Another little Essence haul!

Whilst I was in town this week, I popped into Wilko (supposedly just to pick up some wrapping paper) and ended up getting a few things from the Essence stand whilst en route to the checkout, oops.
I love their quick dry range of nail polishes, but was disappointed that they'd replaced them all with ones from the gel range.  I believe you can still order them to be delivered to store, but it's always a bit nicer to be able to pick shades out in person!  Otherwise, the stand was pretty well stocked, so I picked out a few other items to test out.

The first was a lipstick from their 'Longlasting' range, in the shade '15 Oh So Matt'.  It's a quite neutral brown-y nude shade, which I don't have anything quite like in my collection - the closest I could find was Soap and Glory's Sexy Motherpucker Gloss Stick in 'Nudist', but that's peachier and quite a bit glossier!  I'm still not quite sure if the shade washes me out on its own, but paired with Rimmel's Lipliner in 'East End Snob' it's perfect.  I think I'll get a lot of use out of it over the summer when I want very neutral, but still looking-put-together makeup!  I thought I should mention too that the scent is totally different to the other lipstick I have from the range, '01 Coral Calling' - the nude has a more fruity scent whereas the coral has more of a generic lipstick scent (not sure if all the shades have different scents).

I also thought I'd give one of their glosses a go, and as I don't really have any darker shades of gloss The shade I picked out was '34 Poppy Red' from their XXXL Shine Range which is a gorgeous orange-y red.  I did want to try the red from the longer lasting range, but the product actually looked like it had dried up inside the tube - not great!  I'm really happy with the one I picked though - it looks great over a matt lipliner/pencil and is nice for a sheerer wash of colour alone.  The product has a very light sweet scent, and it's really comfortable to wear - not sticky at all!

Lastly, I fancied giving one of their eyeliners a go and since they say that purple/taupe shades enhance blue eyes, I picked the shade '18 Berry Merry' which is a beautiful dark berry shade (as the name would suggest) with an almost coppery shine.  I'm really looking forward to using this in place of my usual brown liner in the waterline as it's soft but not too smudgy so should stick around well.  And the best thing - it was only 50p!  I love how the Essence range has good quality products (much better than their drugstore counterparts, MUA) but they're extremely affordable so you can afford to experiment a bit - I've yet to be disappointed by something from the range and would highly recommend checking them out!

L-R: Essence XXXL Shine Gloss '34 Poppy Red', Essence Longlasting
 Lipstick '15 Oh So Matt', Essence Longlasting Eyeliner '18 Berry Merry'

xxx

Huge drugstore makeup haul!

This time last week, I decided I'd head into town for a little shopping pick-me-up.  And ended up going a little bonkers in the aisles of Boots and Superdrug!  I thought It'd be fun to share them with you, as I don't often purchase this many items in one go - oops...

It's been at least a couple of months since I purchased any lip products, and since I absolutely love the Revlon Balm Stain in 'Honey' I thought I'd try out some other shades from the range.  In a post last week I mentioned I had a gap in my lipstick stash for a bright pink and an orange lip colour - so when I was in Boots I picked out 'Lovesick' and 'Rendezvous'.  They both look gorgeous, so fingers crossed the wear time is just as good as 'Honey'!  I also happened to wander past the Barry M stand, and I ended up grabbing a couple of their polishes - who can resist, right?  'Eat my dust' is a gorgeous pale, pastel blue that pulls a tiny bit lilac, and it's from their Speedy Quick Dry range which I was curious to try.  'Damson' is the most stunning bright blue shade, from the Gelly Hi-Shine range (which I've been super impressed with before).  Plus, they were buy one get one half price, so it was a win-win situation!

