Essence Cosmetics / Makeup is NOW IN SINGAPORE!

Move over, budget makeup labels. A new kid’s in town and the game’s heating up!

This kid is an established German cosmetics label that’s been around in Europe for a number of years and in the US at Ulta. It’s also made its foray into Southeast Asia recently, to Kuala Lumpur and… Ngee Ann City’s Watson’s in SINGAPORE!

Essence Cosmetics says NO TO ANIMAL TESTING. Unlike several brands that we know. Unveiling to you… my small haul today at a price that won’t break the bank!

(All photos can be clicked on to view them in their original sizes)

Woot woot! Welcome, Essence!

I got myself:

3 Mono Essence Eyeshadows at S$3.50 (US$2.70) each [Ulta @ US$1.99]
Essence Lipstick in 03 Sparkling ANgel at S$4.30 (US$3.31) [Ulta @ US$2.49]
Essence Coverstick 05 at S$4.30 (US$3.31) [Ulta @ US$1.99]
Essence French Manicure and Pedicure pen at S$4.30 (US$3.31)
Essence No Limits Waterproof mascara at S$5.00 (US$3.85)
Essence French Manicure tip guides (pack of 30) at S$2.20 (US$1.70)

In Singapore, where there is a dearth of good quality budget cosmetics, these prices are really awesome and at not too high a markup, imo. The items come sealed with scotchtape mostly and what impressed me were the manufacturing dates that were stickered in yellow onto most items.

Not just German in name, the items are also made in European countries, as well as China. Among my items, I see Germany, France, Italy, Poland and China. The majority are made in the EU though.

Are you convinced to rush down and fill up your shopping basket with Essence makeup yet? Be forewarned that the single shelf is nigh empty and the SAs didn’t know when new stock would be coming in 😦

Remember the Essence Mono Eyeshadow in 35 Party All Night (Metallic Effect) I reviewed way back in August 2011? It has 3 new Polish counterparts now, in shimmer and holographic effects 😛

Complaint: Watson’s has its barcode stickers which are ultra sticky and hard to remove at the back of the containers and can be easy or a PITA to remove, as evinced by the photo above!

Essence #46 Taupe of the Pops

 

How could I resist number 46 Taupe of the Pops? Much love for this shade, swatches below.

46 Taupe of the Pops

No ingredients are printed on the items, but they can be found on the Essence website here.

Ingredients

Talc, Mica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Myristyl Myristate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Linoleic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide).

#42 Mystic Purple Holographic Effect

Number 42 Mystic Purple with Holographic Effect looks boring in the pan, but turns up a lovely lilac when the light hits it at the right angle. It’s also not over shimmery and is really pretty SFW, surprisingly.

42 Mystic Purple

 

These mono eyeshadows are housed in a pan within a plastic packaging, which is pretty sturdy. No frills but they work. At 2.5g, the size is generous and will probably last you a couple of years!

#54 Yes Eye Can

Number 54 Yes Eye Can with Shimmer effect is a frosty silvery-blue, a shade which I currently don’t have and imo, is a very wearable blue on warm toned skins.

54 Yes Eye Can

 

Seriously, for a S$3.50 eyeshadow, the attention paid to the packaging and presentation is really darn good. The swirls in the pan look too lovely to be ruined through usage!

Coming right up is plenty of swatchy time for the 4 Essence Mono Eyeshadows I have, so enjoy!

You basically have, from left to right – metallic, shimmer, holographic, shimmer. Is there a great difference between the 3?

These are swatched with a Q-tip on bare skin and without primer. The colour payoff is very decent and the colours show. Hardly any fallout.

35 and 46 make a good neutral eye together. If I have to really spot a difference between the 2 finishes (35 being metallic and 46, shimmer), I’d say 35 looks slightly more molten than 46. 46 glows somewhat incandescently.

I’m glad I picked up the rightmost 2 shades, as they’re usually not in my comfort zone. Cool-toned and frosty, pretty appropriate for this time of the year.

