Every brand seems to be jumping on the liquid lipstick bandwagon, and Essence have released five shades of Liquid Lipstick and they retail for just £2.50 each from Wilko. The new Essence Liquid Lipsticks are described as being a 2 in 1 formula which combines the coverage of a lipstick, with the shine of a lipgloss. The packaging is very obviously inspired by the Dior Fluid Stick packaging, with a lipstick bullet shape within the centre. I really like the packaging, and that the lids are colour coordinated to reflect the shade inside which is perfect if you own multiple shades.
From the five shades on offer, I have three of the shades; 01 Colour Party, 04 Show Off! and 06 Make a Statement. Even though the shade range is pretty limited, I’d like to think they’ll add more shades in the future as Essence usually have really great shade ranges across their makeup line, but the shades do cover all bases with nudes, pinks and a couple of reds so there’s bound to be at least one shade that’ll suit everyone.
Each of the Essence Liquid Lipsticks have a doe foot applicator which is quite narrow rather than the rounded shape you usually get with a doe foot applicator, and I find this narrower shape makes for a much more precise application, and the middle of the applicator features a small well which holds extra product so you don’t have to keep dipping the applicator back into the tube for more product which again is similar to the Dior Fluid Sticks.
Colour Party is my favourite shade from the three that I own, and is a pretty light pink which looks a little bubblegum-esque in the swatch above but on the lips it’s a lot more muted I can assure you. Show Off! is a bright reddy coral shade which almost looks neon on the lips, and Make a Statement is a dark reddy brown shade which isn’t particularly flattering on my pale skintone, but I imagine it’d look lovely on darker skintones. They feel quite smooth on the lips, with no detectable scent whatsoever and the weartime is around one to two hours, with Show Off lasting the longest from the three shades that I own.
I’m not entirely sure I’d describe these as being liquid lipsticks, as to me they’re more of a pigmented gloss. I do have to do quite a lot of swipes to build up the colour for an opaque finish, and I’d definitely say even then they don’t give the coverage of a lipstick like they claim. Due to their glossiness, they are a little sticky but not uncomfortably so, but they’re not perhaps the lip product of choice if you have long hair on a windy day as it could get a little messy. I would recommend using a clear lipliner with the Essence Liquid Lipsticks as they all have the tendency to bleed a little; especially Make a Statement but for £2.50 each, I think they’re really nice glosses but don’t buy them expecting a full on liquid lipstick like the Lime Crime Velvetines or the Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks, as I think you’d perhaps be disappointed.
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