Tuesday 3 October 2017

Matt V's Shine With Essence

Matt V's Shine With Essence

I am a huge lip product junkie, I love all makeup but I do always gravitate towards lip products. Since the launch of the liquid lipstick, I have amassed quite a collection, I really like liquid lipsticks and I also like a matte finish and considering most are matte, they are perfect for me. I do wear other finishes but usually a satin is as "glossy" as I go, I have very long hair and my hair and lip gloss don't get on too well, and most glosses I have tried have been incredibly sticky and I hate the feeling of sticky lip products, so I steer clear of lip glosses or any super glossy finish lipstick. 

Recently I received a fabulous package from Essence and in the package were a selection of lip products, half were a matte finish and half were a glossy finish, so this put me to the test of "Matte V's Shine". I immediately thought that the matte products would win hands down, there was no contest for me, even before trying the products, I had decided that the matte products would win, did they? That's what I'm going to let you know. 

Matt V's Shine With Essence

I received 2 of the Essence Matt Matt Matt Long lasting Lip glosses, 2 of their Shine Shine Shine Wet Look Lip glosses, and 1 of each of their Sheer And Shine Lipsticks and Matt Matt Matt Lipsticks. All the lip products were either red toned or nude toned both shades I love and I couldn't wait to start the Matt V's Shine challenge. 

I wore each lip product several times and in different situations to give them a thorough test, I wore them when I was going to an appointment and just chatting, when I would be chatting and drinking and when I was chatting, eating and drinking. 

ESSENCE MATT MATT MATT LONG LASTING LIP GLOSS

Essence Matt Matt Matt Lip Gloss

The shades I have in the Essence Matt Matt Matt Long lasting Lip gloss are Ready, Set Impress £2.30 a lovely cherry red shade and La Vie Est Belle £2.30 a stunning muted pale pink. 

Essence claim that their new lip gloss range "provide long lasting colour with a high coverage and velvety matt finish". 

The lip gloss come with a nicely shaped applicator which tapers towards the end in a slight point and is easy to use and doesn't pick up too much product, I find the lip gloss easy to apply, they don't bleed or feather and aren't messy at all. 

Essence Matt Matt Matt Lip Gloss

The matt lip glosses don't dry fully but yet they aren't sticky at all, their formula is lovely, almost feeling whipped, they feel soft on the lips and because they don't dry fully, they feel moisturising and don't crack. They have a lovely sweet scent which is almost caramel like, they smell amazing. 

I have worn both shades several times and love them both, they are completely different but both can be worn day or night, both shades apply well without any messiness and both shades wear and last really well too, the colour fades away nicely on the lips and doesn't leave an unattractive ring of colour around my lips and both shades top up nicely too without looking cakey. 

I get around 2 to 4 hours wear time from the matt lip glosses depending on if I am eating or drinking or just chatting and because they don't dry down there is some transfer, but nothing major and considering how comfortable to wear they are I really don't see that as an issue. I am really impressed by these and will definitely be checking out the other shades in the range, they are better and more comfortable than some other liquid lipsticks I own which are 10 times more expensive. They apply well, feel lovely and look lovely on the lips, have a great wear time and these lip glosses are just £2.30, that is incredible! 

ESSENCE MATT MATT MATT LIPSTICK

Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick

The Essence Matt Matt Matt Lipstick I have is in the shade Kiss Me If You Can £2.30 and is a lovely deep cherry red shade, and as soon as I applied it I thought that it is very similar to Russian Red by MAC, but ever so slightly lighter in shade. 

Essence claim their new Matt Matt Matt Lipstick range "unites a high colour dispersion with a gorgeous matt finish". 

The Matt Matt Matt Lipstick comes in a silver shiny packaging with a matte finish lid in deep red which is slightly see through, the Essence logo is on the top of the lid and there is a shade label on the bottom. The lipstick is embossed with the essence logo which I found a nice touch and the lipstick looks much more expensive than it's £2.30 price tag. 

