Over the holidays I popped into Ulta to pick up some stock stuffers and gift toppers, as well as see all the new items that have come out from drug store to premium brands.  A little brand I always forget about in the drugstore section is essence, which is a cute little brand that hugs an end cap at the Ulta I visit most often.  Every once in a while I'll pick up a nail polish or lipgloss, but this time something caught my eye: Gel Eyeliners.  At $3.49 a piece, I figured I'd pick a couple up and give them a try.

The two shades I picked were Berlin Rocks (a deep frosty purple) and London Baby (a warm graphite).  Both come in glass pots with screw top lids.  There are 0.1 oz in each pot.  There are three total colors to choose from - the one I didn't pick up was Paris at Night, which was black.

A closeup of Berlin Rocks.  This is a royal purple shimmer, with the slightest hint of blue and pink, depending on how you turn it in the light. 

London Baby reminds me of Chanel Graphite or Revlon's Carbonite nail polish.  It is definitely a deep steel color, but there is a bit of gold shimmer running underneath - just enough to warm up the shade and take it away from silver. 

A couple of swatches below - one in natural light and one with a flash.  The product itself is extremely smooth.  It was so easy to pick up on my liner brush out of the pot - one dip and one swipe was enough.  The product lasts all day as well.  We're talking hours and hours.  I swatched this and washed my hands 3 times before it all came off.  I had no problem removing this from my eyes with my normal Olay face wash, though. 

What do you think?  Have you seen these yet?  Picked them up and give them a try?  I'm actually quite impressed.  I hope they come out with other colors because I love gel eyeliners, and these were one of the easiest sets I've used - I'd definitely consider these right up there with my favorites: Physician's Formula's Shimmer Strips Gel eyeliner trios. 

As I mentioned, these are $3.49 at Ulta.  If you don't have an Ulta near you, these are available for purchase online here.