Essence Almost Famous Lipstick Review

Drugstore makeup have certainly come a loonnngggg way since I was a teenager. They used to be cheap and nasty. That, I'm pleasantly surprised to discover, is no longer the case now. Nowadays, it's pretty easy to get good quality makeup products at a budget from the drugstore.

I bought an Essence lipstick yesterday. Up until very recently, I had no idea that this brand even existed! I happened to stumble upon it on the Watsons online store website and upon research discovered that many bloggers and vloogers were raving over Essence products.

For the uninitiated, Essence is a German drugstore makeup brand. It's not available in all drugstores in Malaysia, only in selected Watsons outlets. I literally had to hunt it down to find it!

I was actually looking for 'All About Cupcake' lipstick since I'd read many positive reviews on it but discovered that the shade was more of a light pink (I swatched the tester). Then, I tried swatching 'Almost Famous' and discovered that although it's a red, it has a touch of pink to it. Although reds are not colors that I would naturally veer towards, I figured that I would give this one a go since it seemed pretty. It's been a looonngggg time since I used a bright lipstick colour and it took some getting used to but like I said, it's such a pretty colour.

As always, I only bought one lipstick to try out as I have never purchased any lipstick from Essence before and was curious to find out how I would get on with the formula. My first impression of the product is that the formula is really creamy and moisturising (something really important for me as my lips tend to dry out rather easily). The color is sheer but buildable. There are no shimmery flecks in it, something which is difficult to come by nowadays. It also has a yummy scent which I like.

Like most other moisturising lipsticks, it doesn't last long before requiring a touch up but this doesn't bother me as I'm used to it and in fact, expect it to not last long. Long lasting colors tend to be very drying on my lips.

I have only applied the lipstick from the tube thrice  so far and the lipstick bullet looks like it's moving around in the packaging and getting squished into the sides of the lipstick packaging just from the pressure applied when using the lipstick (hmmm...that explains why the testers were all swished up and messy). I'm worried that if I carry on applying this lipstick from the tube (as I do with other lipsticks) the lipstick is going to break. Yes, it is that soft of a formula! Looks like I'm going to have to use my lip brush for this lipstick to avoid from squishing it further. Apart from that though, I'm generally pleased with my purchase.

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Product: Essence 44 'Almost Famous' Lipstick
Retail Price: RM11.90
Available at selected Watson's outlets
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