Essence Lip Liner Review

These lip liners by Essence have become one of my favourite lip products and they are something I will definitely keep repurchasing. Surprisingly, after years of being into beauty and makeup, these are the 1st lip liners I've owned... what? Yep, Pretty much couldn't decide on what MAC shades I wanted etc so I basically just never got liners and just lipsticks.

For the price of these ($1.75 but I got them for $1.05) I just went ahead and grabbed a few. I also recently bought another 2 darker colours for winter.

The application is ridiculously good. I didn't even use a heavy hand to swatch these, but the colour pay off was just amazing. In fact, I basically just used feather strokes for the red liner, that's how pigmented they are!

What I like about these:

• They are super creamy
• They are pigmented and provide an even coverage
• They have a nice variety of colours
• The price - they are only $1.75! (Priceline & Target)
• The colour shows up on my pigmented lips, as they do on my arm

They make my lipsticks that look too pale on me or that are a bit too sheer look amazing! (Now I can use those abandoned lipsticks that didn't look right without a liner). They can also be worn by themselves or with a lipgloss on top.

(L-R)

Femme Fatale, Red Blush, Soft Berry, Satin Mauve, Honey Bun, In the Nude, Cute Pink

As I said earlier, I didn't even swatch these with a heavy hand. How good is the colour pay off?!

I mentioned in my Priceline haul, I'm fairly new to Essence. So far, I have been really liking their range. Let me know if there is anything else I must try. So far I have some of the eyeshadow quads, all the cream shadows, 2 of their mascaras, some lip gloss and of course these liners.

xx

Chemist Warehouse 50% off sale & Priceline Haul

Oh Heyyy, another haul? In my previous Chemist Warehouse Haul, I mainly got some Maybelline items that I have been wanting to try for a while. I liked them so much that I picked up some more colours, as well as some Rimmel products that I bought on a separate occassion. As you know the Chemist Warehouse had Revlon, Rimmel & Maybelline all for 1/2 price which ended on May 31st. I looked at their new catalogue and say that they are continuing the same deal until June 16! I think I will be avoiding going there now cause it's just too dangerous, but why not for half price, I'm getting the things I've been wanting to try/ will eventually buy more of anyway ;)

My Chemist Warehouse Haul:

 Maybelline

Color Show Nail Laquer - Coral Crush - $2.98

Color Tattoo - Painted Purple & Tenacious Teal - $5.98

I love the Maybelline Color Tattoos so much! I thought I'd pick up these gorgeous colours too. I'll be doing a post on these, with a review and swatches.

 Rimmel

Hide the Blemish Concealer Natural Tan - $5.47

Matte Finish Lipstick by Kate in 113 - $6.47

Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel - $4.25

My Priceline Haul:

I bought 2 Essence Liners in Red Blush & Soft Blush, these are always sold out where I live so I thought I'd pick them up while I could. They are both deeper shades which will be good now that Winter is here. My favourite liners and they are only $1.75.

I will be doing a post with swatches of these soon.

Lastly, my two bigger purchases which I was most excited for!

I have straight, flat hair.

 If you curl it, it doesn't hold, If you tease it for volume, it just goes back down to being flat. So when I saw these two products, I knew that I wanted to try them.

VS Sassoon Big Hair Root Boost: This was originally $32.99 but it was on sale for $15!

Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play: I have been wanting to try this hair spray for the longest time! Priceline recently started selling it for $19.95, originally $24.95 I believe. However, the particular Priceline I went to today had it on sale for only $14.97. Score!

I'll have a play around with them and see I'll let you know what I think.

If you have tried these, let me know what you think!

xx

Essence Nail Polish Swatches & Review

I mentioned in my May Favourites, that I absolutely loved these Essence nail polishes, so I thought I would do a post including swatches of the Essence nail polishes I currently own.

Each swatch has 2 coats of nail polish on them. You can see in the photos that most of them are quite opaque and provide a nice, non streaky application.

