ESSENCE
FOundation Sticks
CLIENT PROFILE
Essence is one of Europe’s best-selling beauty brands, known for making high-quality, trend-forward makeup accessible to younger audiences. With a playful, inclusive spirit and a focus on affordability without compromise, Essence blends creativity with community-led innovation, delivering products that speak to real users through honesty, color, and fun.
THE CHALLENGE
Essence wanted to create a digital experience that could simplify shade matching for their foundation line while also showcasing how to build full complexion looks using contour and highlight. At the same time, the goal was to make education feel exciting rather than instructional—encouraging users to explore new techniques, get inspired, and build confidence around products they may not have tried before. The challenge was to design a tool that merged utility with playfulness and fit seamlessly within the fast-paced, trend-driven environment of TikTok.
OUR APPROACH
We created an interactive filter that guided users through matching their perfect foundation shade and then unlocked a deeper experience around contour and highlight. The effect not only showed personalized product recommendations but also visualized five modern contouring techniques and offered before/after and schematic views to inspire experimentation. The result was a fun, educational journey that turned product discovery into creative play. Launched on TikTok, the filter received enthusiastic feedback from the Essence community and stood out as a strong example of how virtual try-on can drive both product awareness and meaningful engagement through accessible education.