I don’t often review mascara: I have a few favorites that I have used for a long time and therefore do not feel like trying anything new. But I like quite a few of the Essence mascaras so when they release a new one, I of course want to try. For summer 2019, Essence released a new line of workout, waterproof base products. The You Better Work line. It includes two mascaras and I tried one!
Essence You Better Work Volume & Curl mascara
Because this comes in two renditions: length & definition and volume & curl. I decided to go for volume & curl as I usually prefer volumizing mascaras over lengthening ones. Both mascaras retail for €2.99 each and that is a good price point for any mascara. And if this works at least as well as some other Essence mascaras I’ve tried, then this will be an absolute steal.
The Packaging
The packaging of both mascaras is nearly identical, so if you are going out looking for this specific mascara, make sure you read the packaging well. The tube does definitely stand out from the other mascaras in Essence’s line. The mint green, white and black is definitely a color scheme that is unique and stands out in any makeup collection.
The Wand
What makes or breaks a mascara’s performance for me is the shape of the wand. This mascara has been equipped with quite a large wand. The bristles are natural hairs and quite spikey. There is a slight curve to one side of the wand, while the other side is flat. This makes it easy to create first length and then volume and curl. It very much reminds me of my favorite mascara by Maybelline: The Falsies Flared, which has sadly been discontinued where I live.
The Swatch
As with many other Essence mascaras that I have tried in the past, this mascara dries out quickly and already starts with quite a dry formula. It is not a very liquidy mascara: it comes out quite thick and needs brushing through to make it look good. After just a few weeks of use this already started getting dry and clumpy: another trait that many Essence mascaras share. While good quality mascara, they do not last as long as most mascaras would. This is not as bad as the Extreme Volume mascara, which reaches its peak performance for a mere 2 weeks after opening, but still, this only lasted me about a month before it became unusable.
The Application
So what does this Essence mascara do for my lashes? I feel it does just enough really. I always like brushing through with a waterproof mascara to combat clumps, improve longevity and prevent smudging. It coats my lashes nicely, builds up well and it makes my lashes look much better than when I go without. My lashes mainly have some blondeness at the tips, so they are already quite long and they have a natural curl. So what I look for mainly is volume and blackness and I feel this mascara delivers on both fronts.
The Conclusion
The Essence You Better Work Volume & Curl mascara is a good one in Essence’s line, but it suffers from the same shortcomings as other Essence mascaras I’ve tried. Yes it is good, but you will have to repurchase this quickly as it only lasts a few weeks after opening. Luckily, this is a cheap product, which means that repurchasing won’t hurt as much. However, that is the reason why I go for more expensive mascara most of the time as they last longer and I feel that repurchasing an Essence mascara so often as to make sure you can use it, makes it come out at roughly the same price point in the end.
2 responses to “Essence You Better Work mascara”
I’ve never tried Essence, but for cheaper brands I like Maybelline waterproof Falsies in “Push Up Angel”. The brush is really easy to use and there’s not a lot of clumps. I often use waterproof now because my eyes weep due to dry eye from contacts.
Maybelline is quite expensive here. A mascara goes for around €15! It’s nearly triple the price of the exact same product in the US.