Sunday 13 October 2013

REVIEW: Essence Me & My Ice Cream (Blush & Nails)

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

I'm a fan of Essence normally (love their White Nail Tip Painter and their Mattifying Compact Powder), so I was really excited to try their new Me & My Ice Cream collection. I'd actually been to a couple of Priceline stores looking for these products since they were released, but as per usual, almost every Essence stand was cleaned out! #justmyluck

So I finally got my hands on a few products from the collection and decided to review them for you guys. I figured Essence might not catch your eye when you're makeup shopping since their price point is so low – like between $1 to $10 – so you might assume that cheap = bad quality. That's what I thought initially too, but that SO isn't the case!

First off, the collection itself is inspired by ice cream colours and is really, REALLY cute. The packaging is sweet, clean and simple, and even the product names are adorable (think shade names like "Ben and Cherries"!). Plus each product, like I mentioned before, is really reasonably priced. Which in a way, makes this collection really appropriate for young girls first getting into makeup (and to uni students like me with limited funds haha).

Cream Blush in "01 Ice Bomb"
So, up first is the cream blush, which I've heard is pretty similar to the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blushes in texture. It is the strangest-feeling cream blush I've ever used – I'm used to cream blushes in either a stick form (like the NARS Multiples) or in a paste-like form. Whereas this blush is somehow soft and firm at the same time, so the pigment is really tightly packed but somehow still blends really nicely. To describe the touch, try patting the back of your hand with your fingertip, and that's kind of what it's like! Which is pretty weird, but I kind of like it haha



The colour I have is a really rich, coral orange shade which is great for warming up the complexion. I think it would look especially lovely on pale-skinned girls, yet I'm fairly tan and it still comes up quite nicely. It does have a bit of silvery shimmer – dare I say it, frost – so it does double as a highlighter and a blush, but I wouldn't go too heavy with it. It picks up on dry patches in the skin slightly but other than that, it blends really well.
Here I just applied it to the apples of my cheeks using my finger tips.
Next up are the adorable range of nail polishes. These are perfect for spring because they're all lovely pastel shades (I REALLY feel like ice cream now...) and will suit both tanned and paler skin.



These polishes last surprisingly well for a low-priced product. After testing each colour for the photos below, I painted all of my nails in one colour (the lilac purple one, which is my pick of the bunch) and it's been two days since then and they're still immaculate, with NO chips! Impressive!

However, my one criticism is that they take three coats before the colour becomes fully opaque. They're pretty thin polishes but in saying that, they do dry really quickly (within a couple of minutes per coat). 

Nail Polish in "04 Icylicious"
Pastel orange is actually my favourite colour but I tend not to wear it on my nails as it can look a little odd with my skin, which has a yellow undertone. But this colour came out really nicely and I think I'll be wearing it a lot in summer, maybe on my toes.

Nail Polish in "01 Ben and Cherries"
This shade is probably my least favourite of the four as it comes out almost white instead of pink. It's not really true to how it looks in the bottle, which is what I was hoping it would be.
Nail Polish in "03 Ice, Ice Baby"
This is such a pretty pale lavender colour and I love the way it pops against my skin tone! This is my favourite out of all of the shades.
Nail Polish in "02 Always In My Mint"
I tend not to wear green on my nails because it makes me look a little ill. I don't know what it is, but every time I wear minty green on my nails especially, after a few days I have to take it off because the look of it doesn't seem right haha. Granted, this is a nice colour, just maybe not for me.
All four of the polishes in the collection apply really smoothly which I definitely like. They don't bubble or smear, and after a few coats they do look pretty flawless. Each shade also includes a bit of fine shimmer which makes me feel like a little girl again when I put them on haha

Nail Topping Sticker
Can we just take a moment to appreciate these? They're hundreds and thousands!! I loved hundreds and thousands as a kid, so these nail stickers really take me back. They're definitely similar to the Ciate Caviar Nails, except these are a nail sticker/decal as opposed to loose beads.

Basically all you do it match each sticker to your nail, peel it off the backing sheet and stick it onto your nail, then file or cut off the excess. They're super easy to use, but the only thing is that you definitely have to use a top coat, otherwise the beads will fall off. I can't wait for a fun themed birthday party so I can get these out to play!

I really feel like ice cream now, so let's have a different kind of question today! What's your favourite flavour of ice cream? Mine is green tea :) Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: This is a product sponsored post but all words and opinions are my own :)
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2 comments

  1. Hi there! I’ve been trying to look for Me & my ice cream collection. I’ve been in different branches of Priceline in Lismore and Tweed head NSW but no luck. I’ve tried also the priceline website and target but they don’t have it. Could it be possible if I just order here online for the collections. I asked the Essence Au already but didn't get back. Could anyone here please help me to get this collection?mentioned above. And I will pay for the postage. Thanks. Mei, Casino NSW

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  2. Wow these are really awesome!!! - shame i didn´t get them when the collection was on :( ... Great review!!!

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