Essence Cosmetics - Review

Essence is a brand that always seems to pass us by. Essence is a budget friendly cosmetic brand that was first launched in Germany in 2002. The owner and developer of the brand wanted to create products that were fun and that offered both affordability and quality. Essence is sold in larger Wilkos stores in the UK, various stores throughout Europe and some Ulta stores in the USA. They have also recently launched in some Target and Loblaws stores in the USA and Canada.

The only product I ever tried from the brand was an eyeshadow a few years ago and although it was fine it didn't make me want to rush out and sample more of their products...until now. I pass through Wilkos quite regularly and the Essence stand always catches my eye. It is colourful and attractive and I often pick up the products and have a closer look. The week I decided to spend a little more time at the stand and select a few products that stood out to me so that I could test them out and review them for you, our readers.



Liquid Lipstick in 03 Almost Unreal

Both Mimi and myself have recently been in a bit of a liquid lipstick phase so the first product that I gravitated toward was their Liquid Lipstick in the shade 03 Almost Real. I expected this to be a very similar product to the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet but it is, in fact, more of a gloss than a liquid lipstick. That being said it is a really nice gloss with good colour pigmentation and it feels comfortable to wear and easy to top up during the day. There were 6 shades to chose from at £2.50 each. Excellent value for money.



Sheer and Shine Lipstick in 03 BFF

I always think that you can tell the quality of a makeup brand from their lipsticks  so the next product I reached for was the Sheer and Shine Lipstick in 03 BFF. This does exactly what it says on the tin! The lipstick glided on easily and gave a pretty sheer wash of colour. I found the lipstick perfect for those days when you don't want to have to worry about whats on your lips. You can pop it in your bag and top up throughout the day without needing a mirror. There were 10 colour choices in our local Wilkos store and the lipsticks are only £2.00 each.


Mini Sheer Lip Balm in 02 Little Miss Rosie

I moved on to the Mini Sheer Lip Balm that looks like a great dupe for similar products from Soap and Glory and Bourjois. I was drawn to the shade 02 Little Miss Rosie as it looked exactly like my favourite Bourjois Proudly Naked. This is indeed a very similar product. The shade is almost identical and the application very similar although the Essence balm is slightly more shimmery. Furthermore at only £2.00 its an absolute steel!

L-R: Liquid Lipstick, Sheer and Shine Lipstick, Mini Sheer Lip Balm 

I swatched a couple of their eyeshadow palettes and single eyeshadows but they were a little chalky so I gave them a miss and moved on to the Long Lasting Lipliners which were only £1.50 each. The shades I selected were 02 Sweetheart and 07 Plum Cafe. My favourite drugstore lipliners are the Rimmel Exaggerate liners that are £3.99 each so we picked up two of the Essence liners for less than the price of one from Rimmel! These liners are fantastic! I have never been a fan of having to sharpen lip pencils therefore these twist up liners are always my favourites. They have excellent colour pigmentation and are creamy soft. They just glide on! I will definitely be seeking out more of these!

Lip Pencils in (from top) 02 Sweetheart, 07 Plum Cafe

I have definitely been persuaded to see more of what Essence has to offer since trying these products. I was very impressed by the quality for such an affordable price and with so many different products to chose from I will be paying my local Wilkos another visit soon!

Have you tried any Essence products? What did you think?

Love Elle x