This Life-Changing Mascara Hack Will Make Your Eyes Look Bigger

One of the many perks of being a beauty editor is that you get to swap tips with other beauty editors and experts in the field. Sometimes that happens at work or during press events, and other times, it happens in beauty editor–only Facebook forums (they do exist).

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Recently, during a conversation about how to best apply mascara to the bottom lashes—if at all—I chimed in with an invaluable tip I’d been keeping in my back pocket for no other reason than I thought everyone already knew about it.

I never use mascara on my bottom lashes—not even the same waterproof one I love for my top lashes. Instead, I swap in a brow gel: The brush, as well as the spoolie itself, is smaller, so it can grab all the tiny hairs—especially the ones in the corners—without leaving telltale flakes below your eye. Plus, the tiny brush lends a bit more curl than a thick, traditional mascara spoolie, so you look more awake instantly. I also find that brow gel dries much quicker and won’t smudge in the heat the way some mascaras do.

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I switch between Glossier Boy Brow and Benefit Gimme Brow, both of which add volume and lengthen lower lashes the same way they bulk up your arches.