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Essence In the Bloom’light Shiny Lipgloss [01 - Moonlight Glow] Review

By Maychiri's Thoughts - December 14, 2024

Oh? Seems we have one more product from the In the Bloom’light LE, to finish off the set... this is the Essence In the Bloom’light Shiny Lipgloss, in the shade 01/Moonlight Glow (the only shade available)!
 
 
I completely honestly kinda forgot I had bought this... oops! I bought it at DM, at the same time as the first lip liner (I foolishly bought 2 because I thought I had opened one and the colour seemed to be very dark... but it wasn’t...). So, now, after two major flops, it is time to check out the matching lip gloss. Or at least, it should be matching, but who knows anymore, when the lip liner and lipstick don’t match at all... anyways. This was the first product from this LE that grabbed my attention; I do love myself a good glossy lip! It appears to be subtly red, which should go well with the totally-not-plum-but-berry lip liner. I just hope it isn’t tacky! Essence lip glosses tend to be quite good, so my, otherwise low expectation (for this LE) has been turned into somewhat high expectations. Is this folly? Perhaps, judging by the last two items, but I honestly just want something to function at least okay in this godforsaken limited edition. Now, let’s see what this lip gloss is all about, with a healthy dose of tempered expectations!
 
 
 
Packaging: quite pretty, I must say. It follows the theme of night blooms by having the same flowers printed along the tube as the lip liner and eyeliner. The cap has a beautiful print of dark purple blossoms, but something about it feels cheap because it hasn’t been printed on the plastic itself; it’s just a sticker going all round it. That gives it a weirdly waxy shine which makes the print less visible. Also, the purple colour of the blossoms (and text) clashes pretty badly with the pale dark reddish colour of the lip gloss itself. This, unfortunately, makes these details hard to see even under good lighting. Shame. And it makes the text almost impossible to read, which is further made worse by it being metallic. Bad design choices all around. The cap closes super tightly, though, which is nice.
 
 
 
Source: www.essence.eu
Ingredients: vitamin E for nourishment. No parabens. The scent is extremely intense, so be careful if you cannot handle intense smells. I was trying to figure out what this smells like because it doesn’t have that classic vanilla scent that plenty of lip products do... it smells sickeningly sweet and aromatic. It reminds me of paracetamol syrup that I used to take as a child, it literally smells like that. And that always made me sick from that way too sweet flavour. Then it hit me: this is a berry scent! Like, candied raspberries or something. It tastes exactly the same. I like sweet food and it’s still too intense for me. Although, it does fit with the colour, I guess. The expiration date is 12 months after opening.
 
 
 
Applicator: oh great, this is a flat applicator. I am not thrilled. This applicator is slightly larger than usual, but the shape makes it a bit unwieldy. It can apply the gloss all over the lips just fine, but it has major issues applying the gloss precisely to the cupid’s bow. It’s too large and stiff so you have to angle it all sorts of ways just to get an even coat of gloss precisely on the cupid’s bow. The applicator doesn’t pick up enough gloss for both lips, so I have to go back multiple times just to get a decently thick layer. This could all have been avoided by just using a doe foot applicator instead. For all these bad things, there is one good thing: the applicator is super soft! Yes, it is firm and way too stiff, but it is plush soft so that it doesn’t tug at the lips. I honestly have no idea why they went with this applicator; it is weird and and not too easy to use and it doesn’t even pick up enough gloss... why?
 
 
 
Colour: “soft color payoff”, according to Essence. Yep. This is definitely soft...in fact, there’s barely any colour at all! While it is a darker pale red in the tube, it is mostly colourless on lips, adding perhaps just a tinge of a berry colour. While I would prefer it to be more pigmented, this lack of pigmentation does allow it to be used on more lip liners and lipsticks. Such as the lip liner from this LE, with which is seems to be a perfect pair... huh. Wait... so the lip liner wasn’t meant to go with the lipstick, but with this lip gloss this entire time? 
 
 
 
Why add a different colour lipstick then? It makes no sense. Anyways, back on track, I don’t feel like this lip gloss would go well with the lipstick from this LE. It should, theoretically, add a berry-coloured shine to a very dark lipstick, but this simply isn’t pigmented enough for that. It would still be very glossy, though. However, if you apply it with the matching lip liner from this LE, it makes the lips look very juicy! But it also wipes off the lip liner over time, but that’s on the crappy lip liner. So yeah, this is basically colourless so it will go with most any skintone and lip product.
 
 
Worn with the Essence In the Bloom’light Matte Lipliner [01/Live In Full Bloom]
 
This is a very slick formula, that’s my first impression. It’s also quite gelly, which is nice, as it isn’t horribly too thick. Don’t get me wrong, it is thick and occlusive, but it doesn’t feel very heavy. It feels very slippery, which also means that it’s not at all tacky! Oh, this is good! It feels almost like a lip oil more than a typical lip gloss – excellent!
 