While the shades, finish and the formula aren’t something that’d make you go oooh and ahhhh, I do think they pack a punch above what they’re worth, at least in Singapore. Which is really their value proposition in the makeup business here.

I’ve used 35 on my bare lids before which tend to be slightly oily. While there’s creasing after a few hours, the colour is still noticeable on my lid, which is really good showing for a budget product. Of course, with a decent primer under, it stays on longer with the most minimal of creasing.

Just as well there weren’t many lipsticks left when I got there. Otherwise I’d have gone slightly crazy with the nudes, pinks and corals.

You get 4g of lipstick in a slightly cheap looking plastic container but it’s functional and Essence tried to provide a decent styling and matching the shade of the lipstick within to the cover. There’s even a see through middle portion that verifies what exactly is the shade within. It is slightly scented with a pleasant fruity fragrance.

Get prepared for the ingredient list. It’s…. almost as long as the Great Wall of China.

Ingredients: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Lanolin, Polydecene, Pentaerythrityl Tetracaprylate/Caprate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Cera Microcristallina (Microcrystalline Wax), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Polyethylene, Paraffin, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Mica, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Carnauba (Copernicia Cerifera) Wax, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Pentaerythrityl Adipate/Caprate/Caprylate/Heptanoate, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Tocopherol, Silica, Tin Oxide, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Isobutylphenoxy Epoxy Resin, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Acrylates Copolymer, Parfum (Fragrance), May Contain: Ci 12085 (Red 36), Ci 15850 (Red 6/Red 7), Ci 16035 (Red 40), Ci 17200 (Red 33), Ci 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 45410 (Red 27), Ci 75470 (Carmine), Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide). Ingredients No 40, 41: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Lanolin, Polydecene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Mica, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Candelilla (Euphorbia Cerifera) Wax, Polyethylene, Carnauba (Copernicia Cerifera) Wax, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Pentaerythrityl Adipate/Caprate/Caprylate/Heptanoate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Silica, Bisabolol, Tocopherol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Parfum (Fragrance), May Contain: Ci 15850 (Red 6/Red 7), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide). Ingredients No 42, 46: Lanolin, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Polydecene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Candelilla (Euphorbia Cerifera) Wax, Polyethylene, Carnauba (Copernicia Cerifera) Wax, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Mica, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-1, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, Bisabolol, Tocopherol, Tin Oxide, Parfum (Fragrance), May Contain: Ci 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), Ci 15850 (Red 6 Lake/Red 7 Lake), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 45380 (Red 21), Ci 73360 (Red 30 Lake), Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide). Ingredients No 31, 40, 42, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51: Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Lanolin, Octyldodecanol, Myristyl Lactate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Trimethylsiloxyphenyl Dimethicone, Mica, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Candelilla (Euphorbia Cerifera) Wax, Polyethylene, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Carnauba (Copernicia Cerifera) Wax, Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, C10-30 Cholesterol/Lanosterol Esters, Bisabolol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tocopherol, Silica, Tin Oxide, Talc, Parfum (Fragrance), May Contain: Ci 15850 (Red 6 Lake/Red 7 Lake), Ci 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), Ci 42090 (Blue 1 Lake), Ci 45380 (Red 90 Lake), Ci 45410 (Red 27 Lake), Ci 73360 (Red 30 Lake), Ci 75470 (Carmine), Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77820 (Silver), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide).

I told ya!

As you can tell, it’s more of a gloss, or sheer glossy lipstick with some fine glitter mica, though not overwhelmingly so.

The shade is buildable. The lighter one is just 1 coat on my bare underarm and the other is built up with very many layers. Versatile enough.

I’ve yet to use this on my lips, so I can’t say for sure how long they’d last and if they’re moisturising. But as they’re sheer, I doubt they have good lasting power. Which is fine by me, as I like sheer, glossy lip shades and will compromise on that.

Sparkling Angel, imo, is a sheer light nude pink that’s rather neutral in tone and would probably look good on all skintones.

I’ll update this review again when I’ve roadtested the products 🙂

~*Items reviewed purchased by me*~