Let me be clear -- I do think that the price is very good ($2.99), but I felt I had to lower my star rating on this review in order to get my point across here.

I bought this shadow in number 18. I have already opined about how I hate Essence for not having outer packaging to protect the product, but I decided to take a chance here after my experience with their gel eyeliner. This looked like it was a very pretty colour, with no particles of glitter but a very beautiful, satin sheen. This is what I wanted.

When I took it home, I went to swatch it on my hand and the entire thing fell out of the plastic. The shadow wasn't housed in a little metal tin, like most eyeshadows -- there was no adhesive holding it down. It just fell out and the shadow broke. I know, you get what you pay for, but come on! I have bought other shadows from cheap brands that were manufactured and packaged properly. This is honestly just disgusting. There's no way the eyeshadow could have been held in place, so it's no wonder it fell out first thing.

I thought perhaps I could salvage it and put it back in its place, but that's when I noticed the smell, which was appalling. I don't know how to describe it other than to say that I have never had an eyeshadow smell like this. Most eyeshadows have zero fragrance, unless they had something added to them (like vanilla, for example). This smelled dirty and mouldy, like it had been lying around next to expired food and smelly socks for the past ten years.

This was an absolutely unacceptable experience. There's no way I can justify spending any more money on the brand, regardless of how happy I was with their potted eyeliner. If you're going to buy an eyeshadow from Essence, please be incredibly cautious. The eyeshadow breaking is the least of your worries. With a smell like that, I would be concerned about your eye health.