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I tried Amazon’s bestselling $5 mascara loved by 241,000+ fans — it makes a dazzling stocking stuffer!

I take mascara selection very seriously and am typically pretty loyal to my favorite, Benefit Roller Lash. But when I saw that over 241,000 (!!) 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 — and you'll get why this little wonder will make the perfect stocking stuffer for the beauty maven in your life!

Amazon's No. 1 bestselling Lash Princess Mascara features a conically-shaped fiber brush that gives a false lash effect.

$5 at Amazon

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 nearly double that. 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 its 241,000+ five-star reviewers say it is. (Photos: Katie McBroom and 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 and Curl Mascara. They also have many thousands of five-star reviews and are equally affordable at less than five bucks. At that rate, you can grab one for yourself and a couple for the beauty fans in your life — they make perfect high-quality, low-priced stocking stuffers.

Now, please excuse me as I add all of them to my cart. (It's my job!)

This bestseller makes the perfect holiday stocking stuffer for the beauty lovers you know.

$5 at Amazon

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.)