Essence 50% Off Mini Haul

Priceline had a 50% off cosmetics sale last Thursday and Friday, and though I tell myself that I should eliminate all impulse cheap makeup purchases and focus on quality vs. quantity, I couldn't resist buying a few things, mainly from Essence. The limited edition stuff always hooks me in because it's just so affordable and a part of me always hopes the products will exceed my expectations. In the sale, I ended up buying a back up of my favourite NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Abu Dhabi, an Essence top/base coat, two Essence Soft Contouring lip pencils in Sucker For Grey and Going Steady, Essence Illuminating Face Cream Gel and Essence Bronzing Brick Powder.

Essence Illuminating Face Cream Gel in 01 I Don't Care Cause I'm Flawless

The Essence Illuminating Face Cream Gel fascinated me because it comes in a weighty glass bottle and it's made in Italy. Fancy. It retails for $7.15, so at 50% came to $3.60. Pretty unbeatable for a 20ml bottle. There were no testers so I was taking a gamble, but I figured the stakes weren't exactly high, so why not. It claims to have an "awaking effect" and a lightweight creamy and gel-like formula. You're meant to apply a small amount on the fingers and distribute evenly onto the face.

The pump bottle doesn't have the most sensitive dispenser so you're basically stuck with a full pea-sized amount each time. It has the consistency of a non-sticky, comfortable-feeling moisturiser (think MAC Strobe Cream), perhaps a touch more fluid and easier to spread. Blended out, it's surprisingly subtle. I was expecting more of an overt shimmerbomb. To be honest, I couldn't really detect any noticeable difference to my complexion when I applied this before my foundation. As a potential primer, I felt it degraded the performance/wear time of my base as it was like adding another layer of moisturiser. If the glowy effect is there, it's not as pronounced as something like Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone or even Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Radiance. However under bright lights, you can detect the silvery shimmer particles on your skin. I like this for the novelty factor given its affordability and it could also serve as an understated liquid highlight, but I already have better products that do what it purports to.

Top to bottom: Sucker For Grey, Going Steady

Top to bottom: Colourpop Lumiere, Essence Sucker For Grey, Essence Going Steady, NYX Ruffle Trim

Essence Sucker For Grey

I noticed these new Essence lip liners and had to pick up two, given they were ONE DOLLA at 50% off. The colours also really appealed to me and seemed very current/on trend. I've never tried Essence lip liners, but I've always heard good things about them. They're a bit of a harder texture and not as creamy or easy to blend as other brands, but I guess that contributes to longer staying power on the lips. The good thing with lip liners is you can get lots of precision in the shape of your lips, but also control the opacity. I usually don't colour in my lips completely with the lip liner, but prefer to draw a few strokes then blend with my finger to get a fresher, stained appearance.

I absolutely love Sucker For Grey, a medium pinky-mauve that reminded me a lot of my favourite Colourpop lip liner in Lumiere. I compared the two and Lumiere is lighter and more pink (also a much nicer, creamier texture). Going Steady is your typical brick red/medium-to-dark rosy nude that seems super popular right now. I'm not the hugest fan of these colours, but they are fairly universally flattering. On the lips, Going Steady is reminiscent of NYX Lip Lingerie in Ruffle Trim, though when swatched together, Ruffle Trim is lighter and more nude (however does oxidise on the lips like most liquid lipsticks so is darker in real life than when swatched).

Essence Bronzing Brick Powder in 01 Feel the Fun & Catch the Sun

Bronzing Brick Powder on cheeks, Sucker For Grey on lips

Finally, we have the Bronzing Brick Powder. These to my eye are an obvious rip off of Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick. I always wanted to get the pink shade but at $75, hale no. Obviously the Essence dupe likely can't compare in terms of quality, but as there was no tester, I wanted to give it a shot. There was also a Brick Blush Powder, but it was sold out at the time I bought the bronzing powder. I actually went back to buy it post-sale because it's much more similar to the pink Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick I wanted.

I've been using my Zoeva Luxe Sheer Cheek brush and swirling it around in the pan to get a mix of all the colours, then applying this as I would a bronzing powder to my cheeks/cheekbones in an upward sweeping motion. The colour isn't completely brown and there is a peachiness/pink to it so it can used as a blush/bronzer hybrid, like NARS Madly. There's also an interesting light grey tone to it that makes it unique. It's not dark enough to produce a really pronounced contour, and you do have to build up the pigmentation depending on your personal preference. It's not glittery (which I wouldn't have minded as I'm going through a glitter phase), but more just shimmery. However, the shimmer can have a tendency to sit on top of the skin, especially when applied in conjunction with the Illuminating Face Cream Gel. The overall effect can get a little powdery, though nothing a spritz of MAC Fix+ or Smashbox Primer Water etc. can't fix. Wear time is average, bordering on poor, but I guess you can't expect the world of something that cost $3.43.

