Snow, ski lodges, rosy cheeks, evergreens, snowflakes and hot chocolate. These are some of the things I think about when I dream about winter. (Yes, I'm one of those Canadians who likes a bit of snow.) So due to my winter fetish, I MAAAY have gone a bit overboard this weekend after I spotted the Essence Mountain Calling collection at my local Shoppers Drug Mart store. This adorable collection was released in Europe last winter, but somehow took an entire year to reach our shores! I'm glad it did though, because look at how cute it is!
(Actually, stores. The first Shoppers I went to only had a handful of products left, and I had to head to another location to grab the eyeshadow palette, but it was totally worth the second trip!)
Let's get started, shall we?
Mountain Calling - 2 in 1 Kajal Pencil in We Love Winter Holidays!
I'm a sucker for eyeliner in basically every colour and shade. There are two pencils in this collection, one is a baby blue and navy blue combo, but I was drawn to the forest green and tan pencil. I love these colours, they work all year long and are super flattering for brown eyes. I do find these eyeliners are slightly harder than I like, so I find I have to warm it up by running a few lines on my arms before application. Otherwise, for $2.99? Can't complain.
Mountain Calling - Snow Alert Top Coat
This Essence collection features four creme nailpolishes in baby blue, forest green, crimson and white, and the Snow Alert special effect top coat. I eyeballed the collection and wisely realized I had close dupes for all the polishes at home, but I was drawn to the top coat. I've definitely got a small collection of glitter, hex and speckle top coats at home, but for $3.49 I figured it wouldn't hurt to have one more in my collection. I found I had to fish around to get a decent amount of speckles on each nail, and the finish was a bit rough and bumpy. I did have to use ANOTHER top coat to smooth it down, but it dries fairly quickly so it didn't add too much time. It's not very snowflake-y so you can totally use this throughout the year. I paired this with Color Club's Aquamarine Azulino to give it a cute, ice-y blue look.
Mountain Calling Eyeshadow Palette - Meet Me @ the Ski Lodge
I wasn't going to buy this at first, but I was totally suckered in by the cute packaging and the inclusion of a frosty-blue eyeshadow. I don't have anything quite like it, and I find that I DO reach for my Essence eyeshadows semi-frequently, so it can't hurt to add another one to my collection. Also? Like all the other Essence Eyeshadow palettes I own, it's only $4.99. Less than the price of a latte, and the colour payoff and longevity is worth at least twice as much. Totally grab it.
Mountain Calling Cream to powder blush - Let's Climb Mount Beauty
My absolute favourite cream blush is another Essence blush I got from one of Essence's early collections at Shoppers Drug Mart, Ready for Boarding Beauty on Tour, a pink-coral blush. It is such a reliable formula that it's one of the few blushes I've ever hit pan with! I've been waiting on another Essence cream blush to show up and this one looks like SUCH a hyperpigmented berry red that reminds me of Benetint (but in a solid) and a little goes a loooong way. Perfect to add some colour this winter, and for only $3.99.
Mountain Calling Translucent Powder - Snow Alert!
Last but not least, I'm an oily girl who is a sucker for a translucent powder. I have high-end ones like Make Up For Ever's HD Powder, drug-store staples like Rimmel's Stay Matte pressed powder, and one-offs like a cutesy Holika Holika one. But none of them are my favourite. I thought it wouldn't hurt to give this one a whirl. And once again, I reach for my Essence highlighter powder often more than any other drug store brand, so I wanted to see if their translucent would have the same effect on me. For $4.49 it's already worth it.
Additionally, Essence's Mountain Calling collection also offers a pair of cute nordic socks, a soothing nail and hand cream and two lip balms, one clear and one tinted, if you're curious about the rest of the offerings. Overall, whether it's this collection or their permanent line, Essence is perfect for a little mini-splurge or a great idea to get a friend or loved one into makeup in a really cute and affordable way.
You can find Essencce's special-edition products exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart.
