As a beauty editor, I've tried hundreds of mascaras over the years, and I generally find the formulas extremely thick and the brush bristles set too far apart or just too short. Awhile back when the new rubber and plastic comblike brushes came out, I thought I might like them better. Alas, I did not.

I'm firmly in the camp that considers the brush itself to be way more important in creating the perfect fringe than the formula, so when I was asked to road-test Maybelline New York One by One Volum' Express Mascara, I was skeptical.

The elastomer (a fancy word for rubber) brush is almond shaped with finely tapered, dense bristles. The mascara itself has a floral scent to it, which put me on the defensive right away, since I prefer my makeup to be mostly odorless.

I'm happy to say that my glass-half-empty attitude has been shattered by the Maybelline New York One by One Volum' Express Mascara. I've worn it every day for the past four days and I can tell you that the unique combination of the brush and formula are definitely working. I haven't had to use my lash comb once! I still smell the floral fragrance when I put the mascara on, but I try to block it out because the results are so good.

My lashes are defined, darkened, lengthened and yet each one remains a separate entity. The rubber brush doesn't bother me at all. The formula doesn't well up in between the bristles. It's as close to a mascara miracle as I'm going to get, and the best part about it is that this all comes at the reasonable price of about $8, depending on where you buy it.

Using mascara to create big, fat lashes is easy - and they add instant sexiness to your look. Watch Makeup Artist Carmindy of TLC's "What Not to Wear" gives her best mascara tips for bold volume in the video below.