What I like about them:

• They have a flat brush, similar to OPI
• The application is smooth and non-streaky
• They have a nice, creamy formula making them quite opaque
• They last a decent time before they start to chip (with top coat)
• The price - They only cost $2.75 here in Australia, available at Priceline & Target

They have a pretty decent colour selection. I mainly bought pastel colours because I already have so many bright, bold China Glaze nail polishes already.

125-Absolutely Blue

I love this colour!It looks like it could be a dupe for China Glaze's secret periwinkle, which I was actually going to order until I found this shade.

05 Cafe Ole

This has become my favourite/go to nude polish

149 Hello Marshmellow!

A pretty, soft lilac colour, with a hint of shimmer.

146 that's what I mint!

Finally, I have found the perfect mint green nail polish. Colour is on point and the application is perfect.

This colour is more to the mint/green side then what it shows in the photo.

142 grey-t to be here

I actually found this in the Priceline bargain bin for only $1. I really like this colour, I don't own anything like it. Unfortunately, I think it has been discontinued.

08 Peach & Cream

I wanted to love this one so much, Such a pretty colour from the bottle. Unfortuntely this one was quite watery or runny compared to the rest. It was harder to work with and after 2 coats, it was still quite sheer.

132 Break Through

The only dark polish I own from Essence, it's a nice bold purple.

These nail polishes are definitely worth checking out. I reach for them more then my China Glaze & OPI, and the price point is great. Very happy with the colours & application for most of the.

I also own the Essence Quick Dry top coat, which is pretty good as well.

I will most certainly be buying more, so I'll definitely post more swatches as I collect more. 

May Favourites

My favourites for this month were all new products that I have recently purchased in the past month or so. This is my first "Favourites" post and I feel like these were the items that I have been reaching for the most.

Alpha-H Gentle Daily Exfoliant & Clarisonic Mia 

I have been using the exfoliant in the mornings and Clarisonic Mia at night. Both of these items have helped by skin so much. I have been getting terrible breakouts lately, and unfortunately for me, my skin loves to mark my face with acne scars and post acne pigmentation. These have definitely helped me clear my dark spots and just improved the overall texture of my skin.

Where to buy them:

Gentle daily exfoliant - alpha-h.com.au, beautybay.com, fountaincosmetics.com.au (prices vary)

Clarisonic Mia: kissandmakeupny.com, skincarestore.com.au, Mecca Maxima stores, Myer

Essence Lip Liners

I LOVE these. I have never really used lip liners before. (I know right, I've been missing out). These glide on so smooth, and so very creamy. Since I have pigmented lips, they make look some of my sheer/nude lipsticks look 100x better. Very impressed.

Where to buy them: Target & Priceline ($1.75)

 Baby Lips

It's safe to say that I am obsessed with these! Especially because I got most of them for about $2. These make my dry lips so soft and hydrated. I like these better than my EOS lip balms!

Where to buy them: Chemists, Priceline, Target, K-mart, Big W & Supermarkets (retail for $3.95)

Revlon Colorstay Normal/Dry in Natural Tan

Nars Casino Bronzer

These are two of my new favourite complexion products that I have been loving lately. Thankfully, I can jusssttt get away with using the Natural Tan (I'm usually 360 Golden Caramel) in the Normal/Dry formula (it seems to run darker then the oily/combo which I would usually go for) I'm an nc42 and I can barely get away with buying drugstore foundations here in Australia :(. I love the finish of this product, It's very easy to work with unlike the previous formula and I love that it has a pump! It isn't as full of a coverage as the previous oily/combo formula but I quite like it. It is very easy to work with,

This month I have been using the NARS Casino Bronzer more so then NARS Laguna. I love laguna as well but I find with casino, since it is darked, I don't have to keep applying to get the nice contoured look whereas with laguna, since I have a more tan complexion, I find that I have to keep applying to get it to a nice visible colour. I will do a blog post comparing the two.

