Essence Winter Wonderful! TE

Not surprisingly Essence released a winter inspired edition. They do it every year and they tend to pass me by. The only item that was of any interest to me in this one is the hand cream and even that because of the snow flake design, though I have to admit that some of those nail polishes and the topper do look rather good. Unfortunately I found myself standing in front of a completely empty stand in Müller. That never happens where I live, I guess it must be a super popular collection, but I don't think this has reached DM's and other shops, so there should be more coming. I got sent four products to swatch for the other blog I write on. They haven't posted my review yet, but I like to work fast when it comes to LEs, since these things tend to run out fast.

ESSENCE Winter Wonderful! TE Blush

01 Winter Kissed Cheeks

There is only one blush in this collection and it's a mix of warm pink-coral, peach and kind of a golden tone. To be fair the other two colours don't really matter much as the pink-coral star provides most pigmentation. If you focus your brush on that star you get a very decent amount of pigment, though it might take you some layers to get a nice flush. Use a denser brush if you have a feeling it's just not happening with this blush, but I got it to look pretty intense on my cheeks. It's a pretty classic colour - a warm pink with a matte finish. The design is adorable, snowflakes inside stars - Essence knows how to impress when it comes to these things. Unfortunately I almost ruined the design already when making the swatches (*sobs quietly*), though just using a brush shouldn't ruin it straight away.

It costs 3.29 € on Click2Chic. It's probably a similar price elsewhere.

ESSENCE Winter Wonderful! TE Highlighter

01 You Melt My Heart

 I was worried how I'll swatch this since it does not look like a highlighter in the pan. However, it's not too subtle, which I hope you can see on my picture with the blush. It's a mix of light pink, lavender and peach, but it swatches basically white, not even shimmery, instead almost like a powder, though on the cheeks it gives that cool toned pink glow. It's not a Mary-Lou Manizer glow, but pretty decent. I used a Jessup eyeshadow brush which is dense, but quite big, so I got the most out of this highlighter, but I also used a big fluffy brush to dust it all over the face as a finishing powder and it works without being to shimmery, just a bit glowy. 

It costs 3.29 € on Click2Chic. 

ESSENCE Winter Wonderful! TE Tint & Oil  for lips

01 If Kisses were Snow Flakes… and 02 …I'd Send you a Blizzard

Lip oils are having a sort of a moment and at Essence they are always quick to follow the trends, so here is their version. Well sort of. These are actually just clear moisturising lip glosses that react with your skin's pH levels and tint the lips, or better said stain them. I've tried Clarins' oil for lips and it's miles better, really something different and innovative, but these Essence ones aren't different to me than their regular lip glosses (their old discontinued Stay All Day ones I mean, which were my favourite budget ones). They are moisturising, but no different than any other lip gloss. As I said these react to the pH levels creating a unique lip colour and they go on clear, but very quickly start to change. On my lips both of these turn into a sort of a fuchsia shade as do all such products and once the shine wears off the stain sticks. 01 clearly has less of that ingredient that reacts with the pH, so it ends up lighter than 02. These could end up looking completely different on you than on me, both in terms of tone and intensity. 

01 If Kisses were Snow Flakes… 

02 …I'd Send you a Blizzard

If you apply these on the back of your hand and wait for a few minutes, you'll see how it tints the skin and when you wipe off the gloss, the skin stays stained and it's difficult to get them off. The lips stay stained after the shine wears off or even if you blot/remove the gloss. Barry M's Touch of Magic lipstick works the same, but more intensely. The packaging is metal which makes them look a lot more expensive than they are. I notice not particular scent though I hear they are supposed to smell sweet, but I get only some faint chemical scent.

These cost 3.29 €.  

A pretty collection to look at, there are very cute designs and the quality is typically Essence - ok for the money. The blush is cute, the highlighter glows well enough on the cheeks and the experimented with the tints or at least tried to, but they need some more work to be the real deal. I guess calling them colour changing lip gloss was just too mainstream.   

Did you get anything from this collection?

Have a great day!

Essence Liquid Lipstick 04 Show Off!

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!

The Lipstick Tag

I had a request to talk about my lipsticks and I have indeed planned to do so for a while now, as in my mountain of post drafts, I had not one, but two lipstick inspired tags. One is called The Lipstick Tag and the other the Lip Products Addict Tag. I decided to combine them in one post as some questions were basically the same. 

1. What was the first lipstick you owned? 

I sort of answered this in my Make Up Memory Lane Tag a few months ago. The question there was about the first makeup item ever and as a true lipstick enthusiast it was of course a lipstick. It was one of L'Oreal's Color Riche ones in a my-lips-but-better rosy colour and I was 13 when I got it. I lost it within a month (this is a different Color Riche on the picture, but the packaging is still the same). 

2. What is your favourite lipstick brand? 

That's a hard one. I have so many different brands in my collection and the one thing I've learned through the years is how good drugstore lipsticks have become. On my All-time favourites page I have Catrice's Ultimate Colours under the category of regular lipsticks because they combine a great formula, affordability and lovely selection of shades. But there are so many other excellent lipsticks and the ones I have to mention are Bourjois' Rouge Edition and L'Oreal's colour Riche.

Of course if I consider liquid lipsticks here as well, then my absolute favourite are Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet.

