New Drugstore Mascaras 2016 (Annabelle, Essence, Rimmel)

There are some makeup products that are worth splurging on. But for me, mascara is not one of those. I’ve had really good luck with drugstore mascaras and often like the results just as good if not better than high end mascaras! Today I’ll be sharing some new drugstore mascaras that released recently from Annabelle, Essence and Rimmel.

Annabelle recently put out the Lash Launcher Mascaras which are all themed around “mascaras that takes your lashes into the stratosphere”.

Annabelle Blast Off– First off in the yellow packaging is the mascara to give curls. The curved brush lifts up your lashes and also lengths. It has rubber bristles evenly spaced on the brush.

Annabelle Lash Launcher– For length and definition, go for the lash launch. The bristles have two different lengths. Overall this won’t give dramatic volume and is more for every day definition.

Annabelle Super Nova- This one is suppose to be the all in one that gives length, volume, and definition. I honestly think EVERY mascara should do those three things regardless of what they claim.

There are a few more mascara launches that are under the Bigshow line.

Annabelle Outlash– The wand on this is very interesting and has a helix style twist with humps similar to Better than Sex mascara. I haven’t tried this yet but this is for dramatic volume so I’m excited!

The bigshow regular version has been my favorite. I get the biggest most fanned out lashes!! And they look amazing and curled and I just stare at my lashes when I use this.

Expandable- This was one of the coolest things I saw at the London Drugs Beauty event. This mascara features an expandable brush which allows for custom volume. When you expand, the bristles are further apart which I guess allows for more product to be placed on  your lashes. When the brush is contracted, the bristles are closer together and is better for length and definition.

Although this sounds really cool, I think in practice it didn’t make that much of a difference. The bristles are rubber and doesn’t quite coat my lashes as well as natural bristles. There’s nice definition but I don’t feel like I can build up to a glam look. 3/5

Annabelle Bigshow Regular/Waterproof– The blue and pink mascaras are both the Bigshow mascara. The wands are exactly the same but the blue one is the waterproof version. It has natural bristles spread all around the brush. I am so amazed by the regular formula. It gives me such long curled lashes without any clumping! The formula is also not too drying so it’s easy to continue layering until my lashes are rocket length.

I feel like the photo below doesn’t do it justice but I really enjoy the finished glam look I can usually get. 5/5

The waterproof version on the other hand is not my favorite as it’s really hard to remove. I guess that’s a good thing since it’s waterproof but it’s just way too difficult to wear on a daily basis.

Essence always have a ton of mascara choices available and here are two of the newest ones. They are now stocked in Ulta so if you are from the States, you can get it online or in stores! The price ranges from $2.99-4.99.

Essence I <3 Extreme–  The wand has very long natural bristles in a slight cone shape. The formula itself is pretty dry and quite thick. When I’m applying this, the formula actually feels very plushy and velvety. It got decent volume and really good separation.

What I like a lot is that it gives me the criss cross action on my lashes. I love that as it looks like I have a ton more lashes. The mascara doesn’t give intense color or volume but I do enjoy the look it gives. I don’t have any trouble with clumping, flaking, or smudging so overall this one is a winner! 4/5

Essence Plump No Clump– The unique part about this brush is that it’s flexible from the joint. The wand itself is composed of short rubber bristles. The formula is pretty wet so it gives a nice dark look. But wet + flexible brush means you need to be really careful not to get this on your lids.

There’s no clumping per say, but the look I get from this is definitely more stringy. I get thicker lashes but it looks like I have less of them as they “clump” together. The color is quite bold so that’s a good thing. The lasting power is pretty good and there’s minimal flaking. But overall, I prefer my lashes to look like there’s more of them rather than thicker strands. 3/5

Rimmel Volume Colourist– The newest launch from Rimmel is unique in that it’s suppose to tint over time. The formula gradually darkens bare lashes and they claim it works in 2 weeks! I’m not sure if this actually works but even if so, I think it’s more directed towards those with blonde or very light lashes. The tinting would make the lashes more brown. But for me with already black lashes, I don’t think the tinting is effective.

I gave this to my friend to test out as I had too many mascaras open. The brush is in a slight conical shape with natural bristles of varying length. She was able to get good definition and length but not that much volume. The look is very natural and not very dramatic. 2/5

Phew that was quite the round of posts. What are your current favorite new drugstore mascaras? And what type of wands do you normally prefer?