Bakeup's New "Tarantulash" Mascara Gave Me Spidery, '90s Grunge Lashes

When Jo Baker—celebrity makeup artist to stars like Olivia Wilde, Lucy Boynton, and Natasha Lyonne—launched her makeup brand, Bakeup earlier this year, I knew I'd be a fan. But what I didn't know is that just months after launching, the brand would disrupt the mascara market with a wild new product. That product is Tarantulash (like the giant spider), a stark-black, buildable mascara with a supersized wand designed to deliver the spider lash trend in a tube. So as a self-certified lash-obsessive (I've tried hundreds of mascaras and every professional lash treatment under the sun), I couldn't wait to get this mascara in my hands. Ahead, find my full review of Bakeup's Tarantulash Mascara, including my before and after results.

The Formula

This is a true, inky-black color that completely saturates the lashes. It's also a very wet formula, which helps create that shiny, webby, almost latex-like effect on the lashes. (When you first pull wand out of the tube, you'll see that the formula collecting around the opening almost looks fibrous— like a spider web.) The moisture factor also helps coat the lash line in-between your lashes for a faux tight-lining effect and makes it easy to build Tarantulash to your desired level of spidery-ness. Two or three coats will give you long, defined lashes for a softer, more romantic effect. But pile on four or five coats—letting the formula dry about halfway in between each coat—and you'll have that purposefully-clumpy, edgy look with dramatic length. Your lashes will naturally gather together in thick, Twiggy-esque points.

This mascara is also virtually smudgeless. Once I let it dry down completely—which took five to seven minutes—my lashes didn't budge. They remained in their curled, pointed position through a full day of work without smearing onto my eyelids or flaking off onto my cheeks. But despite the staying power, the formula is not drying or difficult to remove. It's formulated with hyaluronic acid to keep lashes conditioned throughout the day and melted easily off of my lashes with a cleansing balm. (Although I did have to use a cotton swab dipped in micellar water to clean a stubborn spot off of my lash line.)

The Applicator

True to its name, the Tarantulash applicator is absolutely massive. (It rivals the size of CoverGirl's Lash Blast, another personal favorite of mine.) It features pointed, rubberized bristles in a linear array to grab and coat every single eyelash, and a curved design for ergonomic comfort. The long, flexible "teeth" of the wand make it easy to grip and fan out outer lashes for that siren eye effect that is so of the moment right now.

My only complaint is that due to the size of the brush and my very hooded eyes, the mascara got all over my eyelids while I was applying. It came off easily with a little water (since it hadn't dried down), but if you use Tarantulash, I recommend doing your mascara before the rest of your makeup so you can easily clean up your lids without disturbing the rest of your makeup. It's a small price to pay for major lashes.

The Results

As you can see, Tarantulash completely transformed my short, blonde, sparse lashes into a long, spidery dream. I love the way the jet-black color creates contrast with the whites of my eyes to make me look more awake, and there's no denying that the results rival falsies. More than anything, I love that the buildability of this formula makes it completely customizable. Because even if I don't want that spiky, grungey look every day, you can still use this mascara to create long, defined, more natural-looking lashes.

Bakeup Tarantulash Mascara $27.00

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