Australian Essence Makeup Review

After watching so many YouTube beauty guru’s who live over in the USA, I’ve seen a pattern forming. Other Aussie YouTube watchers always comment on how the prices in America are SO much cheaper than here in Australia and I have to say that this is true, however, you’ve just got to know where to look to get that bang for your buck. There are options out there so we should stop and see what we’ve got here.
 Essence is fairly new here but their products, as far as I can tell so far, are amazing for that cheap ‘drugstore’ price us Aussie girls have been looking for. Here is a quick, sharp review on three of their products.
Essence is available from Target and Priceline as far I could find. Go and check them out for some new items in your makeup bags. 

Product: XXXL Shine lip gloss

Cost: $3.50 AUD

Purchased at: Priceline

Overall Rating: 6/10

Colour: #08 GLAMOUR TO GO

This lip gloss is very pretty. It was the only real nude colour that Essence offers but it is quite versatile. It was also the only lip gloss which didn’t have real chunky glitters in it. Placed on the centre of the lip over another lipstick, it adds the most beautiful shine and gives the lip a plumped up look. I personally wouldn’t wear it alone or all over the lips generously as it washes me out with my skin tone but I do think it’s a great gloss formula.

It has a super shimmery look and is not sticky at all. It also wears off quite nicely and lasts quite a long time on the lips.

Really nice product for such the cheap price tag.

 Product: Quattro eyeshadow

Cost: $5.95 AUD

Purchased at: Target

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Colour: #07 OVER THE TAUPE

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#7 Over the Taupe

This quad has to be the best drugstore eyeshadow out there. For a little less than six bucks Australian, you get four shadows which are simply amazing quality. I chose the taupe colour selection, but they also had a purple, blue, neutral and classic smokey colour quads as well. The swatches shown are proof, the colours and highly pigmented, but more importantly they are creamy and rich in texture and have next to no fallout if applied correctly. They blend beautifully and in this Over the Taupe palette the top two colours have a demi-matte finish on the skin and the deeper two colours are shimmery, but not too much so that they are overdone.

Cannot recommend this palette enough for those cool toned taupe lovers like myself.

Highly recommended and it is such a great price for Australian makeup!

Product: Stay natural concealer

Cost: $3.95 AUD

Purchased at: Priceline

Overall Rating: 7/10

Colour: #02 SOFT SAND

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#2 Soft Sand

This concealer is quite nice also. There is definitely a pattern forming in this brand. For the price, it’s amazing quality. This concealer is no different. It’s super natural looking and in this shade, it has a very neutral undertone, not too warm or yellow, just right in the middle. It is great for under eyes as it’s lightweight and wouldn’t really sink into any wrinkles which may be around the eye area. It has no shimmer or shine but it looks super natural on the skin. It wears well and lasts up to around five solid hours. I wouldn’t recommend it for blemishes but it does cover my redness around my nose and on my cheeks too. For the price, again, it’s fabulous.



To summarise this brand as a whole, it simply is a breath of fresh air on the Australian makeup market. I personally couldn’t recommend it more, especially for beginners or those who want to be a bit budget friendly on their makeup bags. These three products that I’ve tried so far have all been beyond their price by a mile. 

I cannot wait to buy some more Essence products, check back to Girls War Paint for more essence reviews.