Wait, wait, wait. Hold on just a minute. Mascara PRIMERS? We are wary of anything that will add another step to our beauty routines (in fact, we’re partial to anything that will cut them in half), because, honestly, WHO WAKES UP EARLY ENOUGH. But recently we couldn’t seem to eat a cronut without hearing/reading about the new pre-mascara mascara. Like any other primer, the ones for lashes act as a preparatory/protective layer between the makeup and you, but, instead of extending the life of your mascara, these aim to extend the length (and girth?) of your lashes.

Should we try 'em? we mused over our pastry Gloffice perk. Would we look like we had eyelash extensions? And was this the key to achieving a pop star, fox-fur look (Hey-lo, JLo)? You know what, we said, what have we got to lose (save for precious minutes of our day)?

After testing a few, here’s what we can tell you: Tarte’s MultiplEYE Lash Enhancing Primer really did make our lashes appear especially lengthy, like we'd been speed-balling Latisse. Tarte claims that theirs is the only primer that will increase your lash volume by 739% (no, that’s not a typo), and though we haven’t done the math on that yet—we couldn't find a tiny enough ruler—our lashes definitely looked more lush. It's similar to the effect of switching from a brown mascara to the blackest black—suddenly your eyes kind of pop, and your lashes are there. The thin cone-brush covers each lash with a white coat of soy-amino protein and plant waxes, using the former to condition and stimulate for long-term growth. No word on that yet either, but, if you have a moment of your morning to spare and want to give your preferred mascara an extra boost, we’re here to recommend.

Photos by Elizabeth Brockway.