Today, I decided to review both of these products because I bought them at the same time and they are part of the same line. essence is one of my favorite drugstore makeup brands, especially since it’s also cruelty free. Some of the products are not exactly great, but others are wonderful drugstore gems for the price. essence is very affordable (not to say cheap) but the quality is actually ok most of the time.

Packaging:

The foundation comes in a plastic bottle (30 ml) with a pump, which makes me think how drugstore foundations have come a long way. Remember when all drugstore foundations came in those squeezy tubes that made it impossible to get out the exact quantity of product you needed? The concealer comes in a plastic tube (7 ml) with a wand, but I think the wand could have been a little bit bigger.

Texture:

Both the foundation and the concealer have a creamy texture and a pleasant scent. This means they do contain some fragrance in them, but it’s nothing that bothers me too much. They tend to dry rather fast, so once applied, you should work with them fast. I used the concealer only with the wand and my fingers because that’s how I like to use it and the foundation with a brush and with my fingers, and I had no problems applying it.

Ingredients:

The foundation:

AQUA (WATER), CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, BIS-PEG/PPG-14/14 DIMETHICONE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, MICA, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, BORON NITRIDE, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, SODIUM POTASSIUM ALUMINUM SILICATE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, SILICA, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRA-DI-T-BUTYL HYDROXYHYDROCINNAMATE, BENZYL SALICYLATE, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), LINALOOL, LIMONENE, CITRONELLOL, ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE, COUMARIN, CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77492 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE).

The concealer:

AQUA (WATER), CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, PEG/PPG-18/18 DIMETHICONE, DIMETHICONOL, CYCLOHEXASILOXANE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, C30-45 ALKYL METHICONE, C30-45 OLEFIN, MICA, POLYSORBATE 80, TRIMETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, HYDROLYZED WHEAT GLUTEN, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, CERATONIA SILIQUA GUM, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, PHENOXYETHANOL, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE).

Price and accessibility:

essence products are available in Romania in all DM stores and in various online shops, so it’s not a problem to find them. The foundations was around 5 euros and the concealer was like 4 euros, maybe less than that. So it’s really not a problem to get them and they’re really affordable.

My overall opinion:

I liked the foundation and the concealer because they have a matte finish without looking cakey and they applied quite nice. However, my biggest issue is with the shade range which is terrible. the foundation is available in just 4 shades and I got the lightest one, 10 Soft beige, which is too dark for my skin and I have to mix it with something else. I mean, you can see from the swatches, how can that be the lightest shade? The concealer is even worse because it comes in only 2 shade and I also got the number 10 Natural beige (the names differ a little) but it’s much lighter and more suitable for my skin.

All in all, I will try to make it work with the foundation or maybe I will keep it for the summer, but I’m not happy with the shade range and I don’t know if I’m willing to try some other essence foundations.