Essence New Products and Store Display

The Essence display in my local supermarket was overhauled yesterday with a massive slew of new products. The new Colour & Go nail polishes are CHF2.75 for 8ml, versus CHF1.95 for 5ml previously. Many of the shades look similar to the previous line-up. Some popular shades have not made the transition though, like #78 Blue Addicted, a dupe for Deborah Lippman's Across the Galaxy so do snag that quickly if you've been thinking about it.


Crackle polishes.

Colour & Change polishes.

Nail art tools.

Plastic nail rings that can be decorated with nail polish and re-used.

New base makeup including Pure Skin foundation, powder and concealer for the acne-prone, 2in1 Make-up & Powder which can be applied wet or dry, and Make-up To Match foundation which adapts to skin tones.



Fruit-flavoured Kiss Care Love Lipbalms, which are also part of the New In Town trend edition.

Colour Arts Pigments and bases.



New Quattro Eyeshadow quads #11 Sea My Day and #12 Purple Day

I picked up Colour & Go 133 Oh My Glitter!, the Glowing In The Dark Topper and Studio Nails Pro White Rosé, which is a nail whitener to help cover up yellowness. Glowing in the Dark Topper actually glows only under black light (e.g. in clubs) and not in the absence of light (disappointingly), so unless you're a club-goer, it's pretty useless.

The key improvement of the Color & Go polishes, which are made in France, is the broader brush which makes for easier application. The cap is wider and easier to hold. Oh My Glitter is a darker version of 86 A Lovely Secret, with the same violet microshimmer.


The new brush felt very similar to the Dior Vernis brush in terms of the length and thickness, with the latter having a slightly more tapered cut.

Here's a quick swatch of two coats of Oh My Glitter over one coat of Pro White Rosé. The new Colour & Go formula applies smoothly and dries in a few minutes, but I still prefer to use Dior Top Coat for a truly budgeproof, shiny finish.