Funny how I can’t remember much from college chem lab, but I do recall the lyrics to Foxy Brown’s Get Me Home.
Uh-oh, uh-oh!
Both of them appeared in my life around the same time (in the mid-1990s), but while most of my chem lessons left me long ago, Foxy’s song is still fresh to def in my mind.
Of the few chemistry lessons that have, however, stuck with me after all these years, the law of conservation of mass seems particularly apt today. It states that mass can neither be created nor destroyed, or, as the 13th century scholar NasÄ«r al-DÄ«n al-TÅ«sÄ« put it, “A body of matter cannot disappear completely. It only changes its form, condition, composition, color and other properties and turns into a different complex or elementary matter.”
If true, then what the heck is up with these $1.49 Essence Metallic Eye Pencils?
With so many cheap beauty thrills coming from the Essence line lately — like the Stay With Me Longlasting Lipglosses ($2.29) and Colour & Go Nail Polishes ($0.99) — I’d just assumed these six $1.49 beauties would deliver the same affordable BOOM-BOOM-POW!
From left to right: Iron Goddess, Green Day, Heavy Metal, Lilectric, Black Knight and White Divine
Swatches from left to right with the flash: Iron Goddess, Green Day, Heavy Metal, Lilectric, Black Knight and White Divine
Without the flash
While not as smooth, pigmented or soft as, say, an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil ($17), I do like the variety of colors, and you can’t beat the soft metallic finish or bargain basement price.
But, like a fleeting summer romance, these pencils fade fast. I’m talking POOF! Gone. I even tried layering them with several different eye primers to increase their wear time, including my go-to NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, but in every case the colors all but disappeared within two hours, as if to say, “Take that, law of conservation of mass!”
I’m left to wonder where the colors go when they do disappear…maybe to those pearly makeup gates in the sky.
Nevertheless, with these, plan on having to frequently touch up your eye look throughout the day.
I’m the kind of gal who likes to do her eye makeup in the morning and not have to worry about it for the rest of the day. Consequently, I’m a little frustrated by these. I might attempt to see how much more wear time I can eek out of them by patting a matching eyeshadow on top.
I love the idea of being able to fill an entire wardrobe of metallic eye pencils for about $9. Shoot, that’s less than a snack and a drink from Starbucks! If only they lasted a little bit longer…
PRICE: $1.49 each
AVAILABILITY: Available now at Ulta, Fred Meyer and HEB stores, and also online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: C
Thirsty for more?
So. I’m not quite sure what to make of the True Blood season premiere. I may have built up my expectations to an unreasonable level, but I thought it felt a little rushed and bogged down by so many small details. Probably just a lot of setup going on for the different story lines… I still can’t wait for next week.
What did you think?
I do have to say that the vamps are looking pretty hot this time around. Pam looked especially classy in her pink Chanel suit, and Eric in his tight v-neck shirt… Well, let me put it this way: “Eric, the invitation’s open. That’s all I’m saying. No need to knock.”
Yup. Totally open.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Vijaya says
June 27th, 2011 at 4:23 pmYikes. I was experiencing some pencil lust ’til I read that these disappear. xP
Vijaya recently posted … Evil Shades Cosmetics Review: Matte Silk
Victoria says
June 27th, 2011 at 4:56 pmSame here. Shame that they “disappear”… they do swatch beautifully!
Karen says
June 27th, 2011 at 6:50 pmI hear ya. These are so pretty, but they don’t last for long!
Chelsie says
June 27th, 2011 at 4:26 pmOMG. I lurve me some Vampire Eric–but I absolutely hated the faerie scene at the beginning of episode 1. It was like the old TV show Land of the Lost met an episode of Power Rangers circa 1996 and they had a really, really ugly baby. Not good.
Karen says
June 27th, 2011 at 6:53 pmLOL! I was wondering what the heck was going on there! It was a little cheesy.
I would love it if they could get back to the same feeling as the second season. It feels like all the story lines are spiraling out of control.
KSlone says
June 27th, 2011 at 7:03 pmI too was feeling the corn-ball factor of fairy land. Im really hoping they will pull out of the cheesy line they are following. Maybe I’m too partial to the books….
Karen says
June 27th, 2011 at 7:43 pmAm I the only person who keeps waiting for Eric to get amnesia!?
And where is my hot werewolf?
Advah says
June 28th, 2011 at 2:01 amThe first 10 mins left me all “WTF”! Then things got better when Eric showed up. Also, I’m over Tara. Her character’s become kind of useless imo.
