Urban Decay Perverts Mascara In The Most Beautiful Way

In the annals of makeup history, Urban Decay's Perversion is legendary. What started as a nail polish back in the late '90s begot a wardrobe of blacker-than-black eye definers that have a fanatic following among the liner-obsessed. So, when founder Wende Zomnir was looking to create a new mascara, it's no surprise her mind went to Perversion. "I started thinking, What if I could apply our Perversion 24/7 Eye Pencil to my lashes? Lightbulb!" Definitely.

Launching on July 13, the new Perversion Mascara is billed as being "Bigger. Blacker. Badder." And, boy, does it live up to that promise. The super-creamy formula is like a second skin for your lashes, lengthening and volumizing while adding "triple-black pigments."

Perversion also boasts a nourishing ingredient blend — including proteins and amino acids — and a formula that straddles the line between not-too-wet and not-too-dry, so it "pulls" the perfect amount through the lashes and can be layered without looking clumpy. "We formulated and personally tested 80 or 90 different formulas before crafting Perversion Mascara," explains Zomnir.

"I personally road-test every product we make, and I road-test them hard…hot yoga, CrossFit, you name it," she adds. "Our entire product-development team has tested Perversion Mascara, and we’re all obsessed with it. With some mascaras, your lashes fall flat midway through the day. That’s not an issue with Perversion. And, the color won’t smudge or flake."

Zomnir, who cites clumpy mascara as her biggest lash annoyance, says one of her goals with this product was to ensure it separated and defined for a clump-free finish. To achieve that, the brand used a twisted trim on the brush — there are so many fibers, she says, that they get between each lash for a clean, clump-free finish.

Of course, you know we couldn't let Zomnir get away without spilling one of her epically awesome makeup tips. (That's right, folks. She's not just the founder of one of our favorite brands — she's also a total baller at applying makeup.) Before Perversion, Zomnir says she used a safety pin to separate her lashes, but after that last earthquake in California, she's put the kibosh on that particular trick. Instead, Zomnir says she uses a needle threader on those rare occasions when she finds she still has a couple of lashes she wants to pull apart. "Just as effective but much safer!" Yeah, we're all for any makeup tip that prevents you from sticking small, very sharp, and pointy objects in your immediate eye area.

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, $22, available July 13 at Urban Decay.