Essence Gel Eyeliner Midnight in Paris Review

Essence Gel Eyeliner Midnight in Paris Review

Hello everyone,

Today, I am back with a gel eyeliner review. Even a simple makeup look can do wonders with perfectly applied eyeliner. Minimal makeup look can be created by applying just a lip gloss and a precisely applied eyeliner. But for that precision, apart from your expertise, the quality of the product also matters equally. I have used and reviewed a few Essence products earlier, but to be honest, after using MUA stuff, I am no more a fan of the brand. The shade “London Baby” got thumbs up by Arbee on IMBB, but the shade Miami Ink was declared as a dud by Neha. Let’s see how this one fared for me.

Product Description:

Ultra-smooth gel formula allows for precise application. Apply it with the eyeliner brush. Quick-drying, long-lasting, smudge and waterproof.  Waterproof gel eyeliner for intense color expression. Draw a line with the essence gel eyeliner brush, from inner to outer eye corner. Avoid inner eye contact. keep away from children.

Ingredients:

Isododecane, cyclopentasiloxane, trimethylsiloxysilicate, paraffin, mica, disteardimonium hectorite, propylene carbonate, phenoxyethanol, ci 77007 (ultramarines), ci 77499 (iron oxides), ci 77891 (titanium dioxide).

Price:

$5.3 – for 3 gm (price may vary from country to country).  Now, the price is $6.3 currently.

Packaging:

Essence Gel eyeliners come in a really small glass pot, sealed with a cap that closes tightly. It is a cute, small and sturdy packaging that doesn’t include a brush. Usually the brushes and applicators in drugstore products are not up to the mark and prove useless practically. The quantity is sufficient to last you 5-6 months.

My Take on Essence Gel Eyeliner Midnight in Paris:

The gel eyeliner was an early autumn purchase last year when the temperatures hadn’t dropped actually. At that time, when I opened the gel eyeliner, it was jet black, really soft in texture, intensely pigmented and super creamy; just perfect to tempt any make-up junkie who opens her first gel eyeliner with lots of expectations because of the rave reviews on the blogs. The texture of the gel eyeliner initially is super creamy and very soft. A light dip of your handy eyeliner brush, straight or angled whichever you prefer, takes out the desired amount of product effortlessly and creates a lovely eyeliner look on the upper eyelid. One stroke of eyeliner is sufficient usually for a thin line, but if you want to apply a second coat, you are in trouble then because you need to do it really very fast.

The gel eyeliner sets so fast that if you delay the stroke, the second coat will crumble terribly. Even if you take too much time to apply, it will stick to your brush in a semi-dried state. When applied quickly, this glides easily. So the conclusion is that you need to have some super human qualities or a lot of practice for the purpose. For sensitive eyes like mine, this is a big no.  It stings my eyes like nothing has ever done even when it is applied over my upper eyelid. I can never try it on my waterline, definitely I don’t want to break into tears for just a gel eyeliner :P. It may work for non-sensitive eyes on waterline too.

Anyway, coming to the staying power, it is wonderful in the category. This stays for hours and hours even on oily eyelids. It doesn’t smudge, doesn’t budge. When applied in a single stroke thin line, it dries to a matte finish. It can create precise and crisp lines if you get good practice with it.  If thick lines are created, the finish is slightly creamy. It is waterproof and unexpectedly very east to wipe off.

Now coming to the cons, it dries fast in the tub. Once the temperatures drop, this is going to dry and solidify and get useless. You will have to do something to melt it if you intend to use it.  The current situation is that with temperatures above 42 C, it has become soft and feels creamy too (though not as before) and can be used now, but the efficiency, workability and results are not the same as before. You will always need to keep a back-up of some other gel eyeliner.  Also, this one is quite difficult to remove from eyelids.

Pros of Essence Gel Eyeliner Midnight in Paris:

• Small, sturdy and travel-friendly packaging.
• Intense black colour with super duper pigmentation.
• Fully waterproof, yet easy to remove.
• Creamy texture, soft and easy to apply.
• Sets to a matte finish.
• Very long lasting, even on oily eyelids.
• Affordable price.
• Doesn’t fade even after long wearing hours.
• Doesn’t smudge or budge.

Cons of Essence Gel Eyeliner Midnight in Paris:

• Dries too soon even in the pot, but melts in warm environments to some extent.
• Sets too fast.
• The second stroke on dried eyeliner actually crumbles terribly.
• Stings sensitive eyes.
• The pots come unsealed from the company so make sure the pot you purchase doesn’t have a crater of tester dips inside.
• Need to have good practice for good application.
• Difficult to remove even with cleansing oil.

IMBB Rating:

2.5/5

Would I Recommend/Repurchase Essence Gel Eyeliner Midnight in Paris?

As the final verdict, I have a mixed opinion. I am not going to repurchase this, but it’s worth a try if you want your eyeliner to be very long lasting and waterproof. Have a lovely weekend!

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