Here's the thing about Essence lipsticks - I don't like them very much. Actually no one I'm around is terribly happy when I try to give them one of my Essence lipsticks, mostly because of the very disappointing staying power (I got scolded for giving someone an Essence lipstick that "doesn't last more than 15 minutes on the lips"). So I made it my mission to avoid them since I know in advance I'd be disappointed. Even though Essence released a matte version of their formula, which is my kryptonite, I didn't want to risk those few euros. However, when one of my favourite bloggers, Sara from Passing Fancy a.k.a. the lipstick expert, not just praised them, but also named a few MAC dupes, I decided to give one shade a shot. And I disliked it from the start. The colour looked nothing like I hoped, the formula was sheer and staying power was again disappointing. But what I realized a couple of months later when I picked it up again was that the top layer is very deceiving and the real character is revealed when you used it up enough to get to the good stuff.
Texture: These have a very smooth, silicone-y texture which reminds me of Revlon's Matte Balm's, just those are a bit thicker. It's a very lightweight formula for a matte lipsticks, so don't expect any care from it, though I feel zero dryness, but you know I'm a bad example, since almost nothing dries my lips. I love how smooth it looks on the lips and it has a good matte finish for a lipstick, it's actually very ...