 
Worn with the Essence In the Bloom’light Matte Lipliner [01/Live In Full Bloom]
 
True to what Essence claims, this is indeed an extremely glossy lip gloss! Shiny? Yeah, I guess so, if you consider glossiness shine. But it is not at all “glimmering”; I cannot see any shimmer under normal lighting. It really has to be extremely bright light in order for the shimmer to be at all visible. Even then, it is barely there. Not that I mind this much, I prefer not having a ton of glitter/shimmer for everyday wear. And it does make the gloss more wearable, I think. This isn’t the most glossy lip gloss around; it’s not like it has glass-like shine, but it is still highly glossy, which is great! I really like this finish, it’s so juicy and wonderful!
 
 
Worn with the Essence In the Bloom’light Matte Lipliner [01/Live In Full Bloom]
 
The fact that this lip gloss is slippery and not one bit tacky means that it is quite comfortable to wear. I have issues with lip glosses bunching up and drying on my lower lip, but this one doesn’t do that. It does become slightly drier and more gelly with time, but it never feels drying or uncomfortable. Indeed, it doesn’t appear to dry out my lips at all, which is excellent, as they become dry from just about anything. And it doesn’t create that annoying crust on my lower lip, even if the lip isn’t in the best shape. However, I can feel it on my lips the entire time it’s on, it’s just too thick to blend in. It doesn’t become tacky after some time, even after it becomes more gelly than slippery. Oh, and it feels pleasantly ‘wet’ on lips, like it is keeping them hydrated, perhaps even hydrating them!
 
 
 
Applying this lip gloss is both easy and not easy, at the same time. Easy, because the colour is barely visible, so you can afford to be messy. And also because the slippery formula glides over lips, not snagging at any point. So, even if you are in a rush, you can apply this lip gloss so that it looks good. It requires literally zero effort. But, on the other hand, the applicator makes things a bit more difficult because it struggles to apply lip gloss precisely to the cupid’s bow. But since it’s mostly clear and colourless, this doesn’t matter too much. It’s much more important that it glides this easily across lips.
 
 
 
 
Longevity is definitely not this lip gloss’s strong suit. That said, it’s not uncommon for lip glosses to have poor longevity, but even with that, this one doesn’t last very long. I feel like it gets wiped off to a degree by just normal talking or licking your lips, though this gloss doesn’t provoke that reflex nearly as much as some others do. It has to be reapplied every 2 hours approximately, as it loses most of its gloss by then. I can still feel it on my lips, but it just isn’t as glossy and juicy looking anymore. Thankfully, it is simple and easy to apply. It’s also not at all waterproof or water-resistant; if your lips get wet at all, it will disappear. That also means that it doesn’t tolerate any kind of eating or drinking. It will absolutely have to be reapplied after meals. A tad annoying having to reapply it often, but lip glosses just do be like that quite often. 
 
 
 

 
 
Since this lip gloss isn’t waterproof nor water-resistant, it can be easily removed with just about any remover. You can even remove it with water alone! Though that may leave a slightly tacky layer behind, so I suggest using micellar water. And it doesn’t leave any stains or tacky remains if you remove it with micellar water or a specialised remover. It’s just one swipe and you’re done!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
All in all, this is like, the only competent product in this goddamn LE. Is this a superb lip gloss? Nah, I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s still a very good lip gloss. I really like the formula; it is very slippery, but it doesn’t feel extremely greasy or heavy. It is occlusive, though it is quite lightweight. It actually feels wet, which is good, as that keeps my lips from drying out. And it’s not at all tacky, though that does have its downsides. It’s not as long-lasting as tacky lip glosses, and it is completely non-water-resistant. So anything, even just licking your lips or talking – let alone, eating or drinking – is enough to wipe off the lip gloss. So you’ll have to reapply it many times during the day, depending on your activities. That does make it super easy to remove, though. As you can see, it’s already got some problems. Whether the next thing is a problem depends on whether you want colour or not, as this lip gloss is pretty much both clear and colourless. No opacity and almost no colour. Maybe just a hint of raspberry? I... actually don’t mind this, even though I was expecting it to be an intense darker red colour, to match the lipstick. Instead, it matches the lip liner. Huh, that’s odd. So the lipstick is the odd one out... why even make it part of this LE, then??? Anyways, this lack of colour allows the lip gloss to be able to be used with many different lip products and it should mix well with the colours. Oh and it’s not at all shimmery... unless you shine a bright spotlight on my lips, that is. Then you can see the faint reddish shimmer, but it is so subtle that the lip gloss is just, as the name implies, shiny. I love how glossy it is! It really makes the lips look juicy! Essence is known for good lip glosses, and this one is proof of that. It’s not like exceptional, but it is still very good. And you know what? That makes me feel so much relief... to know that there is at least one thing in this LE that actually works; even if it’s not perfect, at least it can be used, which is more than can be said for some parts of this horrid-quality LE *cough*eyeliner*cough*. And it's kinda fitting for Essence that it’s the lip gloss, isn’t it? I will recommend it if you are looking for a comfortable, highly glossy lip gloss. Though it’s likely going to be harder to find now, you know how quickly Essence changes LEs...
 
 
 
Rating: 7/10
 
 
Would buy again? Maybe YES
 

 

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