Essence: Vampire's Love Eyeshadow Palette Review


Gosh, this collection was pretty hard to track down! By the time I had time to go shopping, many of Vampire's Love items were already sold out in several Kruidvat stores here.

For the benefit of those who do not know, Vampire's Love is the latest trend edition released by Essence (sister brand of Catrice). The brand is totally cashing in on the vampire mania......ummm, what is the name of that movie and that other TV series again?





I managed to get two bottles of polishes in the third Kruidvat store I went into, and in the fifth store, the Vampire's Love eyeshadow palette and two more bottles of polishes. I promise, I'm not a maniac. These stores just happened to be on my way.

I figured, since I like the Catrice Big City Life - The Berlin Collection Palette so much, I might as well give this Vampire's Love eyeshadow palette a go too. I mean, they are sister brands and the palettes probably come from the same manufacturer in Poland - both palettes have 'Made in Poland' stated on the back.


This eyeshadow palette is actually called Love At First Bite. It comes in a simple black square casing with a practical mirror inside. The eyeshadow pans are tiny though, each measuring about 1.75cm x 1.75cm. It won't be easy if you want to pick up the eyeshadow with the finger.

The applicator that came with the palette.....ahh, what can I say? I can't even call it decent, like I did for the one that came in the Catrice The Berlin Collection palette. This Essence applicator is of crap quality. The brush is like a paint brush for your wall and the sponge-tip applicator died on me after all of three minutes - the sponge completely dislodged itself from the holder.


I'll overlook all that because the eyeshadows are pretty good! I like the colour choices in this palette and they've got great pigmentation. They're not crumbly and there wasn't much fallout. Five have a shimmery sheen and the darkest one has glitter.

These swatches are with an eyeshadow primer.


Top row, L-R:
khaki green-brass
slate blue
pale aubergine

Bottom row, L-R:
black-grey with silver/teal glitters
silver
pale pink


I did a simple eye look with principally the black-grey and the pale aubergine eyeshadows.

I used:


Etos Eyeshadow Underbase (eyeshadow primer)
Essence Vampire's Love - Love At First Bite Eyeshadow Palette
Essence Liquid Eyeliner - Black
GOSH Velvet Touch Eye Liner - Black Ink
Make Up For Ever Aqua Smoky Lash Mascara - Waterproof Extra Black

The eyeshadows used are indicated with dots. It's a straightforward look with the black-grey in the lid fold and the pale aubergine above the black-grey. The eyeshadows denoted by smaller dots were used for accents or blending purposes: silver in the inner corners and pale pink above the crease.


Ignore the inferior applicator. This eyeshadow palette is pretty good stuff for only €3.79. The nail polish shades in the Vampire's Love collection mirror the eyeshadow colours to a certain extent and they will be featured here soon.


More information:
Essence website

18 comments:

Simona said...

I got it, too! And the polishes as well. I have yet to try out the polishes but I used the eyeshadows immediately, a soft look using the pink and purple. I love it! And I love the big mirror (at least bigger than my usual purse mirror). I think it's great to carry around for retouching or such! A great deal for a small price if you ask me!

Unknown said...

REally nice colors!!
Looks great!

Anonymous said...

I see some pretty colors in this palette. OK,lets ignore the quality of the applicator, I still think it's a great deal and it even has a mirror. Lovely eye look, my dear. Take care, Nicole x

Atqa Beauty Blog | atqabeauty.com said...

This limited edition is so pretty. It's supposed to be available in Poland in December, I hope I'd have a chance to buy something :)

Anonymous said...

I need these they are so cute.

Witoxicity said...

@Simona
Hi, Simona! It's great that you've got this too! Yes, the full mirror is a big plus point. The palette's certainly a good buy! Enjoy your palette! :)

@rock-or-not
I'm pleased to hear that! :)

@Nicole
Thanks, Nicole! It's a good deal and anyway, most people don't use the applicators that come in eyeshadow palettes, so that's not a big issue. Have a great weekend! :)

@Atqa Beauty
I hope you can get to this collection as soon as it's in the stores in December. The items will probably sell out fast. Good luck, Atqa! :)

@Jennafroggy
Yeah, the palette is pretty cute. :)

Adis said...

\>w</! I was sooo tempted to grab the palette but decided not to :(. I feel like kicking myself now ._.\.

Anyway, I'm awaiting your swatches of the pretty polishes 8D! (I was only able to grab the grey one and that darker one. All the others were gone, as was that sad lonely Catrice laquer :p.)

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous look! Great blending like always. ;)

The palette looks awesome and it's cheap, so it gets my approval.

I see some awesome nailpolishes as well. I will check out your blog for your pics. "KTee"xx

Witoxicity said...

@Adis
Argh! That's such a pity, Adis. I myself haven't seen the palette anywhere since! Never mind, my dear. As I always say, there'll be other new and interesting stuff coming our way later. I mean, we are talking about Essence and Catrice, the perpetual limited edition collection machine. :P

So, that lone(ly) bottle of Catrice Yes, You Tan didn't need rescuing after all. It's good that it has found a good home somewhere out there. :)

I'll be wearing these polishes soon! Sigh, so much to show, so little time....and only ten nails! :P

@KTee
Thank you, KTee! The eyeshadow colours are all wearable, nothing OTT and for the price, I can't complain too much (about the applicator, I mean). Happy weekend! :)

sugar sugar said...

thats such a gorgeous palette anne! all the colors seem very pigmented too! :D

Adis said...

Well well, whaddaya know :3! I went into the Kruidvat for something entirely unrelated and I actually found an untouched leftover palette! Also found the blue nail polish from this collection AND I scored all of the Catrice Las Vegas collection polishes while I was at it :p! I feel pretty good about this :D!

Psst, you could always do a partial skittle mani /(¬o¬ )\...

Witoxicity said...

@Adis
Woohoo! That's fantastic! It's actually incredible that you managed to snag one that was untouched. I went into another Kruidvat the other day and there was one lonely palette left and it was in bad shape. Someone dropped the palette, so you can imagine the mess left on the floor and in the palette. Total write-off!

Yay to scoring the blue polish and the Las Vegas stuff! You beat the others to the collection this time around! Good for you! I bought them too. I was actually quite surprised to see them there so soon (please, Catrice, slow down!). The red one (from Las Vegas) looks similar to Marilyn And Me but never mind..... :D

Heh heh, I know, I had thought of doing skittles but the thing is, I like to give every polish my undivided attention. Every single one is gorgeous. Sigh! :P

Bear Woods said...

You are so lucky to get this collection, I just don't have that much luck ;(

Witoxicity said...

@MissDoll
Oh, I don't know. I was a bit late but somehow, there were a couple of palettes left in the fifth store. I never saw anymore palettes after that. All gone! :P

Cynthia Z said...

I see "Vampire" I come running ;). At first, I thought u'd hit pan already but they are dots hehe. Love how u made the eyes more smoky- very vampire-ish :)

♥xx♥

Witoxicity said...

@Cynthia
Thanks, Cynthia! Nooo, not hitting pan. I know I said the pans are small, but the shadows sure won't run out that soon! ;D

Nikki said...

Dit doosje heb ik ook gekocht en het bevalt mij prima. Er zitten 6 mooie kleuren in voor een leuke prijs. Groet

Witoxicity said...

@Nikki
Goed dat je deze ook hebt, Nikki! Het is echt niet duur en de kwaliteit is best goed voor die prijs. Groetjes! :)