Colourpop Continued

I wasn't completely thrilled with my first Colourpop order, but I thought to give the brand another try. After all, my last order consisted only of their Super Shock eyeshadows and I wanted to test out some of their lip and cheek products. If I wasn't happy with those either, then at least I'd be satisfied I gave Colourpop a good go but things just didn't work out. When they were having a $5 off promotion around Christmas (sadly shipping was still exorbitant), I finally ordered a few items on my radar: Ultra Matte Lip in Trap and Midi, Lippie Pencil in Lumière, Super Shock Cheek in Monster and Super Shock Shadow in Nillionaire.

Colourpop Super Shock Cheek in Monster

The Super Shock Cheek in Monster was probably the product I was most excited about. I remember when Colourpop first came out with highlighters, Monster was the one shade that called out to me. I'm naturally drawn to highlighters that flash an opalescent/iridescent pink or purple as I find them rarer and more special than your typical gold, champagne or frosty/whitish variety. Seeing it reviewed and mentioned a few times on auxiliary beauty only reinforced that I needed it.

Fortunately Monster came as expected and its pronounced pinky/purple shift didn't disappoint. I can safely say I don't have anything like it in my bloated makeup collection, which is always pleasing and extra justification for purchasing. I'm still not 100% won over by the texture (very similar to their eyeshadows, if not the same) as I find it weirdly thin and emollient and capable of being blended away to nothing a bit too easily. However that same weirdly thin and emollient texture does have its benefits, like increased multipurpose use (for example, you could use Monster as an inner corner highlight, cream shadow, eyeshadow topper, or on top of lipstick for a metallic overlay or accent).

l-r: Super Shock Cheek in Monster, Super Shock Shadow in Nillionaire

The Super Shock Shadow in Nillionaire was entirely enabled by Tiffany. This one definitely did not look as good on me as it did her. I wished it was more of a neutral-to-warm gold leaf effect, but on my lids, it looks too greyish/greenish, dull and muddy. The underlying colour is like a medium khaki taupe rather than something closer to my all-time favourite shadow, the left side of the NARS Kalahari duo. It's a typical problem I have with similar colours (think L'Oréal Infallible eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure), but clearly I never learn.

I've also concluded after trying 6 Colourpop eyeshadows that I simply dislike the texture of them. Sure, the shimmery shades have the advantage of no fall out, but you have to apply them with your finger, they need to be layered multiple times to achieve desired opacity, and any blending needs to be targeted and careful otherwise it will become a glittery mess quickly.

l-r: Lippie Pencil in Lumière, Ultra Matte Lip in Midi and Trap

Moving onto the lip products. These I generally liked. I was tempted to order a single Lippie Stix (it probably would've been Tootsi) just to see what they were like, but in the end I decided to keep my cart as tight as possible.

The lip liners (Lippie Pencils) tend to garner more raves than the lipsticks from reviews I've come across, so I opted for the shade made in collaboration with KathleenLights, Lumière. It looked good on her (worn in this video) and was featured in her November 2015 Favourites, plus it's been compared with NARS Audacious Lipstick in Anna, so I had high hopes. It's a great lip pencil for the price. Very pigmented, a nice texture (not too dry, not overly soft and creamy), long lasting and fairly comfortable on the lips. These kind of deeper, purply rosy mauve shades are fashionable now, so it's fun to experiment with a trendy shade without breaking the bank.

Speaking of trendy lip colour, the Ultra Matte Lip in Trap was an unabashed foray into that world. After Monster, it was the product I was most excited about (and we're talking a very close second). Trap is decidedly darker, more cool-toned and greyish than Lumière, though the two certainly have their similarities. So long as the rest of your face makeup works with it, it's a striking statement colour that isn't too out there and certainly not unflattering.

Midi is a lighter, nude, less purple version of Trap. It's warmer and more pink. I think it's super pretty, though like most nude shades, it requires a flawless base to shine, otherwise it can emphasise any areas of redness and unevenness in the complexion.

