What's new at Essence Cosmetics? | Overview & First Impressions

Essence Cosmetics is everyone's favourite budget makeup brand and as they usually do at this time of year, they have released a whole new array of products for the colder months, think warm colours, chrome and holographic effects and you're there :)

In today's post I am going to show you some of the items from the new collections and my first impressions of some of them which I have already tried.

This is probably my favourite bunch of products. If I had to pick just one favourite from the ones in the picture below, albeit a hard decision, I'd go with the Go For the Glow Highlighter Palette. The incorporation of three different hues of highlight in one palette is genius especially for travelling and the pigmentation is insane; definitely one of my must-haves! Another must-have is the Prime+ Studio Primer which gives my face a nice, matte look ready for a smooth makeup application that will last all day.

 

Next we have the #instaperfect foundation. While I like the texture and finish of it, I'm not sure about the colour. It's a little too pale for me and you only need a little because it might end up looking cakey. The same applies for the concealer. While it is a great product, for me it is a bit too light and the formula is very thick. It does have a matte finish and offers great coverage though, but neither of these two products are must-haves for me.

Wearing all the above products

For the star of the package, the Too Glam To Give A Damn palette. I'm head over heels in love with the packaging of this palette and I feel that with their latest palette releases, Essence are really upping their packaging game! The eyeshadows do take a bit of work to achieve the desired intensity but they blend easily and once they're on, they will last for hours on end. I'd say defintely give this a shot.

Another two favourites are the Colour Boost Mad About Matte Liquid Lipstick and the Melted Chrome Liquid Lipstick. Both of these have excellent colour payoff and they last for a really long time without the need for touch-ups! The Melted Chrome eyeshadow is also highly pigmented and I like to use this one as an inner corner highlight mostly.

I'm going to have to dismiss the I Need A Miracle Mascara though. This doesn't do much for me and Essence have far better ones in my opinion. I haven't tried the lipstick yet so I cannot really comment on it.

Wearing the Colour Boost Mad About Matte Liquid Lipstick

Lastly, we have the Cosmic Lights and Glitter On Glitter Off nail polishes. While I love the colours and the concept behind the peeling glitter nail polish, I don't think these are something I would buy more of. The Cosmic Lights one chips off after a day and the chunky glitter and glue-like formula of the other one make for a somewhat tricky application.

I hope these first impressions have been helpful and I look forward to your feedback on any new products you try from Essence :)

PR Samples

Event | Essence & Catrice Cosmetics Fall/Winter Products Launch

If there is a company for whose events I am always excited for, that is PharmaMT, the company behind Essence, Catrice and Lierac in Malta. Last week, it was time for the launch of the fall/winter products from sister cosmetics brands Essence and Catrice. And what better way than to spend a sunny November afternoon with a High Tea served at the elegant Hilton Quarterdeck Bar?

photos by Mark Pace

Brand manager Daniela guided us through the new launches and we were able to sample most of the products on the spot whilst enjoying herbal tea, coffee, water and array of delicious sandwiches, sweet treats and cakes, melted chocolate, clotted cream and jam. We were also given a goodie bag each and whatever products that were on display that we liked, we were able to take home with us.

Expect some exciting new product reviews! Follow Essence & Catrice on Facebook to keep updated with new product launches!

All of us bloggers with Brand Manager Daniela
photo by Mark Pace

Essence & Catrice Haul + Goodie Bag Show

Last April, you know I was invited to an Essence and Catrice event where us bloggers were introduced to the new products they launched locally. As usual, the people behind the brand here always make sure to give us a lot of products to take home and try out so in this post I will show you all the products that I got at the event as well as stuff that I bought myself. Let me know which products you would like me to review first :)

Essence

So first up is the much sought after Cinderella Trend Edition of which I only got three items - highlighter powder, a glitter topper nail polish and a nail polish. I skipped the blush and lipglosses because I have similar shades and the eyeshadow palette didn't receive very good reviews from overseas bloggers so I didn't really care for it. Unfortunately all nail polishes were gone save for the ones I got which were actually the last ones on the stand.