In Superdrug, there's also a 3 for 2 on currently but across all brands.  I'd heard a lot about the Max Factor Creme Puff blushes, and how they have a very similar glow-y effect to the Hourglass ones but at a fraction of the price.  Since I love Rimmel 'Santa Rose' as it's the perfect natural blush for my skintone, I thought I'd give '10 Nude Mauve' a go - which is very similar but adds a little more dimension to the face as it's not totally matte (I've already tried this out aswell, and it's super soft with very little fallout so applies like a dream!)  I also decided to try out Rimmel's (relatively new) foundation, which is the Nude version of their Lasting Finish formulation.  As I have a tiny bit more colour in my skin post-holiday, I think '010 Light Porcelain' should be a pretty good shade match - thankyou drugstore brands for finally catering to us super pale people!  Finally, I knew that my Benefit Roller Lash was on it's last legs so I was on the market for a new mascara.  In the end, the lovely counter staff pointed out that Max Factor's False Lash Effect had several pounds off, making it cheaper than the other two products which meant I got it for free!  I'd seen Suzie from Hello October talk about this, and since her lashes always look amazing I thought it was definitely worth a go.  Plus, the packaging is super pretty (I think part of the profits go to the Marie Curie trust, which is awesome too).

And just as a little add on at the end, whilst I was in Wilko (getting ice cube trays if you must know!) I stopped off at the Essence stand and chose one of their Longlasting Lipsticks in the shade '01 Coral Calling' It's a lovely, bright peachy coral and was only a couple of pounds.  It has a similar scent to their lipliners - slightly chemically woody cherry but isn't strong at all (or that offensive to be honest!)

xxx

Collective haulin' :Beauty

I've been very well behaved the last few weeks, and only picked up a few beauty items!  There was a 3 for 2 offer on in Boots at the time, which I didn't make the most of (rather daftly) as I bought everything on separate occasions - but I'm overall really pleased with everything I purchased...

First of all, there was the Maybelline Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade '310 Berry Much'.  I'm in love with the Nars Lip Pencils, but a) don't have anywhere nearby where I can go swatch them, and b) at £18 a pop they're a bit painful for my budget running up to christmas!  These have been hailed as an awesome drugstore alternative, and although at the time I was looking for the 'Red Essential' this shade caught my eye as it's the perfect plummy, vampy lip.

Continuing on with the bold lip theme, whilst I was picking up decorations in Wilko I spotted that the Essence counter had a bunch of their lip liners in stock.  At only £1 each and having seen fab reviews of them, I grabbed a couple and chucked them in my basket without a second thought!  The shades I picked were '14 Femme Fatale' (a true red) and '15 Honey Berry' (a lovely dark berry) which I thought would be great for layering up under bold lips these holidays.

The final lip product I picked up was the Maybelline Colour Elixir in 'Caramel Infused', which I ran out to get after hearing Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup say it was like the gloss equivalent of Mac Patisserie (my favourite MLBB lipstick!)  I've been wearing it every day for the last week, and am in love.  Although the scent is a little more floral than I'd like, the formula is amazing and the colour really sticks around - there'll be a full review to come soon I'm sure!

And last (and priciest) of all is a tube of Nars Pro Prime Eyeshadow Base.  I ummed-and-ahhed over this and the Urban Decay Primer Potion a while back, but settled on the UD as it was a smidgeon cheaper.  Recently though, it just hadn't been working for me - and with party season around the corner (jks, homebody granny here :P)  I thought I'd take the plunge and replace it with something new.  I'd been really impressed with the longevity of Nars' Creamy Concealer on my oily skin, so had high hopes for this :)  I've used it for the last few days though, and so far am super impressed!

xxx

Nail polishes: The Uni Edit

Overpacking is one of my greatest vices.  And the upcoming semi-permanent move to uni has been no exception.  "But I might need just that particular shade of peachy-pink blush..." has happened far too many times when I've attempted packing up my makeup, and since the Michaelmas term is only eleven weeks I can't really justify packing half a tonne of nail polishes.  (But c'mon, a girls gotta have options right?!)  As a compromise I've dug out a cute little gift box that's just big enough to fit about ten/fifteen polishes, in the hope that my need to be neat and tidy and all in one place will stop me going overboard and cramming them all in (and possible having an overflow).  In my head it seems like a good idea to pack a good spectrum of colours, but in the end I've gone for the colours I am statistically more likely to use...

