Women expect a lot from their eyelashes: thick, long, separated and curled. Like everything else in beauty, the gold standard is exactly the opposite of the way we all wake up in the morning.

Gone are the days of the simple wand in a standard tube, filled with black goop. According to the New York Times, starting this fall, we will be seeing some major mascara innovation. From the high-end contenders like Chanel and Lancôme, to the drugstore brands like Maybelline and Revlon, be prepared for an array of new wands that resemble everything from a miniature hairbrush (promising) to a tiny cactus (no way I'm putting that next to my eye!).

Because I'm a sucker for cosmetic novelty, I'm eager to see what these wands are going to do for my lashes. With any luck, they'll do the opposite of what they will do to my wallet...