The highlighter powder (€3.50) comes in just one shade, 01 The Glass Slipper and I really love the embossed roses design and the pearly pink colour which is totally unique, in my collection at least. As for the glitter topper (€2.10), it also bears the name 01 The Glass Slipper and it has large and smaller silver hex glitters in an iridescent lilac base. The other nail polish (€2.10) is actually a very unique shade and I own nothing quite like it. It is called 04 Watch Out Lady Tremaine and I would describe it as a gold-based platinum-peridot kind of colour with a slight hint of pewter - it is really unique and worth having in your collection.

Next I have some eye products starting with eyeshadows of course. Essence have relaunched their mono eyeshadows with a new design and improved texture. There are 16 shades in all and here I have four to show you. The top three are in tester packaging but the actual packaging is that of the bottom one.

04 I'm Blushing* 

06 Pippa Mint*

08 Apricotta*

15 Hazel Me Not!*

Also from the new eye products range, I have the How To Make Brows Wow Makeup Box* which has everything you need to achieve perfect brows, no matter how dark or light your hair is!

Now next are the Effect Eyeshadows and Gel Eye Pencil Waterproof which are not new but it is m first time trying them and I can say that I really like both of these products! The Effect Eyehsadows (€3.00 each) I have are 01 Egypt's Treasure, 02 Brazil's Sunset, 03 Indian Lifestyle and 06 UK's Stonehenge. On the other hand, the Gel Eye Pencil (€2.40 each) shades I have are 03 Urban Jungle, 04 Blue Lagoon and 06 Cocoa Bean.

More new eye products come in then form or an Easy 2 Use Eyeliner Pen* and a Lash Princess  False Lash Effect Mascara*. I have high expectations from the latter product and I have also bought the older 'volume' version (€3.29) to see how they compare.

Moving on to lips, I have two lipsticks from the Long Lasting Lipstick Nude range and two XXXL Nude Lipglosses. The lipsticks are 01 Wearing Only A Smile* and 03 Come Naturally* while the liplgosses are 01 Shy Beauty* and 03 Taste The Sweets*. These are probably my favourite products from the whole bunch and I really like pairing them together. The Essence Silky Touch Blush in the shade 90 Summer Dreaming* is next on the list. While the Silky Touch Blush range is not new in itself, this shade is the latest addition to the collection and I really like this for summer.

I purchased two Essence Lip Liners after all the hype they seem to get and I am really satisfied with them! I got the shades 05 Soft Berry and 15 Honey Berry for €1.10 each.

I'm really happy I found the Powder Brush (€3.10) and Blush Brush (€3.00) just because they look so pretty in their new packaging and for the same reason, I want to get my hands on the other brushes in the set as well. I also bought a dual sharpener for just €0.99.

The last thing I want to share with you from Essence are nail polishes. They have revamped the Colour & Go range and it now goes by the name of The Gel Nail Polish. They even have a specific base and top coat to go with the range. Moreover, there are new ranges such as the I Love Trends The Nudes and a tone of new nail art items which I can't wait to get my hands on!

The Gel Nail Polish Base Coat*

The Gel Nail Polish Top Coat*

The Gel Nail Polish 04 Our Sweetest Day*

The Gel Nail Polish 11 4ever Young*

The Gel Nail Polish 25 Prince Charming*

I Love Trends The Nudes 05 Pure Soul*

I Love Trends The Nudes 07 Hope For Love*

However, while they are still on display, I bought four of the old Colour & Go Polishes for €1.70 each, 178 Hello Spring!, 180 It's Raining Men!, 190 Kiss Me, Freddy and 196 I Heart My Blue Jeans as well as the Better Than Gel Nails Top Sealer High Gloss (€3.07), Studio Nails XXL Nail Thickener (€1.90), Studio Nails Caring Nail Oil, Nail Art Special Effect Topper 19 Bird Of Paradise and Quick & Easy Sponge Nail Polish Remover Acetone Free.

Catrice

Moving on to Catrice, I have three new mono eyeshadow shades:

860 The Beauty And The Beige*

890 Here Comes The Bright!*

900 Li-La Bamba*

A few weeks after the event, I went ahead and bought on of the Velvet Matt Smokey Eyes Pencil in the shade 020 Avokhaki but I can't remember how much it was.

