Essence Cosmetics - Now At Walgreens!!

**Press Sample**

Hey y'all!  Today I have some of the new products from Essence which are now available at select Walgreens locations.  You can use their Store Finder to see where they're available near you. 

I love Essence products, but up until now they were difficult to find at my local Ulta store because they don't have a full display, just LE products occasionally.  From the few things I've tried before, I got some products for my birthday, I don't think I've sampled anything I haven't liked.  These included.  I'll stop rambling and get to the products, swatches, and info. :D  Also, you can click any of these pictures to enlarge them.

Metal Glam Eye Shadows - $2.99: These are bold and shimmering shades, 3 of which are above.  You can see I've swatched them over primer and bare skin.  From left to right is Coffee To Glow(a light sparkly coffee shade), Jeweled Up The Ocean(a beautiful aqua shimmer), and Frosted Apple(a drool worthy golden rose pink sparkle).  These are silky soft and long lasting.  The overlay is UBER sparkly, but the product underneath comes out just the same without looking like it will. 

Lash Mania Reloaded Mascara - $4.99: This features an innovative elastomer brush with star-shaped bristles to separate and grip lashes.  The volumizing formula gives a false lash effect with maximum definition.  The brush on this is a little bit flexible and looks almost plastic-y to me.  It's kind of a wet formula that I feel only needs one coat to make them look false & out there, otherwise they look spidery.  I'm unsure if this is waterproof as I'm not finding anything on it, BUT I can say that it didn't flake off or transfer to my oily skin.

Long Lasting Lipstick - $2.99: Smooth and creamy formula that stays on for hours while moisturizing as well.  The swatch picture is more color accurate, from left to right is Wear Berries, Dare To Be Nude, and On The Catwalk.  These are fabulous & I think I need them all.

Get BIG Lashes Triple Black Mascara - $3.99: The innovative fiber brush gives glamorous volume while the carbon black formula gives intense density.  The brush on this is SUPER big.  I'll have to give it a few more tries with application, but I was so afraid of getting it everywhere.  I will say that this was the more natural looking and natural feeling of the two mascaras.  It gave me super dark lashes without looking like I had anything on.  I'm not sure if this is waterproof, as I couldn't find anything about that, but it didn't flake or transfer at all.

Crystal Eyeliners - $2.99: These are the only product I felt "meh" about.  I received Gold Rush and Twinkly Starlight.  Gold Rush seemed to have more payoff of the two, though they say these are buildable.  I would probably use this either in the inner corner area, or over a black to give it some sparkle.

Sun Club All-In-One Bronzing Highlighter - $4.49: I received the shade for Brunettes/darker skin and it worked fine.  Though I want to get the one for Blondes/lighter skin(I'm a light/medium redhead) in this and the matte options.  This is a soft textured powder with a 3D embossed design.  The orange-y strip is more of a bright coral, but the rest is pretty color accurate.  This still looked great on my skin.  It was so light that I couldn't get a decent swatch without building up the color.  The best thing is, it smells AMAZING.  Like cinnamon toast.  Seriously, I want to eat the stuff.  The lightest shade is awesome for highlighting and has enough of it that you can get a brush in there without hitting the browns.

Stays No Matter What Eyepencil & Shadows - $2.99: This is waterproof and the winner of an Oprah Magazine Beauty O-ward for Eye Makeup.  Walgreens has an exclusive shade named Twinkling Turquoise.  The shades I received are Gorgeous Gray(top) and Whipped White Frosting(bottom).  These are amazing and I want ALL the shades.  They blend easily, look amazing, and set relatively quick.  They look great alone or as a base.  Whipped White Frosting is great for highlighting the inner corner of the eye as well.


These products are awesome & their range is a steal priced from $0.99-$4.99.  In addition to it's standard range, they release new and unique limited editions every season.  For my birthday I picked up the gel eyeliner, a lip liner, a matt powder, and the eyeshadow primer.  Those, along with these make me want to try ALL the products.  I have a few of their polishes as well and haven't been disappointed yet.

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