Essence New Beauty Launches

Essence are absolutely killing it right now and I was really excited when around 10 days ago, I received a parcel from them containing some of their brand new beauty launches for Autumn/Winter 2017. As well as some incredible beauty products, the parcel contained some Halloween treats, some sweeties and lolly pops, some super cute Halloween confetti and the cute pumpkin candle in the above photograph. 

For the last 10 days I have been trying out all the things I received from Essence and today I am going to share my first impressions of each product with you and also swatches of everything too. Since today is Halloween, I thought I would make this post Halloween themed and as I always say my blog is a family affair and today is no exception and I have a special guest for you in today's post a little later on, but for now, I am going to share the amazing products with you. 

Essence Autumn/Winter 2017

The metallic trend is HUGE for autumn/winter 17 and the Essence products I received focus around that trend, I love the metallic trend and Essence have it nailed. I was a child of the 70's and 80's so I saw the metallic trend the first time around (wow how old do I sound?) so I know a good metallic product when I see one.

Eyes

Essence 2 in 1 Eyeliner Pen - £2.50 

The Essence 2 in 1 Eyeliner Pen is a dual ended black eyeliner pen and has a broad slanted tip at one end and a fine tip at the other end. The eyeliner is a nice black, some liners aren't black enough but this one is, my youngest daughter uses eyeliner pens all the time and she likes how she can choose between thickness of the nib depending on the look she is going for. 

Swatch

The swatch shows both the thin and thick end drawn with the end of the nib and then the thicker end turned on it's side to create an even thicker line, such a versatile liner and as you can see, very black.

Essence Metal Art Lip & Eye Liner - £3.00 

The Metal Art Lip & Eye Liner can be used on both the eyes as a liner and the lips to line the lips. The applicator is easy to use and lovely and fine so defining the lip line and creating a nice line and flick on the eyes is easy to do. The shade I have is You're Mermazing, a stunning metallic purple shade which looks incredible as an eyeliner and also on the lips as a liner and all over the lips, it dries to a gorgeous metallic finish and looks beautiful, there are also a variety of other shades available, all equally as stunning. 

Swatch

The swatch on the left is the actual width on application and on the right shows the beautiful metallic purple shade, it's stunning!

Essence Metal Shock Eyeshadow - £3.50

The Essence Metal Shock Eyeshadows are stunning, they come in a variety of shades, all of which are beautiful and I have the shade Stars & Stories a gorgeous metallic pinky/rose gold. The eyeshadow is so easy to use, you can apply it straight from the applicator or use a brush to take some product from the applicator, I find using the applicator is fine, this shade is beautiful on it's own as a one shadow look with some mascara or on the lid with deeper shades in the crease and outer corners. The shadow can be sheered out to give a glossy finish eye look all over the lid, which is very on trend right now, or build it up for a stunning shade that compliments a neutral eye look perfectly. 

Swatch

Essence Vibrant Lash & Brow Gel Mascara - £2.80

The Essence Vibrant Lash & Brow Gel Mascara is available in various different shades, I have the shade Sparkle On a stunning metallic silver. It can be used on the lashes and brows and also the lids by using a brush to take product from the wand. The lash and brow mascara looks great worn alone for a change in my mascara look or applied to the tips of my regular black mascara to add some sparkle, it will be fabulous for Christmas and New Year or any party you might be going to, or you might fancy rocking some sparkle anytime. The other shades available are also stunning. 

Swatch

Essence Moonlight Eyes Cream Eyeshadow - £3.00

The Essence Moonlight Eyes Cream Eyeshadow in the shade Angel is a gorgeous iridescent shade with pink and green tones, it is so pretty and what I would say is a good dupe for the discontinued shade 'Seedy Pearl" by MAC. The texture of the shadow is an almost bouncy mousse type texture and a little goes a long way, the shadow can be layered for a more vibrant look or blended out for a sheer look, it also looks lovely as a highlight for the face. It was hard to capture the shadow on a swatch photograph but this is an absolutely stunning eyeshadow that can be worn all year round. 

Swatch

Essence Instant Volume Boost Mascara - £3.00 

The Essence Instant Volume Boost Mascara has a bristle wand which is quite big but not so big it is difficult to use, I coat my top and bottom lashes easily without it being messy and ending up on the bridge of my nose like some. I really struggle with mascara smudging and flaking so when I read "smudge proof" on the packaging, I hoped it would be the case for me, and it is. The mascara doesn't smudge or flake and lasts all day, it is easy to apply and remove and my lashes look incredible, I have really sad lashes and they're fair so pretty non existent but they look amazing with this mascara, they look longer and fuller and the mascara does what it says on the tin. I have already recommended it to my mum who also struggles with smudging. 