There have been comments about the formula of these liquid matte lipsticks not being the best. Personally, I don't find them too bad, though your lips do need to be in good condition (if you have dry, chapped or flaky lips, forget it). They're slightly drying, but nothing major. I didn't experience separating, cracking or flaking, though I usually don't wear a lip product for longer than 1-2 hours until I start eating and it all comes off, or I just remove it because I can't be bothered anymore and I dislike the feel of product on my lips. You can apply a lip balm or gloss over these to make them more hydrating and change the finish while retaining the colour.

l-r: Lippie Pencil in Lumière, Ultra Matte Lip in Midi and Trap, Super Shock Cheek in Monster, Super Shock Shadow in Nillionaire

Overall, this was a more successful order than my last one, mostly thanks to the lip products and Monster meeting expectations. To me, the appeal of Colourpop is its ability to deliver a huge product range with trendy, creative and more unusual shades at an affordable price point (so long as you live in the States). I'll be steering clear of the eyeshadows from now on though.

Colour Shifters

It occurred to me that I haven’t given CoverGirl much love on my blog. For whatever reason, their products don’t call out to me. Currently the only CoverGirl products I use are the LastBlast Volume mascara and Wetslicks AmazeMint in Red Riot. I used to have their Eye Enhancers Quad in Country Woods which was one of the very first eyeshadows that I owned. I'm guessing I was 11 or 12. I remember liking it a lot, the shadows were nicely pigmented (better than rival Maybelline and other cheap eyeshadows I had), the quad consisted of warm wearable browns and had a good mix of light and dark, matte and shimmery shades.

Recently, I decided to take a closer look at the CoverGirl range. Mainly due to the fact I had a $10 voucher off CoverGirl products that I had to use before the end of May. I contemplated the obvious choices: one of their well-reviewed LipPerfection lipsticks (I was eyeing Heavenly intently), or repurchasing Country Woods. But I rationalised to myself they'd be the absolute last things I needed: more pink lipstick and brown eyeshadow. Instead, I opted for two products I wouldn't normally consider, a LipPerfection lip liner in Seduce (210) and Intense ShadowBlast in Beige Blaze (800).

The first picture is my lips filled in with the LipPerfection lip liner in Seduce all over. The colour is a medium peachy nude which can be worn by itself or to neutralise one's natural lip colour. The picture on the left in the second row is my lips with Face of Australia Lip Quench lipstick in Pink Champagne. I've previously bemoaned that this lipstick is too cool and pinkish-purplish on me, but with Seduce as a base it magically transforms into a noticeably warmer and more yellow-toned pink. I wouldn't have thought to use lip liner in this way, but it's surprisingly effective. More so than using a nude lipstick underneath, as mixing lipstick can be a little messy, especially if they're on the creamy side. The lip liner on the other hand really adheres to and almost soaks into the lip, possibly due to the fact I find the formula a little drying.

l-r: Beige Blaze, Essence Mystic Lemon and Taupe of the Pops (with Beige Blaze), without

The IntenseShadow Blast in Beige Blaze was a product I was first introduced to in this video by Zoë Foster where she goes through her travel makeup bag essentials (it appears at 4:15, and she's also written about it). After a quick Google search (this review swayed me in particular), I decided that I needed to have this seemingly all-purpose miracle tool (primer, cream eyeshadow, eyeshadow intensifier, cross between Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin and Eden). Taking it home, the first thing that struck me about it was the smell. I don't know if it's because the product's been sitting on the shelf for 2 years, but it has this distinct slightly sour, metallic smell that I find really off-putting. The colour itself is an intensely shimmery, yellow-leaning champagne. After about two minutes, it sets to the point where you can't rub it off, so it's best to blend it out with the finger straight after you've applied it to the lid.

I definitely can see a difference to the intensity of eyeshadows when it's used as a primer. I tested it with two fairly ordinary eyeshadows, Essence single eyeshadows in Mystic Lemon and Taupe of the Pops (reviewed more in depth here). I'm guessing if I used already very pigmented eyeshadows, the difference wouldn't be as apparent. The swatch above shows the difference between the Beige Blaze applied underneath the eyeshadows and without. Instantly richer and more pigmented, though Taupe of the Pops looks somewhat distorted in colour due to the shimmery yellow undercurrent from the Beige Blaze (not so much a problem for Mystic Lemon, which is practically the same colour). For this reason I'd recommend using Beige Blaze only with similar eyeshadow colours. I tried it on my lids and I didn't notice a significant improvement from the existing cream eyeshadows that I use for my base/primer, but possibly because I only used a very small amount and blended it out with my finger so it ended up quite sheer. To me, this product would be best used to intensify underperforming beige/champagne/yellow/gold eyeshadows and really make them come to life.