The lipstick applies well and isn't dragging on the lips at all, it has a slight satin finish to it at first but it does dry to a matte. It feels very comfortable for a matte finish and it doesn't bleed or feather and there is minimal transfer. 

I own a lot of matte lipsticks but this feels lovely in comparison to others I have, it has a matte finish and wears like a matte, but feels more comfortable, not hydrating or moisturising, it is just comfortable to wear and if you are usually put off a matte finish because they can feel very drying and flaky, this isn't like that at all. I get around 2 to 5 hours wear time from the lipstick depending on whether or not I am eating and drinking and the lipstick re applies really well if needed. 

SWATCHES OF THE MATT MATT MATT PRODUCTS

Swatches of Essence Matt Matt Matt Lip Products

ESSENCE SHINE SHINE SHINE WET LOOK LIP GLOSS 

Essence Shine Shine Shine Wet Look Lip Gloss

The shades I have in the Shine Shine Shine Wet Look Lip Gloss are Happiness In A Bottle £2.00 a gorgeous pink toned nude shade and Red Carpet Starlet £2.00 a stunning bright red shade. 

Essence claim their Shine Shine Shine Wet Look Lip Gloss "have a smooth, supple texture and create an extreme shine on the lips with a wet look effect". 

The applicator on the shine lip gloss is exactly the same as the matt lip gloss applicator and is very easy to use, it isn't messy at all and doesn't pick up too much product. The gloss has a lovely sweet scent with a slightly fruity scent too, and like the matt glosses, they smell delicious. 

Essence Shine Shine Shine Wet Look Lip Gloss

As I said I am not a lip gloss lover, I don't ever buy lip gloss and although I do have some in my collection, I don't ever wear them, I end up with my hair stuck in them and if I wear my hair up, I find them sticky and not nice to wear, so because of this, I decided that when trying out the Shine Shine Shine glosses, I would wear my hair up because lets face it, there isn't a lip gloss brand in the world that has a "doesn't stick to your hair" formula and if there is, I haven't come across it. 

The first gloss I tried was Happiness In A Bottle, I was having a no makeup day apart from mascara, and my hair was up in a messy bun. As soon as I applied the gloss I looked up the recipe for humble pie, I had in my mind decided when I opened the parcel from Essence that I wasn't going to like the Shine Shine Shine glosses and that they would be sticky and not nice, so after googling "how to make humble pie" I sat on my sofa shocked, I kept checking in the mirror, no bleeding or feathering and the colour was beautiful, a gorgeous pink toned nude and it wasn't sticky at all, not one little bit. 

Since I liked the Happiness In A Bottle, I couldn't wait to try Red Carpet Starlet, the shade is gorgeous, a beautiful vibrant bright red shade, both shades are extremely opaque, which can be unusual for a gloss and both feel extremely comfortable on the lips. I thought I might experience some feathering or bleeding with the red shade but I didn't and it was super easy to apply and not messy at all. I haven't ever worn a lip gloss so comfortable, I would say they feel more like a very moisturising lip stick than a gloss, they don't have that tackiness when you talk or smack your lips together, they feel absolutely lovely.

Both shades have an incredible shine and look so pretty on the lips, I love wearing the nude shade with just some mascara for a simple look, I still have some of my holiday tan so I can get away without foundation, so a quick slick of mascara and the nude gloss and I'm good to go. The red looks stunning with a neutral makeup look and the shine is beautiful. 

ESSENCE SHEER AND SHINE LIPSTICK

Essence Shine Sheer And Shine Lipstick

I have the shade Glamour Queen in the Essence Sheer And Shine Lipstick £2.00, it is a lovely brown toned nude but it does have a slight pink undertone to it, it is a lovely shade. 

Essence claim their Sheer And Shine Lipsticks "feel pleasantly light on the lips and provide them with a gorgeous subtle colour". 

The packaging of the Sheer And Shine Lipstick is exactly  the same as the Matt Matt Matt Lipstick packaging apart from the lid is more transparent than on the matt range, the lid is a corresponding shade to the lipstick. 