Before & After

Lips

Essence Metal Shock Lipstick - here

The Essence Metal Shock lipstick in the shade Toxicity is a gorgeous metallic gold shade that looks incredible on the lips, if like me you're not brave enough to rock this look outside of the house, they're are 8 shades available with some pink and nude shades for the less daring, but if you want to go all out, there are some incredible shades available. I thought the lipstick would feel different being metallic but it doesn't and it wore really well too. 

Swatch

Essence Vibrant Shock Lip Paint - £3.30 

The Essence Vibrant Shock Lip Paints are available in various different shades, I have the shade Twisted Sister, a gorgeous bright pink, I love pink and bright lip shades, so this is perfect for me. As with the lipstick, there are some more wearable shades and some more daring shades depending on your preference. The applicator is quite long with a tapered end making it easy to apply the lipstick and to define the cupids bow and lip line. The lipstick doesn't feel uncomfortable, it dries down and feels matte but has a metallic sheen to it which is stunning and like nothing I have ever tried before. I got around 4 hours wear time from the lipstick which included eating and drinking and it wore away nicely and touched up well too. 

Swatch

Nails

Essence Holo Rainbow Nail Polish - £2.80

I am a real nail polish geek and when I saw the Essence Holo Rainbow polish in the shade Holo Fever I couldn't wait to use it, it is such a stunning shade and I was absolutely furious to have just had gel nails applied, so couldn't yet wear it. Holo Fever is a gorgeous multi coloured glitter/holographic polish that captures the light beautifully. It can be worn alone or over another polish and looks stunning either way, there are other shades available in this range and I definitely need them all! 

Swatch

This is just one coat of the nail polish, isn't it stunning? 

Overall Thoughts & My Special Blogging 

Halloween Helper

I absolutely love all these products, there isn't one I don't like. Essence is fantastic brand, their prices are incredibly affordable and their products rival many of the high end products I have in my collection. If you haven't yet tried Essence, I highly recommend you do, you definitely won't be disappointed. Their products are available in store and online at Wilko. 

If you would like any in depth reviews of any of the products, please let me know, I will of course be back soon with a NOTD with the Holo polish. 

And now all that remains for me to say is HAPPY HALLOWEEN and a massive Happy Halloween from my gorgeous blog helper Tinkerbell, 

who clearly loves Essence as much as I do!

A NEW Mens Skincare Range Exclusive To Primark

Primark are killing it at beauty wise at the moment and it's brilliant to see various different brands in store. One of the latest brands to launch in Primark's beauty hall is Moose Head, Australia's number one male grooming brand, and Moose Head have recently expanded it's hugely successful range to include two new skincare products.  

I was very kindly sent those two products for Simon to try and he has been trying them out for a few weeks now and today I shall let you know his thoughts. The products I received are the Moose Head Jump Start Face Wash and the Moose Head Smoothly Does It Hydrating Moisturiser. 

Moose Head Jump Start Face Wash - 150ml - £4.00 

The packaging of the Moose Head products is nice and bright, I like the bright green and blue and the Moose Head logo on the front is quite subtle, there is some information on the product on the front of the tube and more on the back with instructions for use. 

 What Moose Head Say About The Face Wash

Created with natural walnut scrubbing particles, the face wash works to remove dirt and impurities whilst softening the skin and beard. The scrub helps to loosen and remove dead skin cells creating the perfect pre-shave base. 

Simon's Thoughts

In all honesty, when asked what he thought of the packing of the products, Simon wasn't too bothered, I said I liked the bright colours but he said he doesn't really go off packaging when looking for products but he did like that the products were different colours making it easier to find the products should he be looking in store. Simon also thought the lid of the tube opened with ease and the hygiene tab was also easy to remove. 

Simon has been using the Moose Head products for a few weeks now, he did want to tell me his thoughts after the first use but I said with skincare you really need to try it for a few weeks to see if you notice a difference, and I didn't know if he would stick to it at first, but he has and I'm really grateful to him for being my guinea pig. 

Simon doesn't have a beard but he only shaves once a week as he likes to have stubble (I think he's channelling his inner George Michael) He has used the face wash when he is clean shaven and when he has stubble. 

When Simon first used the face wash, he said he didn't think it felt as if it would be abrasive enough to exfoliate his skin and remove the dead skin cells, but as he used the face wash, it became thinner in consistency and he could feel the walnut particles get to work, leaving his face feeling soft and clean, he liked the scent of the face wash and said that became more prominent as he used the wash too but wasn't over powering. 

