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I tried Amazon’s bestselling $5 mascara and agree with over 232,000 five-star reviewers

Katie McBroom

I take mascara selection very seriously and am typically pretty loyal to my favorite, Benefit Roller Lash. But when I saw that over 232,000 (!!) people on Amazon gave the Essence Lash Princess Mascara a five-star review, I had to investigate. Surely a $5 mascara can't be worthy of all this hype. Spoiler alert: It is absolutely worthy of all this hype. I now see (with eyes framed by lush lashes) why it's the No. 1 bestselling mascara on Amazon. Let me open your eyes.

First of all, the $5 price can't be beat. I admittedly love the pricier prestige mascaras, but even my other favorite drugstore mascara costs more than double. Second, the product is actually really good.

I was fully ready to judge the brush because I typically prefer a rubberized bristle brush. (I think it provides a clump-free experience that way and really coats and separates each lash.) But I have to say, this cone-shaped fiber brush really did live up to the product claims that it sculpts individual lashes effortlessly. No need for any glob control. My lashes looked dramatically lifted with plenty of volume that lasted all day without any flaking or smudging.

It seriously does gives the look of instant false lashes, which is great because I hate fighting with lash glue. Apply one coat of this stuff and you're good to go, or you can amp it up with two to three coats for a seriously extra voluminous look. (For the record, I have two coats on in the below photo.)

A photo of the writer wearing the mascara next to a photo of the product itself.
Essence Princess Lash Mascara really is as good as the 200,000 five-star reviewers say it is. (Photos: Katie McBroom and Amazon) (Amazon)

I tried (and fell in love with) the OG Lash Princess Mascara before even realizing there are three other kinds in Essence's Lash Princess family. Whhhaaaaat!

There's also the Sculpted Volume Mascara,Waterproof Mascara and Curl Mascara. The others also have many thousands of five-star reviews and are equally affordable at less than five bucks. Now, please excuse me as I add all of them to my cart. (It's my job!)

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 $25 or more.)

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