Brush applicator

Essence In the Bloom'light Matte Eyeliner [01 - Bloomin’ In The Dark] Review

By Maychiri's Thoughts - December 14, 2024

I didn’t originally plan on buying this, but here it is: the Essence In the Bloom'light Matte Eyeliner, shade 01/Bloomin’ In The Dark (which is the only shade available anyways)!
 
 
So... I originally wanted to only buy the matching lip liner and lipstick from this LE, but, damn, I’ve been on a colourful eyeliner kick lately and this royal purple just looks so beautiful! And it’s not glittery or anything, yay! Although, I am not sure how this deep purple eyeliner goes with the rest of the LE, which is primarily dark red and dark green... hmm. But on its own, I am sure that this will be kickass colour! I love to do winged eyeliner, and doing it in black has become kind of boring... and then this perfectly autumn-coded LE came out and I desperately needed this eyeliner! So I bought it; mostly on a whim, to be honest. But, I haven’t used many Essence eyeliners before this one, so I don’t know what to expect. Surely, it will be good, right? Because Essence eyeliners tend to be rather good, no? Oh dear, I am so hoping that this eyeliner is good... please be good! Now, let’s finally check it out and see whether it is good... or bad!
 
 
Packaging: ooh, what beautiful packaging! This entire LE is gorgeous, but this eyeliner may be the most beautiful of the In the Bloom'light products! The case is dark purple, similar to the colour of the eyeliner, but much darker. I love how it’s a rich dark purple, so regal! And all over it are lighter purple flowers; they are metallic purple and quite bright, which creates a gorgeous contrast between the deep, dark purple and this vibrant lighter purple. It’s so mysterious and beautiful! And it fits with the theme of blooms. The text is the same purple colour as the flowers and it is metallic, too. This makes it quite hard to read unless you angle it just the right way. The cap is longer than the little eyeliner container, which is standard stuff with eyeliners that have a brush applicator. 
 
 
 
The cap closes very tightly, which ensures that the eyeliner stays fresh for as long as possible. Overall, a gorgeous design, it looks more expensive than it really was!
 
 
Source: www.essence,eu
 
Ingredients: nothing nourishing and no parabens. The scent is bitter and a bit pungent; it’s actually almost the same scent as most mascaras have. It’s unscented, so it makes sense that it doesn’t smell very nice. But it’s not an intense scent so it’s okay. The expiration date is just 6 months after opening, which is standard for eyeliners. They do go very close to the waterline, so you have to replace them often, before bacteria start to grow, just like mascaras.
 
 
Oh my, this is a gorgeous colour! It’s a very rich royal purple, most similar to ‘Crayola Royal Purple’. It’s dark, but it’s also very vibrant, which gives it this luxurious richness that is really quite stunning. I love this particular shade of purple as it doesn’t have too much red pigment inside; it is a true purple in this sense. So beautiful! And it is stunning for autumn, which is when this LE was released. Though it will also be fantastic for winter, it’s just gorgeous all around!
 
 
 
 
At first, it doesn’t appear to be all that highly pigmented because it is still watery, but after it dries, it becomes apparent that it is, in fact, quite highly pigmented. I had to apply many layers, but it’s not for lack of pigmentation, as you’ll see in a bit. It is layerable while it is still wet, but it... oh boy, it crumbles if you touch it after it dries. But more on that particular issue in a bit. For now, let’s focus on how deeply pigmented and purple it is!
 
 
 
Worn with the Eveline Variété Liquid Eyeliner [08/Ultrared]
As advertised, this is indeed a matte eyeliner. At first, it looks wet... because it is still wet. But it dries down completely matte. Like, ultra-matte! I love this, it looks so rich and dramatic and royal! I feel like it would look gaudy if it was very glossy; this ultra-matte texture suits this rich dark purple so well! And it stays just as matte the whole day, even if you have oily skin! Everything else may become shiny, but this eyeliner stays totally matte and flawless – err... at least in terms of texture. It is... not at all flawless in general...
 