Considering the lipstick is a sheer lipstick, I found the colour to be quite strong, for me that is a good thing as I'm not a huge fan of sheer lip products, my lips are very blue due to the medication I take and because of that they are naturally quite dark in colour so sheer lip products don't really show on my lips, but I was pleasantly surprised with the Sheer And Shine lipstick.

The lipstick feels very comfortable to wear and my lips feel soft and hydrated, I get around 2 to 4 hours wear time from the lipstick, dependant on if I am eating and drinking and being a shine finish there is some transfer, but that is inevitable given the finish

I wouldn't have chosen the shade Glamour Queen because it is more brown toned than I usually like in a nude, but now I have tried it, I really like it. I always thought that brown toned nudes don't suit me and I have always gone for pink toned nudes because of it, but I receive so many compliments when I wear Glamour Queen that I have come to realise that a brown toned nude does actually suit me. It is a really nice shade and the finish is lovely, it is glossy but not overly glossy, it has a lovely shine to it and again I wear it with just some mascara and it's great for no makeup days but looks stunning with a full face of makeup too. 

SWATCHES OF THE SHINE SHINE SHINE PRODUCTS

Swatches Of The Essence Shine Shine Shine Lip Products

OVERALL THOUGHTS & WHO'S THE WINNER?

When I first opened the parcel from Essence, I immediately made my mind up, which in hindsight was wrong of me to do before trying the products, but in my head the matt products would be the winners, end of, they had to be, I love a matte finish and hated lip gloss so it was a no brainer, wasn't it?  

I have worn all 6 products several times so I could give a thorough test for this post, I love Essence products so I knew I would like the products but still had reservations about the shine gloss, however I do like all 6 lip products, I have my favourites in both formula and shades but there isn't any single product I don't like and haven't worn more than once since trying them out for this post.

All the lip products apply well and are simple to apply and not messy, none of them feather or bleed and all of them wear away nicely and don't leave a nasty looking ring of colour around my lips. The colour payoff of all the products is incredible, it is obviously less opaque with the Sheer And Shine lipstick but that is to be expected as it is meant to be, however I did still find the colour payoff to be really good considering it is a sheer product.

The Matt Matt Matt Lip Glosses feel lovely, the formula is completely different to other matte liquid lipsticks I have in my collection, but I much prefer this formula as it is very comfortable to wear and is very similar to the formula of the Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet but a lot more affordable.

The product that shocked me the most was the Shine Shine Shine Wet Look glosses, I honestly thought I would hate them, I loved the shades as soon as I saw them but thought I would be trying them for the post and then passing them on. I can't believe how nice they feel on the lips, they aren't in the slightest bit sticky and they are incredibly opaque, plus the shine is amazing.

Overall I liked all the lip products but my favourites have to be the Matt Matt Matt Lip Glosses and the Shine Shine Shine Wet Look Lip Glosses and my favourite shades in the two are La Vie Est Belle and Happiness In A Bottle which also surprised me as I adore a red lip. Although these are my favourite products and shades from the 6, I will be getting a lot of wear from all 6 products as I love them all and they all look lovely on, and I will definitely be purchasing some more shades of both the Matt and Shine glosses.

So, who's the winner?

It's a tie, I just can't choose between the glosses at all, so I'm afraid I am firmly on the fence.  I really like them both. 

I never thought the outcome would be a tie, never in a million years, I can't believe I have found a gloss I love after all these years of hating lip gloss. Something this challenge has taught me, is to step out of my comfort zone and try new things and try things I assume I won't like, whether it be finish or shade. I had a lot of fun trying out all the products since returning from my holidays, I have been unwell so it has been a welcome distraction, and I hope you had fun finding out my thoughts.


If you would like to try any of the products featured in my post, you can find Essence on the Wilko website.


Are you Team Matte or Team Shine? Let me know in the comments below, I can't wait to find out the winner of the comments section. 






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