Beauty on a Budget: Essence Gel Eye Pencil Waterproof

These days, I find myself reaching for brown eyeliner a lot more than I did in the past, because I think black can sometimes look a little bit too harsh. I’ve almost used up my Wycon Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Strong Coffee, so I bought Essence Gel Eye Pencil Waterproof in 06 Cocoa Bean, a matte dark brown, as a backup. Me being me, I started using it right away and here’s what I think.

Essence is a super affordable German brand (this liner was € 2.89) that makes some great mascaras and one of my favorite bronzers, among lots of other things. I knew this twist-up pencil was going to be very hit or miss, but I was OK taking the risk for such a low price.

To test it out, I applied it to my waterlines and lash lines, then smudged it with a pencil brush. It glided on smoothly without tugging at my eyelids, was very easy to blend out and the color was even and opaque. To verify the waterproof claim, I drew a line on my hand, put it under running water and tried to smudge it with my finger. It did not budge!

Then I tried to sharpen it with a little sharpener from another twist-up pencil (Essence doesn’t include one, but again, it’s € 2.89!) and here is where it failed: making it pointy is really hard because the tip keeps breaking! I ended up giving it a pointed shape (sort of) with my fingers.

Considering its price point, I still think Essence Gel Eye Pencil is a good liner, but bear in mind that you’ll have to struggle to make it pointy, so it’s probably best suited for waterline application or smoky looks.

Have you ever tried this eyeliner? Did you have the same issue I have? Did you eventually find a way to sharpen it? Let me know in the comments!