 
Worn with the Eveline Variété Liquid Eyeliner [08/Ultrared]
Essence claim that this eyeliner dries down quickly. Eh, yeah, I would agree. It’s not the fastest drying eyeliner, but it still dries very quickly. It needs maybe 10 seconds until it dries almost completely, so you can be done with your eyeliner very quickly if you are skilled... and if the formula decides to play fair. In fact, it dries down so quickly that I had a hard time drawing out my wing further than where I had it at the start. And, true to what Essence claim, it is indeed smudge-proof! But it’s not smudging that you should be worried about... anyways, it doesn’t smudge at all! Not while I am applying it, and not after I am done. And it doesn’t smudge throughout the day, either. And man is it lightweight! It does feel a bit heavy while it is drying, but it’s literally weightless after it dries. I literally cannot feel it on my eyes! It doesn’t matter that I applied like 8 layers, it is still featherlight! I will also note that this eyeliner is suitable for sensitive eyes; I accidentally poked one of my eyes while I was applying the eyeliner and it did not start to water. My eyes are horribly sensitive and tend to become irritated very easily, so it’s great that this eyeliner doesn’t cause that – despite Essence claiming that this eyeliner has a tingly feeling while it is drying (it doesn’t, really).
 
 
 
This isn’t a felt-tip applicator eyeliner; instead, it has a fine brush that actually isn’t very bad at all! It picks up a very large amount of pigment, but it doesn’t usually make a mess because the formula isn’t runny. The brush applicator is quite precise, but it can sometimes apply the eyeliner somewhat smudgy because it frays a bit too easily. It is quite soft, though – good for sensitive eyes! And it’s quite a flexible brush, not at all stiff like these can be sometimes. I find this brush pretty easy to use, it’s really not that hard to draw a precise, sharp wing. Would a felt-tip be a better choice? Perhaps, but this fine brush-type of applicator is pretty good as well.
 
 
 
 
Breathe... breathe. Let me try to calm down, because I am furious!! Applying this eyeliner has got to be one of the worst experiences I have had so far with eyeliners. Look, at first, it all seems so easy... it wasn’t that difficult to draw sharp lines. It does have a brush tip instead of a felt tip, and these are usually less precise, so I am used to having to be more careful while applying eyeliner with these kinds of brushes. But... it all went downhill so fast. First, it doesn’t apply evenly! The first layer is very uneven, so you need to apply not just one or two additional layers, no... you need like 5-6 layers! Only then will it be pretty even. This would be annoying but tolerable were it not for the fact that this damn thing crumbles as soon as you so much as just touch the eyeliner! 
 
 
 
Let alone tug at the eyelid to, I don’t know, maybe apply mascara??? But it’s so weird – it looks like it would layer on so nicely, and it DOES, but it still cracks so goddamn much. So what use is it being layerable if it will just crumble anyways??? I am telling you, I had to spend so much time just fixing it after I had already applied mascara because half of the eyeliner crumbled and disappeared from me trying to get mascara down to the base of the eyelashes. Just fricking fantastic. I am having a GREAT day... definitely. Not at all pissed off... oh, and it can be quite hard to draw a very fine tip to your wings for whatever reason. It’s like it doesn’t want to extend the line once it already dries, but I can layer on more layers to the rest of it... I just don’t get it. 
 
 
And I have to constantly go back to the bottle to get more eyeliner because there just never is enough to make a good, even line. This makes it even more complicated and tiring to use. Not at all beginner-friendly, even though the brush is super precise. And very, very frustrating. When you make a tiny mistake, take a Q tip to fix that tiny little mistake... and the entire wing just crumbles. Fun. Yes. And then you go fix that, and you for some reason, cannot fill in the gaps that that had left. So you have to remove the entire wing and start all over. And then, right when you think: “ah, finally, I have made the perfect wing! :)”... that’s going to be destroyed as soon as you try to apply mascara. So wave goodbye to all your efforts! :) 
 
 
 
The formula is something between gelly and watery. It’s a bit odd, and it isn’t too easy to use. It is liquid, yes, but it’s kinda... thick, I want to say? Like it’s almost gooey. But it feels super lightweight. It doesn’t apply very evenly, requiring quite a few layers to get it to look even and good. But, even then, that’s not enough, because it cracks so much! I already described just how miserable this cracking is, but let me reiterate that: it is horrendous! It’s literally almost impossible to make it look good, but it’s weird, because it is still layerable... what a weird formula. 
 
 
Although, I do like how it doesn’t tug at the skin at all; I can even go across my eye crease and it won’t tug one bit. It will crack, sure, but at least it won’t damage the delicate skin of the eyelids by tugging at it. I am not sure I like this formula, it is not very user-friendly and I hate how it cracks.
 
 
 
Longevity? Well, overall, it does survive a whole day... technically. I did not say it would survive unscathed, though. As long as you don’t make any extreme facial expressions, it will look okay-ish and won’t suffer too much. It’s not waterproof, but it is somewhat water-resistant. It’s not like it will completely fade if your eyes get wet, but do try to prevent them from getting too wet. And if they do get wet, don’t touch it! 
 