3. What is your most worn lipstick? 

I swap colour so very often and it's not uncommon that I change it several times daily, but a couple of years ago my answer would be Catrice's Ultimate Colour 250 Matt About Pink, which I wore almost every day (it's now sadly discontinued). I guess if I have to pick one that is my default shade that I just pick up when I'm in a hurry, or I need to look good without being too made up, it would be Bourjois' Rouge Edition Velvet in 07 Nude-ist.

5. What is your favourite finish?

Matte. Especially at bright and deep shades.

6. What was the last lipstick you bought?

It's been a while, so I had to check in my New Ins and Instagram, but it was Kiko's Velvet Mat Lipstick 612 Strawberry Pink that I got back in March . That's the one I bought, but since then I got sent several lipsticks and I believe the last one was Hot Shop Lipstick 01 from Born Pretty, which turned out to be way too orange for me.

7. How many lip products do you currently have in your bag?  

Technically five, but I have two bags. In the big one, where I also have an emergency bag, I keep Catrice Pure Shine Colour Lip Balm 070 I Don't Red It for a sheer red pout, a mini H&M lipstick in Perfect Red that is a gorgeous, super glamorous red and a Burt's Bees lip balm, which I literally never use. In my other smaller bag, which I carry most often, I keep Max Factor Colour Intensifying Balm 30 Redefined Rose for a no fuss pink and I actually reach for it very often, and I also carry a dinky sample of Avon Ultra Color Indulgence lipstick in Red Tulip which Petra (Adjusting Beauty) sent me for my birthday. 

Why I have so many reds, I don't know.

8. What is your favourite red lip colour? 

L'Oreal's Color Riché Pure Reds Collection Exclusive in Blake. People you need this in your life. I think that everyone deserves one fantastic red in their collection and this one is so worth it. It blows all other reds out of the water, including the old classics from MAC, which I have four including Ruby Woo and Russian Red.

9. How do you store your lipsticks? 

Basically all my makeup fits into two smallest drawers in my Alex unit and even those are a third empty. Some lipsticks are in the two makeup/lipstick organizer units that I got from Müller, while the others are in Ferrero Rocher plastic boxes (as you can see I eat a lot of that stuff). The lip liners are in a candle holder that I got years ago in Rutar.

 10. Which lipstick are you currently lusting after?

I'm currently on a search for a perfect warm red-purple, think Mac's Rebel like. I saw a swatch of La Splash Studio Shine Lip Lustre in Aurora, but I don't buy that the colour actually looks like that. I'd like to give Wet 'n' Wild Megalast Lipstick in Sugar Plum Fairy a try, to see if it looks the way I want.

I have a few others on my wishlist, which you can see here.
Edit: I found the one! Rebel wasn't it, but MAC's D is for Danger is. Swatches here. 

11. Favourite balm/treatment? 

For several years now it's Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Swivel Stick. It's basically the only lip balm I ever use, excluding the Labello's Fruity Shine Peach Lip Balm as that one is more of a gimmicky product to me since it's a tinted lip balm with little moisturising properties. But I must confess that my lips don't even need a lip balm any more. For some reason my lips are never dry.

12. Best luxury and best drugstore?

I haven't even tried that many luxury brands when it comes to lipsticks, but my pick would be Lancome Rouge In Love Lipsticks, however Bourjois Rouge Editions feel pretty much exactly the same on the lips. 

13. Best MAC lipstick? 

Without a doubt Relentlessly Red. It's bloody gorgeous and I never found anything similar. It's a bright red-magenta pink with a matte finish. I still only have a sample that I save like crazy, but one day I hope I'll get a full size of it.

16. The most disappointing? 

Not exactly disappointing, but lacking in quality - it's Makeup Revolution's lipstick. It just feels cheap. Their Iconic Pro didn't wow me either. I'm also not a fan of Essence Longlasting lipsticks. The formula is ok, but they last a total of 15 minutes on the lips.

17. Liner, yes or no? 

Oh, yes. I also love wearing lip liners on their own, especially light colours. My favourites include Bourjois' Contour Edition Lip Liner 02 Cotton Candy, Essence's Lipliner 12 Wish Me a Rose, which is a dupe for Mac's Please Me, the űber gorgeous Catrice's Longlasting Pencil 070 I got you Babel, Essence's Longlasting Lipliner 05 Lovely Frappuccino as the 90's lip colour that actually looks like one against my pale complexion and Kiko's Smart Lip Pencil in 709 Magenta because it's a stunning red-pink shade. When it comes to reds, brights and deep shades I almost always use a lip pencil to fix the outer edges.

18. Best gloss? 

That would be L'Oreal L'Extrodinaire Liquid Lipsticks. They are expensive, but so lovely. The formula is super creamy, comfortable and these have great pigmentation. They also smell like peaches which for me is a huge plus.

19. Something extra? 

Some of my other favourite shades. Mac's Peach Blossom as my choice for a nude, Shiseido's Glowing Matte Pk224 Sugar Babe for the perfect peach on my pale complexion, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet 02 Frambourjoise because it's an amazing pink-red shade, L'Oreal's Colour Riche in Laetitia for the best ever burgundy shade, Mac's Dangerous for a bright, warm orange red. Revlon's Ultra HD in Rose for a classic, everyday pink that smells like Planica ice cream, Revlon's Colorbust Matte Balm in Unapologetic for a bright coral-pink that is a good dupe for Mac's Impassioned and Catrice's Ultimate Lipstick 360 MATraction for an amazing deep red-pink.

My entire collection, which I posted a while ago on Instagram:

And link to a Lipstick Tag I did four years ago here. 

I hope you enjoyed this picture heavy post and have a great day!