Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Base

Since I started running low on my beloved Urban Decay Primer Potion I need to purchase a new one. While I wanted to purchase the same I thought I would try one or two from drugstore first so I bought the Essence I Love Stage eyeshadow base. I wanted to find a cheaper primer which I could easily buy at stores since E.L.F. primers are good and cheap but only available for online purchase.

The packaging is medium sized, hard plastic tube with doe-foot applicator. While I like the look of it and I find it pretty, it's definitely not the kind of packaging I would choose for such product simply before it will really hard to get every ounce of the product. I also expected for it to have more in because it is kinda bulky but it contains 0.13 fl oz/ 4 ml which is a bit less than the e.l.f primer and far less than Primer Potion which have 0.85 fl oz. The doe-foot applicator is not tiny nor huge in size and will definitely help you to get the very last ounce of product when you'll be running low on this. 

For me the most important thing about an eyeshadow primer is it's performance and not so much the packing. I mean, what I'm going to do with one which has amazing packing but poor performance? But a nice packing is definitely a bonus. So does this Essence eyeshadow base do it's job? The quick answer is yes but it's definitely not on UDPP level. 

There are two things that I want from eyeshadow primer, the first and most important is to prolong the longevity and second intensify the color payoff. While the are other ways to boost the payoff, like using another base such as NYX Jumbo pencils, there are no other ways to prolong the staying power. So in color boosting it does a fairly good job and I definitely see a difference when applying eyeshadow on top of this primer.  

While I have pretty oily eyelids, my main problem area is the inner part of the crease because that is where the eyeshadow starts creasing and fading first. This base does pretty well in helping the eyeshadow to stay in place for much longer than they would on their own but unfortunately I start noticing slight fading and creasing on that problem area that I mentioned before after around 6 hours or so. Though on someone with not so oily eyelids the base would work much better.

What I really love about Essence I Love Stage base is the super creamy texture. The consistency reminds of concealer, it is super blendable and it leaves a natural matte finish. Also is gives a bit of coverage, just enough to slightly even out the skin tone on the lids and doesn't leave that ugly white-ish color that some primer do.

All in all Essence I Love Stage is a very decent eyeshadow base and if you want something affordable for day to day use this is the primer to go. I don't remember exactly the price but it couldn't be more than 4+ euros. Have you tried this primer? Which is your current favorite eyeshadow primer?

Essence Longlasting Lipstick in Barely There

Couple weeks ago I visisted a local beauty supply store because I needed a new fragrance and makeup remover. As usual I stopped at the Essence stand and as I was looking through the products my eye cought this beautiful lipstick, which was the last one of this color. So I got the Essence longlasting lipstick in Barely There. To be honest I never tried Essence lipsticks before but I've heard many girls saying good things about them, including some of my friends.

While I'm not a huge fan of regular Essence lipsticks packaging, the longlasting range has a very nice sleek, black matte packaging with their logo on top of the cap. It also has a band right in middle which is the same color as the lipstick and it's really handy for storage purposes. One more aspect that I like is the fact that on the lipstick itself there is the Essence logo which makes it look more higher end since majority of high end lipsticks have the company logo on too.

Now let's talk about the lipstick itself. As the name suggests, Barely There, it's a pretty nude color with the right amount of pink in it. It's one of those nude colors that won't make you look like you have concealed your lips or even worst like you are dead; it's more of brownish nude. If you have very fair skin and pale lips this won't look so "nude lips" on you but it's still a very pretty color. As for pigmentation, it really good and with one swipe you get enough but you can also build up the color. Now, is it really longlasting? I would say  yes and no because if I won't eat something it will stay on for good 5 hours which,  for it's price, is pretty good, if you ask me. Many lipsticks that stay on for longer period of time tend to be kinda drying, this one is ok but I wouldn't say that it's moisturizing either.

All in all I really like the color and will buy another one because my mom loved the color and wants it too. I'll probably purchase few more colors because I think for it's price the longlasting range really worth it. Have you tried any lipsticks from this range? Do you like Essence lipsticks?