The last time I was at Ulta, I picked up a few of the Essence Mono Eyeshadows. These retail for $1.99 each, and they remind me a bit (in packaging at least) of Prestige eyeshadow singles.
I've used these eyeshadows both alone and over primer for a few weeks now, so I'm ready to share my thoughts with you:
Essence Mono Eyeshadows
(retail: $1.99 each, 0.08 oz)
Talc, Mica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Myristyl Myristate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Silica, Isopropyl Myristate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Linoleic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Ci 77499 (Iron Oxides), Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide).
As you can see below, the ingredients are not listed on the labels (I even pulled back the label on one of them to see if there was another layer, but there wasn't). I was surprised to see that there were five forms of parabens in the formula of these shadows, which seems a bit overkill to me (but then again, I'm not a chemist nor do I claim to be).
Back To Khaki
All of the swatches in this post were done on bare skin and then over NYX HD Shadow Base:
If the parabens in this formula don't have you running in the opposite direction, I think that Back To Khaki is the must-have of the three that I'm reviewing today. This shade is sort of a combination of pale khaki and gray and, on the skin, it reminds me of MAC Vex, only slightly greener and without the flash of pink. I find it extremely wearable as both a highlight shade and a lid color, and it goes wonderfully with Olive Garden, which I'm about to show you next.
Olive Garden
Olive Garden is a pretty standard khaki-olive shimmer. I'm sure most of you already have a shade similar to this one in your collections, since colors like this are not difficult to find both at the drugstore and department store. It makes a nice crease shade when worn with Back To Khaki, but it's a look you could easily replicate with any another golden-khaki shade you may have in your stash.
Yes Eye Can!
I would consider Yes Eye Can! to be a frosty light blue with periwinkle tendencies. Worn alone, it has the best pigmentation of the three shades I'm showing you today. After wearing this color as few times, I thought it might be close to MAC Tilt, so let's take a look:
Nope! As you can see, Yes Eye Can! leans more periwinkle, while MAC Tilt doesn't look as flat on the skin due to its subtle gold shimmer.
Texture and pigmentation: All three shades have a harder consistency to them--they don't feel soft and silky when you're picking up color with your brush. BUT, this is deceiving, because I've been consistently impressed with the color payoff when worn over primer. I've even worn these shadows without primer and it's not like you can't see them on your eyes without primer--they deliver a softer wash of color that's still visible. So don't let the harder consistency fool you--these are still quite workable and I think you'll like the pigmentation.
Blendability and staying power: I found all three shades to be very easy to work with and I had no issues with blending at all. The staying power of these little shadows is fantastic--I can get almost seven hours of wear without primer and over ten hours with primer. In fact, the other day I wore Back To Khaki with Olive Garden (over NYX HD Shadow Base) and the colors were still vibrant and going strong after 12 hours.
FINAL VERDICT: If the amount of parabens in these shadows don't turn you off (I realize that everyone has their own opinions about parabens and what they're comfortable with), and you would like to try any of the shades featured in this post, I don't think you'll be disappointed with their color payoff or staying power. They really surprised me in both of these categories and even though the consistency of these shadows is on the hard side, I've been impressed with how they apply to the skin and how easy they are to blend. If I were to recommend just one shade to you, it would be Back To Khaki, especially if you're a fan of MAC Vex and you're looking for a variation on that shade.
Do you own any Essence Mono Eyeshadows? Thoughts?
I lovelovelove Essence shadows. Even though they are powder formulations, they feel almost creamy and go on so easily. They are wildly popular, my ULTA can't keep them in stock.
ReplyDeleteFred Meyers in the PDX area has a new Essence display called MARBLE MANIA.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE those! There is the pinky/brown/black one that goes a little taupe - amazing!
DeleteBack to khaki looks great! Too bad I don't have access to Essence cosmetics...I really wish I did though!
ReplyDeleteI'm bored with essence :c I don't like their eyeshadows at all... But thank u for the review! : ) Regards,
ReplyDeletex
You're welcome!
DeleteI have Back to Khaki. I think it's pretty decent, considering the price.
ReplyDeleteI would like to add that these are $0.49 right now! Yes, less than 50 cents!
ReplyDeleteWow! I totally missed that!! Thanks for the tip! :)
DeleteWish, wish, wish I had an Ulta near me. :(
ReplyDeleteI hear their creme shadows are really nice too....
I like both Back to Khaki and the blue one...I've never tried essence eyeshadows, I think a trip to Ulta is in order! Thanks G. xo Jen
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome! :)
DeletePretty colors, but I really don't like paraben.
ReplyDeleteLove the cruelty-free factor, can't complain about the price tag, but I refuse to buy/use cosmetics without a safety-seal. I'm not sure about these eyeshadows in particular, but I have noticed that almost all Essence products are not protected which leads to product drying up sooner, as well as grubby hands sampling/testing...ewwww! I contacted the company via e-mail regarding this a few months ago, and have yet to recieve a response. :(
ReplyDeleteThere are some stores that seal these products, there is where I buy them, because I totally agree with you. It's disgusting.
DeleteYes! I SO agree with you on this! I get so frustrated that these don't have safety seals and they almost always look tampered with at my ulta :(
DeleteI TOTALLY agree with you guys on this!! I actually meant to bring this up in my review but forgot. I had to sift through many shadows until I found ones that weren't ” tested”. Ugh. This is so sad, because I would love to review products by this brand like glosses, mascara, and liquid liners, but if I can't tell if they've been tested, I won't but them. I guess the only alternative is to buy them online. :(
DeleteI have been on a taupe kick and just picked up the "Get Ready" single and the "Over the Taupe" quad. I haven't worn them out yet, but I have swatched them. I am really impressed with the color payoff. I am quite pleased.
ReplyDeleteOh I think Shoppers Drugmart carries these! I'll have to try one or two out! I've also been wanting to try their waterproof eyeliner
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review G! Thanks for pointing out the parabens in the ingredients. I personally try to stay away from them and have slowly been transitioning to more natural makeup/beauty products.I love your reviews SO much and am wondering if it is possible for you to do more reviews on natural products (i.e, paraben, petro-chemical , SLS, pthalate free...)? I realize that everyone has their own opinions on these ingredients but the fact is that there has been a greater consumer demand for natural products and companies are listening. Just look at the number of natural lines/brands that have been popping up in the drugstore alone-Yes To, Gud, Neutrogena Naturals, Jason, Alba to name a few. Anyways, it is just a suggestion but I hope you consider it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI've actually got lots of products from natural lines scheduled for review! Thanks so much for asking! :)
DeleteThe Back to Khaki and Olive Garden look pretty good. I've tried a lot of Essence products and love most of them, especially the nail polishes and the long-lasting eyeliners. These singles also remind me of the Prestige ones, and a bit of the Ulta singles, as well, with are fabulous when Ulta has one of those awesome sales.
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