And again essence released a bunch of new makeup as they do so often. I got three things that are new in the permanent range, a colour changing lip balm from the newest Oz The Great and Powerful TE and a mascara that has been in the permanent range for a while. That little red pot from Catrice is a part of the Neo Geisha LE. I'll do this in two parts, the second will feature lip products and I'll post it very soon (I have the pictures already, I just have to write the reviews).
First up is the Match2Cover cream concealer:
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The idea here is that you have two shades of concealer in one product and you either use one, or mix the two to get the perfect match for your skin. It is a great idea, I'll give them that, but the product leaves much to be desired.
Starting with the packaging. It's simple, plastic, the lid stays shut and doesn't feel flimsy. It is small, compact and good for travelling.
The texture is what left me disappointed. It feels creamy in the pot, but so dry on my skin and I wore a moisturiser underneath (La Roche Posay Cicaplast if you're wondering). You can see on the picture where I'm wearing it that it looks cakey and dry. I had difficulties blending it nicely as it didn't melt in my skin at all. I also didn't like it for pinpoint concealing. For some reason it didn't cover the redness I have from old blemishes and it just caked up. Maybe it would perform better on oiler skins, I don't know. I find it almost a complete dupe of theBalm's Time Balm concealer in terms of texture. Essence feels a bit more creamy to the touch, however, on the skin both feel dry and very similar.
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I'd say coverage is medium to full. Perhaps I'm just spoiled from Estee Lauder Maximum Cover, but I find that though it covers my circles well, it doesn't cover blemishes or red marks effectively.
Shades are a pleasant surprise, though. The light shade is the lightest I own. It's even lighter than theBalm's Time Balm Lighter than Light and even on my Snow White skin, it works wonderful as an illuminator. Just for reference, Maybelline's the Eraser in Fair is my perfect match right now. The darker shade is a smidgen darker than Maybelline's the Eraser in Light and I think it will match a lot of people. Unfortunately, this is the only combination of shades available, so people with darker skintones won't find a match here.
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Here is a comparison of all concealers I have plus Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in 51 (it's swatched on my forearm, which is milky white right now):
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I'm wearing the concealer on the right. As you can see it looks dry and obvious. Perhaps if I used a super greasy moisturiser it would work better. However, it creased even without it, so I think it would be even worse with it. Included here is the effect of essence get BIG lashes mascara:
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All in all, I'm not too impressed. I was looking forward to this concealer, but it left me disappointed. If your skin is dry avoid it. Perhaps, it performs better on oilier skin. It costs 2.69€.
Essence get BIG lashes volume boost waterproof mascara is not a new addition in the essence range, but Sara from Passing Fancy said it's her favourite, so I gave it a go. You can see the effect in the picture above, honestly the lashes look a bit bigger in person than on the pic (I have no idea why my lashes always look so blah in pictures and so much nicer in person). In my experience, it gives you more length than volume. You get big lashes all right, but it looks a bit too clumpy for my taste. I prefer the look of natural volume, I mean big lashes that still look like there is nothing or much on them. I get that with the Maybelline one, though this one is not bad at all. I think it looks better a few minutes after application. I find the brush clumsy, because it's big and the bristles could be more defined. It looks just like an old school brush. The formula is dry as with most waterproof mascaras. It is a very good waterproof mascara, better than the Maybelline one. The latter smudges in contact with water and this one doesn't. It crumbles under a shower, but to a much lesser degree than I expected. In that respect I give a nod to essence. Because it's a good waterproof mascara is holds curl well. It's a nice mascara for the price, but not my favourite drugstore one. I like how it's waterproof, holds curl and lengthens, but the brush could be nicer and I'm not too excited about the clumps either. It costs 2.69 €.
Second part will be up soon. Thanks for reading!