When I saw that essence, one of my favorite makeup brands was coming out with skin care products (as well as their sister brand Catrice), I immediately wanted to try a few things. I love essence because they are very affordable, they have some very good basic products and cute trend editions and most of all they are cruelty free and as from recently completely vegan! So, what’s there not to love? I found these two products at my local DM store, so I decided to give them a try because they seem interesting and they contain fruit extracts and I love anything fruity in skin care for some reason.

essence Hello Good Stuff! Face Serum

This face serum contains pineapple extract and it’s supposed to hydrate the skin and make it look glowy. The packaging is surprisingly high quality, as it comes in a glass bottle with a nice dropper. It contains 30 ml. The serum itself is yellow and it has an oily texture and a strong pineapple scent. I bought this product for just about 4 euros, so it’s very affordable.

INGREDIENTS: AQUA (WATER), ANANAS SATIVUS (PINEAPPLE) FRUIT WATER, GLYCERIN, PANTHENOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, XANTHAN GUM, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM LAURYL SULFOACETATE, SODIUM OLEOYL SARCOSINATE, SODIUM GLUCONATE, ZINC PCA, SODIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM OLEATE, SODIUM SULFATE, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), CI 15510 (ORANGE 4), CI 47005 (YELLOW 10).

The formula contains 97% ingredients of natural origin. The pineapple fruit water is the second ingredient on the list and then it’s glycerin, which is great because it’s good to hydrate the skin. It’s also a cheap ingredient, but when you have a cheap serum, it makes sense. There is also Zinc Pca in it, which has anti-acne properties and panthenol, which is a soothing ingredient. There is no alcohol in this and nothing bad in it overall (I don’t have a problem with fragrance in skin care, so that’s my opinion).

So, as promising as this looks, the serum was just not good for my skin. I tried it for only a couple of days in the evening for some extra hydration but it make me break out, more precisely I got small white break outs on my T-zone, so I think it’s just not good for oily or combination skin. Perhaps it would have been better for dry skin. I use it now on the chest area each evening and I don’t have any break outs there, so it’s just not a good fit for my face.

essence Hello Good Stuff! 3 in 1 Face Mist

This was a watermelon scented face mist so I had to try it because I love everything that smells like watermelon (and the fruit itself of course). The product comes in a plastic bottle with a sprayer that contains 50 ml. I got it for about 3 euros, so it’s also a very affordable product. The face mist is pink and it feels just like water on the face.

INGREDIENTS: AQUA (WATER), PROPYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, CITRULLUS LANATUS (WATERMELON) FRUIT EXTRACT, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, ENANTIA CHLORANTHA BARK EXTRACT, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM LAURYL SULFOACETATE, SODIUM OLEOYL SARCOSINATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM OLEATE, OLEANOLIC ACID, SODIUM SULFATE, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), CI 14700 (RED 4), CI 15510 (ORANGE 4).

The formula contains 90% ingredients of natural ingredients. It’s also alcohol-free and it contains watermelon fruit extract that has antioxidant properties. It also contains glycerin and the rest are all moisturizing ingredients and preservatives.

Honestly, the formula doesn’t contain anything bad and the face mist smells really nice so the experience of applying it is really something that relaxes me and brings me joy but honestly I don’t notice that it does anything to my face. As a refreshing mist and as a hydrating mist it’s good, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that this could work as a fixing mist, perhaps only if I would use a lot of powder on my face which I don’t do.

So, overall, I would say that these are affordable skin care products, probably mostly for teenagers because they don’t have so many skin issues and the cute packaging and the fruity scent is also an indicator for that, but for me….sorry but it’s a no. While I do enjoy essence makeup product because I’m the type of girl who wears a natural-wash-of-color makeup every day and basic products are enough for me, I think the skin care stuff is just not enough for my skin’s needs.