The product: Annabelle Le BIG Show mascara

The lash: When there’s a caps-lock B-I-G in the name, you have to go in expecting wonders from a mascara. This one definitely delivers on the claims of lashy grandeur, but it’s not without its faults. I’ll start with the good stuff, though! Le Big Show is deliciously black, and it dries to a gorgeous, glossy finish. Because it’s fairly wet, it does feel a bit heavy going on, but it’s once dry, it’s both lightweight and (semi-)soft to the touch. (Crispier than Marcelle Ultimate Lash, Fresh mascaras, and 100% Pure; softer than Imju Fiberwig or L’Oreal Beauty Tubes.)

If you’re looking for a lot of volume, this is one mascara you won’t want to miss out on – but if you’re looking for a lengthening or curling mascara, it might not be for you.

The tube: Le BIG Show is packaged in a pretty standard tube; a no-frills wand and fairly thick tube. It’s easy to open, easy to close, and easy to apply – not too finicky at all.

If I want a almost-bare, really natural lash, I do find that I either have to wipe off the wand first or comb through my lashes with a lash comb, but it’s not a huge deal. The brush does its job, and it is great for creating a lot of volume!

Annabelle Le BIG Show mascara – one coat

The wear: It’s very rare that I find a mascara that wears for more than 3-4 hours on me (unless it’s a tubing mascara), but the products in the Black Box collection have surprised me thus far – and really, why should this one be any different?

I find that I can get about five hours of flawless wear from Le BIG Show, and ten hours with extremely minimal flaking and smudging. (Erm, and then I had to go to sleep. But still, ten hours; that’s pretty darn impressive!) This has the best wear I’ve found so far in a non-tubing mascara, so even if it wasn’t deliciously glossy and gorgeously black, it would have my attention.

But it is. So I guess the wear time’s just the cherry on top :P

The ingredients:

Water, beeswax, glyceryl stearate, acacia senegal gum, carnauba wax, acrylates copolymer, c18-36 acid triglyceride, stearic acid, triethanolamine, palmitic acid, butylene glycol, kaolin, phenoxyethanol, hydroxyethylcellulose, methylparaben, propylparaben, potassium sorbate edta. +/- iron oxides

Annabelle Le BIG Show mascara – two coats

The verdict?

I really like how well this mascara wears, and I love how glossy and black it is, but I wish it held a curl better. I honestly do think it’s a great mascara, but it’s not really “for me,” you know? I look for four things in a mascara (glossiness, a super-black formula, the ability to hold a curl, and awesome wear time), and this hits three of those things right on the nose – but I still find myself frustrated at the way it takes the curl out of my lash.

For under $10, though, Le BIG Show is definitely worth paying attention to if you’re looking for a super-black, voluminous, glossy lash. And I’m definitely keeping it around – it may not be my holy grail of mascaras, but I still really, really like it!

Before and after shots »

The product: Annabelle Liquid Eyeliner in Black Spark

The shade: Black Spark is an inky black with a ton of super-finely-milled silver microshimmer. It has a non-sticky finish, but I *think* it’s got a bit of a vinyl sheen to it – I say think, because I’m not totally certain! Perhaps that’s just the shimmer being sneaky and tricky.

The wear: I know that I bitch about it all the time, but the fact is, 98% of the liners out there are going to migrate on my lids. Like an Ellis Faas or Lancome liquid liner, though Black Spark holds up like a dream come true – and at just a fraction of the cost. I get zero smudging, flaking, or bleeding throughout the entire day, no priming or powdering necessary.

Annabelle “Black Spark” Liquid Liner in indirect sunlight; no flash.

Also similar to the Ellis and Lancome liners (and for that matter, similarly to almost all the liquid products which wear well in my eye area), Annabelle’s liquid liners rinse off in “bits.” So, if you give this a go, don’t be frightened! :P (Photo under the cut.)

The applicator: Annabelle’s liquid liners feature a short, stiff foam applicator. I’m really quite fond of it; the length and sturdiness give a lot of control, and it’s easy to get your line just right. If I’m doing a particularly large wing or a graphic sort of liner, though, I do find that I have to re-dip part way (because the applicator’s so small). I don’t think this is an issue for “normal” eye makeup, but I figured I may as well mention it!

The ingredients:

C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, water, butylparaben, cellulose, glyceryl stearate, hectorite, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, magnesium aluminum silicate, oleyl alcohol, propylene glycol, stearic acid, triethanolamine, xanthan gum. +/- colourants.

The verdict?

Black Out, a liquid liner from Annabelle’s regular line, was my first-ever drugstore eyeliner purchase – and I while I liked it alright, I love this one. It’s not just that the shimmer of Black Spark is spot-on (though it is), or that it’s got a vinyl finish (which it does), but I’m almost 100% certain that the formula has changed.

(For the better. Just in case that wasn’t obvious.)

See, the last Annabelle Liquid Eyeliner I tried was “pretty good,” but this one is is actually awesome. I’ve got it on the back of my hand right now, and I can quite literally scrub away at it with my other palm without incurring any damage to the liner. I can even go at it with a sopping wet cotton pad & come away with zero transfer – it’s that waterproof. But, soak it with a little bit of makeup remover, and it’ll rinse right off!

In short: this is amazing. The amazingest kind of amazing in all of amazingland, and unlike the other two budge-proof liners I’ve found so far, this one’ll run you less than (!) $10.

Even if Annabelle’s liquid liners have let you down in the past, I’d still encourage you to give Black Spark a try. At the very least, give it an in-store swtach – it’s worth your time.

Keep reading »