When a mascara is this affordable with a fan club this big, we don't bat an eye before adding it to our carts. (Amazon)
A good mascara can help make your eyes look bigger and brighter, and it won't leave dark smudges on your skin after a long day. That said, there's one product in particular that's catching shoppers' peepers — it's the Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara, and according to the brand, one tube of the stuff sells every seven seconds. That's over 12,000 mascaras per day! And at just $5, it's a wildly affordable way to get full, fluttery lashes.
Amazon's No. 1 bestselling mascara is an absolute sensation. Essence Lash Princess mascara is like getting falsies without the upkeep. In addition to providing dramatic volume and all-day wear, the formulation is so gentle it's vegan, so even the most sensitive peepers can be totally glam.
So, what makes this mascara a step above the rest? For starters, the price. But that's not all: The formula is ophthalmologist-tested and delivers everything you could want in a mascara. (Check out our full review.)
The cone-shaped brush glides over each lash to separate and coat from root to tip and make your eyes pop. And there's a reason for the "False Lash Effect" moniker: One coat is all it takes to achieve long, voluminous, defined, clump-free lashes, fans say. Another plus? According to PETA, this affordable formula is cruelty-free.
With over 265,000 five-star ratings, this mascara is a bona fide Amazon hit. Over 100,000 were bought in the last month alone!
One happy shopper called it a "miracle worker," adding: "I really do look like I have on falsies. But in a natural way. At age 52, your eyebrows and eyelashes start to thin and turn gray (mine did, anyway). This mascara solves that problem. No clumps."
"Better than popular name brands at a fraction of the cost!" exclaimed another rave reviewer. "As a woman who has bought every mascara out there, from expensive department store exclusives (around $30-plus) to brands found in local drugstores ... this mascara rivals and is somewhat better than all I've bought before. It gives your lashes a thick, full length in a few coats. ... I highly recommend it."
"I’m 70 years old and my eyelashes are thinner and shorter," shared a five-star fan. "I put on one coat and let it dry and then put on another coat and I cannot believe how good my lashes look. They are longer and [there] seem to be more of them. This product is amazing and such a great price."
"I wanted a mascara that would make my eyelashes look longer and 'pop.'" shared another fan. "This really does what it says it does! I'm very pleased with it. My only complaint would be that it is difficult to remove and takes more cotton balls than any other brand I've had — but then again, none of the others looked as good, either!" (Tip: Pair it with a hardworking makeup remover, such as these hypoallergenic Almay eye makeup remover pads.)
"The only tiny drawback is that I do get the raccoon look throughout the day," wrote another shopper. "It probably doesn’t help that I use a lot of moisturizer around my eyes. But as long as I remember to do a quick occasional swipe under the eyes, it’s not a huge problem."
If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.