Linda o. says
June 28th, 2011 at 6:36 ami can’t wait for you to see the 2nd episode!!!!
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:04 amHOLY CRAP, I just watched the second episode last night!
All I have to say is things start looking up.
And re: Tara — don’t you miss the Tara from the first season? I love how she cussed out her boss in that very first scene. Not *that’s* the Tara I want back!
Melissa says
June 27th, 2011 at 4:26 pmYo what’s up with Tara Mae too? Whaaaa.T.
Karen says
June 27th, 2011 at 6:54 pmHer name is Toni now! And she’s from Atlanta.
WHAT?
Have you read the books? I wonder if this career in cage fighting will somehow lead to her owning her dress shop.
Melissa says
June 27th, 2011 at 8:48 pmNo I haven’t but I’m going to start. This show is getting outta control! How adorably clueless is Jason 🙂 and **SPOILER ALERT** I thought when Eric showed up he was going to tell Sookie that he bought the house because he never gave up on her, but no, he went in a little different direction. He shoulda been naked though. Just sayin…
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:07 amI would’ve been totally okay if he was shirtless (at the minium).
Believe it or not, I didn’t quite get his allure until they cut his hair. When it was long and stringy he did absolutely nothing for me.
steph b says
June 27th, 2011 at 4:35 pmToo bad the liners don’t last because I’d love to play around with a bright purple but not sure enough I’d like it to invest in UD Ransom.
Totally loving Evolution Revolution over Syrup!
And can’t wait for tonight’s season premiere of The Big C. Such a rich show.
Karen says
June 27th, 2011 at 6:56 pmOh, now that’s a combo I haven’t tried yet. Must find my tube of Syrup, STAT!
I haven’t heard of that show. I’m more of an HBO kinda gal, but I’ll check it out.
Jessi says
June 27th, 2011 at 4:39 pmI think Essence’s lip products are their biggest winners. Everything else has been hot or miss for me. But overall I’ve more hits than misses! Especially for the price.
Jessi recently posted … e.l.f.’s Mineral Eyeshadows Swatches and Review
Karen says
June 27th, 2011 at 6:57 pmWhat are some of your Essence hits, Jessi?
Jessi says
June 27th, 2011 at 9:14 pmI mostly like the items from their limited edition collections, for some reason the quality seems to be better. From the regular line I have a lipstick in Creamy Nude that I really like. The XXL lipglosses are really nice for layering. And of course the nail polishes are great!
Jessi recently posted … e.l.f.’s Mineral Eyeshadows Swatches and Review
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:08 amI’ll have to look into their limited edition stuff. Thanks for the heads up! 🙂
That gloss sounds great, too.
Jen W says
June 27th, 2011 at 5:55 pmwhat a shame about the disappearing act! That’s a pet peeve for me, if I’ve made time to put an eye look together in the morning I would hate for all that effort to disappear throughout the day.
Karen says
June 27th, 2011 at 6:58 pmI know! It’s not fun to have your hard work disappear.
How’s your Monday been? Good, I hope!
Hyzenthlay says
June 27th, 2011 at 6:09 pmWoo hoo, Chemistry concepts! I will (finally) get my EvoRevo and Sonoran Rain tomorrow, too.
Karen says
June 27th, 2011 at 7:00 pmI had a feeling you’d appreciate the shout out. 🙂
Kind of nerdy, but my favorite chemistry law is the law of entropy. It’s, like, the one law that rules my life.
I can’t wait for you to get your tube of EvRev! When you get it you’ll have to put on a layer and then go out into the sun so you can see all the sparkles.
Hyzenthlay says
June 27th, 2011 at 10:30 pmDefinitely loved the shout out 🙂 And the law of entropy is great – the calculations related to it – not so much. Thank goodness I don’t have to teach them! My kids’ll get that in college . . . Also, we got incredible news today – my mom may not need a lung transplant at all! It’s funny how something good can happen, and only then, when all the stress is released, do you realize just how stressed you really were. My family is on Cloud Nine right now 🙂
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:11 amHi Hyzenthlay,
That’s wonderful news! I’m really happy for you and your family. 🙂 I bet your mom is overjoyed.
Ele says
June 28th, 2011 at 2:55 amhahaha! Love the comment on Eric! 😉
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:12 amDon’t you love him? After they cut his hair on the show I was like, WHOA!
Sandra L says
June 28th, 2011 at 4:22 amHi! I never tried those metalic pencils but I have a load of the regular and double-sided ones. They are a bit of miss but worth to try (like all essence products). Some of them last longer than others but usually I get and entire day of good wear whenever I use them over a primer.
