essence: Spring / Summer 2013


Happy Sunday everyone! ^_^

I'm feeling particular exuberant today because the air in Singapore has cleared up somewhat in the last two days! The past week had been absolutely horrible. Fires raging in Sumatra caused a huge haze in Singapore with the PSI readings hitting the hazardous range for the first time in years. I have been shuffling to and fro work with a mask because the haze (oh the burning smell!) was giving me a tremendous headache. So I am really relieved that we have some brief respite over the weekends - finally some remotely breathable air! Of course, it would be even better if the government could declare a stop work order next week... yea, I've been told that I am too optimistic :(

Anyway, back to the polishes!

essence Singapore has recently brought in some new shades for spring and summer and they have most generously sent them over for me to share with you. I don't have much to say except that these colors are simply perfect springy/summery shades! Take a look:


essence-ice-ice-baby

Ice, Ice Baby! 4 thin coats.
A squishy off-white jelly that is slightly tinged beige. A little streaky on the first 2 coats but evens out to a perfect glossy finish. It didn't really need the top coat but I top-coated it anyway to speed up the drying process.

essence-peach-cream

Peach & Cream. 3 thin coats.
A soft peach puff with slight pearly shimmer. The pearl finish is not that obvious on the nails after 2 coats so that's a big plus for me - I am not really a fan of that finish. I did not think the color was very flattering on my skin tone under some lighting but I wore it for a few days anyway because it went well with my new turquoise phone casing! :P

essence-thats-what-i-mint

That's What I Mint! 3 thin coats.
A soft pastel mint with very very slight green shimmer (that is clearly not visible on the nails). You know my obsession with blue-greens - this was instantly my favorite. Of course, I wore it for a few days because it matches my phone casing too! ;) It is a tad lighter than China Glaze's For Audrey and they will make a good ombré manicure - I just need to find 3 more shades of turquoise / mint... See! That's why I need more shades of this color in my life. *nods solemnly*

essence-hello-marshmellow

essence-hello-marshmallow2
Hello Marshmallow! 3 thin coats.
A delicate lilac with sprinkles of red and blue shimmer. The shimmers are not that visible on the nails but you can catch a few glimpse of the elusive shimmer where the light hits the nails. It is significantly less similar to China Glaze's Light As Air than I'd thought - more purple and brighter.
essence-flashy-pumpkin

Flashy Pumpkin. 2 thin coats.
An eye-searing tangerine orange. It is so bright that I would even call it neon. Super summery but definitely not for the faint-hearted. Formula for this was exceptionally good. It is very pigmented and I suspect you can get away with one thick coat.

essence-prom-berry

Prom-berry. 2 thin coats.
An intoxicatingly rich vampy purple with very subtle red and blue shimmers. The shimmers are not obvious on the nails but they give the nails a slight glowy look when the nails catch the light.

essence-miss-universe

essence-miss-universe2
Miss Universe. 1 coat over black.
A sheer black base filled with intense sparkly blue and green microflakies.   It is very sheer and will need about three to four coats for full coverage on its own. Very similar to Zoya's Kotori except that it has that extra oomph from the bright green sparkles. Needless to say, I am head over heels in love with this too.






Overall, I am extremely happy with the new colors. The colors, brush and formula do not disappoint. As always, the pastels are slightly streakier than the other colors but they even out fairly nicely on the third coat so I have no complaints there. Plus, at only S$2.90 each, they are a steal - definitely one of my favorite affordable brands.

So, which colors caught your eye? :D

essence cosmetics is currently available at these Watsons stores: Ngee Ann City, City Square Mall, Causeway Point, Lucky Plaza, Plaza Singapura, Bugis Junction, Sun Plaza, JEM, JCube, Parkway Parade, IMM, Lot 1, Anchor Point, Rivervale Mall, Park Lane, Bedok Central, Beautyworld Centre and SMU.


 photo xoxo_zpsaad7ebe5.png

6 comments:

  1. nice blog :) i follow u.

    feel free to follow me too :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a few of these (Flashy Pumpkin, Ice Ice Baby, Miss Universe, Prom-Berry) and I think my favourite one is definitely Prom-Berry, it's so nice and it reminds me of a polish I owned years ago! Also I'm glad to hear that the air has cleared up, it must be so awful not being able to breathe clean air, I hope you feel better x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Welcome back, Mich! Sorry about the air pollution :( I feel really bad about what's happening. Many Indonesians are trying to get our government to do something about it but yeah... it's complicated :(


    Anyway, great swatches as usual! I love That's What I Mint! (obviously) and I agree, we can never have too many shades like this ;) Also loving Flashy Pumpkin and Miss Universe <3

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aww don't worry about it Camila! The only thing I know about politics and bureaucracy is that they are extremely complicated. So absolutely no hard feelings! :)


    I'm glad you like these colours too! I was so happy when I first saw them and definitely still in love with them <3

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have such a soft spot for such colors too!
    Feeling much much better now that the air cleared up so much :D Thank you love <3

    ReplyDelete

 

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