Festivals are a real excuse to go wild with your makeup- not that I’ve been to any festivals in the last few years but that doesn’t mean I can’t embrace the spirit a bit and brighten up my look for the Summer. Especially not when you have a brand like Essence who not only excel at bright and bold products but also are so reasonably priced you won’t mind if you end up losing them in the inevitable mud bath of a camp site.

I was recently sent a selection of new and cult Essence products and I’ve popped together a little guide to some of my favourite festival essentials.

There were a few products in this selection I was especially excited for- that highlighter? I had such high hopes…and prismatic lipgloss is exactly what I’ve been craving in my lip product arsenal.

Coloured eyeliners are such an easy way to add a pop of colour to your look and Essence’s kajal range costs just £1 each. I’m loving the shade “beach bum” at the moment, it’s great for jazzing up my usually subtle every day makeup and for such a cheap product it applies, and lasts so well.

Waterproof mascara isn’t a product I’ve ever really rated but even I’ll concede it’s been incredibly useful lately with this crazy humid weather we’ve been experiencing here in the UK. I’m already a fan of Essence’s “all eyes on me mascara” so the waterproof version was never going to let me down. You really can’t beat a multi-effect mascara at just £2.

Essence nail products are one of the highlights of the entire brand in my opinion. I was particularly excited by the “out of space stories” polish with it’s amazing iridescent effect. The range also includes holographic and metallic polishes and I can’t wait to try them all.

Other highlights include these cut out manicure stencils. I’m hopeless at nail art so to have such a fool proof way to achieve it is great. This is a 51 piece set, amazing for £1 and the design potential is endless. Major motivation to a) grow my nails and b) actually paint them more often right there!

I have a real weak spot for prismatic effect makeup at the moment so both the lip gloss and highlighter were the products I was most desperate to try. The lipgloss in the shade “smile, sparkle, shine” is a gorgeous wet look baby pink with just enough prismatic effect to add a little something extra but still be wearable enough for every day.

The highlighter looks a bit daunting in it’s packaging with it’s bright and bold packaging, but applied with a light hand the shades blend together seamlessly to provide a gorgeous, prismatic glow. I’m really impressed with this, especially as it only costs £3.50- the quality and finish it provides would have you believe it’s from a much more high-end brand.

So there we have it. As ever Essence have bowled me over with their clever combination of high fashion makeup and crazy low prices.
This is a brand that really excites me, I’m always looking forward to seeing what they come out with next.

Available in selected Wilko stores and from Wilko.com . Products sent to me for blog consideration but opinions are my own. Let me know if you decide to give any of these a go or if you’ve discovered any gems lately.