essence Lash Princess Liquid Liner, Black Waterproof Review

Right, confession time: I did not expect to be writing anything nice about a fiver eyeliner. I've been burned by cheap liquid liners before, the kind that go on like a fountain pen exploding and are halfway down your face within the hour. This one has a different reputation among the people who've actually worn it day to day.

What reviewers consistently report is that it holds up to real-life chaos, not just a swatch on the back of your hand: no smudging or transfer even when it gets knocked, rubbed at, or caught by a stray hand near the face, and a fast dry time, within about ten seconds, so there's less of a window to accidentally wipe it across your eyelid while you're still getting ready.

Where it doesn't quite live up to the "all day" claim on the box is staying power. Reviewers who've worn it start to finish consistently report five to eight hours before it starts fading and needs a touch-up, not the sunrise-to-bedtime wear the packaging implies. To be fair, it fades gradually rather than smudging into a panda situation, which is the more forgivable way for a liner to fail. But if you need it to survive a school run, a full work day, and pickup without a mirror check, be honest with yourself that you'll probably need to reapply at some point.

The brush is the other thing I'd flag. It's fine for a quick, thickish line, but reviewers report it isn't precise enough for a sharp edge, and some keep a separate detail brush on hand for exactly that reason, which is a bit rich given the box markets it as an "ultra-fine" tip. It's an "everyday line, not a competition cat-eye" kind of tool.

The one genuine niggle that turns up again and again, and that I'd take seriously before buying, is the cap. Reviewers consistently report the cap and wand separating from the pen after repeated use, which is annoying at best and a "well, that's dead now" situation at worst. More than one reviewer also mentions the barrel being slimmer and shorter than the listing photos suggest, with one putting it at around three inches, so don't expect a chunky, easy-to-grip pen.

Now, the actual point of this review: is it worth it compared to spending more? The obvious comparison is Wonderskin's $18 (roughly £14) longwear pencil, since that's the kind of premium liner people are actually weighing this against. Its own reviewers make clear the pricier pencil doesn't clearly win. At the time of writing, essence sits at 4.2 stars from getting on for 1,900 Amazon ratings; Wonderskin sits at 3.8 from over 9,000. Its reviewers report the pencil smudging under the eye within about an hour where the lash lines touch, plus a "crusty" texture as it dries, which is arguably a worse failure than "faded a bit by lunchtime." Where the pencil does seem to earn its price, according to its own reviewers, is in humid conditions and really long single wears, where some report it outlasting what you'd expect from a liquid liner. So the premium price isn't clearly buying you a better everyday liner, it's mostly buying you the pencil format and, for some people, genuinely longer wear when it's hot and sticky out.

Neither of these liners has been properly water-tested, worth knowing if "waterproof" to you means swimming or a proper downpour rather than sweat and the odd stray tear.

Who it's for: a mum doing the school run and a normal workday who wants a reliable, no-fuss black liner and doesn't want to gamble $18 on a pencil that, by its own reviewers' accounts, might smudge just as much. If you want a line that survives the morning without babysitting it, this earns its place in the bag.

Who should skip it: if you're going from work straight into an evening out without packing a touch-up, or you're chasing a genuinely all-day wear with zero reapplication, look elsewhere, the five-to-eight-hour ceiling will catch you out. And if you're after a sharp, precise winged liner rather than a solid everyday line, the thick "ultra-fine" brush will frustrate you, so budget for a separate detail brush or a different liner altogether.