I've got such a nice little Sunday Steal for you all this week, because the Essence Liquid Lipsticks* are little gems that can be picked up for about $3.50 at your local drugstore or Ulta! I was lucky enough to be sent these, and my first impression was that the 6 shade range was all incredibly wearable colour-wise. When you hear the term 'liquid lipstick' you expect great pigment and coverage like you would get out of a traditional lipstick bullet, so naturally I was eager to put them to the test to see if they performed they was they claimed!
As you can see in the swatches that these are not a matte formula, unlike the trend of the moment driving brands to pump out chalky drying matte liquid formulas. Instead they are a creamy, opaque lipstick that has the luminosity of rich lipstick and the hydration of a balm! I was really impressed with how pigmented they applied to my naturally dark coloured lips and how well they smoothed over dry spots and lines.
The formula is incredibly creamy, but not in a slippery way that makes you worried about colour bleeding. It feels a bit like a cushiony gel that goes over your lips, much like a lipgloss but without as much shine, nor shimmer. I tried out all 6 shades in the range, and none of them had shimmer, nor did any apply patchy or streaky (even the two paler colours, which were slightly sheerer than the darker shades but still amazingly pigmented for colours of that nature!). The liquid formula also didn't gather in lines or corners of the mouth, nor did I get the dreaded white film of doom that you can sometimes get on the inner side of your lips for products like this. Ick.
The shade range is as mentioned, incredibly wearable with a lack of bold colours/reds and more focused on neutrals:
01 'Colour Party' - a pale ballet slipper pink
02 'Beauty Secret' - a dusky rose
03 'Almost Real' - a true beige nude
04 'Show Off' - a bright watermelon
05 'Peach Party' - a coral tinted pink/peach
06 'Make a Statement' - A dark rose
Another important thing to note that I am thrilled about - they have no 'cheap drugstore lip product' scent! I always hate it when brands pack lipsticks and glosses with an overbearing cherry or vanilla scent (I'm talking to you Rimmel!) it just turns me right off. These have no discernible scent, and a generic sweet taste which is completely unoffensive. I think the thing that impresses me most though is the feel these have on the lips - they have an incredible familiarity to the much adored Clarins Instant Lip Perfectors, but at a fifth of the price!
Have you tried the Essence Liquid Lipsticks? Which shade speaks to you the most?
