Essence Longlasting Lipstick #09 Wear Berries! Swatches & Review

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Hey lovelies,

Phew, what a day! I took the kids to various school holiday activities and I think I'm more tuckered out than they are. It was a lot of fun though! Now my husband and I are snuggled up on the couch watching Game of Thrones - are you watching the new season too? None of this has much to do with the lipstick I have for review today, but it's nice to share my day with you guys sometimes ^_^

So! Lipstick! This is my first time trying Essence's lipsticks and the shade I have to show you, Wear Berries, is a very pretty start. Essence lipsticks retail for just $5.20NZD so whenever I find myself by an Essence stand I end up playing with all the testers, trying to decide whether to take the leap or not. Are they worth the five and change?

I think the packaging is lovely for the price; sturdy with a clean matte black finish and coloured trim to match the lipstick shade inside (even the name label matches the lipstick colour). I neglected to take a photograph of the cap, but, like the lipstick bullet, it bears an 'e' Essence logo impressed into its surface. A lovely and very classy touch.

Wear Berries is a medium berry purple shade with a satin finish. It applies smoothly without dragging or emphasizing flaws and has great opacity. The lipstick has a light, sweet scent. I got around four hours out of Wear Berries, during which it was a bit drying. It was pretty faded and resembled a stain more than a lipstick by the end of wear. I wouldn't deem this long lasting, really, although Essence haven't made any specific wear time claims - I'd think of six to eight hours as long wearing. What about you? What time frame do you deem to be long lasting in a lipstick?

As an aside, Wear Berries looks like it could possibly be a warmer version of MAC Up the Amp. I have a tube on its way to me so will have to compare them in the future!