Budget Beauty - A Review Of The Essence 3D Eyeshadow In Irresistible Caramel Cream

Hi Guys x As promised today's post is a beauty one, and it's a review of a beautiful eyeshadow courtesy of Essence.

Up until last year it was almost impossible to get hold of Essence products in the UK. This German based, budget brand was widely available in mainland Europe, but for some reason it never made it across the channel. Last year though our prayers were answered and the range started popping up in their own standalone stores and  in Wilkinson stores throughout country, and on the Wilko website. 

Although I live quite close to a few stores, I have to say that it's not somewhere that I go to that often. I love the store and the fact that they sell everything under the sun but I'm much more of a shopping mall shopper rather than a town or city centre girl. Late last year though me and Mummy Lou took a trip to the Sunderland store and whilst we were there I took advantage of the brand spanking new Essence stand, and picked up a few different things to try.

Although the stand drew me in like a magnet, it was the eyeshadows that really called to me. I knew the quality was decent based on a couple of limited editions that I'd already had so I bought 3, one from each of their permanent lines, the original, Metal Glam, and 3D. I will be reviewing them all for you at some point but today's review is all about the Essence 3D Eyeshadow in 04 Irresistible Caramel Cream.

I'm a huge lover of the MAC Satin Swirls, and that's what these eyeshadows remind me of. Big on shimmer, you get two shades in each 2.9g compact. One of the shadows has an almost textured wave, effect and the other one is smooth. Irresistible Caramel Cream contains a gorgeous, creamy champagne shades alongside a beautiful metallic, bronze, brown. The brown shade looks a little flat irl and almost a little bit green but it's totally transformed when it's swatched.

The shadows are soft and creamy but not powdery and are insanely pigmented. The shadows are swatched dry here but you can also use them wet for an even more intense, foiled, metallic finish.

The horrible Autumn / Winter light has beaten me again, so although you won't be seeing any photos of this eyeshadow combo on my eyes, you have to believe me when I say how much I love it and how pretty it actually looks on,

For the last month or so, bar one or two days I've either worn the eyeshadow combination from the Benefit Bronze Of Champions Total Bronze Kit (read my review here) or I've worn this duo. For me it's the perfect everyday, natural eye look. The shades blend together effortlessly, and for the price, the wear time is superb even without a primer.

These fabulous shadows come in at least 9 other shades and they retail for a pretty fabulous £2.80 each. I can definitely see myself making either a trip to my local Wilko store or placing an online order for a couple more. I'm thinking about 07, a sort of metallic, pewter colour, and 02, a silver and lilac combo.

I currently have the biggest Essence wishlist at the moment, but I'd love to know your picks before I take the plunge, so leave me a comment and let me know your recommendations x

A Review Of The Make Up Revolution I♥MAKEUP Blushing Hearts Triple Baked Blusher In Blushing Hearts

I hope you'll forgive me for my absence over the past few days but it seems at long last that summer has arrived here in my little part of the UK. Whilst blogging hasn't been far from my thoughts whilst I've been enjoying the sunshine, wearing make up has been the last thing on my mind! I honestly don't know how some of you do it, I last wore make up last Friday and to be honest I struggled from the first minute to stop it from running in this sticky, humid weather.

It's a bit of a shame really, because last week I received a couple of make up products through the post that I really wanted to try out. The products in question come from the brand I♥MAKEUP, the little sister of brand of the moment Make Up Revolution.

The brand is a lot more playful, and lot funkier, with quirkier packaging and product designs. The I♥MAKEUP line borrows quite heavily from higher end make up brands, both in the products themselves and in the packaging. As I've said quite recently the budget duping, and inspired by products don't really bother me. As beauty junkies we're the ones that benefit and we now have the choice over whether or not to save or splurge

The new line contains a variety of products ranging from lipsticks and glosses, to blushers and highlighters, to eyeshadow palettes. Again I was restrained and just got the two things - an eyeshadow palette and a blusher. Since I haven't been wearing much make I haven't really used the eyeshadow palette enough to form a proper opinion so as soon as I've had a better chance to play with it I'll stick a review up. I have had a little bit more of an opportunity though to play with the blusher, and boy what a beauty it is.

I♥MAKEUP Blushing Hearts are a range of heart shaped baked blushers, bronzers and highlighters. There are two bronzers, 3 blushers and 1 highlighter to choose from. I went for one of the Triple Baked Blushers - Blushing Hearts.

I know what your thinking fellow beauty junkies = Don't they look very like the Too Faced Sweetheart Blushers? Yes, they do indeed! Once you get past the outer box your left with a cardboard heart shaped box, with a pink lid and a gold base, which almost identical to the Sweethearts, as is the blusher inside!

Once your open the lid you're met with the most beautiful heart shaped baked blusher, the bronzers and highlighters are solid colours with different veining, and the blushers each contain three different shades all with a bit of shimmer. The largest diagonal stripe of Blushing Hearts is a gentle raspberry pink, the middle stripe is a paler peachy, pink and the smallest stripe is an almost mauve pink.

So they definitely look the part with regards to design and packaging but what about the product itself? Well as you can hopefully see from my swatches, this brand has delivered again. The blusher feel soft and silky to the touch, and the pigmentation is excellent. Sometimes baked product can be hard to work with but not this one.

You might think from the packaging and style that this product would very much appeal to the teens out there, and I've no doubt that it will but I'm not a teenager, and I love it and neither is my lovely godmother! She loves nothing better than playing with my beauty bits and this blush was love at first sight for her She loved the shades and the touch of shimmer, and of course the packaging, so when it comes back into stock I'll be ordering one for her and did I mention  that she's 83! a product like this really is for everyone :)

Obviously I can't compare it to the Too Faced Sweethearts because I don't own one, but based on everything that I've seen and searched for online I would find be hard pressed to tell the difference without the labels. The pigmentation and wearability of Blushing Hearts is excellent and the packaging is super cute. The biggest plus point for this product though is the price. The I♥MAKEUP Blushing Hearts Triple Baked Blusher in Blushing Hearts retails at just £4.99 for 10g of product, compare that to a massive £24 for the Too Faced Sweetheart Blushers and in my opinion, you've got a bargain.

I'll definitely by looking to pick up at least one more of these, and at the moment I'm leaning towards THE  Goddess Of Love Highlighter which I've read some really good things about, but if you have any I♥MAKEUP recommendations, leave me a comment and let me know x