Simon noticed when using the face wash when he had stubble, his stubble felt softer and when he used the face wash pre shave, he said he did feel as if shaving was easier. His skin also felt very clean and soft, to give you some idea of Simon's skin, Simon has normal/oily skin and had acne as a teenager and still gets the odd acne blemish. He has used the face wash three to five times a week for the last few weeks and likes the way he skin feels after using it. 

Moose Head Smoothly Does It Hydrating Moisturiser - 75ml - £4.00

What Moose Head Say About The Hydrating Moisturiser

This super hydrating dual action moisturiser works to keep the face and facial hair smooth and conditioned. When used with the Moose Head Face Wash the pair guarantee to keep the face looking fresh from day to night, beard or no beard.

Simon's Thoughts

Simon has been applying the Moose Head Smoothly Does It Hydrating Moisturiser once or twice a day for the last few weeks. Simon has normal/oily skin but I do think his skin was dehydrated too, before trying the Moose Head products, Simon didn't have a skincare routine as such, he will use samples he has but not regularly enough to have a skincare routine, so it felt alien to him at first to use a face wash and moisturiser on a daily basis, when I asked him what he usually does he said "I wash my face in the shower using my shower gel or use the soap on the sink" can I point out that the soap on the bathroom sink is in fact antibacterial hand wash! 

Simon said, like the face wash, the moisturiser has a nice scent and he said it rubbed in nicely to his skin, sank in well and left his skin and stubble feeling soft, in his words "my face feels soft as a babies bottom" so I'm assuming that's a good thing. 

Simon's Overall Thoughts

Simon said he likes the way his skin feels after using the face wash and moisturiser and he does think his skin is looking better, when I asked him how it looks better he said "it feels really nice and looks shiny and healthy" in blogger terminology that translates to, his skin feels soft and smooth and looks brighter and more radiant, when he read this, he laughed and said "that's what I meant". 

Not having a skincare routine, Simon didn't have much to compare the Moose Head products to, but I asked him to use some of the high end skin care samples we have from a couple of different brands to see if what the difference between those and the Moose Head products was. Luckily Simon had a couple of samples of face scrub and moisturisers to try and after using the high end products I asked Simon what the main differences between the brands were and he said "apart from the smell, nothing".

I didn't tell Simon the price of the Moose Head products before he used them but after using them and comparing them to the high end products he said "they are really good for 4 pounds each and to be honest, those dear products are no better, the ones I've been using do the job just as well and I wouldn't bother paying loads when I can get really good stuff for a few pounds" 

He said he didn't think he was going to like using the face wash and moisturiser and never really saw the point in using skincare, but he has liked the way his skin feels and the way it is looking better too and he said it has definitely changed the way he thinks about male skincare, he has also continued to use the products which I think, says a lot considering before he trialled the products for me, he didn't have a skincare routine at all. 

When I asked Simon if he would go out and buy the Moose Head products when his ran out, he said yes he would and I also asked him which product he liked best of the two and he said the face wash without a doubt and just when I thought I'd never make a blogger out of him, he said "they'd be good  at Christmas too, cause you always say men are hard to buy for", finally, I asked Simon if he would recommend the products and he said "yes definitely". 

If the man or men in your life, would like to try the Moose Head Jump Start Face Wash and Smoothly Does It Hydrating Moisturiser, they are £4.00 each and available from Primark. 

Would the man/men in your life use these products? Or do they use these products? And if so, do they like them? And does your fella have a regular skincare routine? Let me know in the comments section below. 

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The L'Oreal Paradise Mascara - Worth The Hype?

The L'Oreal Paradise Mascara £11.99 has been massively hyped amongst bloggers and on social media since it's launch in the summer, I was dying to get my hands on it and when I saw the lovely Dena had a giveaway for one on her Instagram account I entered immediately and to my complete surprise I won! I never win anything so I was absolutely thrilled, not only because I won the mascara I really wanted to try but because I won something too, and it seems Dena brought me luck because since then I have won 3 more giveaways, she really is my lucky charm. 

The mascara arrived the day before I went on my holidays and when I opened the parcel, I was so touched, Dena had not only sent me the mascara but she had put a couple of gorgeous nail polishes in (NOTD post coming soon) and some other little makeup bits and bobs, a lovely notebook and a really lovely print, I was so so touched and it made my day, I have of course thanked Dena but thank you again Dena it was so very kind of you. 

