For those reading this blog post's title in disbelief, it's true. I confess.  I've broken my years-long addiction to eyelash extensions. Blame Hurricane Irma and wanting to simplify, or the impending calendar commitments of the social season. But whatever the case, I did it. Which meant re-introducing mascara to my life.

Now, I know you know there are trillions of mascaras choose from, but I've narrowed it down from the good, the bad and the clumpy to three faves, thanks to my new know-how.

To begin, I needed a mascara application refresher. So I leaned on makeup icon Bobbi Brown. This quick vid was seriously helpful.  I mean, who knew you should take three passes at mascara application? I wound up modifying Bobbi's tips with the following products, which performed as well as their brands promised. Of course, any of these can be used solo, but I'm loving the layering effect. 

Step 1

As Bobbi says, begin with a fine brush. This one by Benefit is perfect—I swear it has some super powers thrown in. It's super curling and lifting, so it sets the right tone as it grabs, separates, lifts and curls. Benefit Cosmetics, $24. 

Step 2

I go straight to Chantecaille's Longest Lash Faux Cils mascara, which has a double-helix brush. It also has a powerful peptide technology that enhances natural lash length and thickness for a full, no-clump, voluminous look. Bluemercury, $72.

(And I totally get that $72 is a massive commitment for mascara. So, here's a squeaky-close second: Doucce's Maxlash Volumizer. You'll get intense lashes in both volume and length, especially since it's buildable. Doucce, $22.)

Step 3

Here I tweak and tidy. I use a disposable mascara wand (like this one at Amazon) to define my lashes for a well-ordered look. Then after the mascara tracks dry, I tidy them up with a dry Q-tip.  And voila!