Affordable Long Wear Makeup Tutorial + Contest!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #essenceEssentials #essenceAtTarget #CollectiveBias
As much as I love a good high-end haul and a splurge at Sephora and Nordstrom, I do love finding diamonds in the rough at Target or the drugstore. After all, it’s where the majority of us probably found our first lip gloss and mascara. It’s already the end of July and before you know it, it’s fall and back to school season. If you love beauty on a budget, you are going to be very happy to hear that cosmetics brand, essence, is now sold at Target! I’ve mentioned their top-performing blush formula before, so I was super excited to partner with them to create an ENTIRE affordable long wear makeup tutorial (with video!!!) today. I even included photos of how it wore through a 10+ hour day so you can truly see the performance.

A little bit about essence

essence is a European brand (you’ll notice the foreign language on many of their products) who values high quality products. They prefer to invest in the quality of their makeup rather than spending advertising dollars on celebrity endorsements or print ads. You’ll find a great variety of on-trend formulas at SUPER affordable prices – most of the products retail for $1.99-4.99 (give or take a dollar or two). Also, essence do NOT test on animals 🙂

I am constantly at my local Target looking for cute seasonal basics like t-shirts, tanks, cardigans and trendy makeup colors (who isn’t!?), so when I saw the display for essence, I was thrilled because before Target, I’ve only seen essence at one other retailer and a lot of the products are always wiped out (for good reason… as you’ll see). Find the essence collection online here.

The products I picked up

In this look, you’ll see me use the following products:

• all about nudes eyeshadow palette – $5.49
• eyeliner pen waterproof – $2.99
• gel eye pencil waterproof (cocoa bean) – $2.99
• make me brow eyebrow gel (blondy brows) – $2.99
• lash princess volume mascara – $4.99
• contour/highlight powder (medium) – $3.99
• silky touch blush (babydoll) – $2.99
• long-lasting lipstick (nude love) – $2.99
• liquid lipstick (beauty secret) – $3.49

The affordable long wear makeup tutorial

To supplement the essence products, you only need:

1. foundation of your choice (if desired)
2. the best eyeshadow primer you’ve got
3. brushes of your choice
4. ***optional: setting powder (I’m oily, so I always have to set my foundation)

The 2-hour, 6-hour and 10-hour check in

Don’t mind the lip color… obviously, I ate, drank and was living my life, but I think we all like to see how the eye makeup lasts more than anything. No one wants to reapply or touch up eyeliner/smudging mascara or faded eyeshadow midday. You certainly won’t have to worry about that AT ALL with essence. I even surprised myself (especially at the end of the day and my work out (cardio and kettlebells… so no, it wasn’t even just basic yoga).

So there you have it. It’s possible to get a gorgeous makeup look using some of the most affordable products you can get at Target and have them last ALL DAY LONG… whether you’re a student or mom on the go, I completely endorse essence cosmetics to save you a buck so you can spend it on new shoes, backpacks, supplies or snacks.

Everything I used was super amazing quality… soft, buttery formula, buildable color (which is great if you’re a makeup newb *or* a high school/college student), no fragrances or cheap, fruity scents/flavors and overall high quality. My top favorites that were new to me had to be the Lash Princess Mascara, waterproof eyeliner pen, waterproof gel pencil and the liquid lipstick (more like a creamy, opaque gloss). Of course, I love the blushes, too. Pick up any of these at Target by clicking here.

If you’ve used essence before, what are your favorites? What did you think of my tutorial? Let me know in the comments.

are you following me?
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Bloglovin’

Happy Target shopping,

-Steffanie