Under £10 Makeup Challenge with Essence

If you have been following my blog for a while you will know that I was kindly invited to the launch of Essence in the UK back in June (here) and received an incredible goody bag. Since then I have genuinely loved pretty much every single Essence product I have tried - a few have made it into monthly favourites! I was challenged to create a look using Essence products but it had to cost less than £10. I came up with one day look and one party/evening look where all of the products for each look cost less than £10. 

For my day time look I started with the *Essence Stay All Day Concealer (£2.50, 10 Natural Beige) which I received at the launch event. It is an amazing concealer and it will definitely feature in my 2014 beauty favourites. I applied it under my eyes and on redness. Then for the cheeks and lips I used the same product - the *Essence Lipstick (£2, 44 Almost Famous) which is a pretty cherry red. Using your lipstick as a blusher is great time/cost saving tip if you can only take minimal makeup, on holiday or travelling for example. 

For my highlight I used the *Essence Soo Glow Cream to Powder Highlighter (£2.80, 20 Brighten Up Your Life) which does look too pink toned for my skin in the packaging but when applied it is a gorgeous highlight. As well as using it on the cheek bones I also applied it down the nose slightly, on the cupids bow, brow bone and inner corners. 

Onto the eyes, I used is the *Essence Get Big Lashes Mascara (£2.30) which is a gorgeous lengthening, natural mascara that is very black and adds natural volume to my long but straight lashes. The best part is the whole look costs £9.60 which is amazing in my opinion!

Now onto the evening/party look which is a bit more colourful and bolder than the day time look. I did cheat slightly as I used the same mascara and concealer from the day time look for my evening look...

Firstly, the eyes. I used the *Essence Liquid Ink High Shine Liner (£2.80) which is a gorgeous black, glossy liner although I do prefer the liquid ink waterproof also from Essence. As my eyes are quite deep set, it can be difficult to get a flick without it being hidden or crooked but it just takes practise - I also have a post about it, here.

The lips and nails are the focus of this look, for the lips I used the *Essence Lipstick (£2.30, 09 Wear Berries!) which is the most gorgeous shade. The colour is a mix between fuchsia pink and a bright lavender; it isn't something I would have picked myself but I LOVE it. For the nails, I wanted to match them to the lips and I used the *Essence Colour & Go Polish (£1.60, 152 Give Me Nude Baby!) all over the nails then while it was still wet I sprinkled the *Essence Multi-Dimensional Glitter Nail Effects (£2) as an effect/statement nail. 

Excluding the concealer and mascara as you could use whatever you already own, this statement party look only costs £8.70! I do love Essence products, I don't know how they can be such good quality at a cheap as chips price! You can buy Essence products from the Wilkinsons website or from the stand alone counter in the Manchester arndale or at Westfield Hammersmith. 

What do you think of the looks I have created? What Essence products do you love? 

Read More

Autumn Day to Evening Looks ft. Essence

Back in June I was invited to the launch event for Essence which was the first blogger event I went to on my own and it was amazing (here)! Ever since I have genuinely loved pretty much all of the Essence products I have tried; especially the eyeshadows, liner and the incredibly amazing fixing powder! Here are my picks for a quick and easy day to evening look. Sorry the lighting isn't great in the photos below! Autumn/winter weather is not great for natural lighting and photography! 

First up, the day time look which consists of a very simple eye and a bold pink lip. I used the Essence All About Matte Foundation in Light. For concealer I used the amazing Essence Stay All Day Concealer which I actually love a lot more than the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer! A dusting of the Essence Silky Touch Blush in 20 Babydoll on the apples and back of the cheeks to finish the face.

For the eyes I only used one shade from the *Essence Quattro Eyeshadow Quad (15 Most Wanted) as I wanted a simple eye look to contrast with the bold lip. I used the white shimmer shade lightly on the lid and also in the inner corner; then a sweep of the Essence Lash Mania False Lash Waterproof Mascara. Lastly for this day time look I use the *, Essence lipstick in 10 Cotton Candy which looks really pretty but personally I don't think blue toned pinks suit me at all.

Now onto the night look, I used the same foundation, concealer and mascara that I used for the day time look. For the eyes I used the *Essence Quattro Eyeshadow Quad (15 Most Wanted) which contains all of the shades for pretty autumnal eyeshadow looks! I used the golden shade all over the lid as a brightening base and also in the inner corner of the eyes. I then used the deep purple shade in the crease, along the upper and lower lash lines and across the outer third of the eye. I LOVE the combination of gold and purple, especially for the upcoming festive season. 

To finish I used the *Essence Colour & Go Polish in 111 English Rose which applies so smoothly and it is a very pretty everyday shade. Overall, I am so impressed by all of the Essence makeup I have tried and I am so glad it finally arrived in the UK back in July. You can buy Essence makeup from select Wilkinsons stores (such as the Manchester arndale store and there is a stand alone counter in the arndale too) as well as on the Wilkinsons website.

