Review: Essence Melted Chrome Eyeshadow, Camouflage+ Matt Concealer and Soft Contouring Lipliner

I picked up some of the new products from Essence standard range and I've already had the chance to test them out, so here are my thoughts. I have to say, I picked well, because I like all of these products. If you don't know, Essence changes their standard range every spring and fall, so it's not the best idea to get attached to their products. 



Essence Camouflage+ Matt Concealer - 020 light ivory and 030 light honey

Packaging

Catrice has Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealers and they are very popular. I guess this is Essence's version and it's surprisingly good. It comes in standard transparent plastic packaging with matte black top. Sponge applicator has a petal shape which holds a lot of product. I don't even need to go back in to cover my whole face. I prefer sponge applicators for concealers, even though they are not the most hygienic. 

In it is 5 ml of product and it costs 2.99€.


Formula

It's a slightly thicker cream formula which still has nice glide to it that makes it blend out easily. It starts setting down quickly, so you don't get a lot of play time. But it also means that the coverage will be great, because you don't move all of the product away. It stays slightly tacky, so I always set it with powder, but you definitely don't need to, if you have dry skin. Finish is matte, but I don't find it too be dead looking on me. Keep in mind I have combination skin, so I don't really have problems with dry patches currently.

Coverage is buildable medium to high. You can definitely build it up without it looking too cakey. It covers well in one coat, but you'll need to apply it thicker, if you want to cover very dark circles or red blemishes. 


Colors

There are only three shades available. Come on, Essence, get with the program. It's 2018 and you're products are actually really nice, so make more shades for different skin tones. Right now this is mostly made for fair to lighted medium skin tones. I got two shades out of the three, but the one I didn't get is supposedly the lightest - 10 light rose. I didn't get it, because it seemed more pink toned, so better for cool skin tones. 

20 light ivory is fair to light slightly warm yellow toned shade.
30 light honey is medium warm toned shade

Now that I still have some tan, I mix both of these together to get that perfect shade that fits me the best. Usually, I would wear 20 light ivory on its own, because I'm usually about NC15 skin tone. 


I also did a bit of comparison. Catrice Liquid Camouflage in 005 Light Natural is the lightest Catrice shade and it's more yellow toned. In fact Essence 20 light ivory looks pink toned compared to it. Catrice Liquid Camouflage in 020 Light Beige is again more yellow toned, but actually lighter than Essence 30 light honey. In general, Essence shades seem to be slightly more neutral, if not pink or red toned while both Catrice shades have much more pronounced yellow undertone to them. 


I also compared shade 20 light ivory to all my other lighter concealer shades. It seems to dry down lighter than Catrice 005 Light Natural, so if you're fair, that's good news for you. Bipa has the lightest shade out of all of them, but it's also the most neutral toned. The Saem and MAC have similar lightness, just slightly different undertone. 


Performance

Essence claims that this concealer covers tattoos. Catrice Liquid Camouflage had the same claim. I tested it out and you would need to apply a very thick layer of concealer to cover tattoo. But we all know that we usually blend concealer out and don't just apply it straight from the applicator and leave it to dry in a stripe. So, I'm saying it doesn't really cover tattoos, but it will definitely cover your dark under eye circles. That being said, Essence formula is thicker than Catrice's, so it has better coverage

These are definitely waterproof

Left: just foundation
Middle: Essence Camouflage+ Matt Concealer in 20 light ivory + 30 light honey
Right: blended out

Concealer doesn't get in fine lines, but it can look a bit cakey, if you apply too much of it. Obviously, the thicker the concealer, the more obvious it looks on the skin. I have combinations skin with very oily T zone right now and this definitely gets oily around my nose after about 3 hours. That being said, it's sets matte in the beginning, so I'm not sure if this would work with very dry skin and how it would look over dry patches. I'd say go for the Catrice version, if you have very dry skin, because it looks less obvious on the skin and feels more hydrating. I'm also not sure how this would wear on very oily skin, because in my opinion, it doesn't stay matte enough for that. 

On my normal skin, it stays on for the whole day and the coverage is definitely still there at the end of the day. It just cakes up and slightly wears off on my oilier parts of the skin. I'd say bake it, if you have very oily parts on the face. This usually helps me to stay matte longer.

It has some added perfume which to me smells sort of floral and powdery. If you're sensitive to scents, keep that in mind.

Essence also added glowy version of this concealer. You can read about it on Mateja's blog.




Essence Melted Chrome Eyeshadow 02 ironic

Packaging

It comes in a flimsy transparent top plastic packaging. I have bad experiences with Essence eyeshadow packaging, usually they all break fairly quickly. There's a bit of embossing on the inside.

In it is 2 grams of product and it costs 3.39€.


Formula

At first I didn't notice it, until I broke through that top layer, but this is almost creamy formula which acts as a powder on the skin. It immediately reminded me of Colourpop Super Shock Shadows, the only difference being that these by Essence are even creamier. Definitely use an eyeshadow base with them or they might move a bit.

