essence cosmetics

I don't have a Wilkinson store near me, so a few weeks back when I was in Norfolk, I came across one and immediately went to the Essence counter. As far as I know, they've only just came over to the UK and are sold exclusively in Wilkinson's stores so I was excited to try some products. I hadn't previously read much about them, so just picked up what I liked the look of, and being on a 3for2 offer, these three products cost me less than £6 all together.

Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss in 06 Soft Nude // I don't own many glosses as I'm much of of a lipstick addict, but seeing the 'matte effect' sticker on a few shades, I really wanted to pick one up. I went for NAME, a dark pinky nude which I really like. The formula is quite nice, and the colour pay-off is good, with a matt finish as it promises. The only thing I'm not too keen on it the applicator's odd, long shape, and the staying power isn't great. But for less than £3, I like it as a subtle, moisturising lip colour.

Essence Kajal Pencil Liner in 15 Behind The Scenes // I've been on the hunt for a grey/taupe pencil for quite a while so decided to try an Essence one, which I believe was only about £1.I really like this on the outer-lower lash-line and the pigmentation is really nice.

Essence 3D Eyeshadow in 09 Irresistible Chocolate  // finally, I really liked the look of the dual eyeshadows they had on offer, so I picked one up in Irresistible Chocolat. The pigmentation is really nice and the two shades give a really nice smokey look to the eyes when used together. Yet, I think it'd be better if one of the shades was matte, as both are quite shimmery and they can look quite full-on.

Overall I'm impressed with what I've tried from Essence Cosmetics!

What have you tried from the brand? Any recommendations?

mac haulin'

Mac Cosmetic brands is one of those brands which I've always lusted over and since buying my first lipstick last Christmas, I've become a bit of a collector for them. This month I've beaten a record and bought two in one month...I did have my reasons...who can say no to discounted makeup?!

The first was on my way to my summer holiday in Turkey in mid-july, and who can say no to duty-free makeup? I knew I wanted a pink and had had a look online at ones I was looking out for which included Impassioned and Girl About Town. However, I was disapointed to see there was a lack of lipstick shades at the Mac store but I did manage to grab the last one of 'All Fired Up' which is a gorgeous bright pink shade. It's a matte shade and I absolutely love it, especially as the formula isn't very drying. I definitely would've bought a second at the same time but none of the other shades on offer really caught my eye. I wanted to pick up a pigment too, but there also weren't any there at the dutyfree store. Nevertheless I walked away very happy with a beautiful lippie to add to my collection!

The excuse story for my second and final purchase was National Lipstick Day (best day of the year...ever.) and Debenham's rude-to-refuse offer of £5 off lipsticks. It was online and for one day only and decided to have a snoop. After being lured at dutyfree by YSL lipsticks, I decided to look there first, but still at £20 each, I couldn't justify it...one day I will own one! Instead I (of course) opted for Mac. When looking on there, the shade I wanted (Pattiserie - a beautiful natural pink) was out of stock so I spent about half-an-hour (no exaggeration...there's so much choice!) googling swatches of available shades that caught my eye. I settled on the cremesheen lipstick in Party Line. One I've never heard of, but I'm a sucker for deep red

autumn shades so I knew I'd love it.

all fired up // party line

I think it's pretty safe to say I won't be buying another lipstick for a while - yet Patisserie is next on my list!

Have you bought any Mac products lately? What's your favourite Mac shade?

e.l.f. cosmetics haul

e.l.f. is a brand I've always wanted to order a lot of products from but never really got round to it. I have ordered before and was quite impressed but since then I'd added a lot to my wishlist. I finally ordered some products and thought I would show you what I bought!...

e.l.f. eyelid primer // I'd heard so many rave reviews about this eyelid primer and knew I had to try it! After using both this, and the Urban Decay Primer Potion, I can say this does the job exactly the same, just for a fraction of the price. I used it for the first time last week under my eyeshadow and it stayed put all day despite the humid weather.

e.l.f. high definition powder // I had initially wanted the HD undereye setting powder by e.l.f. as I'd previously owned it and absolutely loved it, but it wasn't on the website anymore so I opted for the bigger size, and figured it would do the same thing, as well being suitable for the whole face. I mostly use this to set under-eye concealer because it always creases on me, and it works amazingly.

e.l.f. powder brush // I was so excited to try this out, but my first few uses left me disappointed...after trying with powder and liquid foundation, it applied it well and evenly but the bristles were left on my face after a large section shed and completely came off the brush. I don't know if they're all like this as I've read a lot of rave reviews...maybe it's just mine? (sad face :()

e.l.f. studio eyebrow kit in light // you'll soon find out I'm obsessed with eyebrows and so I had to try the eyebrow kit out, and it hasn't disappointed! It comes with a gel and a powder and I find this is a good match for my brows, is long-lasting and easy to work with. 

e.l.f. studio glossy gloss in merry cherry // this was originally ordered for my mum, but it turned out to be a lot brighter than she expected so she gave it to me. I've never really been a lip-gloss person, but this is so lovely. The colour pay-off is great, it feels really moisturising and it isn;t sticky at all....I want to try more glosses now!

e.l.f. professional blending eye brush // this is a standard blending brush and works really well, and is really good value for money. Plus, this one didn't shed - yay!

e.l.f. contouring blush & bronzing powder in st. lucia // I was SO excited to try this, as I love contouring and am always on the hunt for new products. The bronzing powder is a really nice shade with a subtle shimmer, and despite not really being a blush-lover, this is a really gorgeous natural shade, and works well as a gentle highlight also. 

e.l.f. brush shampoo // the only product I am yet to try is the brush shampoo....because I'm lazy and brush cleaning is a chore...but I'll report back with my thoughts when I get round to using it haha!

So that was everything from my e.l.f. order, and overall I'm super impressed!

What are your favourite e.l.f. products? Let me know your recommendations for my next order!

the restock | essentials

You know when your luck when you run out of your basic beauty bits, all at the same time? yep, that happened to me last week and as I didn't buy the exact same products to replace my old ones, I thought I'd tell you what I picked up...

the liner pen | I'm one of those people who can't go without eyeliner, whether that's a sharp liquid line on the upper-lashline, or a khol pencil smudged to look subtle and smokey.I had been using the Rimmel Scandaleyes Micro Precise Liner before which had a tiny nib, and I took quite a long time to build up a line I was happy with. So I chose the Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner pen in black because the swatch I made on my hand seemed pretty decent and long-lasting, plus the nib was longer. 

the powder | I have been pretty loyal to the cult Rimmel Stay Matte powder over the past few months, but as I drastically hit pan on my last one, (and kinda because Maybelline had a 'buy one get one half price' offer on in Boots at the time...) I restocked with the Matte Maker, which I believe is a relatively new release. I did want a translucent powder, but I couldn't find one on the counter so went for 20 Nude Beige. I actually really like the finish of this and found it does the same job as Rimmel Stay Matte.

the concealer | Of the three, this concealer isn't a change from before. The Collection Lasting Perfection concealer is all kinds of great for blemishes and dark-circles with a thick but blendable consistency. I managed to take a photo before all the words scraped off the packaging...it's one flaw. I got this in Warm Medium and I can see myself repurchasing again and again...

I'd love to know what your beauty essentials are!