#FOTD: essence coral me maybe + taupe it up eyeshadow palettes

Over the years, there have been an awful lot of Essence reviews here on the creation of beauty is art. There are a few reasons for this: the low price point (there is nothing better than an affordable product that works well), the accessibility (drugstore products are easy to pick up on errand days), and the impressive selection (there are often new products and intriguing items.) No wonder the Coral Me Maybe and Taupe It Up eyeshadow palettes called to me. They cost $4.99 CDN each, were compact in size, and contained six shadows each. Recently, I have been putting these eyeshadow palettes to the test and created some #FOTD looks. Keep reading for some mini reviews and a couple of drugstore makeup looks. 

#FOTD: Coral Me Maybe Eyeshadow Palette. The first palette has a wonderfully referential (and punny) name, which made it an easy choice to add to my cart. Plus, I absolutely love anything coral coloured. The eyeshadow palette had six colours in total, including some mattes and shimmers. There are different shades of coral, a deep brown shade, and even a bright gold. It was an impressive variety of finished and colours and the inclusion of that dark brown shade makes it possible to add extra depth to a makeup look. The matte shades are surprisingly pigmented and the shimmers pack a real punch as well. All in all, this is an impressive little eyeshadow palette that would be ideal if you are on-the-go or want to travel, thanks to the compact size. 

To create this coral inspired #FOTD, the shade In My Way (matte coral) was applied through the crease, then Wish In The Well (light coral shimmer) was applied on the inner corner and first third of the eyelid, with Pennies & Dimes (deep coral shimmer) applied to the rest of the lid. To add even more depth, Stare Was Holdin' (dark matte brown) was applied through the outer portion of the crease. It was a colourful, wearable, but smokey eyeshadow look. Well worth the $4.99 price tag! 

#FOTD: Taupe It Up Eyeshadow Palette. The second look made good use of the Taupe It Up Eyeshadow Palette. Unlike the previous palette, which was full of gorgeous warm shades, this was overloaded with cool tones. There was a cool toned matte brown, silvers, and a matte taupe. It is certainly different than the other Essence palette! Actually, it reminded me a lot of the Cremated Eyeshadow Palette. Cool toned, somewhat gothic, and downright inspiring. In terms of the quality, this is similar to the previous palette and the mattes and shimmers both perform well. I love that there is a lot of variety, even within this compact eyeshadow palette. The Taupe It Up Eyeshadow Palette is small in size, but it is still mighty. 

To create this #FOTD, it was all about those matte eyeshadow shades. I really wanted to create an all-matte look and thankfully, it was really quick and easy to do with the Taupe It Up Eyeshadow Palette. The shade Sing Along (matte cream) was applied all over the lid, then Feel So Good (cool toned grey-brown) was blended through the crease and then Groove On (matte grey) was added to the outer corner and the crease for an extra dose of dramatics. Along the lower lash line, it was all about Groove On for a smokey finish. This makeup look was quick and easy to achieve, but still looked dramatic. 

These Essence eyeshadow palettes were definitely impressive. The price was low and the quality was high. I love the colour stories and the variety of finishes included in each palette. Coral Me Maybe and Taupe It Up prove that drugstore makeup has an awful lot to offer. You don't necessarily need to head to Sephora or MAC to find products that are beautiful and work well. 

What do you think of these #FOTD looks? Are you a fan of Essence products?