European bargain brand Essence is coming stateside. Courtesy Photo

First, Brit beauty bargain brands Boots and Rimmel made the trek across the Atlantic to great success in American store shelves.

Now a beloved German brand is looking to do the same.

Essence -- a value cosmetics brand that is sold in 30 European countries -- has finally debuted their concept of fun, playful cosmetics for less than $5 a pop to the aisles of Ulta stores and Ulta.com. The line is especially known for their dizzying array of 99 cent nail polish flavors, which can be adorned with peel-off nail art stickers and artisan paints. Other options more typical of higher end lines include false lashes, multiple pigment concealer wheels and baked eyeshadow pots made in Italy.

Yet bringing the successful European brand onto American soil wasn't easy.

"The market here is very competitive, and one of our biggest challenges was getting clear instructions on what you can and can't use in cosmetics here. It can be so confusing. European regulators are much more clear," says Karin Lisci, senior supply chain manager.

But Essence has scored right off the bat; we love how the display units have testers for every product, so there's no guesswork on how sheer or pigment-dense the shades are.

While the most popular customer age range is a young 14 to 20, Essence has many older buyers who enjoy adding a product here and there to their cosmetic bag arsenal. The versatile liquid eyeliner pen is a top pick for all ages, as it draws a thin line when held straight, or can be applied at an angle for a thicker, more dramatic line.

Now if only Italy could send over shoes at budget prices, we'd really be talking.