Pigmentation is incredible and by far the best I have tried from Essence eyeshadows so far. All of these shades have that liquid chrome glittery look to them that looks super shiny. If you lightly tap your fingers in the pan, you can apply it like a light wash of glitter. If you swipe it heavily, you get a full on metallic look



I compare it to one of the Colourpop Super Shock Shadows in Birthday Girl and as you can see, Essence is a lot more metallic and glittery looking. 

Colors

So far Essence has 6 shades to choose from, I hope they come out with more. I've swatches all of them and some are more metallic and more pigmented than others. I found the most pigmented to be the most glittery ones which are 02, 04 and 05. 

I got shade 02 ironic which is light bronze taupe shade with cooler silver glitter. It's by far the most neutral in terms of the shade.

Crease: Too Face Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar - Mousse + Peanut Butter
Lid and inner corner: Essence Melted Chrome 02 ironic
Liner: Clio Kill Black Brush Liner
Mascara: L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara


Performance

This applies like a dream. If you want ultra metallic sheen, apply it with finger. It also applies well with flat shader brush. The fluffier the brush, the less metallic and more glittery it will look. I notice it almost creasing when my lids got extremely oily in those hot sweaty summer days, but primer usually keeps it in place. It doesn't looses intensity till the very end of the day.

My photos don't do it justice, it looks so much shinier and prettier in real life. I also stupidly forgot to take the photo of my eyes closed, but I did post photo of that on my Instagram.



Essence Soft Contouring Lipliner - 13 nice spice and 08 big proposal

I'm sure these aren't new, but I'm almost positive I saw NEW sign next to that peach shade, so it might just be that they've added some new shades. Anyways, I decided to include it in this review.

Packaging

They have standard colored pen shape. You will need to sharpen these. In them is 1.2 grams of product and the price is 1.19€.


Formula

These have softer and creamier formula, but it's definitely not super creamy like some of their older lip liners were. Pigmentation is great with just one swipe. I prefer slightly creamier formula, because it doesn't tug on the lips, so it doesn't further irritate dry lips. Finish is matte.



Colors

I'm not sure how many shades are available, because online they only have 9 shades, but there were definitely more in the store, so they must have added some new ones. 

13 nice spice is light warm orange peach. This is that kind of mandarin shade that I've always wanted to try out.
08 big proposal is light mauve nude. It's that slightly cooler pink shade that looks good on most skin tones. 

Performance

These are definitely not hydrating, but also don't feel particularly dry. I like to wear lip liners on their own as well. These are not the most long lasting on their own, but work nice under the lipstick. 





Melted Chrome eyeshadow surprised me the most and if you love a good shiny and glittery metallic eyeshadow, I highly recommend you try at least one of them. It's so pigmented and so shiny. I secretly want all of the shades from this range, but I might just get two more wearable ones the next time I'm in the store.

Camouflage concealers were just as great. I like more matte finish for those warmer days, they last well on the skin and have really nice coverage. If you wanted better coverage and something more matte than Catrice's version, these might just be for you. I only really dislike the shade range. A drugstore product that good should have at least 10 shades. 

Lip liners are nice as well and I love Essence lip liner formulas in general. Super cheap and really nice. Good quality, pigmentation and nice shade range. 

6 comments

  1. Really want to try this brand out, so I might grab a lip liner and a couple of those eye shadows - thanks! The products looked great on you.

    Angela at Blush & Pearls

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    Replies
    1. I really like some of Essence products. And they're really affordable. Definitely check out the brand, if you have the chance :). Thank you <3

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  2. Beautiful eyeshadow!

    http://the-fight-for-a-dream.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Essence se drži pravila 2-3 svetlih skoraj enakih odtenkov korektorjev kot pijanec plota, a so že zdavnaj dobro pozicionirani na ameriškem trgu. Nujno morajo razširit ponudbo, ker konkurenca je zelo huda, sploh odkar ima MR tisti nov korektor. Njihove formule so zdaj pa že dovolj spodobne, da si lahko privoščijo širitev. Mojega Healthy Glow korektor presenetljivo veliko uporabljam, mi je nepričakovano všeč, čeprav ni to kar obljublja :)

    Senčila sem swatchala v trgovini in so mi izgledala top. Seveda, pa stojalo čisto prazno - bravo Müller Novo mesto. Se mi še ni dalo it nazaj v trgovine, ampak bom enkrat kupila 2 odtenka.

    08 big proposal mi izgleda spodobne odtenek. Moram se spomnit ga pogledat kot bom v Müllerju :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saj to. Jaz jih tudi veliko vidim po ameriških YouTube kanalih. Mogoče bodo končno ugotovili, da je čas. Mogoče jaz spet healthy glow preizkusim, ko mi matt zmanjka. Zaenkrat mi je ta tudi všeč.

      Očitno vam še niso napolnili do konca, ko si bila. Ta senčila so pa prav presenetljivo dobra. Saj vemo, da Essence zna, če hoče. Jaz sem zadnjič kupila še en odtenek :).

      08 je taka klasika. Tebi bo zagotovo všeč, vem da imaš rada take odtenke :).

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  4. Hello �� do you have essence lipliner 01 Soft rose still? ��

    ReplyDelete