 
 
 
Worn with the Eveline Variété Liquid Eyeliner [08/Ultrared]
We already established how allergic this eyeliner is to any sort of touching... so, if you happen to have an itch near the eyeliner... well, good luck trying not to make it crumble. Because it will crumble. Though, to give it credit where its due, it really doesn’t fade or feather or smudge throughout the day. Once you draw a shape, it will stay in that shape the whole day. Minus the cracking, of course, but the overall shape and pigmentation will stay the same. And it doesn’t transfer to the rest of the eyelid, thanks to its super quick-drying formula. But, obviously, since it cracks so much that it is almost impossible to make it look decent, this is little comfort. Like, what use is an eyeliner that will crack all over while you are applying bloody mascara??!! Grrr... I am just so fed up with this eyeliner...
 
 
 
At least there’s one good thing about it being so crumbly: it is extremely easy to remove. Really, you don’t actually have to even use any remover, just go over the eyeliner with a Q tip and it will disintegrate, leaving you with clean skin. This is horrible, but at least it made it easy to fix mistakes and make both wings match as much as possible. Of course, I would suggest using at least micellar water to remove it, as that will be gentler on the eyes.
 
 
 
In conclusion, I cannot even begin to describe how disappointed I am with this eyeliner. I haven’t used many Essence eyeliners, so I don’t have a baseline to judge them on, but surely they aren’t all this bad??? It’s such a crying shame that this eyeliner is so horrible because the colour is absolutely stunning! It’s a vibrant, royal purple that looks amazing on pale skin! And it is so autumnal and just beautiful! I didn’t expect it to be this vibrant yet still dark! This makes it easier to use, because it goes well with more colours than if it were a bright purple. It also dries super quickly! Like, 10 seconds and it’s already completely set; this helps it stay smudge-free both while applying it and during the day. Indeed, it really doesn’t smudge during the day, even if you start sweating or if your eyes get wet! And once it sets, it stays in place! No fading or feathering throughout the day! Excellent! Plus, it is ultra-matte, like, literally no shine at all! This, combined with the dark royal purple, makes it so dramatic... I love this! And it stays matte no matter how wet or oily your eyes get! This is a fine brush eyeliner, instead of being felt-tip. Some may prefer having a felt-tip, but this brush is quite good. It applies pigment pretty nicely, although it can be a bit smudgy or uneven while you are drawing out wings. The eyeliner is also buildable, to help cover for this unevenness. And now I must mention the elephant in the room that is the reason why this eyeliner gets such a poor rating despite me, apparently, loving it: cracking. Yeahhhh, it... it cracks massively. And crumbles as well. So what I said about longevity stands... if you don’t touch the eyeliner one it has set. This also makes it harder to actually build it up in intensity because it may very well just start crumbling as you're filling in spaces. I have no idea why this happens. The formula isn’t dry at all; in fact, it is quite liquidy, but more gelly than just like water or ink. I fully believe it’s due to the formula because that is what causes it to apply so unevenly as well. Perhaps it is too quick-drying for its own good. But whatever the cause may be, this excessive cracking makes this eyeliner unusable. Literally. Because you cannot fix any mistakes with a Q tip, or the entire wing will just crumble. Because you cannot even make any greater expressions with your eyes or it will again, crack and crumble. And also because you cannot even apply mascara with it on... think about that. You probably wouldn’t apply it after mascara because you wouldn’t want any eyeliner to get onto perfectly fanned out eyelashes, but if you apply it beforehand, it will crumble to dust. And I was gentle with my mascara, but goddamnit, you have to get mascara into the roots and, by doing so, I lost almost the entire line I had on my eyelid. Fantastic. So then I had to fix it and risk getting eyeliner on my eyelashes. I... I don’t get it. My disappointment was so great that it turned to anger. Why?! Why can’t it just stay on without crumbling, goddamnit?! I just ran out of F’s to give so I just sighed and went out with eyeliner that, while it looks good from afar, it’s quite obviously cracked when you get near. There is no salvaging this, it cracks with or without setting spray, with or without eyeshadow underneath. It just has a miserable formula, even though everything else showed so much promise. But it’s rubbish. I cannot use it, period. And this makes me so immeasurably disappointed and sad because the colour is so perfect... guess I’ll have to go find a different royal purple eyeliner now. Nope, absolutely no recommendation for this garbage. Essence, you should have done better with this already disappointing LE... 
 
 
 
Rating: 3.5/10
 
 
Would buy again? Hell NO



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