Where to buy them:

Revlon Colorstay: Big W, K-mart, Priceline, Target & Chemists ($34.95 - $39.95)

Essence Big Lash Curl Mascara

Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner

This Mascara is great! It really does hold your curl as well as give you length and a bit of volume. It reminds me of the Maybelline Falsies, but compared to that, it defines/separates your lashes whereas the falsies can tend to clump. So I really like this mascara considering the Falsies is my all time favourite.

One of the beauty things I suck at is applying liquid liner. I know practice makes perfect but I never practice therefore I can never perfect it. This liner helped me so much. The fine, but not stiff felt tip applicator made it so easy to apply, very nice and precise (as it is called) very impressed with this one. I can now where liquid liner!

Essence Nail Polishes

These nail polishes are basically all I've been wearing this month. Ahhh they are amazing. As I've heard, the brush is comparable to the OPI brush. They apply so smooth and easy, not streaky at all. I wasn't expecting much from them because of the price but I can honestly say I like how the apply better then my China Glaze nail polishes. They also last a decent time as well, assuming you use a top coat. They also come in a variety of different colours which is also a plus.

Priceline & Target ($2.75)

Real Techniques Makeup Brushes

I have really been enjoying the Real Techniques brushes I purchased last month. They are so incredibly soft and they apply make-up so lovely. I have been particularly been enjoying the;

(L-R) Blush Brush which I have been using for my bronzer/contouring, Multi-purpose brush for applying brush and also the stippling brush for foundation.

Where to buy them:

iherb.com & Priceline

iHerb.com has them for half to a third of the price cheaper then Priceline eg single brushes will cose ($6 - $10) & Priceline has them for $20+ each. Then the brush sets are $17.99 & here $39.99 - $44.95.

If you shop with iHerb you can also use coupon code CNR668 to get $5 off your order or if you spend over $40 it's $10 off. Shipping is great too!

My last favourite for this month is a fashion item and it is this Chanel type inspired bag in which I actually bought from Kmart. I absolutely love this bag. It is like the perfect small side bag that I grab for all the time when I don't want to use a big handbag. It goes with everything, I love the gold hardware and quilted style. The material is actually pretty good. So far no problems and I have been using it alot! I believe it is also available in Beige, Green & Red. The best part is, it only costs $12! The green and red were also reduced to only $5 too.

That's it for my favourites this month. What are your favourites? I always enjoy trying new things & I definitely have really liked the things I have been buying lately!

Collective Essence Haul

Ever since I hauled all those Essence products during the Priceline 40% off sale, I've been really loving and almost obsessing over Essence. I just love how good their products are, but at such a low price! So since then I've been buying a couple of items at a time over about 3 visits. And this is what I've picked up. Some of them are new items they came out with, and others I got for a very good price since they are discontinued stock :(

 NEW: Match 2 Cover Cream Concealer $4.25
You could say this is almost a dupe for the Bobbi Brown Concealers. They are really creamy, but only come in this one shade. A bit light for my NC42 skin, but it works well to brighten up my under eye circles.

 Single Eyeshadows: Block Buster - Matte ($1.83), Back to khaki - Metallic (marked down to $1.60, scanned at $1!), Copper Island -Shimmer (Scanned at $1 as well), Cappucino Please ($2.85)

Eyeshadow Quattro - Denim ($5.50), Stay all day eyeshadow - Jim-me Blue ($5.50 from Target :( whereas Priceline has them for $2 cause they are being discontinued!), NEW: Kajal Pencil - White ($1.75)

I purchased 3 of their new nail polish shades & one that is being discontinued

Absolutely Blue, Hello Marshmellow, That's what I mint! (All $2.85) & Grey-t to be here (Marked as $1.35, Scanned as $1!)

I'm very happy with my purchases, especially my nail polishes & marked down products. I found my $1 products in a Priceline bargain bin. I know not all stores have them but definitely check out your local Priceline to see if they have any Essence on clearance. Definitely worth your $1!.