Besides introducing new colours to their exisiting lipstick ranges, Catrice have totally replaced the Ultimate Shine Lipsticks with a new range, Luminous Lipsticks and here I have the shades 030 Undercover Nude* and 040 Pretty Little Valentine*.

For the face, Catrice have a new foundation and concealer. I like both of these products very much and I use them nearly every day because they are so light in texture. Shown here are the Catrice 12h Matt Mousse Makeup 010 Soft Ivory* and Catrice All Round Coverstick 010 Nude*.

Lastly, here are some nail polish innovations from the brand. Like sister brand Essence, Catrice now also has a gel base and top coat designed for use with their polishes as part of a three step system. They also have a new range of colours and an Ombre Top Coat.

Ultra Stay & Gel Shine Base Coat* 

Ultra Stay & Gel Shine Top Coat*

Ultimate Nail Lacquer 71 CadiLILAC*

Ultimate Nail Lacquer 81 My Yellow Fellow*

Ultimate Nail Lacquer 83 All You Need Is Pink*

Ultimate Nail Lacquer 86 (S)wimbledon*

Ombre Top Coat 01 Colour Of Change

And that concludes this very lengthy post! Which products would you like to review? Have you tried any of the new products from Essence and Catrice?

Items marked with a * were part of the goodie bags

Event | Essence & Catrice Cosmetics New Products Launch

Last Wednesday I was invited to the PharmaMT premises for the launch of new products from budget sister brands Essence and Catrice Cosmetics. The invite got through when I was in London with my boyfriend on the day of his graduation and I immediately got very excited at the prospect of the event.

I always look forward to events from both of these brands for this was the first ever company to organize a similar event for us bloggers some three or four years ago and also because I love both Essence and Catrice for their amazing quality products at such small prices.

From new shades to existing products to new formulas and entirely new products, the room in which the event took place was like a little makeup heaven and since we were celebrating Easter, there were even some sweet treats for us as well as delicious sandwiches and canapes and some refreshing drinks.

pictures courtesy of Essence Cosmetics Malta Facebook page

Daniela, the brand manager behind Essence and Catrice guided us through all the new products while allowing us time to try and test the products among all the oohs and aahs on our part :) well who can blame us?

At the end of the event we were allowed to take anything we liked for a more thorough test and these are the products that made their way home with me, and of course, reviews will be uploaded soon!

Lastly, here is a picture of all lovely ladies attending the event :)

Lorraine from Lola Love Sparkles
Allyson from Smashing Darling x
Davi from Lady With No Name
Charlene from A Cosmetic Affair
Maya from Blue Jeans and Red Lipstick
Daniela
Dyna from Makeup by Dyna
Marija from Pocalocca
Dorianne from Ask Dorianne
yours truly :)
Martina from All Things Fabulous

Thank you once again to PharmaMT for having us over, I will definitely enjoy the products and look forward to them hitting the stands soon! For updates, follow the Essence Cosmetics Malta and Catrice Malta Facebook pages.

Makeup Haul | Essence, E.L.F. & Sleek

Good afternoon everyone :) Today I have a makeup haul for you guys featuring products from three budget friendly brands, Essence, E.L.F. and Sleek. I was waiting till I received the E.L.F. package to do this haul and since I got it over the weekend, I thought I'd share the haul today so maybe you find something you like or want to try out and beat the Monday blues, the online retail therapy way ;)

 

I am going to start with what is probably my favourite purchase from this haul, the Sleek Vintage Romance Collection! I was reading Nina's post and as soon as I saw the swatches, I knew I had to get this palette and blush to go with it! I know Sleek Makeup produce wonderful i-Divine palettes and I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed with this one. The packaged arrived a mere two days after I received the dispatch email and both products were in excellent condition. My only 'disappointment' is that I would have liked the palette to come in the same box as the blush not the usual packaging for the rest of the i-divine palettes.

