Essence Mascara

After seeing some impressive before-and-after photo reviews of this product, I decided to try it out. Weighing the pros and cons, it's a good mascara- great even, considering the price point. Some cons include that this product goes on very wet and thick. When applying, I make sure to tilt my head back and look down at my mirror so that there is a smaller chance of my eyelashes brushing against my upper lids. I hold this position for about 30 seconds to let it dry a little before moving on to the next eye, otherwise it will smear all over the lid. I have long lashes, so perhaps not everyone will face this issue. You can build up a good deal of product in one round of application, rather than going back to reapply after it dries. It is a tad bit clumpy, but it isn't a "spider legs" look by any means . It looks nice with a little practice mastering an application technique. I will mention that I did not like this mascara at all the first day I tried it, it was far too wet and I felt it just clumped everything together. However, I'm sure others have noticed how a day one mascara applies is generally not a true test to it's intended effect. I would encourage anyone to give it a shot for this price, you'll most likely either love it or you'll think it's acceptable at best . I would most likely buy this again; although I admit this was a bit of a novelty purchase, I am impressed.

I would give this ZERO stars if I could! It runs after about 30 minutes of wear giving me raccoon eyes. No use in using a mascara that does that. I will never waste my money on this awful product again! The longer I wear it the worse it looks!

I bought this mascara because it had been highly hyped by a few different fashion bloggers. Sadly, I did not experience the same love affair as them. I hate the packaging. It is literally just a tube, no wrapper, no seal, no cardboard. This worries me because how can you tell if it has been tampered with or used??? I would gladly pay $1 or $2 to know I’m not risking pink eye for long lashes. That alone makes me want to keep looking for another mascara, but so far I’ve been pink eye free after using 1.5 weeks! I like that it is a brush applicator as I seem to have horrible luck with the silicone bristle brushes. It is a tapered brush which helps you really get into the edges and the smaller lashes. Unfortunately, almost too much comes out on the brush and it’s hard to get off and I’ve ended up with clumpy lashes that I’ve had to redo. I would probably use a different mascara if I were applying in a rush or in a car or somewhere I would be unprepared to possibly have to redo my lashes. Maybe it will be better after the tube has dried a bit. It does tend to rub off below my bottom lashes leaving me with darker circles than I already have :( (co-sleeping 2.5 year old) My photo is after I’ve had the mascara on for 6hrs or so, running errands, so you can kind of see some of the under eye darkness. Sadly, I will keep looking for my perfect mascara

Five bux for mascara? Can this be good? Well, yes...and no. The large, long black plastic tube is shaped a bit like the bust and hips of a woman, with a flared top and puff paint, sort of a corset design (! lace in back, heart-shaped bustier in front outlined in aqua rubbery paint) The puff design lets you grip the top and screw it open. So far, so good. The wand on this version (not waterproof) is straight and thinner. Not a teddy bear style brush. More like Lash Dimension from L'Oreal. The mascara ink itself is thick and very black but wet, not dry. One swoop across my lashes and they were definitely longer and blacker, not volumized but thicker for sure (not as thick as L'Oreal Voluminous, which is my go-to drugstore mascara.) Good separation. Overall, the look was just as I like my mascara to look. One swipe application is full on with only a touch up of the corners to put on a complete coat of black mascara. Now the not-so-good. It flakes. At first, I thought it must be a tubing mascara (apparently it is not) because I had little short straight flakes under my eye after a short nap. It seemed to come off easily enough. I washed my face with my usual Garnier Refreshing Facial Wash with Aloe and no trace is left. I'd say also, I had it on all day on a hot day so by the end of the day it seems to be mostly gone. I'm thinking it would make raccoon eyes or much smearing underneath if you put it on and took it off right away. Nor does it seem to last, say, sixteen hours. You'll be touching it up after eight hours. Another note: if you use shimmery eye shadow, it will end up clinging to this mascara. Even after it dries. So it doesn't seem to dry right away or it stays a bit tacky. Shimmery or glittery shadow dusts off quite a bit and it really coated my lashes visibly which some mascaras do not do. So... fairly good formula for application, goes on a treat. I did not get eye irritation, which I am prone to. But seems to flake. Er.... flaking is not cool. I loved the way it made my lashes look and it's no fuss to apply and cheap as can be (cheaper than the typical eight bux drug store brands unless there is a BOGO sale happening) but flaking is so Not. Cool. This is like thinking I'm buying a bargain Princess Diana but getting Duchess Meghan (beautiful! but high maintenance?)

I was looking forward to trying this product, as the reviews were so positive. However, upon receiving the mascara, the wand was hard to remove from the cylinder and when it did come out it was extremely damaged. I would love a replacement tube so that I can provide a more positive review.