This $10 Mascara Tints Your Lashes While You Wear It

If you’re a regular Glamour reader you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I’m always looking for the next best mascara. Despite having a slew of favorites, I’m constantly swiping on tube after tube in search of the fullest, longest, flutteriest lashes for the cheapest price. The latest tube to cross my desk (er, doorway), Revlon So Fierce! Big Bad Lash Mascara, is a new a top contender.

I would be lying if I didn’t say the first thing that caught my attention was the name (it’s so over the top and fun), followed closely by the packaging. The poppy red is such a nice break from Millennial pastel, and the tube itself is much more compact than most mascaras, so I was instantly intrigued. Sofia Carson also couldn’t stop raving about it when I interviewed her a few weeks ago, so there’s that too.

The second thing that caught my attention was the claim that in addition to the immediate benefits, Big Bad Lash tints your natural lashes while you wear it in as soon as seven days. I feel like this is a trend that comes around every few years, but since I’m currently spending so much time makeup-less it’s the perfect time to test it out.

When it comes to the mascara itself, the name says it all. In short, it promises to deliver big, bad fanned-out lashes, with no smudging, flaking, or fading. To do so, it has a curvy, hourglass shaped brush, with sort of a flat top. According to the brand, it has a curvy “big” side used for volume, and a flatter, “bad” side which is used to fan lashes out.

To be quite honest, I didn’t notice a difference between the brush sides, but I did really enjoy this mascara. Usually an hourglass brush sends me running to the hills (it’s far too much for my little lashes) but the bristles on this one were spaced out enough to comb and separate them. After a few swipes, my lashes looked longer, but where this mascara really shines is lift and volume. The shape of the brush really shimmies your lashes up and out, so you get that nice wide-awake look. One coat gives you natural-looking volume, and just a few more give you very dramatic volume.

Despite being inky black, the formula doesn’t budge, even after rubbing my eyes. I also liked that the wand itself was a bit shorter than others, so it was really easy to control and get close to the root—I found a wiggling motion was best with this one, rather than a sweeping one.

Bella Cacciatore

After a week of wear I can tell you that the tinting aspect is legit—it’s just incredibly subtle. So subtle in fact, that it won’t show up in pictures, likely thanks to the fact that my lashes are so tiny to begin with. But honestly, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to go another day without wearing this mascara.