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

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."