I'm a fan of I <3 Extreme waterproof formula, so I had high hopes from this new mascara which also claims to be waterproof. There are two versions, one for length with a plastic wand and mine is a volume & curl version with a classic, but curved brush. I was immediately impressed with how nicely the brush combs the lashes in how much volume this mascara makes. It's definitely one of the nicest ones when it comes to effect, however, I'm unhappy about it not holding a curl.
Wand: Like I said there are two versions of the brush, mine is one with classic bristles and a curved design, which I quite like. This is one of my favourite shapes because it manages to apply a good amount of product and separate/fan out the lashes well. If I apply more layers, it never starts to clump the lashes together (they look stuck together on my second picture on one eye because of the second curling).
Formula: as usual for Essence this is nicely black mascara and it creates a good amount of volume, more than most drugstore mascaras do on average. It promises to be waterproof which is true and I get no smudging or running with this one. It's also difficult to remove without an oil remover. However, for some reason Essence used a new formula for their waterproof version, one that is more wet than I <3 Extreme, which means my lashes drop with this one and I don't appreciate that after spending quite some time to curl them. It looks ok from the start, but in a few minutes the lashes drop completely. I've tried gently curling them again when mascara dried and it worked (this can't be done with regular formulas), but still I don't want to do that as I fear I'll damage the lashes.
5 minutes after application.
Curled again so you can see the effect.
Price and availability: Mascara costs 3.29 €. I'm not sure if it's available on all stands or just the big ones.
This could be a perfect mascara because I love how pretty it makes my lashes look, but I wear waterproof formulas purely so they hold my lashes up otherwise I don't want to remove such heavy duty mascaras every day and this just doesn't cut it. If you don't have lashes that refuse to stay curled, this is a great mascara to try, but I'll be sticking to I <3 Extreme.
Have a great day!
*PR product