Row One : The Neutrals

From L-R...

• Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in 'Elderberry' : This is one that I still have yet to try out properly.  I love the formula though, and although they're a little messy to apply (polish runs all over the place!) this shade is the perfect wintry grey-blue.

• Natural Collection Nail Colour in 'Champagne' : Natural Collection is one of those lines where the price tag scares most people off.  There are a lot of misses in the line - and the lipstick packaging is beyond crummy - but this particular shade of polish is an almost dead ringer for Essie's 'Buy Me a Cameo'.  The formula is great, and the longevity decent.  Can't wait for the weather to cool down a little more so I can start wearing this again!  (The shade 'Maple' is great aswell - it's got an almost copper tone to it which is absolutely lovely.)

• Essence Colour and Go Polish in 'Love Me, Cupcake!' : I've already spoken far too much about this polish - visit here if you want a thorough review.  All I can say is that if you see it in your local Wilko, get it!

• Dior 'Nail Glow' : If you want a polish that adds a little somethin' somethin' to your nails, but doesn't show the chips this is your guy.  Even though it does actually chip fast on me, I absolutely have fallen head over heels for this along with the rest of the 'Glow' line - and this does make your nails do just that - glow!

• Dior Base Coat 'Abricot' : My last base coat - the Revlon quick dry one - was approaching the end of its life, so I decided to try out something new.  My nails were also getting pretty flaky and generally in bad condition (probably due to the acetone polish I use to get thick polishes off), so I thought a decent quality one would protect my nails and condition them a little.  So far, it's going great and one thin coat dries just as fast as its predecessor.

• Nails Inc 'Motcomb Street' :  Although when I was younger I seemed to sport black nail polish every other week, nowadays I can't quite take the plunge and this is as close as I get.  This shade, although a little tricky to find is the perfect almost-black navy that looks amazing layered with glitter polish!

• Ciaté 'My Fair Lady' : I believe this polish came free with a copy of Marie Claire a year or so ago.  It can apply quite streaky if you're not careful, but with a good base coat you get a lovely sheer wash of pink.  This particular shade doesn't seem to exist anymore, but the closest one I've found is 'Beach Melba' - although if you want a more opaque effect the shade 'Couture' seems to get better reviews.

Row Two : The Brights

From L-R...

• Essie 'Big Spender' : One of my most recent posts was about my predisposition towards Berry lip colours.  This is the nail polish equivalent to that - not too red or pink and works in any season.  Love it.

• Essie 'Hors D'oeuvres' : Glitter city, but I love it!  This is the most beautiful glitter polish I have ever owned (I think I have a weakness for gold shimmer) - one to put off removing though - think I went through about ten cotton pads and half a bottle of acetone remover to get off!  See it swatched here over the top of 'Big Spender', although it looks fabulous on its own.

• Essence Colour and Go Polish in '111 English Rose' : This is the one polish that I haven't yet tried, although it looks to be the perfect autumnal red (not too bright, with a dash of rosy pink!)

• Essie 'Dive Bar'  : A gorgeous iridescent dark green/almost black with blue and purple shimmer running throughout.  Full post with swatches here. 

• Essie 'Splash of Grenadine' : Packing this shade was my way of hanging on to summertime.  I referred to it as the sort of pink Barbie would wear when I swatched it here - it's on my toes at the moment and cheers me up every time I look at them!

• Sally Hansen 'Insta-Dry' : My favourite top coat by a long stretch.  Nails not completely dry and its time for bed?  No problem - pop a thin coat of this on before doing your nightime routine and tada, no sheet marks the next morning!

And there we go, the proof that it all fits! I'd also just about got room for a couple of toe separators and a cuticle cream (the No 7 one), now it's just a matter of resisting purchasing any more polish over the next couple of months!

xxx

The one coat nail polish.

Recently, I picked up a bottle of Essence's 'Colour and Go' polish in the shade '168 Love Me Cupcake'.  It's a gorgeous grey-purple colour, very similar to Barry M's 'Almond' but with a little more lilac.  It is also a gazillion times easier to apply!

