Mascara is one of those tricky items that seems infinitely upgradable—probably because eyelashes seem infinitely improvable and mascara expires relatively quickly. Even if you love what you’re working with, you’re always going to be curious about a new make, wand, formula, whatever. So when Givenchy’s Noir Couture 4 in 1 came to our office, we didn't pause for more than five minutes before ripping apart the packaging to test it out. The thick, gilded tube has a sleek Deco design and a considerable amount of heft, while the wand itself is a very modern tri-tufted thing (imagine that topiary-esque ball atop the Givenchy Phenomen’eyes mascara wand multiplied by three)—the ball trio enables a lot more lash-coating per swipe, and from a variety of angles (see? variety!) to maximize your efforts. Intended to create intense volume, curl, length, and general lash wellbeing (there's some sort of 'booster complex' in there, too), Noir Couture does double-duty: it strengthens as it lengthens! MAGIC!

Pro tip: you will have to get your technique down—we recommend a simultaneous wiggle/rake motion starting from the lash line out to the tips, so as to spread the product around. Also note: a lot of mascara comes out with every dip, so watch your wand, lest you start Jackson Pollock-ing your eyelids. Otherwise, go forth, be voluminous, curled, lengthy and above all, well.