As I said the mascara arrived the day before my holidays and being a blogger, I had to take photographs of it before I used it, so I was a good girl and didn't take it on holiday, as much as it killed me not to. A few days after I got home, it was time to take photographs so I could finally use the mascara, I have been using it ever since and today I'm going to let you know if I think it's worth the hype. 

What L'Oreal Say About The Paradise Mascara 

Take your lashes to paradise with intense volume and spectacular length. The Ultra-Soft brush coats lashes with a silky smooth formula, enriched with lash-loving Castor oil. Lashes feel feather-soft, without any flaking. Intense volume and spectacular length, with a feather-soft feel.

My Thoughts

When the Paradise mascara first launched, I had seen a lot of people comparing it to the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara, which I don't like, it smudges and flakes on me badly, plus I really dislike the brush, I know that is probably a shocker as most people adore it, including my lovely friend Chelsea but I really do not like it, so I was concerned I might not like the Paradise mascara. 

That said, I do struggle with mascaras and most smudge and flake on me, I don't know why but I really struggle to find mascaras that don't if they aren't waterproof and some that are still do, so it is a real pain finding mascaras I love so I usually stick to what I know works for me but this mascara had such a lot of hype surrounding it, it drew me in. 

I love the packaging of the mascara, the rose gold coloured tube and lid are lovely and I think the mascara looks more high end than drugstore. The brush is quite big and is a bristle brush and has an hourglass shape. I don't really have a huge preference of mascara brush to be honest, if it doesn't smudge and flake then it's OK by me.

I noticed that the brush picked up quite a lot of product the first time I used the mascara but it isn't an issue, I just wiped the excess off, I found the mascara easy to apply, I can be pretty messy with mascara and usually end up with it on the bridge of my nose but I didn't find I was anymore messy with this than any other mascara and the brush is suitable for both my top and bottom lashes. 

The first time I applied the mascara, I was seriously impressed with the way my lashes looked, after just one coat they looked longer, fuller and nicely fanned out. My lashes aren't brilliant and with me being fair, you can't see them, they had been tinted for my holidays so they looked better than they usually would when I first tried the mascara, but the difference was still very obvious.

The photograph above, shows one coat of the paradise mascara on my right eye lashes (left side as you look at the photograph) I think it's safe to say, you can see there is a very obvious difference. I was really pleased with the mascara immediately and one coat made such a difference, so I added another coat and my lashes looked great, some mascaras look really clumpy if you add another coat, but this one doesn't, so I can use one or two depending how dramatic I want my lashes to look. 

The mascara removes well with my balm cleanser, oil based eye makeup remover, Bioderma and my Superdrug micellar wipes. 

The best thing for me, apart from my lashes looking so much longer and fuller, is that the mascara doesn't smudge or flake at all and it looks just as good when it is time to remove it as it did when I applied it. Now this is a bit of a gross admission but when I returned from holiday, because I had a tan, my makeup consisted of the mascara and a lovely pale pink matte liquid lip stick from Essence, one night I committed the cardinal blogger sin, I went to bed and forgot to remove my makeup! In my defence I was unwell and just got into bed, but the morning after I was shocked to discover my mascara looked exactly the same as when I went to bed and to be fair, it looked exactly the same as when I had applied it 24 hours earlier. 

I couldn't believe it, it hadn't smudged or flaked at all and still looked great and although that something I'd rather not admit to, I felt I had to to show you how good this mascara is. I absolutely love it and will without a doubt be re purchasing it, it is so good, my lashes look great and the difference is amazing, plus the mascara doesn't ever flake or smudge and it has incredible lasting power, I am seriously impressed and the L'Oreal Paradise Mascara has to be my favourite drugstore mascara of all time at the moment, it is so so good.

In the photograph below, I am wearing one coat of the mascara and I have been wearing it for several hours. I wanted to show you how it looks with a full face of makeup, rather than just my before and after photograph. 

I cannot recommend this mascara enough and if you haven't tried it but have been considering it, please do, you won't regret it. I can't say if it is a dupe for the Too Faced mascara as I have only tried that once, I do like the way my lashes look with that mascara, but it smudges badly on me and flakes too but to be fair, so do most mascaras I try. 

If you want longer, fuller lashes that don't clump together, giving you that "one lash" look, then give this mascara a try, it is brilliant and I am so pleased I won Dena's giveaway and had the chance to try it and I will 100% be repurchasing, it is incredible and in my opinion, definitely worth the hype. 

Have you tried the L'Oreal Paradise Mascara? Do you think it is a dupe for the Too Faced Better Than Sex? Do you struggle like me to find a mascara that doesn't smudge or flake? And have you ever forgot to remove your makeup before bed?  

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