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@peculiarlaain reviewing Essence Bouncy Plump Smoothing Primer at 02:00 in a YouTube Shorts videoBouncy Plump Smoothing Primer"I actually repurchase this because I love it so much."$5.99@slashedbeauty reviewing Essence Jelly Grip Hydrating Primer at 02:01 in a YouTube Shorts videoJelly Grip Hydrating Primer"When I need a little extra performance and wear time out of my makeup, I use their Jelly Grip Primer."$5.99@laura88lee reviewing Essence Glow Like Honey Serum Spray at 03:14 in a YouTube Shorts videoGlow Like Honey Dewy Primer"It's just a glowy spray."$5.99@vivnguyenbeauty reviewing Essence Hello, Good Stuff! Glow Serum Primer at 16:04 in a YouTube Shorts videoHello, Good Stuff! Glow Serum Primer"This was fine."$5.99@andreamatillano reviewing Essence Glow Like Honey Serum Spray at 01:48 in a YouTube Shorts videoGlow Like Honey Serum Spray"This is basically a biphasic serum mist."$7.99

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Bouncy Plump Smoothing Primer
4.8Bouncy Plump Smoothing Primer
Peculiar LaainPeculiar Laain2.3K subscribers
2.8Bouncy Plump Smoothing Primer
  • “I didn't like it when I first used it, and the first couple of times I used it, but I persevered”3:13–3:18
  • “I don't think that this is going to help with longevity in your makeup. I don't think it's going to do a whole lot other than feel really nice cooling, and it does feel hydrating”4:17–4:28
  • “I could definitely see a significant difference with how good the foundation looked on one side than the other”4:45–4:52
  • “It's a funny one, this. I don't really understand it”4:55–5:00
  • “If you have super dry skin, it can feel a little nice, but it doesn't feel totally moisturizing”5:00–5:05
  • “I don't think it's a necessary step”5:17–5:22
  • Source: Full face of new Essence makeup: hits, misses & absolute gems - Mar 23, 2026
Carmel NicoleCarmel Nicole21K subscribers
Jelly Grip Hydrating Primer
4.8Jelly Grip Hydrating Primer
  • “When I need a little extra performance and wear time out of my makeup, I use their Jelly Grip Primer”1:47–1:52
  • “This outperformed the other three by miles in my opinion”2:01–2:06
  • “It is so thin, it really does feel more like a gel moisturizer”2:08–2:14
  • “Compared to other grip primers that claim to be hydrating, this one actually feels like it's sinking into the skin just a bit”2:11–2:18
  • “When I'm going to have a long day, maybe I'm on shoots all day, or maybe I'm even capturing an event at night, this is definitely the primer I've been grabbing”2:23–2:28
  • “Out of all of the grip primers that I've tried from the drugstore, this one doesn't get me as shiny both freshly applied and throughout the day”2:33–2:37
  • Source: My New 9-5 Work Makeup Routine (Quick & Long Lasting) - Nov 8, 2025
Slashed BeautySlashed Beauty127K subscribers
4.8Jelly Grip Hydrating Primer
  • “This is only $5.99”
  • “This does have fragrance, which I'm not a huge fan of, but it's not super overwhelming”10:24–10:29
  • “As someone with acne-prone, sensitive skin, I don't think that the fragrance has caused any irritation on me”10:36–10:41
  • “This is probably the thinnest grippy primer that I've ever tried”10:53–10:58
  • “Almost feels like it is kind of sinking in a bit versus just creating that layer on top of your face”10:55–11:03
  • “I do feel a bit more of the hydrating feeling from this formula versus the others”11:06–11:12
  • “As it dries, it starts to get a bit tacky, but it's not sticky. It doesn't feel like my expression lines are getting stuck together as I move my face around”11:21–11:26
  • “This is just a very comfortable product”
  • Source: Testing & rating the top 4 drugstore grip primers - Oct 27, 2025
Slashed BeautySlashed Beauty127K subscribers
4.2Jelly Grip Hydrating Primer
  • “I love this cuz it feels like a jelly serum”4:24–4:28
