Or, “why you should spend $20 on an eyelash curler.” Because really, as a beauty editor, my job isn’t just to write about products; it’s to make you want to buy the products I write about. This is why I straight-up refuse to write in any capacity about anything I don’t genuinely love (unless there’s a hilarious/horrific story to go along with it). I will never recommend anything to you or to anyone (I love to dole out beauty advice in person, too!) that I wouldn’t personally spend my own hard-earned money on. The Shu Uemura eyelash curler is one of those things. It seems like a luxury, and it technically is — why should you part with a twenty for an eyelash curler when you can pick up a perfectly fine substitute for $6 at the drugstore?

• Price/Availability: $20, and only available on the Shu Uemura e-commerce site. If you’re a Shu fan, you’ll recall that they withdrew from US stores a few years ago. It was depressing.
• Packaging: It is very much a silver eyelash curler. It says “Shu Uemura” on the top part.
• Overall: There’s a reason everyone goes crazy for this curler — it’s just the best. I have lost countless lashes to drugstore curlers over the years, and when I say I lost them I mean they were torn out unceremoniously by the curler being shut too close to the root (where, um, you’re supposed to shut it). The curved angle of the head on this particular curler means that it’s literally impossible to do that thing where it pinches down on your eyelid. In fact, I’ve tried to get it to do that (as a test, duh), and it just won’t. I have fairly long, straight lashes, and it takes just one two-second squeeze right at the root to curl them to their full potential, and they look amazing. Drugstore curlers I’ve tried have weak hinges and take multiple curling attempts before the results show up; this one is just easy. There is no guesswork involved, you don’t have to do it over and over again before your eyelashes finally begin to show a curl. I can even skip mascara when I’m just going out to run errands or whatever. I have small, almond-shaped eyes that can get lost in my face really easily, but for a low-maintenance look that still defines eyes and makes them pop, this curler is endgame. Add any mascara formula on top of it for amazing, dramatic results — it makes Great Lash look like Faux Cils. Sold!