Miki Cheung (MC):  Thanks for taking the time to sit with FASHION STYLE BLOG.  Tell us a little bit about the essense and how it came to be.

Essence Representative (ER):  Of course.  essence has been in Canada for almost 2 years ago now.  It launched 2 years ago in Shoppers Drug Mart, so it’s sold across the country.  It’s the #1 value cosmetic brand in the world.  A lot of the products are actually made in Europe: Germany, France and Italy.  You’re getting top notch quality at great price points.  In fact, $4.99 is the most expensive product you’ll find.

MC: Wow. That’s very inexpensive.

ER:  Yeah, it is.  We get that a lot. (laughter) We get a lot of great support from make-up artists that enjoy using them.  They find the pigments to be very strong, especially the eye shadows.  Many of the products are long lasting, so if you’re heading out to fashion week or have an event to go to, you want to have long-lasting products and we recommend you using them, so that they work for you from day to night without you having to worry about reapplying throughout the day.

A lot of the products are actually made in Europe: Germany, France and Italy.  You’re getting top notch quality at great price points.  In fact, $4.99 is the most expensive product you’ll find.

MC:  Absolutely!  I noticed on the website that essence appears quite youthful.  Is there a reason for this?  Were the products meant to be targeted towards a young audience?

ER:  When founder Christina Oster-Daum created the brand with her husband, they found that there was a lack of cosmetics available in the value market that could be used by the younger generation, but could still be appreciated by the older; this is how essence came to be.  A 12 year old girl who starts testing and wearing make-up can get great quality from essence.  It’s not harmful to the skin.  At the same time, if the mom wants to use the lip gloss, it’s great for her as well.  It’s ageless because anyone can use it.  This is a great cosmetic line and really focuses accentuating beauty.

MC:  What would you say are some of essence’s best sellers?

ER:  The Get Big Lash series, such as get BIG! lashes triple black mascara, the get BIG Lash Black are very popular.  I used to use one by another leading cosmetic brand and find that this one is even better and this is only $3.99.  These are their number one selling mascaras on the market, so they’re widely used.  The waterproof ones really does stay.  It could be 40 degrees with humidity and it will stay.  I wore the waterproof mascara in the water on the beach and it didn’t run!

The shadow range includes Metal Glams, blues, purple, pinks, greens and nudes.  New to the assortment are the 3D eye-shadows.  They’re intense and go on soft.  You can get the colour for your crease and corner.  If you apply them with a wet angled brush, you get even more intense colour.

In terms of eye liners, the black long-lasting kajal is the number one selling liner in Shoppers Drug Mart and it’s $2.49.

MC:  Some people feel intimidated when they see a large ranges of colours and a lot of different products.  Does essense share beauty tips online?

ER:  On the website, essence shares a number of tutorials and How-To videos, including how to get a cat-eye.  You can find these tips here.  There’s something for everyone.

MC:  Some people want fuller or longer lashes.  Does essense provide a wide range of different mascaras for what the customer wants to achieve?

ER: There are, and there is also Volumizing Lash Powder.  It’s great for someone who really wants to accentuate the lashes.  It’s easy to use.  First you apply a mascara coat, then a coat of the powder and then with another mascara coat.  You really just layer it on to get fuller lashes.  There’s a Shoppers Drug Mart salesperson in London that just swears by it!

The Stays No Matter What Eye-Pencil and Shadow won the Oprah Award.  Of course, if Oprah loves it, everyone does, right?

There’s a big push on that metallic eye.  This is where some of these great metal blending shadows are handy because they bring out the best in other colours you use and are great alone, and the pigments are amazing.

MC:  I love them!  They’re beautiful.  Every season, people buy new colours and change up their make-up routine.  What are the trends for Spring?

ER:  For spring, we saw on the runway a lot of metallics.  There’s a big push on that metallic eye.  This is where some of these great metal blending shadows are handy because they bring out the best in other colours you use and are great alone, and the pigments are amazing.

Another trend is the very nude face.  A clear, fresh look with a little bit of blush on the cheeks, soft lips matched with mascara to accent the lash.  We also have great bronzing powders to give you a fresh finish.  For the lips, we’re seeing a lot of mulberries and dark, dark lips.

MC:  I know you mentioned mulberries.  I’m seeing mulberries and blues on the fall runway shows right now.  Are some of those colour trends carrying into the Fall? 

ER: Yes, some of them do.  Another trend that you’ll see in Spring that carries into Fall is the cat-eye or the glossy black liner.  The nude and soft face is one that carries over as well.  I’m also noticing a lot of pink pigments on the eyes.

