We all knew this was happening - Essence releasing their version of lipstick-lipgloss hybrids was hardly a surprise. The only question everyone in the beauty community was asking: are they going to be any good? Essence is a very hit-and-miss brand to me when it comes to lip products. None truly stand out, except for the long discontinued Stay Matte Lip Creams (R.I.P.) and though I'll admit these Liquid Lipsticks (*coughs*lip glosses*coughs*) are certainly lovely for the price, they aren't the best such product I've tried.
Formula: Compared to other such products I've tried, these have a considerably thicker formula. It's almost like paint and it forms a sort of a uniform layer on the lips. Surprisingly, despite such formula, they aren't sticky, which makes me glad we live in 2015 because if this was made ten years earlier, you could probably use it instead of a glue. Yay for progress! The pigmentation of this shade is impressive. Depending on how much product you have on the applicator, you need about two coats for full opacity, the main problem you're actually facing is getting it even, but it's not terribly hard. The finish is very glossy and similar to Dior's version.
Colour: Show off! is a red-coral that on me also has a bit of pink and it's somewhat similar to Dior's Magique, only darker and more red. It's the type of colour that I associate with summer and colourful cocktails.
Staying power isn't amazing, but when has anyone heard the words "lip gloss" and "excellent staying power" in the same sentence. The thicker formula does somewhat help the gloss to cling on the lips better, but it still fades a lot faster than a lipstick. Unlike Dior's version this leaves no stain behind.
Scent: It's got a very familiar scent to me, but I can't put my finger on what it reminds me of. It's a mix of a chemical scent with vanilla.
The packaging is clearly ripping off Dior, Maybelline and probably someone else, but I love this type of faux-lipstick packaging, so I say go ahead and copy away. The tube is short and square, and the gloss has a wider applicator than we're used to from the XXXL glosses, which makes them much, much more comfortable to use than those.
Essence's Liquid Lipsticks are very decent lip glosses, probably some of the best in their price range. They aren't amazing, but for the price you get a very pigmented lip colour with an intense shine. I don't like them as much as L'Oreal's because those are sooo comfortable to wear, but these definitely pack a punch and they are of course a third or fourth of the price, so go for it if you want.
Taya compared them to Catrice's versions here, Petra did a review of the shade 03 Almost Real here and Nadja reviewed shade 02 Beauty Secret (I like this one).
My Liquid Lipstick was provided for the purposes of reviewing it on Click2Chic blog and it costs 2.79 € in their online shop (they ship to Croatia as well). Those who can't get Essence in their country, I saw that Beauty Crowd started selling this brand.
Have a great day!
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