  • “Doesn't have a ton of grip, but makeup applies so nicely and wears nicely throughout the day with it”4:26–4:32
  • “Out of both of these, I think the hydrating one is better”4:35–4:38
  • “It just makes the makeup and everything look more seamless”4:37–4:42
  • “There's something about this that I really like”4:49–4:53
  • “I have tested it with my foundation and it does wear really nicely with this primer”4:55–5:00
  • “I like the Grip Hydrating Primer, though”
  • “This doesn't have any grip. I don't want to say any, but compared to others, it's very minimal”4:26–4:30
  • Source: Full face of Essence makeup under $10 - Mar 28, 2026
juicyjasjuicyjas1.1M subscribers
Glow Like Honey Dewy Primer
4.5Glow Like Honey Dewy Primer
Andréa MatillanoAndréa Matillano362K subscribers
4.5Glow Like Honey Dewy Primer
  • “I love it”
  • “You really don't need a lot of this because it spreads so easily”2:34–2:36
  • “If you want a nice glowy hydrated base, this is a great option”2:42–2:45
  • “It leaves your skin feeling hydrated very very smooth”2:57–3:00
  • “Your foundation goes on nicely and it does wear well throughout the day”3:09–3:10
  • “If you have oily skin, this is going to make you look oily faster”3:12–3:14
  • “If you have dry skin or combo skin, you're going to get like a beautiful glow throughout the day”3:17–3:19
  • “Come fall and winter, I could see this becoming like my absolute go-to staple”3:28–3:32
  • Source: Drugstore makeup outperforms high end - Jun 1, 2026
Andréa MatillanoAndréa Matillano362K subscribers
Hello, Good Stuff! Glow Serum Primer
2.5Hello, Good Stuff! Glow Serum Primer
  • “Both of these have the same ingredients. They have niacinamide in it, which is designed to lock in moisture, and they're both just cruelty-free, clean, vegan products”0:41–0:45
  • “They do the exact same thing”0:50–0:55
  • “One is $36, one is $5”
  • “This is a really good product. It's a serum. You can use it at night time. You can use it with your skin care if you need extra hydration or if you just feel like your makeup gets cracky and dry”1:35–1:39
  • “They're water-based, so they're super lightweight and they're not going to your makeup”1:49–1:51
  • “Save your money”
  • Source: Best drugstore dupes ever created - Apr 22, 2026
Laura LeeLaura Lee4.6M subscribers
Glow Like Honey Serum Spray
4.2Glow Like Honey Serum Spray
  • “This is basically a biphasic serum mist”
  • “It's meant to refresh the skin, hydrate the skin, deliver like a nice glowy radiance”1:07–1:14
  • “This is a very lightweight, very comfortable product”1:39–1:43
  • “It really truly leaves your skin looking nice and glowy”1:41–1:48
  • “I don't love it between makeup layers or at the end because it is extremely glowy”1:51–1:56
  • “It seems like the Dolba First Spray Serum has many more beneficial ingredients for your skin that kind of deeply hydrate and nourish the skin”2:19–2:23
  • “This one maybe has like more superficial ingredients that give like slip and glow to the skin on the top layer”2:28–2:32
  • “I just don't know that long term you're getting a ton of skin care benefits from this product”2:45–2:50
  • Source: I tried all of the newest essence makeup (what's truly worth trying) - Jun 11, 2026
Andréa MatillanoAndréa Matillano362K subscribers
4.2Glow Like Honey Serum Spray
Andréa MatillanoAndréa Matillano362K subscribers
Brand note

Essence is the drugstore brand that keeps surprising creators with how good the formulas are for the money. The Super Peptide Glossy Lip Treatment comes up most often — a non-sticky, high-shine gloss with a smooth, hydrating feel that people compare favorably to high-end options. The Soft Touch Butter Bronzer also gets consistent praise for its soft, blurring, easy-to-blend texture. The main trade-off across the line is limited shade ranges, which creators note can exclude a lot of skin tones.

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