P.S.: love your blog
Nina says
June 28th, 2011 at 6:07 americ is <33333. surprisingly, they showed ep2 on HBO Go, and id have to say, it was more interesting than ep1. 🙂
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:12 amOh! I just watched it last night! It was sooo much better than the first one.
Nina says
June 28th, 2011 at 10:12 ami know right? 😀
lafayette is fab!
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 10:53 amI can only hope to be as fierce as he is someday.
He once sent me a tweet on twitter and I went seriously NUTS! Such a fan girl, I know.
Kim says
June 28th, 2011 at 6:51 amOh, what a shame – and Essence was on such a roll! I guess zee Germans can’t hit everything out of the park. Seeing their makeup does make me want to watch Snatch again, though (hence, the “zee Germans” line). 🙂
I hear you on TB. I think I’ve been so into Thrones that it’ll take a little while to get back into vamp mode. I think we can all agree that the “balls of light” war in faerie land was bad 70s sci-fi cheesy. Soooo agree on Eric, however. And I must say that Bill’s hair cut this season is a vast improvement. Hopefully it’ll be an interesting couple of months. Of course, I’m also waiting for Eric to get amnesia! 🙂
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:14 amOkay, so I love me some Vampire Bill and all, but yeah… his hair last season looked tow up. I would love to see him in a close cropped ‘do — something a little edgier, ya know? Last season he always looked like he needed to shower.
Kim says
June 28th, 2011 at 12:47 pmI agree – one of my friends was like “well, it’s probably a period cut… he was in the Civil War, right?”. Geesh. I’m glad to see the job of King of Mississippi came with a stylist. 🙂
Melitina says
June 28th, 2011 at 6:55 amYou know what? Forget that Essence’s eye pencil, you just made my day BIG TIME with this song!!!! Musically speaking, there’s nothing better than the 90’s, right? Or maybe there’s nothing like the music one hears at 14 years old 😉
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:15 amIsn’t that the truth! I love ’90s hip hop!
Coral says
June 28th, 2011 at 7:57 amWhen I saw True Blood and the credits came on I couldn’t believe that the time had already passed. It’s most likely the combination of waiting so long for a season to start and all that sexiness that makes it underwhelming. But there are more episodes to look forward to. Plus, Lafayette was, dare I say, even more fabulous this time around.
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 9:16 amI just love him to bits! His wardrobe stylist must have a ton of fun dressing him. Cut off denim vests and sheer lace tops? YES, PLEASE!
Michelle says
June 28th, 2011 at 12:55 pmI could not agree more about True Blood! And yes… I would let Eric Northman in my room any time. By the way, I’m pretty sure this season is going to be the best one of all time, due to what happens with Eric.
Have you seen the second episode yet? Definitely makes up for the confusion of the first one.
So glad you’re a fellow True Blood fan! (Oh, and thanks to you, I immediately ordered the Tarte for True Blood palette…)
Karen says
June 28th, 2011 at 2:02 pmYup, I finally got around to watching the second episode. ******SPOILER ALERT********* So, yeah, it seems like the writers are starting to tighten up the stories and make it a little more interesting. I liked it much more than the first one! When I got to the end, I was like, and there’s my Eric with amnesia. 😀
Since you like TB, thought you might like to read this. I wrote it last year, but it’s still a lot of fun:
https://www.makeupandbeautyblog.com/cosmetics/5-makeup-and-beauty-lessons-i-learned-from-watching-true-blood/
artemis says
June 30th, 2011 at 8:36 amhaha I wanna see the first episode so bad but gotta download it since i live in east europe :d eriiiiic hehehehe
Karen says
June 30th, 2011 at 8:48 amIt’s a little over the top — especially the first scene with the fairies!
artemis says
June 30th, 2011 at 8:57 amagree :)) i saw the sneak peak with the fairies few weeks ago 😀 hope eric, sookie and some suspect murders will keep my interest high 🙂
Instant Karma says
June 30th, 2011 at 10:40 amAww, that’s such a shame about the liners, but as a science nerd, the conservation of mass comment made me laugh :D.
BRIANA says
July 21st, 2011 at 4:21 pmKaren,
Have you found a dupe for that beautiful shade of blue eyeshadow by NARS that you reviewed recently? Where in the world can I check out this essence brand? CVS online doesn’t have it when I search for it, hook me up with some info! 🙂
Thanks bunches