Are you wearing false lashes?

That(^) is the question I was asked four times the other day.

Now... Was I actually wearing falsies? Not a chance. I have zero talent for applying them and would much rather just apply coat after coat of regular mascara to make up for it.

I also have no shortage of different mascaras to try/layer/love/hate in my drawers, yet the moment I spot that little "NEW" in the corner of a package I feel an inexplicable pull and find myself instantly drawn to it like a moth to a light. Despite studying advertising and marketing extensively in college, and again now in grad school, and knowing exactly what they're doing to draw me in, I am a marketer's dream.

I will buy anything on the promise of longer lashes, fuller lips, brighter skin, or more voluminous hair.

At least I can admit it, right?

Anyway, I digress.

The point is... I found a new mascara!

I know, I know, you are so surprised!

But come on, ladies, you would be excited, too. I'm pretty sure I hit the lash-trifecta with this one - length, volume, AND long-lasting!

Maybelline XXL Pro 24HR BOLD

Now, I admit I was a little turned off when I first saw the packaging. I'm not typically a fan of the double-sided mascaras. I've left the house more than once with one eye fringed by white lashes because, in the midst of rushing to get out the door, I completely forgot to put on the second coat of actual mascara over the primer.

Ever shown up to school or work with one white eye? Not cool.

I also find most of the primers in these products to be clumpy and difficult to work with. Do you let them dry first or do you rush to get the mascara on while they're still wet? Which way makes them less clumpy? What makes them flake off?

All in all, I'm just not a fan. It's been years since I purchased one of those products, though, and I managed to convince myself that maybe the formulas had changed enough that my long-lived grudge was now null and void.

What I didn't realize until I tore open the package is that this product is nothing like the primer disasters I had previously encountered. In fact, there is no primer to be seen. First off, both sides are black - no more embarrassing snow-queen lashes!

At first I thought maybe the geniuses over at Maybelline had simply made the primer black to avoid all kinds of humiliating errors, but it then became clear that it was just two separate mascaras. A base coat that gives you astronomical length and can be layered to achieve lashes of drag queen proportions, followed by a top coat to fatten them up a little and make them last all day and night.

No, really, all day and night. I had to put some serious effort into getting it off before bed. The best part is that there is absolutely zero crunch - you know what I'm talking about. That awful clumpy/stiff/uncomfortable look a lot of mascaras get when you've put one too many layers on. It's not pretty. It's not fun. It's not necessary, especially XXL Pro 24HR Bold. It truly feels like there is nothing on my lashes when I wear this - it's soft and pretty and not even one flake comes off.

How much better can it get? I'll tell you - it can't!

This is officially my new favorite mascara... At least until I spot another package with that tiny little "NEW!" in the corner.

[photo credit: maybelline.com]