There's something so exciting about the feature section on the Essence stand. There's always something special and sparkly and limited edition - and if you can get there quickly enough before other shoppers have put their dirty fingers all over them, then you've struck gold!
I was lucky enough to find the Essence 50's Girls Reloaded Eyeshadow Duos in my local Target, clean and untouched! Now that I'm finished with my spending ban (see here) I can finally spend like mad again - these were all under $5.00 each - so I'm doing okay!
The Essence 50's Girls Reloaded collection has three Eyeshadow Duos, I'm A Marine Girl, You're A Heartbreaker, and Come On Board, Captain! I really adore the packaging, it's so cute and really stands out in my makeup collection! Although in saying that, the fact that all of them look exactly the same can be a bit frustrating when looking for a particular one!
As you can see I'm A Marine Girl and Come On Board, Captain look almost the same, as if they are just different lighting. I was hesitant to pick them both up, but decided after swatching that yes, I did indeed need both. I was a bit sad that there wasn't a lot of diversity with this range, but the colours are cute so I'm not complaining.
I'm A Marine Girl
The first colour, which is a gorgeous light gold/bronze colour is beautiful! I have already used it a few times and it's so easy to work with. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the navy blue colour. I found it to be a little bit chalky and difficult to work with. I'm not sure if maybe I got a bad batch, or all the navy blues in this duo were like this, but either way I'm a little disappointed.
You're A Heartbreaker
I really liked the unique colours in this duo! The shimmer white is very pigmented, and will be great for makeup looks that involve white - otherwise I'm sure I'll be using it with caution. I absolutely adore the blue/grey shade, which is super pigmented and really easy to use as well.
Come On Board, Captain
This duo is by far my favourite, and was the first one I swatched. The colours are crazy pigmented and so easy and smooth to work with, as they have more of a matted finish than the others.The colours are fairly different to the first duo, especially the golds, so I'm happy I ended up with both! The quality is pretty amazing, so I can't understand why the first duo wasn't this great!
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Overall, I was pleased with this collection, but not wowed. I was disappointed in the differences of quality, especially considering it's the same brand, but was pretty happy with the colours and quality of the good colours. It's a really cute collection, and when it comes down to it, you're paying a small amount of money for a duo, so I'm not overly fussed! I get a lot of use out of the colours that I do like, so I'm happy!
Have you tried the Essence 50's Girls Reloaded Eyeshadow Duos? If so, what did you think? Which duo is your favourite?
