Essence Mat Mat Mat! Lipstick 03 Wow Effect

četrtek, november 10, 2016


Here's the thing about Essence lipsticks - I don't like them very much. Actually no one I'm around is terribly happy when I try to give them one of my Essence lipsticks, mostly because of the very disappointing staying power (I got scolded for giving someone an Essence lipstick that "doesn't last more than 15 minutes on the lips"). So I made it my mission to avoid them since I know in advance I'd be disappointed. Even though Essence released a matte version of their formula, which is my kryptonite, I didn't want to risk those few euros. However, when one of my favourite bloggers, Sara from Passing Fancy a.k.a. the lipstick expert, not just praised them, but also named a few MAC dupes, I decided to give one shade a shot. And I disliked it from the start. The colour looked nothing like I hoped, the formula was sheer and staying power was again disappointing. But what I realized a couple of months later when I picked it up again was that the top layer is very deceiving and the real character is revealed when you used it up enough to get to the good stuff.


Texture: These have a very smooth, silicone-y texture which reminds me of Revlon's Matte Balm's, just those are a bit thicker. It's a very lightweight formula for a matte lipsticks, so don't expect any care from it, though I feel zero dryness, but you know I'm a bad example, since almost nothing dries my lips. I love how smooth it looks on the lips and it has a good matte finish for a lipstick, it's actually very close to Milani's Moisture Matte lipsticks in terms of finish, which is my favourite. First uses were a disappointment. It was sheer with one coat and for some reason, I got the colour only on the edges of my lips, so I needed to apply several coats to get a decent level of coverage and an opaque colour pay-off. Now that the top layer is gone, I still need a coat more than at other lipsticks, but it's much better and completely even on the lips.


Colour: I got this shade because Sara said it's similar to Mac's Mehr. I already got Golden Rose Velvet 12, which is also an allegedly very close to Mehr, but Essence's and GR's are completely different. Wow Effect is a medium muted rosy-light berry shade. I have no dupes for this and it's the least peachy-warm shade in my muted rosy collection of shades. It's a very wearable colour that I needed some time to warm up to, but I like it now. It's the type of shade that I think might look more greyish on darker and warmer skin tones than mine, so I really suggest you check more swatches.


Staying Power: This is where is fails in my eyes. While it is a definite improvement from the Longlasting lipsticks a.k.a. the "fifteen minute lippies", this manages to hold on maybe a couple of hours and that's even if you don't eat or drink (which wipe it off almost completely or make it patchy). But what bothers me most is that most of the time, though not all the time, it fades unevenly and it's just not a good look.


Scent: These have a vanilla-berry type of scent that some of Essence's limited edition products have, but it's more gentle


Packaging: Packaging is a typical Essence tube, but this one features a matte cap. I really dislike how badly the lipstick is placed in the base because mine already bent a lot and it's all crooked now in the tube. I can just feel it will break at any moment and it's already very dented in the back.

Price and availability: I got mine in Műller for 2.49 €.


It was rough from the start, but I warmed up to it. I'm still not a fan of Essence lip products apart from their Longlasting Lipliners, but judging from this shade, these aren't such a bad buy. I especially love the finish on the lips and the colour range is actually really nice as well, but staying power is disappointing albeit better than Essence's other lipsticks and the packaging drives me crazy because I don't want my lipstick being all banged up despite being really careful with it. So yay or nay? If you like a shade or you want to try a certain colour, then go for it. But if you expect more from a lipstick, I always say Catrice is still affordable and really good.

Have a great day!

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20 comments

  1. Jaz sem isto na bojni nogi z temi sminkami, vsec mi je odtenek in finish ampak obstojnost je pa se vedno slaba :)

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    1. Finish mi je res prekrasen pri tej šminki, ampak to da tako grdo bledi in da hitro izgine, ji pa ne oprostim. Saj ni zanič šminka, ampak lahko bi bila boljša :)

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  2. Jaz sem jih ravno danes gledala in sem resno razmišljala, da bi točno to barvo kupila, ki si jo ti, pa sem si premislila. Prvič zato, ker moje ustnice enostavno ne prenašajo mat šmink in mi vse tako izsušijo, da je grozno. Drugič pa zato, ker imam doma 73 šmink (sem štela!!) in se mi je zdelo grozno, da bi še eno kupila kar tako.
    Sem drugače z Essence šminkami kar zadovoljna, res je da niso ravno obstojne, ampak jaz jih bolj kot mažem, razmažem, da so bolj prosojne. Na meni izgledajo dobro samo naravni odtenki in živo rdeča.
    Tale barva (3) pa se krasno ujema s tvojimi očmi. Danes sem v v DM videla tudi stojalo s Trend it up ali nekaj podobnega in imajo kar lepe stvari - cena je podobna Essence, bolj kot ne sem gledala eno paletko senčil, ki je sicer ne rabim, ampak se mi je zdela super pigmentirana (za razliko od tistih enojnih).

