Essence Makeup Haul #3

I have professed my love for Essence so many times on my blog over the last four years, and I was thrilled when their products were finally available here in the UK. Currently we can only purchase Essence in selected Wilko stores or the Wilko website, and I really wish Essence would choose another retailer as I don’t have the best experiences with Wilko. My local Wilko store’s Essence stand looks like it’s been ransacked regardless of the day/time you go so I always order online and I always have a problem where lids aren’t on properly, products are broken, products are missing or there is other damage which happened yet again in my most recent Essence Makeup Haul.

I ordered my most recent Essence makeup haul online and I’m really disappointed as most of the products arrived in a poor condition. Nearly every sticker/label is damaged, the polishes were all separated and one is completely dried up. I won’t stop buying Essence as I love their products so much, but I am so disappointed with Wilko and their customer service is dire.

I really wish Essence would consider another stockist as I know I would buy from Essence as it’s not their fault Wilko are such a nigthmare, and I think Superdrug or Boots would be a much better option and I’m sure many of you would agree. Right let’s get onto the products I bought, the swatches and my thoughts on all of them now I’ve owned them for six weeks…

No Essence makeup haul is complete without a number of nail polishes, as I’m a nail polish obsessive and Essence always do such amazing polishes so affordably. I honestly could be happy if I could only ever use Essence polishes for the rest of my life which is a crazy bold claim I know, but they really are that good.

My best “PR gift” I ever received from any brand is from Essence as they sent me their whole collection of the Essence The Gel Nail Polishes (here) in an official metal promotional shelf containing ALL 46 shades – yes really. I still have a large majority of the polishes but I do like to purchase new shades, or replace shades I’ve used up.

I bought the Essence Tip Top Taupe The Gel Nail Polish which was only £1.60 which is insane for such a fantastic formula, and it’s a beautiful pale grey which is opaque in just one easy coat on my super short nails. I also got two of the Essence Holo Rainbow Nail Polishes in the shades Holo Rocks which is a blue gelly with tonnes of glitter suspended within in, and Hello Holo which has a clear base and again tonnes of glitter suspended within it. They’re both very gritty on the nails, and would recommend using a peelable base coat underneath or it’ll take you forever to remove them.

Lastly I got three of the Essence Out of Space Stories Nail Polishes which I’ve never tried before. I got Beam Me Up which is a pretty fuchsia pink with tiny holographic glitter particles, 1000 Light Years Away which is a shimmery black with larger glitter particles and Space Glam which is one the prettiest polishes I’ve ever seen, with an amazing pinky/lilac duochrome with sparkle rather than shimmer. These aren’t as opaque as The Gel Nail Polish formula and they’re £2 each, but the shades are very unique so in my opinion they’re worth the extra 40 pence each.

If you read my blog regularly, you’ll have seen my many raves about the Essence Full Coverage Camoflage Concealer so I decided to try one of their other concealers and I chose the Essence Colour Correcting Liquid Concealer in the shade Pastel Pink within my Essence Makeup Haul which is £2.50 just like the concealer. There are just two different shades to choose from on the Wilko page but there’s three in total; pink or green, so I chose pink as I have a fair few green shades within my collection.

The pink shade is said to neutralise skin irregularities but it’s actually pretty funny as this works as my skintone rather than colour correcting as it blends into my skin. I knew I had a strong pink undertone, but for a ‘pastel pink’ concealer to match me perfectly is hysterical – I swear I’m actually a pink pig. It doesn’t cover very much, but I can use it with concealers which are too warm for me to neutralise it a little so it’s not a total fail.

I chose three different lip products in my Essence Makeup Haul , which are all pinky peach shades as I just can’t resist pinks or peach lip products. First up is the Essence Matt Matt Matt Me Longlasting Lipgloss in the shade Beauty Approved £2.30 which isn’t online now so I don’t know if it’s already been discontinued?! This formula is so moussey and whipped, and it’s pretty thick so it’s not for me as it feels heavy on my lips but I love the shade. I wish the formula was a little thinner as it doesn’t really dry down as it’s so thick but I really like the next two..

The new Essence Butter Sticks are £2.50 each and are in two finishes; Glossy Love and Matte Love, so I bought one of each. I got Sweet Frosting in the Glossy Love and Rose Whip in the Matte Love, and I think they’re really great lip crayons. Both formulas are very creamy and smooth on the lips, super pigmented and smell like cakes too. I didn’t expect the matte shade to be so creamy, but it’s just as creamy and smooth as the glossy formula and I will 100% be purchasing more as I love them and I can’t believe nobody is talking about them.

My final three products in my Essence Makeup Haul  were a mixed bag if I’m honest. Firstly I got the Essence Brow Gel Colour & Shape in the shade Brown £3 which firstly had the sticker on the top and bottom peeling off and ripped, and when I unscrewed the lid it was all dried up with a massive gap around the outside where it had shrunk. I emailed Wilko to let them know and they wouldn’t even refund me, even though it’s impossible to use as my swatch above shows. It’s like a rock within the glass pot and I just can’t make it work for me so I’m annoyed.

From one fail to one highlight, we have the Essence 18Hr Super Last Eyeliner in the shade Deep Black but it’s not showing on the Wilko website so I’m crossing everything it’s not been discontinued as it’s my favourite item I bought. It’s a super fine felt tip applicator which is extremely flexible and black, and it really does last all day without feathering, smudging or flaking.

The last product I got is only a fail for the shade as it doesn’t match me, but the formula isn’t bad at all.. it’s the Essence Super Last Eyebrow Pomade Pencil in the shade Dark Brown £2. There are three shades; Blonde, Brown and Dark Brown and Dark brown is a very warm brown which is pretty firm, but it doesn’t blend very well. The opposite side of the pencil has a sharpener and a rubber brush for blending, but once you’ve drawn strokes with the pencil, it is almost impossible to blend/smudge. I’m not sure how different it is to a typical brow pencil, as it doesn’t feel like a pomade pencil but for £2 it isn’t bad.

So they are all of the products I bought as part of my recent Essence makeup haul. I’d love to know if you’ve tried any of these products? Have you ever had issues with Wilko when ordering Essence products?

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