There's a new beauty brand in town, and it is crazy cheap, you won't even believe it! European brand, Essence has finally launched into 20 Farmers across the country. I first heard about it ages ago through Liv from xlivlovesmakeup on YouTube and she was raving about a few of the products, but at that point they only had one stand in an out of the way Farmers in Auckland. I was sent quite a few products to try out, and when I was up in Wellington at the end of last month I bought a few other products from the small stand they have in the Cuba Street Farmers. Here are some thoughts on each of the products.
I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara in Black | NZD $6.30
I've read some great reviews on their mascaras, but when I was browsing the stand I couldn't remember the one that most people were into. I pretty much just grabbed this one, because anything with 'crazy volume' on it definitely appeal! It has a plastic bristle brush that reminds me a lot of Covergirl mascara (i.e. the LashBlast one), this really helps to get into each lash and coat them with dense black colour immediately. As for volume, it doesn't disappoint and I was amazed at the length and thickness it gave to the lashes. Too much of this however will make it clump up, it's better to wipe off the excess on the brush before using. For a $6 mascara though, this one is well worth the money and some.
Blush Up! Powder Blush in 20 Pinky Flow + 10 Heat Wave | NZD $7.90
These blushes were the number one thing I wanted to get my hands on, and I'm so glad I did! The ombre colour is absolutely beautiful and it performs really well as a blush. I like you get basically three different shades, as the pan is big enough that a brush can use either colour, or mix the two together, Heat Wave is definitely my favourite and the one I would recommend you try out first!
I Love Nude Eyeshadow in 03 Creme Brulee* + 06 Coffee Bean* | NZD $3.60 each
These shadows have a really nice satin texture and finish to them, with great pigmentation. I do need an eyebase underneath them as I did find they faded quite a bit throughout the day, but these two shades are beautiful, Coffee Bean is especially stunning.
3D Eyeshadow in 03 Irresistable Choco-Cupcake | NZD $6.30
I was drawn to these shadows purely because of the pattern on them and they reminded me a lot of the new Hourglass Eyeshadows with that almost fabric like wave to them. I went for the most neutral duo, with a shimmery champagne shade and a shimmery chocolate brown. Compared to the single I Love Nude Eyeshadows, these are much more shimmery and metallic, and they can also be used wet to really intensify the colours.
Longlasting Lipstick in 20 Get The Look* + Longlasting Lipstick Nude in 03 Come Naturally* | NZD $5.20 each
A lipstick for $5, you don't find that very often in NZ! These lipsticks are surprisingly really nice, I wasn't sure on what the quality and pigmentation would be like but they aren't bad at all. Get The Look is a bit too light and pastel pink for my liking, but Come Naturally on the other hand is a gorgeous nude mauve, that is a bit of a 'my lips but better shade'. They need a couple of swipes over the lips, but leave a creamy, comfortable feeling on the lips. I wouldn't say they are the most long lasting lipstick, but I don't mind reapplying.
I Love Trends The Nudes Nail Polish in 02 I Nude It* + 04 Cupcake Topping* & The Pastels in 03 I'm So Fluffy* + 07 Bubble Bath* | NZD $4.50
I'm yet to get these on my nails (I need to very soon), but swatching them on my nail wheel, I was blown away with the quality. They only need one coat for them to be fully opaque, even the I Nude It was fully opaque - very rare for that sort of colour! The Pastels I got dried to a matte finish, which can easily be made glossy with a top coat. I will have to do a NOTD post and report back on the wear time - if they pass that test then I don't think I could recommend these enough!
Everything in the range (bar the Gel Nail LED Lamp) are all under $10, in fact, most average the $5-$6 and with prices like that you can't complain. The quality of the products overall are great and I look forward to trying some more - maybe I need to try some base products next!
Have you got any Essence products? What is something that is a must have from the range?
*PR Samples.
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