What We Learned When We Took a (Better Than) Sex Ed Class With Jerrod Blandino

By Alaina Demopoulos
POPSUGAR Photography | Aimee Simeon
POPSUGAR Photography | Aimee Simeon

Let's be real: it's Jerrod Blandino's world, and we're all just living in it. As made evident by his beyond-fabulous makeup line and playful, quite often glitter-infested sneaky peeks, the Too Faced founder and creative director believes in living his best life. And for just three days, Jerrod will give us a peek inside of his world via NYC's Too Faced Better Than Sex Pop-Up Shop.

Of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a sex ed class with Jerrod, so we opted for our own sneaky peek of the event. For about 30 minutes on a Wednesday afternoon, Jerrod welcomed us into what will be his unofficial living room for the next three days. Of course, we found out from the expert himself exactly what you need to buy if you'll be in New York from Oct. 19 to 22.

But don't worry if you won't be in town — you can still get some Too Faced magic in your life. From his favorite mythical creature (Jerrod just took a side on a very heated debate) to what, exactly, makes Better Than Sex so damn covetable, we've curated everything you need to know to be your most fabulous self — straight from Mr. Blandino himself.

For beauty junkies, it can be hard to remember that there was a world before Better Than Sex ($23). Released in 2014 after two years of testing, to most users, this six-inch tube lives up to its name. And as Jerrod told us, the mascara's title came after he experienced a climax . . . of sorts. "When I first tested it, we were on the 50-something-th brush of the day," he recalled. "When I tried it, I screamed, 'Oh shit, this is better than sex!'"

But how, exactly, can a mascara give people so many feelings? According to Jerrod, it's the whole package. "Mascara is the hardest thing to make in cosmetics," he said. "From the formula to the brush to the polymers and what type of glue is used, everything affects mascara. We just found the perfect recipe."

Three years later, the Better Than Sex franchise is still going strong. And during the pop-up, it comes bearing friends. If you just can't get enough BTS in your life, then you can take home the limited-edition satin tote and bedazzled makeup bag. For $100, you can purchase both bags and a mascara refill.

If you're thinking this all sounds pretty extra, well, yeah, that's kind of the point. "It's about having fun with your glam," Jerrod said literally at the exact same moment he tightened his hot pink scarf. "We want to celebrate the fact that it's fun to be a girl. Whether that means wearing lashes and glitter to breakfast with stilettos, you be you. We're going to help you achieve the best version of yourself."

While the pop-up's piece de resistance — the Better Than Sex Stilettos ($225) — speak for themselves, Jerrod kindly gave us the backstory on how the sky-high heels came to be.

"I was working with Erika Jayne, and we came up with this Cinderella-esque story," Jerrod recalled. "I played a fairy godfather janitor, and we needed a shoe." Over the course of a year, the duo worked with the Italian company Mink Shoes to produce the vegan glitter heels.

While the toe and heels of the stiletto are covered in millennial pink glitter, the sides are see-through — that's a nod to the "glass slipper" inspiration. To finish things off, two lashes adorn the back of the shoe. ("So you can wink as you're leaving," Jerrod explains.)

Jerrod stressed that the heels are available only in "super limited quantities," but if you're fast enough, you can actually purchase these bad boys from the comfort of your couch. Starting on Oct. 18, you can cop the Better Than Sex Stilettos ($225) on the Too Faced website.

Aside from purchasing the goodies, visitors to the pop-up can also expect to glam up their Instagram feeds. As Jerrod shows, the small Soho shop is packed with Boomerang-worthy stations like a swing, a faux bubble bath, and an interactive video booth. ("Better Than Sex girls and boys, you know who you are. You can make a little sex tape in there," Jerrod said of the back room.)

Despite the NSFW marketing, the store truly is a beauty-lover's heaven. Everything about it screams unicorn fabulous, so we asked Jerrod what his number one rule for living your best life is. "Don't be afraid — try something new. Wear leopard! There are no rules. If anyone tells you there are, they're totally antiquated and they're just trying to put you in a box."

But, much like his years-long quest for the perfect mascara, Jerrod said that being fabulous comes through trial, error, and experimentation. "Some of my favorite styles are when someone does something weird and wrong, but they own it," he said. "And I'm like, 'Should I be doing that? Should I be wearing a bird on my head?' When people own it and look like they're having fun, it makes you want a piece of that." (BRB, finding birds to wear on our heads — new trend alert! You heard it here first!)

As we neared the end of our time with Jerrod, we knew we needed to ask him to take a side on one of the most heated debates of our time. Not naming any names (*cough, cough* unicorn or mermaid *cough, cough*), we asked: if Jerrod Blandino were a mythical creature, which one would he be?

The answer may surprise you: "I'd be a flying unicorn," he said. "I like to see everything sparkle at night from way in the heavens. I want to sneeze and poop glitter."

He then paused to take a look around the shimmering, twinkling, glamorous 3,000 square feet that has become the Better Than Sex Pop-Up Shop. He smiled — the place truly looks like it could have been designed by such a majestic creature. Mission accomplished.