Essence Forbidden Garden Fall 2016 Launch Party!

Hi, everyone! It can sometimes take a bit more for a drugstore brand to catch my attention, but Essence has done just that. Not only is the pricing hard to beat (with almost the entire range under $10), but the packaging is fun, colourful, and unique and the formulas that I've tested so far have been way impressive. I already have some favourites from the brand (the Forbidden Volume Mascara, for example, which I talked about here) and I was thrilled to be invited to the brand's Fall 2016 launch party to discover even more new products that Essence has to offer! 

Upon arriving, we were greeted by a banner revealing the theme of the event: "Forbidden Garden". It was surrounded by lush greenery and the walkway leading to the entrance was littered with roses. The lush, floral theme truly fit with the venue, Crown Flora Studio, which is a retailer of one of a kind artisan terrariums and other floral arrangements. A beautiful setting, indeed! 

Walking into the venue, I was struck by the amount of greenery surrounding us and was tickled by the adorable, strategic placement of products throughout the space. Plants sprouting mascara? Yes, please! Succulents mingling with highlighter? Absolutely! 

There were also several stations throughout the venue that allowed you to directly interact with the products, including an extensive range of brand-new goodies, which gave it a fun, hands-on feel. The new products include three mascaras (three versions of my beloved Forbidden Volume, yay!) and full ranges of velvet-finish eye shadows, lip oils, and BB Creams for the lips, among others. More on my tops picks from the launch in an upcoming post! 

The event also offered fruity cocktails and one of the most elaborate dessert tables I have ever seen! The cake pops were seriously incredible. 

Additionally, there were makeup chairs set up where touch-ups were offered (I mean, look at that colourful spread below) and two manicure stations were set up where anyone could get their tips painted while sipping on a drink. 

Perhaps the most fun element (aside from the makeup and sweets, of course), is that there was a video station where you could pose with giant Essence makeup props and act a fool, after which you were given a flip book (how cool!) and this little gif as a souvenir. Here I am with Chelle from Makeup Your Mind acting a fool with a mascara tube cutout. 

I of course had to pose like Vanna before leaving, as no event would be complete without that. Afterwards, the gals and I grabbed some food at the Drake, where we filled our tanks and perused the generous goody bags that Essence gave us as we parted. So much makeup newness to play with! 

Thanks so much to Essence for the invite- it was lots of fun! The Fall 2016 lineup really features some true gems- stay tuned for my top picks, coming up soon!

Have you ever tried Essence cosmetics? Any favourites? What are your drugstore favourites at the moment? Fall launches you're most looking forward to?

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day! xo

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