Blush 
Lash and Brow Gel 

See you soon!