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Barre to Bar Makeup with Essence Cosmetics

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Barre to Bar Makeup

I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for trying new cosmetic products when I see or hear about them. From mascara, to blush, to nail polish, and more – I am always eager to experience new and fun items that can make me look beautiful! And when I can obtain them at one of my all time favorite stores…Target…that is all the better! Today I am so thrilled to share about a fun and on-trend cosmetics line that is now available at over 500 select Target locations nationwide – Essence cosmetics! Of course, I’m putting some of the products to the test to create a barre to bar makeup routine that is so simple, affordable, and (most importantly) beautiful!

Barre to Bar Makeup

I basically have three looks – a makeup-free one at home, a simple makeup look for when I teach Pure Barre, and a “date night” style look for the evenings when I go out with my husband or with friends. I don’t like to own a huge amount of makeup products – having certain items that I can go to on a regular basis are just what I need! An eyeshadow palette, mascara, and blush are my g0-to items that I can dress up or down depending on the occasion.

Barre to Bar Makeup

Essence products really run the gamut in options – from lips, to eyes, to nails, there are so many choices you can make! I love that they are not only affordable in price, but are also high quality and effective. Essence first arrived in the U.S. in 2007 but is now available at over 500 select Target stores nationwide, so you are most likely going to be able to add them to your personal collection with ease! I was pretty excited to see them all on the shelves: there were so many fun options I didn’t know where to start!

Essence Cosmetics at Target

Being the practical gal that I am, I decided a barre to bar look was essential. Some days I go from teaching barre classes at my studio to meeting my husband for dinner. Many times I don’t necessarily have time (or the energy) to shower and completely start my makeup from scratch. Therefore, going from a simple look to a more glammed up option makes a lot of sense, especially when I can achieve that look with the same base products!

Barre to Bar Makeup

So – where to start? For the first half of my day I like to keep it simple – a base coat of foundation or BB cream depending on how my skin feels, followed by a light brush of neutral colored eyeshadow. Next, I fill in my brows with an angled brow brush and light brown brow powder. To finish it off, a few quick swipes of mascara is all I need! Let me just say right now for the record – Essence’s Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara is pretty darn awesome. Just one single coat on my lashes got them to look just like what they advertise – false lashes! Fabulous. After those few steps, I feel put together enough to head to the studio for a few classes.

Barre to Bar Makeup

But of course, I need to be able to amp it up a notch, right? I just have to add a few simple steps to take my look from day to night, thankfully! To start, I intensify the eye makeup. The All About Nudes eyeshadow palette is fantastic – it has all the neutral shades I love, but with buildable color options to go from subtle to slightly smoky. I added the darkest color with a stiff crease brush to the crease of my eyelid, then used a medium shimmer shade to my lid, followed by a light highlighter color to the area right underneath my eyebrow. Easy peasy! Of course, to amp up the look it’s necessary to add an additional layer of mascara. Va-va-voom!

Barre to Bar Makeup

Let’s talk blush. I added a quick brush of Blush Up! in Pinky Flow to the apples of my cheeks. I LOVE the ombre effect in the blush, and it blends nicely on the cheeks. After the blush, I always like to add a quick brush of translucent powder to finish everything, set my makeup in place, and prevent shine (living in Florida – I always have to worry about this with the humidity!). But of course, we can’t forget the lips for a night out! I typically like to choose a nude or slightly pink shade when it comes to lipstick (since I prefer to amp up my eyes), and I was seriously impressed with how creamy and smooth Essence’s Sheer & Shine Lipstick is. It glides on smooth and is lightweight. Perfection!

Barre to Bar Makeup

Barre to Bar Makeup

Here’s the beauty of this barre to bar look – it takes less than 5 minutes to put together. I promise. I honestly don’t have time for more than that! I can’t wait to try more of Essence’s products in the future – the fact that they are easy on my wallet (most of the products I’ve tried are in the $3-5 range…how amazing is that?!?!) is appealing, but being able to have fun and create looks I love is really where it’s at! I absolutely have to try out their nail products in the future to round off my experience. I give myself an at-home manicure and pedicure on a weekly basis, and Essence has some fun options to try out – they have an ombre top coat that I am dying to test!!!!

S0 – what are your essential makeup items to have on hand? Which Essence product would you most like to try out – take a look at their lineup and tell me!

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  • That blush looks gorgeous on you and this is a flawless look; I can’t believe you transformed from day to night so effortlessly with Essence! #client

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