I will do another post with Essence Nail Polish swatches and reviews soon too!

What are your favourite Essence products?

xx

Priceline 40% off Sale: Savvy and Essence Haul

If you live in Australia, I'm sure you would have seen, heard or was a victim in buying makeup that we didn't need, at the Priceline 40% off cosmetics sale, which was on April 23 and 24.

I was pretty excited when I saw this sale because I haven't bought "drugstore" makeup in ages, especially in Australia. I have been using brands like Napoleon, MAC and Nars etc, as I have access to buying them in the America, for the same or even cheaper then our Drugstore prices here.

Lucky for me, I had already planned to go up to Brisbane on the Tuesday as Daiso was having their Grand Opening and having this happen on the same day was just perfect, as Brisbane city has 4 pricelines, not too far from each other.

They were all really affordable after the sale, Most of them being $1 - $3. I can't remember the exact prices. Sorry!

I only really had my mind on trying Essence as,

1. I had never tried them before
2. I have heard so many good things about them
3. Brands like Maybelline, Revlon and L'oreal, are still much cheaper in America

Enough with the Rambling and onto my haul!

I purchased 4 of their lip liners in the shades 11 in the nude, 04 Honey Bun, 07 Cute Pink and 10 Femme Fatale. These glide on so smooth and creamy. I am yet to try them out for a whole day. So far, I'm impressed.

I was planning on buying more of the Maybelline Color Tattoos, but for the price, I went with these instead. I was being good at first and only picked up 2, then went into another priceline and saw 3 more colours I wanted

Top Row: 08 The magic must go on, 09 For Fairies, 01 Coppy Right

Bottom Row: 02 Glammy goes to, 06 Rock Chic

Superfine liquid liner - Tried this, goes on and stays on good... maybe a little too good, I could barely get it off and it was coming off like a blue ink... Not sure How I feel about this.

Get BIG! lashes in Volume Curl and Volume Boost - LOVE the Volume curl. I like it as much as my favourite mascara - The Falsies, but in a different way. Picked it up because of DOMMsmiles. Love!

I bought 2 of the Quattro eyeshadows, 07 Over the Taupe (left) and 05 To die for (far right)

I always seem to buy 2 of the same shadow palettes if there is an option of buying one in brown and one in a smokey colour, I don't know why, but I just do.

I also picked up the single shadow in Cappuccino, Please! All the other colours were quite shimmery, and because I have both the Naked Palette and the Nars: and God created the women, I didn't really need anymore. (Kudos for my somewhat self control :P)

These were kind of an impulse buy. I didn't need them nor do I really use lip gloss anymore but I loved the colours.

L-R: 09 Hottest Pink, 03 Candy Bar and 01 Me & My Icecream

I had originally purchased the last 2 pictured, then at the end of the day I decided to just pick up the 1st one too, But now that I've swatch it, I regret it. It goes on too sheer. I do like the others though!

We're nearly done, I swear

 Essence quick dry top coat, Maybelline Eye makeup remover 

I bought 2 nail polishes. 132 Breakthrough (purple) & 05 Cafe Ole (Nude)

They didn't have many colours that I was interested in as I already have so many colours. These apply and glide on really well. Much like the OPI brushes. I will have to see the staying power though!

Lastly, I picked up 4 of the SAVVY Long lasting matte lipsticks;

Heyyyjune bought these and raved about them, So I thought I would give them a shot.

L-R: Morocco, San Fran, Maui & Bali.

I actually bought Bali 2 days before the sale and I absolutely loved the colour, application and the staying power. I was so impressed! I paid $5.50 for the one, which was a steal. But when the sale was on they were only $4.20 which is even better! I highly recommend these too, Thanks June!

So that concludes my somewhat lengthy Priceline Haul, Looking at it now, It looks like I bought heaps, but I only paid around $50 for the lot. Ohhh yeah ;)

I will have a play around with these and maybe do another post with swatches or reviews. We will see :)

xx