 

I will review both products in a separate post but here is a rundown of what I think about the palette as I haven't used the blush yet. The palette costs €9.99 (very good value for money) and features 12 beautiful autumn appropriate shades. I have already used some of them and their staying power is amazing! They are all shimmery/glittery with the exception of Propose in Prague and I think this palette will make a very good gift for every occasion but especially now that party season will soon be upon us. The blush is also a good value for money find at €5.49 for 8g of product and I think it will suit all skin tones. It has a ton of shimmer in it so steer clear if you don't like shimmery blushes.

 

Next up is my E.L.F. 50% off haul package. I took the opportunity to try out some new products from E.L.F. while they were having a 50% off code running and I got the following items to try. This time, the order took well over a week to arrive and to be honest I was getting a little worried but now it's here and everything came in one whole piece :)

I have only used the Studio Small Tapered Brush (£3.75) and I can confirm it is excellent for contouring and highlighting! I'm so glad I finally got it!

The Glitter Primer (£2.50 full price) is good to have on hand come Christmas to avoid any glitter eyeshadow fallout. I will have to get back to you on its performance though because I haven't used it yet. Speaking of glitter, I also got two Glitter Mascaras in Silver and Gold (£2.50 each full price) to complement my party looks and I must admit I was drawn to buying these because of their unusual applicator, but more on that in a separate review.
 

As for the Studio Glossy Gloss (£3.38) and Mineral Eyeshadows (£3.00) I already have other variations of each and I expect them to be as good as them. The shades I got are Ballet Slippers for the gloss and Golden and Celebrity for eyeshadows.

Moving on, I have a some new products from Essence!!  I have finally had to chance to get to OVS at Pavi Shopping Complex in Qormi to see the new back-to-back stand that has been installed a few weeks ago. I was keeping my fingers crossed that the stand would be full and luckily, my prayers were answered!!!! There was Daniela from PharmaMT stocking up the stand! I was in makeup heaven and I couldn't contain my excitement! Check out Dyna's post over here to see what the new stand is all about!

Half of the stand is almost entirely dedicated to nail art and the newest products from the brand while the other half houses some more new products and the older products. Here is what I got (I still have to go some other time to get some more products though ;)

These are all the nail related stuff I got, namely:

Colour & Go 154 Pink & Proud - lilac/pink foil (€1.70)
Colour & Go 163 Hey, Nude! - different sized silver glitter in a sheer pink base. Dries to a textured finish, the brand markets as Sparkle Sand Effect (€1.70)
Nail Art Twins Reloaded Glitter Topper 01 Bella - a mix of holographic silver and purple glitter and navy blue square glitter in a clear base (€1.60)
Colour & Go 165 Here's My Number - different sized holographic silver glitter in a dark grey base (€1.70)
Colour & Go 102 Sparkling Water Lily - iridescent sheer white (€1.70)

Freestyle & Tip Painter 14 Glitter Crush - predominantly pink glitter mixed with multi-coloured glitter in a clear base (€1.60)
Freestyle & Tip Painter 13 Marry Berry - dark purple glitter with gold reflects in a dark purple base (€1.60)

Moving on, these are the products I am most excited about and the ones I wanted to try as soon as I learnt of their launch! First up are the Stay Matt Lip Creams and I got two out of the four available shades, namely 01 Velvet Rose and 02 Smooth Berry. The nude one was a little too dark for me while I already have a similar shade to the red from the Guerilla Gardening Trend Edition. I paid €2.10 for each of them.

I also bought two of the new Long Lasting Lipsticks and I have to say I am impressed with the pigmentation and the quality of the packaging over the other lipsticks they have in their permanent line. These cost €2.30 and I got shades 04 On The Catwalk! and 07 Natural Beauty.

To finish off, I got myself a backup of the 2-in-1 Profi File which costs €2 and I also paid a mere €1.40 for the Colour Arts Multitasker which is basically a silicon applicator for glitters and pigments.

I have also received the backup for Wet 'n' Wild Brulee last week and I figured I can feature it in this makeup haul post as well :) If I'm not mistaken, this cost me a little over €5.

That's it for this makeup haul ladies :) Any products you want swatches/reviews of?