the last time i was in nyc i got to chatting with stephanie johnson when i realized that i hadn’t heard a word she said because i couldn’t take my eyes off of her eyelashes. a makeup minimalist, stephanie always looks great, but she was batting some major lash and i had to know her secret. when she was deep in the middle of telling me about sourcing fabrics for the fall 2013 line in hong kong, i blurted out “i’m sorry what’s happening with your eyelashes, i have to know!” she laughed and revealed to me that she had been at a magazine event and received a tube of l’oreal mascara in her gift bag. she said it was life-changing and that she would text me a picture of the tube when she got home (is she a good friend or what?). her text message that evening revealed an unfamiliar black and white tube – i immediately set out for the closest duane reade on a mission to find one.

i’m now a couple of weeks into my love affair with said black and white tube and i could not be more hooked. my lashes are sporting some serious volume thanks to the jumbo-sized brush and they are never clumped thanks to a crazy bristle arrangement that you’ve got to experience for yourself. my lashes have always been so, so – not super dark, not super long, not super thick but one coat of l’oreal’s collagen-laced formula and they are dark and defined. it holds curl without making lashes feel heavy and it stays all day without flakes or smudges. this has quickly become my favorite mascara and at under $8, i can imagine that it’s here to stay.

l’oreal voluminous power volume 24 hour mascara is available in drugstores and online for $7.99.