So, fun fact, I’ve actually reviewed more mascaras from Essence Cosmetics than I have any other brand (yes, more than even Maybelline!). However, my strike rate with Essence mascara’s is pretty abysmal. I’ve liked one or two of them over the years, but the rest have ranked anywhere from mid to straight up bad. And in my opinion, the Lash Princess line is my least favourite range from them. But, for reasons unknown to me, I still want to try the rest of the range. So, here is my review of the Essence Cosmetics Lash Princess Waterproof Mascara. Did I finally find a winner? Or am I just a glutton for punishment? Let’s find out.
ESSENCE LASH PRINCESS FALSE LASH EFFECT
WATERPROOF MASCARA – $7.00 – priceline.com.au
Seeing as this is the third Lash Princess Mascara that I’ve reviewed, we should all be pretty familiar with the packaging at this point. Black plastic tube, shaped kind of like a genie bottle in the way it bulbs out at the top and flares at the bottom. Soft feel plastic handle to hold the wand. The big difference is that the detailing this time is blue. Because, you know, waterproof. The Lash Princess Waterproof Mascara is cruelty free, vegan, and contains 12ml of product.
The wand for the Lash Princess Mascara is lengthy and straight, tapering towards the tip. The wand uses synthetic fiber bristles that are evenly spaced apart and get shorter in length towards the tip. I do believe this is the same wand as the OG Lash Princess, but I’ll revisit that when I review it. But as for my opinion right now, I’m not huge on this wand. It’s long and I do ding my eyelid when I use it. The bristles are also wiry and stiff. So when the wand hits my eye accidentally, it hurts.
Getting into the formula now. One of the consistent good things I can say about Essence’s mascaras is that they are always rich in black pigment. But there isn’t much else about them. I did note that this one can get a little clumpy unless you scrape the excess off the wand. So there is an issue with product distribution on the wand. It also drys quickly, which I’ve come to expect from waterproof mascara.
So, this mascara took some trial and error to figure out the best way to apply it. My regular method of two coats didn’t get me very far. I did have to go in with quite a few coats to get my desired length (the above picture is four coats). The nicest thing I can say is that my lashes look very natural. Which, given this is supposed to give a false lash effect, isn’t quite the vibe I was going for. I also had to wiggle the brush as I applied otherwise my lashes would clump together. I also noted a tiny hint of lift and some length. But otherwise, this isn’t remarkable.
Which brings us to the wear test. And despite the waterproof formula, this still transferred under the eye. What surprised me though was that the transfer was actually worse on my eyelid. It was almost like an instant smokey eye effect. Which, while cute, wasn’t what I was going for. One of the tips I saw on the Essence website was to set the mascara and undereye with powder, which I did for the above picture. And it still transferred. Below is the wear without setting. Also, as predicted, the lift fell flat almost immediately. This isn’t a shock as many waterproof mascara’s do that with me.
As I mentioned at the top, this is the waterproof version. So, I always want to see how waterproof waterproof is. I swatched some on my hands and rubbed under the tap. And while the bulk stayed put, I did get some smearing. It also was difficult to remove completely with a micofiber cloth/Face Halo. I did have to break out an oil based cleanser to do so (I used the Mecca Cosmetica Mecca-Morphsis Purifying Cleasning Balm) to remove the excess.
All in all, the Lash Princess Waterproof Mascara continues the trend of me being disappointed by the Lash Princess range. I know it’s super affordable, but Essence has better mascara’s for the same price point. This is a skip for me. But stay tuned for when I finally tackle the OG formula next year (hopefully). Have you tried the Essence Lash Princess Waterproof Mascara? Let me know in the comments.
Cheers and love
Emily xo