MC:  There were a lot of metallics! Altuzarra, Gucci, Jason Wu and Chanel had metallic eyes on the runway and that’s fantastic that essence has intense shadows and liners would reflect those trends and be sold at Shoppers Drug Mart.  When does essence release their next seasonal collection?

ER: The Spring Collection is in stores now.  The Fall Collection will be release towards the end of August.  You can expect to see new colours and more long-lasting products coming out, especially with the weather changing as much as it does – the long-lasting items are great for seasonal changes.

MC:  And, you definitely don’t want it to dry out.

ER: Right!  Also, in 40 degree weather, you want your make up to last and not run.

MC: I see a selection of lip balms here.  Are any of them tinted or coloured?

ER: Yes, very subtle.  It has a light sheen and they’re scented.   The Stay Matt Lip Cream are long-lasting.  It goes on super creamy. (ER does a quick product demonstration.)

MC:  Wow.  That’s intense.

ER: It lasts at least 3-4 hours before it starts coming off!  It goes on a bit like a lipgloss and turns into something similar to a matt lipstick.  I wore it one morning and had chicken and waffles.  At the end for the meal, it was still there.   You can drink and eat, but It could still come off if you miss, so I wouldn’t smooch.  (laughter) They come in 3 different shades.  There’s hot pink, red and nude.

MC: I see a large range of nail polishes!  Tell us about this collection.

ER:  We have some great pinks, great blues.  The lighter ones are great for bridal.  The great thing about these is that they’re all $1.99.

MC:  Do you have a best seller?

ER:  Off to Miami and Sweet as Candy are really popular right now.  All the nail polishes are quick dry and their brushes are really nice because they’re flat and rounded a the tip, so they’re easy to get close to the cuticles.  I am terrible at applying nail polish, and these make it so much easier to apply.  They’re only $1.99, so you can’t go wrong.  You don’t have to feel guilty for purchasing a new colour.

MC:  Are you still finding a lot of customers buying multiple colours to wear at once?

ER:  Yes.  essence noticed the trend and they have this amazing nail effects.  You can use this glitter for a finger.  Also new in the line are tattoo pens.  You can do a french manicure with the white one and it’s a great little pen to have.  The stamping kit allows you to stamp accents to your nails.

The Gel Top Coat and Express Dry are also great for when you’re in a rush to get out the door. it’s amazing. The nail polish already dries fast, but the express dry just works so quickly.

MC:  What are some of the most popular cosmetics at essence?

ER:  The Stays No Matter What Eye-Pencil and Shadow won the Oprah Award.  Of course, if Oprah loves it, everyone does, right?

MC:  Of course! (laughter)

ER:  It won in the purple shade.  I’m sure they’re all equally as good, since they work the same.  You’ll notice the pigments are amazing.  They go on really smooth and are easy to blend and last a long time and brightens up your eye. (ER goes on to demonstrates the eye pencil and shadows)

ER:  The entire get Big! Lash Mascara series is very popular.  You can’t go wrong with the metallic eye this spring season and the Stays No Matter What Jumbo Eye Pencil & Shadow.  The waterproof eyeliner pens are great for hot, humid weather and bronzers are only $4.99 are give a sheer finish you want in the summer.

MC: What’s your favourite?

ER: I love the Stay Matt Lip Cream.  I’m a huge lipstick fiend and it goes on nicely, is long lasting and doesn’t dry out.  The small combo pack of 3 are great lip glosses as well.  They are perfect for when you’re going to an event are going for a night on the town.

ER: I really like Trend Editions by essence.  They really capture what’s hot and happening in the moment.   Right now, you can find a small selection of limited edition items while quantities last.  This spring, essence released one called ‘Love Letters’ with soft pastels and romantic colours.  They fly off the shelves.

MC: The display is well-labeled, so you can easily find spot exactly what you’re trying to achieve while browsing around essence beauty products in-store.  essence makes it really easy to buy a large selection of products, package them in a beautiful box and give them away as gifts, and at such an affordable price!  You can buy a bunch of beauty products and give them away.  You will find essence’s Trend Edition in stores now.  I highly recommend anyone to take a look at these.  They’re soft, subtle but very much on trend for the spring season.

MC:  Are all of the products available at all Shoppers Drug Mart?

ER: Yes.  In Canada, they are sold exclusively at Shopper’s Drug Mart.  For the most part, any customer can find them at any Shopper’s Drug Mart.  In Quebec, they’d find it at Pharma Prix.

MC: Can essence be ordered online if they can’t get to a location?

ER: Yes, you can order them on Elta.com.