Review - Essence Liquid Lipstick in '03 Almost Real'

Hi lovelies, since ages i have been looking for a pale nude color which will complement my skin and will go with my looks on days I want to look subtle and all... but couldn’t find the correct one despite many tries. I tried many testers on shops and bought the wrong shades as they looked different on my face when I came home. I ordered them online and even then the shades did not match my needs and my search for the perfect pale nude shade continued for me.

Essence Liquid Lipstick in '03 Almost Real'

When I saw the picture of Essence 03 Almost Real Liquid lipstick posted by Essence Pakistan; I was tempted to try this one out as it seemed to me the one I had been looking for since ages. Read further to see where I got my hands on this baby and how is my experience with it!

Where to Buy?

This one is a toughie … for few days I was continuously looking for this product in different stores in Rawalpindi who are offering Essence products without any luck. Somehow I had left hope and was thinking of checking in main stores in Islamabad when I went to D. Watson Commercial Market Rawalpindi to get some medicine related stuff and out of nowhere I thought to check out their beauty section as well. To my surprise, they had this in stock and I grabbed few pieces for myself and my friends.

Pricing?

I got one piece for 450/- PKR

Packaging?

It’s a transparent container with 4 ml size in which the shade is clearly visible as you can see in the picture. The applicator is doe shaped like any lip gloss would have. The overall packaging is small and clear and very travel friendly.

Product Review:

Well; to start with, let’s figure out what a liquid lipstick actually is? Cosmopolitan gives a huge list of how to identify a liquid lipstick from a lip gloss in this interesting article here. Whether or not Essence 03 Almost real fulfills this criteria or not; is the question. So,l  let’s get rolling girls.
When you open it, it has a beautiful fragrance like some edible thing, I am unable to name exactly what it smells like but something like vanilla I would say. Overall, the smell is pleasant and I love to apply it on my lips. The application is smooth since is glides super nicely on the lips and gives very nice color on the first application. However, the color is buildable and you can apply another coat to make the look even more opaque and solid. It gives a very smooth finish and this color was exactly what I was looking for in a pale nude shade. However, the sad part is that it does not stay for longer periods of time on your lips and fades away rather quickly especially if you are eating and drinking during the time. For me I would say eating didn’t cause much fading but drinking tea just took much of it away. The gentle stain however stays on the lips for longer periods of time and without having to eat or drink I would say the color roughly lasts around 4 hours. Some ways to make the color last a bit longer on itself will be to use a lip liner on the lips before application of lipstick or to base your lips with foundation to give the lipstick to something to stick to. This is not a matte formula so if you are looking for a matte nude maybe its not for you. It is not sticky which is a huge plus for me as I hate the lip glosses which are sticky.

Overall, I am satisfied with this lipstick, it has good color payoff, will last for a function or event of a decent duration. I will buy it again as well as this is the nude color I was looking for. Regarding the fading away issue, I can increase the lasting power to some extent with the traditional lipstick retention methods. You may read one of my old posts here on tricks to help your lipstick last longer (Please avoid the tissue paper trick if you don’t want to remove the shine of the lipstick). In the worst case scenario, you can always touch up your lips after 4-5 hours can’t you? Come on girls, we all know we can.

Have you used this or any other version of a liquid lipstick? Do share your comments below to let us all know how was your experience.