Have you tried Essence products? What do you think of my day to evening looks? 

Read More

July Beauty Favourites

Usually I have around 6-8 favourites per month but this month I have a lot more than that - I have 13 beauty product favourites this month, with a couple of items left out otherwise I will not be able to fit them all in the photograph and the post would be even longer! July has been a month of beauty product finds that I have been using daily and loving!

Makeup: Oh gosh, were to start! Lets begin with Essence cosmetics, they have just launched in the UK and I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch event last month (check out my post, here) and I have been testing out all of the products I received. The two incredible, stand out products from Essence for me have been the All About Matt Fixing Powder and the Stay All Day Concealer, both of which I would highly recommend. Staying with the face products, I have been loving the W7 Matte Bronzer this month to give some warmth to my very pale skin. Now onto lips, there have been not one but two lip balm loves this month - the EOS Pomegranate balm and the Malibu Mango Lip Balm SPF30, I adore them both and they are super hydrating! I have a lipgloss favourite (I never thought I would type that), it is from W7 and it is a natural shade (shade number 05) and it makes my lips look fuller and glossy. The last makeup favourite is a Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in 'socialite' which is a gorgeous 'my lips but better shade', it is so easy to wear.

Skincare: I don't know whether to class this next favourite as a skincare product or as a makeup product but it is the amazing Decleor DD Cream which is an SPF30 lotion that is tinted so it does give light coverage - it is lovely and it adds some sun protection, it is perfect combined with the Essence Fixing Powder. I have two facial moisturiser favourites for the month on July, first up is the new Hydraluron Moisture Jelly which I won in an Indeed Labs twitter giveaway at the beginning of the month - I have been using it as my day cream and I love it! Secondly, the Nivea Sensitive Night Cream which is the best night cream I have ever tried. It is like a comforting blanket over my dry, sensitive skin! 

Tools, Haircare + Body: I won a seven piece brush set from Spectrum Brushes this month and I love all of the brushes (I have already posted a review of the set, here) and my favourite brush has to be the blush brush, it is amazing for contouring and bronzer. Spectrum brushes are cruelty free which is fantastic! A haircare favourite of the month is the Moroccan Oil Frizz Control Spray which is a miracle product, it is the only product I have tried so far that actually reduces frizz and helps keep it at bay! The final favourite for July is the My Trusty Little Sunflower Cream which I have been using multiple times a day as a hand and foot cream - it is fantastic, super cheap and profits go to patient care, click here to read my full review. I have actually just used up the bottle, it is super quick to absorb and it smells heavenly.

There are all of my favourite beauty products for the month of July! Have you tried any of these products? What are your favourite beauty products currently?

Read More

Essence Review: Lips

I recently attended the amazing Essence Cosmetics event in Manchester, you can read my post on the launch and more information about Essence cosmetics, here. I received so many products, so I am going to split the products up into categories such as lips, eyes, face, nails etc. This post is all about the lip products I received (not including a few products I put into giveaway packs). 

Essence XXL Shine Lip glosses: I managed to pick up the shades 'pretty in hibiscus' which is the first product on the left and the shade 'velvet rose'. I also have the shade 'just gorgeous' from the same line but I forgot to photograph it - too much makeup! The 'pretty in hibiscus' shade is so glossy and shiny, it doesn't have much colour but it is nice. The 'velvet rose' shade is a matte and I was excited to try it out but it is so patchy and horrible on my lips! The shade I forgot to photograph 'just gorgeous' is my favourite it is a nice bright medium pink. Overall, they are nice but the matte one 'velvet rose' is awful in my opinion, it is one of the very very few products that I am not too happy with. 

Essence Glow Tinted Lip Balm: I only picked up one of these in the shade 'light up' which is a bright, almost fuchsia pink, it has so much colour which is unusual for a tinted lip balm. It feels very smooth and moisturising on the lips but it can be a bit too creamy and a little bit patchy. 

Essence Long-lasting Lipsticks: I had my eye on these before the event so I knew I wanted to get them. I picked the shades 'barely there' and 'blush my lips' both of which have a cute E logo on them. The lipsticks apply so smoothly and evenly, they are very pigmented and not too creamy. I adore the shade 'barely there' I have been using it almost everyday since I received it. I haven't tested the longevity yet but I think they will last for a while. 

Essence Lipstick: This one is not part of the long-lasting range, I have the shade 'all about cupcake' which is such a cute name and the shade is equally as cute. It is a natural medium baby pink which really isn't a shade I usually go for but it looks so pretty on the lips. It is fairly sheer, slightly glossy, moisturising and smooth. A fantastic everyday lipstick. 

There are all of the Essence lip products I picked/received from the event, I am very happy with the majority of products. My favourite product from this category has to be the long-lasting lipstick in 'barely there'. I have left a few lip products aside for my current giveaway and a giveaway in the future. 

Click here to go to my current international Essence giveaway, it ends soon!

Have you tried any Essence lip products? If so, which one is your favourite?

Read More