Review (5/5): Great Value
This is a pretty little palette, small enough to use for traveling. Contains 12 pans of both shimmer and matte shades. Doesn’t come with a brush, but no matter, i have plenty of those. It does have a mirror though. The packaging is reminiscent of London, with the Phonebox, and Big Ben printed on the front.
The texture is very blendable, and the shades are very wearable. I’m not a fan of the “natural look” makeup, i like a bold eye, and you can have that with this palette. I particularly love the Red, Dark Blue, Gray and Black shades. And if you find that you want the red to look darker, you can add a bit of black into the crease, and deepen it. I always want palettes to have a black pan - it’s useful for other things like lining, and smoking out.
If you choose to use an eyeshadow primer (or even just a concealer or foundation) then the colour payoff is more intense. If you don’t wear a primer, you might need to add more on top. I always wear a primer, because it makes sure the eyeshadow stays on longer, and prevents it settling into my crease.
Essence have some very good products, i first bought their products way back in 2007, in a bricks and mortar store, and they were so affordable, and such good quality. And they have really upped their game, and expanded their range of products over the years. To be honest, i don’t really often buy drugstore brands any more, and it is a long whole since i shopped Essence, but when this popped up, i was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, as i love eyeshadow palettes almost as much as i love shoes and bags.
I am not at all disappointed with the quality of the product, the price, and the cute packaging.