Essence Extra Long Lasting Eyeliner Pen

Essence, you have disappointed me. I am always out there talking about how great your products are, being all affordable and everything, but your eyeliner pen (the supposedly extra long lasting one!) was an absolute disgrace. Sincerely, Candice.

Yep, this was one of those products that just blew my mind because it was so unbelievably horrendous. As I mentioned, I usually love Essence, I really do. They have awesome nail polishes, the best limited edition sets and my favourite gel eyeliner of all time (though of course it is discontinued) but this was just diabolical.

First up, don't let the packaging trick you into thinking that this will be a product that works really well. Its sleek black pen-like packaging with silver print and claims of 'Extra long lasting' are all just tricks to lure you in. I loved the idea of a felt tip pen for an eyeliner and when I saw the tip I was amazed at how beautifully precise it appeared to be. When swatching it I discovered that it was firm enough to draw precise lines but not too firm that it actually hurts to apply! So far it seemed perfect.



























But here is where it all starts to go wrong. First of all, it doesn't apply on top of eyeshadow well. Imagine it to be an actual texta where you try and draw through the dirt. The texta gets dirt all over the felt tip and suddenly you can't apply any colour...yep, this did exactly that. I could have accepted that little flaw but it really was no better on a naked eyelid. It requires you to go over the line three or four times to actually get some pigment, and even then it looks uneven and has horrid gaps everywhere. It also does not draw a precise line but is all wonky and jagged (and that is not just my application skills!). You cannot draw a wing because it goes everywhere and doesn't apply in a straight line, it's not at all pigmented...I honestly can't find a single thing that I like about the formula!

Then we have the lasting power. Extra long lasting? What a joke! I wore this when I was sitting at home studying and within three hours it had transferred to my brow bone and under my eye - and I know I hadn't rubbed my eyes or anything. I've tried it several times since and the same thing has happened. It honestly just wears off and at the end of the day it has literally disappeared. It would be quite magical if it wasn't bloody annoying!

Sadly I guess that sometimes price does reflect quality. I don't recall exactly how much I paid for this but I imagine it would have been somewhere around $4. It is extra disappointing though because there are so many Essence products that I do love and use all the time, however this is just not one of them!

Since this eyeliner turned out to be hopeless I am on the look out for an alternative eyeliner pen that is better. I would love any suggestions that you have!