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    1. Wau to pa je zbirka :D Jaz pa vsakič ko kupim Essence šminko je enostavno nikoli ne nosim, ker se ne morem zanest nanjo, da bo spodobna na ustnicah čim dlje. Pa naj bo še tako lep odtenek, bom zagrabila kaj drugega.

      Hvala :) Trend it Up sem že kupila blush 050 in je prečudovit. Podoben mojemu najljubšemu od Catrice I'm nuts about you, ampak bolj roza-mauve in z lepim zlatim odsevom. Drugih stvari pa še nisem kaj dosti gledala, hvalijo pa lake in šminke :)

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    2. Sem videla rdečila in na dotik so svilenkasti in mehki. Prosim poročaj, kako zdrži čez dan :) Tudi meni so Catrice blushi super, za mojo polt predvsem barve v liniji Defining blush.

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    3. Blush je zelo kvaliteten kar se tiče teksture in pigmentiranosti, ampak včeraj mi ni dolgo zdržal, mogoče par ur, pa sem imela dober puder spodaj.

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  3. Jaz sem si kupila odtenka 02 in temnejšega, mislim, da je 06, ker mi je bil tale malo preroza. Sem zadovoljna, nisem pa super navdušena. Na meni se vseeno ne obdržijo ful dolgo, dve ure recimo, če ne jem in ne pijem. Pa kot si omenila, ko začnejo bledet je to neenakomerno, je treba kar popravljat. Pri odtenku 02, ki je bolj nude roza to ni taka panika, pri unem temnejšem se mi pa ne da in se ga potem posledično malo izogibam...

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    1. Pri 03 kar dosti opazim kako je neenakomeren čez čas, čeprav ni tako temen odtenek. Ampak kar se tiče finiša so te v bistvu poor man's Milani Moisturising Matte :)

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  4. Jaz sem pa z njimi zelo zadovoljna. Ali pa imam samo taksne odtenke doma, ki so dejansko res obstojni. Okej niso zdej 6ur obstojni, 2-4 ure pa kamot. Imam malo bolj rjav odtenek ravno iz te linije, me sedaj mika se tale barva, mi je zelo vsec na tebi. ;)
    Meni pa po obstojnosti zmagajo Make up Factory tiste magnetne sminke. Vijolicna zdrzi na meni cel dan z 1 popravilom. Top mi je. Samo ni barva za vsak dan ;)

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    1. Vidiš meni 2-4 ure ni neka obstojnost. Sicer pa te res veliko bolje zdržijo kot tiste iz navadne linije.
      Za resno obstojnost se sama držim mat tekočih šmink, ampak če želim da je še zelo udobna mi je Revlonova Ultra HD tekoča top :)

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  5. I actually love essence lipsticks, they have a very nice formula and they are very creamy and you can't get better for that price :)

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    1. I disagree that you can't get better - Jordana's are far superior and in some places even cheaper :)

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  6. I tried this one in the shade 02 and have to say that this is the very first matt lipstick that I really love. I have very dry lips so I cherish the light layer I can put on which won't either emphasize any dryness nor dry out my lips any further. I'm completely sold and will check out this shade, too.. in my opinion, it looks like 'snow white' shade on you <3

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    1. Yeah, these really look so good on the lips, the finish is almost perfect, but I put a big emphasis on how the products wears and lasts - those I just mine priorities.
      Thank you <3

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  7. Žal je obstojnost pri teh šminkicah res slaba :/

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    1. Vem, da naj ne bi pričakovala več za ta denar, ampak obstajajo boljše.

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  8. The shade looks totally gorgeous.

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  9. Mene je odtenek na začetku navdušil, zdaj mi pa več ni tako zanimiv. Me pa prav tako jezi, da se prepogiba in imam jaz tudi že skoraj presekano. Nisem se še odločila o svojem mnenju glede te šminke :). Se mi zdi, da si je veliko nanašam na ustnice in je potem predebel nanos.

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    1. Res so čudno nasajene v tubi :/ Barva mi je v redu, ampak pri kvaliteti bi pa želela več :)

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