Founded in Germany in 2001, Essence Makeup set out to provide fun, affordable, high-quality makeup to consumers. Given that Essence is the top-selling makeup brand in Europe in terms of units sold, the brand clearly hit the mark. But does the brand truly live up to the hype? Keep reading for my honest Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette review.
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Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette
Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette Claims
- The Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette* is inspired by Rio de Janeiro
- Claims to be highly pigmented and blendable
- Includes 9 shadows – 4 mattes & 5 shimmers with a “glittery” finish
Packaging & Price
- Comes in sturdy cardboard packaging
- Includes a small internal mirror
- There are no shade names in this palette
- Retails for $9.99
Inside the Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette
Ingredients
The top two ingredients in the Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette are Talc & Mica. This palette is paraben-free. Also, the Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette* is manufactured in the PRC.
Is Essence Cruelty-Free & Vegan?
Essence is Cruelty-Free. Although I could not find common animal derivatives listed in the Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette ingredient list online, the palette packaging clearly states that this palette contains Carmine. Therefore, the Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette is not Vegan.
RELATED: Check out this ultimate roundup of affordable Cruelty-Free brands.
Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette Swatches
Please see the below finger swatches of the Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette.
Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette Swatches
Application
- Use a fluffy blending brush to blend the matte shadows in the crease
- Pack deep colors in the outer crease using a dense angled brush
- Apply shimmers to the eyelids using a flat packing brush or your fingers
Wear-Time
- When worn over an eye primer, the Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette lasts on the lids for roughly 8-10 hours without creasing
- The palette fades within 4-6 hours of wear-time
P.S. Don’t mind my wild-looking, natural hair. I may do my makeup every day, but my hair is another story.
Where is the Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette sold?
- International: Essence
- US: Ulta Beauty, CVS Health
Final Thoughts on the Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette
As much as I wanted to truly love this palette, my Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette* review is mixed.
The Good
First, Essence is one of the most affordable Cruelty-Free brands on the market. Therefore, I am happy to support a brand that makes Cruelty-Free beauty available to the masses.
Second, I love the inspiration of the Ola Rio Palette, as well as the other destination-themed palettes. In particular, the colors in this palette are super soft, feminine. Finally, I have been reaching for this palette regularly due to the ”wearable” and easy color story.
The Bad
First, the 9-pan ColourPop Palettes are comparable in price ($12.00 vs $9.99) but considerably better in quality. In fact, the Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette fades on the eyes around the 4-hour mark. Meanwhile, the shimmer shades look more like satins than metallics. Also, from an application standpoint, this palette produces fallout.
Second, the shade range of the Ola Rio Palette is atrocious. More specifically, for a palette inspired by such a vibrant and diverse city, the color story does not fit the destination. Moreover, individuals with deep skin tones may find most of the palette too icy or ashy.
I do enjoy this palette. However, I am not in love with this palette. That being said, I still recommend this palette to beauty buyers on a budget who feel drawn in by the color story and are unable to purchase from brands such as ColourPop. Finally, see where this palette fell in my e.l.f. and Essence palette ranking.
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More Affordable Cruelty-Free Reviews Here: ColourPop Sweet Talk Palette | ColourPop x iLuvSarahii Through My Eyes Palette | ColourPop x Disney Villains Palette | ColourPop x Disney Midnight Masquerade Palette
Have you tried the Essence Ola Rio Eyeshadow Palette? What are your favorite products from Essence? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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I really love Essence but I haven’t tried any of their eyeshadows. I think Essence is so perfect if you’re looking for an affordable brand. I would love to see you do a review of their glosses if possible because those are actually quite good quality even for drugstore makeup!
Ohhh I haven’t tried their glosses yet! Still so much from the brand I need to try! 💜
They’re really good I used to use them almost daily when I had in-school classes!
I’ve not tried this brand before, LP. Even though this doesn’t sound like the most promising product, your application was gorgeous! Thanks so much for the thorough, thoughtful review.
Aw thank you 💜💜
I loooove Essence so much, their mascara is my holy grail but I’ve never tried any of their eyeshadows. This palette looks so pretty and I’m glad it’s so affordable!
🌿 Marissa Belle × marsybun.com 🌿
I’m so new to Essence, so I’m excited to try more products from them! 💜
Why do I feel like we talked about this palette before? I genuinely don’t like essence palettes. All shades blend together and look like a patchy mess. I can’t create multiple looks with them because they always end up looking the same. I remember the second to last shade being awful XD
Fyi, today I did my hair for the first time in… 5 months maybe hahahah so I feel you and you look beautiful as always. I’m dying over that lip combo!
Lol we def talked about this one – I didn’t have the patchy issue (more so the longevity issue), but wasn’t wowed by this! And TYSM 💕💕
My first thought when I saw the palette was – how is this inspired by Rio? As you said, the colours don’t fit the destination. But the eye shadow look you created does look beautiful and it’s nice that the brand is both affordable and cruelty-free.
https://www.thestyleoflaurajane.com/
Thank you so much! 💜 And yes – I was so disappointed that they did this bland, pale color story for such a vibrant & diverse city!
Oooh, I haven’t heard of Essence Makeup before but it is great that they have been around for almost 20 years. You can never go wrong with German-made products. They’re so good! Love that the palette is super affordable. $10 for all of that!! So good! Love how it looks on you too. Love the shimmer. Glad you enjoyed the palette overall! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Nancy ✨ exquisitely.me
hahah def agree – German brands are usually so known for quality!
Thhe swatches definitely looked better than I expected! I haven’t bought anything from Essence for yeaaaars, I wasn’t in love with their product quality. I rather purchase from Colourpop. However, I do think the palette looks cute though.
I agree that CP is definitely much higher quality; however, I wanted to get back to trying more drugstore products like this since I know the prices are even more approachable & easier to get if you cannot order online.
I liked this palette, but I wasn’t in love with it. If the color story fit the Brazilian inspo better, then I’d be happier with it.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried a product from Essence before. I’m not familiar with the brand but from what you’ve said, I’d rather just stick to Colourpop. Colourpop’s eyeshadow formula is so affordable and dope, and the colour stories of the palettes are fantastic. This one sounds cute, but probably a miss for me!
That’s so interesting – I assumed that this was a well-known brand in Europe (since it is based in Germany). Quality-wise CP is def superior, but I was happy to give this a try since I know that ”traditional” drugstore brands are still more accessible for some people. This was fine, but nothing to write home about!
I loved the look you created and thought the colors were so cute, but don’t see how it’s inspired by Rio de Janeiro? I would imagine a Brazilian inspired palette would include super vibrant and colorful colors! I would probably purchase this palette because I do like these kind of colors and budget-friendly products, but I can see why it wasn’t a total hit for you!