Out of routine, I previously have applied two thin coats and it's been absolutely perfect.  But last night, I didn't have time to wait so just slapped on the one (slightly thicker) coat over a quick dry base, and ran out the door.  It wasn't till later on that I noticed it was completely opaque with no streaks - that second coat wasn't needed!  It still needs a topcoat to avoid chipping obviously, but if you're looking for something that you can just do the one coat of and be done with - this is the one for you.  It also dries super fast, and although the coat was thicker than usual there were no odd smudge marks the following morning.

And here you go, one coat with no topcoat!

You can find it here or in store at Wilko, priced at £1.60.

xxx

Another Essence haul!

This week, I happened to nip into Wilko to pick up a few bits for uni, and remembered that I'd been meaning to try out some more items from Essence's makeup range.  I'd been particularly impressed with their 'Colour and Go' nail polish, so chose a couple more colours (plus another blush, oops!)...

'111 English Rose' and
'146 That's What I Mint!'

I've already tested out the mint shade, and much as I love how it applies, there is some light shimmer running through it that I didn't spot in store.  However, it's pretty much opaque in two coats and dries super fast.  The colour is also almost a light turquoise on the nails, not as light as expected but still lovely!  Judging by how the colour from bottle-to-nails translates a smidge darker, I'd expect the rosy shade to be almost terracotta on the nails - which should be perfect for autumn.

I also grabbed their 'Blush Up!' cheek colour in the shade 'Heat Wave'.  This was the one item I regretted not picking up last time I was at the stand, and although I really didn't need another blusher, it was so pretty that I couldn't not pop it in my basket this time around!  I've been experimenting with orange blush, having purchased Sleek's 'Life's a Peach' a couple of weeks ago and although this isn't as sheer, I feel that with the gradient you can get the perfect customised peachy-pink shade.  This blush is a lot less sheer than the Sleek one, so you have to be quite careful with it - just a dab is enough.  The compact also feels very sturdy, and although you don't get a mirror with it, I can hardly complain about the gorgeous design being on show!  (The perspex packaging reminds me a little of the Clinique Cheek Pops aswell.)

L-R: Swatched across the gradient of the blush (orange side to pink side),
then all the colours swirled together on the far right.

You can find the entire Essence range here at Wilko, and in store.
The nail polishes cost £1.60, and the blush £3.50.

xxx

Budget brand focus: Essence

When you're counting the pennies (especially after that little trip to Space.nk turned into a full on splurging spree), it's a relief to come across a new budget brand to try out.  I'd seen a few posts about Essence recently, but as my closest Wilko is 45 minutes away I hadn't yet gotten around to picking anything up.  Price point wise, they're somewhere inbetween MUA and Rimmel - but the products I managed to get were well up there in quality.

I just wish I'd gotten more things to try!  In total, these
cost £4.30, an average of £1.43 each (bargain!)

I was especially impressed by the 'Colour and Go' nail polish I picked up - the brush was just the right shape and size to cover the nail in a couple of swipes and it dried super fast (I believe I did my nails in 15 minutes, which is a complete record!)  The shade 168 is a gorgeous dusky lavender, slightly more purple than Barry M 'Almond' but very very similar.

Apologies for the slightly shaky picture here,
but I thought it was definitely worth showing
the brush shape - it's just like the Essie polishes.

The blush I chose was from their Silky Touch range - and is very highly pigmented.  The texture is very soft and not chalky at all, and it lasts all day on my combination/oily skin.  This, like the nail polish felt comparable to much higher end products!

L-R: One swipe, Blended out

As the whole range was on 3 for 2, I also chose a glitter topcoat (for fun!) which I haven't yet tested out.  It's a gorgeous rainbow glitter, that I'm sure I'll use coming up to Christmas/New Years - and as it was so cheap I won't feel guilty for not using it all the time.

All in all, my first experience with Essence as a brand has been stellar!  I'll for certain be popping a few more of their polishes in my basket next time I'm in store.

The entire Essence range is available online at Wilko, and there's also a limited range in store.

xxx