Essence Stay 8H Matte Liquid Lipstick Review

It's been years since I tried liquid lipsticks again. I did try recently the Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick because I wanted to try a longlasting kind of formula for lipsticks again and alot of people attested that this is the most longlasting liquid lipstick they have tried.

I saw one day a review of these liquid lipsticks while searching for something else and got curious and wanted to try them. I have never tried liquid lipsticks from Essence before so I went for it to just see if I they are as good as their bullet lipsticks that I have reviewed before. The Essence This Is Me Lipsticks, Essence Velvet Matte Lipstick and Essence Colour Up! Shine On! Lipsticks. These lipsticks were really good and great quality so I had high hopes for the liquid lipsticks.

The packaging is pretty and it corresponds to the shade inside which is great so you have an idea which shade you are grabbing. Only the writings make it looks cheap. The feel also of the packaging is on the cheap side but they tried good to make it more hip and attractive. They cost only €2.99 each so they won't spend so much for the packaging which I understand. As long as the product inside performs good then it's not a big issue for me.

One problem I encountered while buying them is that you can't tell if someone tested them because they don't seal them. I remember I avoided buying liquid lipsticks and mascara from a physical store before especially drugstores because most of the products are not sealed so you'll never know. But because I was so excited to try them and didn't want to wait another week because the shipping now takes longer because of Corona. If I only knew I will post this review after 2 weeks of buying them. I should have not bought it in store. The problem was, I didn't want to open them in store because the workers there may not like it so I just hoped everything is unopened but to my horror when I got home, 3 were used/tested. I noticed it right away because there were products around the rims already and the others were clean.

So with this disappointment, I learned my lesson not to buy any liquid lipsticks anymore in store when they are not sealed. So the 3 shades that are tested, I can't swatched them on my lips but I will just swatch them on my arm and then discard them just to be safe.

The wand of this is long and thin which I like but also a bit a struggle to apply because of the formula. It's quite runny and you need to act fast because it dries down in seconds. It's hard to correct your mistake anymore once it dries down. I need to use my finger to spread it because the wand does not do it how I want it to look and normally I want to blur the sides of my lips with any lipsticks I use because I don't want a straight line, I feel like it looks too much/harsh looking.

I got 7 shades out of 9. I wanted to review everything but the two shades I didn't include are the shades I know I won't like and use.

"The stay 8h matte liquid lipstick keeps its promises: its matte formula lets the nine lifestyle-proof shades remain flawless and light on the lips for up to eight hours. The liquid texture transforms into an intensive matte finish immediately upon application and offers a beautiful, long-lasting wearing comfort."

02 Duck Face

This is a nude shade for me. Almost too light but still works with my skintone. It's like a peachy beige kind of shade on me. I do like it but I need a darker lip liner to appreciate it more. It is a bit patchy so it took a while to make it look even. You can still see some patchiness around your lips especially when it dries down.

 04 Mad About You

This is a dark pink kind of shade, which is one of the pretty shades I like from this line. I just love how it looks on my lips. It's a MLBB shade for me. This is much more opaque than the first shade and it was faster to apply and spread. The formula is better as well.

07 Let's Chill

This is a fuchsia pink kind of shade. This is also a very opaque formula and was also better with application. This is a pretty vibrant kind of shade that I feel like it brightens up my face.

 09 Bite Me If You Can

The name says it all. This is a vampy shade which is perfect during colder months. A dark maroon kind of shade that is pretty but you need to have a special look or mood to go with it since it is a statement shade.

Below are the four shades that I can use on my lips since the other three as I mentioned earlier are tested in store. I only can swatch them on my arm which you can see below.

The other three I will just include in my arm swatches and they are the last three shades

05 Date Proof

Is a baby pink kind of shade

06 To Be Fair
Is a darker shade than the Date Proof but it is in the same shade family

08 I Dare You
A classic blue red kind of shade

Overall, they are not really longlasting like the Maybelline one. They fade significantly after eating which was not the case with the Maybelline. What I appreciate about them unlike the maybelline ones is that they dry down within seconds compared to sometimes more than an hour with maybelline. It is thinner formula as well compared to the maybelline.  They stain the teeth everytime so you need to do your own trick to avoid it. They give you that butthole looking effect which a lot of people complains about liquid lipsticks. It is very drying as well which reminded me why I don't like and stopped buying liquid lipsticks. With this experience I realized that liquid lipsticks are not for me. Although they are longlasting compared to normal bullet lipsticks, I just don't like the feel and look on my lips. Never say never as they say but I won't buy any liquid lipsticks in a long while because of  my experience with this line and the Maybelline one.

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