It's safe to say that mascara pretty much tops any woman's must-have makeup list. Long and thick eyelashes are an enviable attribute so we lengthen, plump, prime, and define as much as we can with our beloved mascara wand. For most of us, this method only holds true to the top set of lashes—the ones that we can add some sexy lift to with our lash curler. As for the bottom set, we consider them the no-man's-land of makeup application and tend to skip the area all together. Who could blame the everyday woman for ignoring these teeny, tiny lashes that can't seem to hold mascara anyway?

But at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, a well-known makeup maven had a different song to sing. Mally, the lead makeup artist for the Tracy Reese Fall 2011 collection, pleaded with us—"It's so important! You must, must, must apply mascara on your bottom lashes," she said. Since we're not one to argue with pros, we got her three essential tips for making mascara work on your lower set.

1. Applying mascara on both your top and bottom lashes creates even more space between your eye so you look extra wide awake. (And who couldn't afford to look a little more well-rested these days?) Backstage at Tracy Reese, Mally applied one coat of Mally Beauty Ginormous Mascara in black to the models' top lashes and several on the lower lashes.

2. When removing the mascara wand from the tube, you'll want to wipe off any excess formula so you can avoid clumps. Holding the wand vertically, carefully run the tip of the brush over your bottom lashes. Fan your hands in front of your face to help the formula dry, then repeat.

3. One of the most common reasons women skip mascara on their lower lashes is because they're afraid of getting raccoon rings around their eyes by the day's end. To prevent your mascara from running all over your face, Mally advises to stay away from applying emollient (greasy, oily) creams around the under-eye area. "You need to keep the skin dry, so make sure you're not wearing anything too rich," she said.

Mally complemented the lush eyelashes with shimmery champagne eye shadow, luminous skin, and glossy lips. Check out the full look on the model below.

Tell us: Will you be giving your lower set of lashes some love?

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