This TikTok mascara hack basically gives you a lash lift in seconds

TikTok has spoken: and it appears we've been applying our mascara wrong this entire time.

Another day, another TikTok beauty hack that has us questioning everything we ever thought we knew about applying make-up. Could this change the way we use our best mascaras from now on?

Yep, not only has the app monopolised our wardrobes thanks to a never-ending stream of TikTok fashion trends, it's also taken over our beauty regimens, too, owing to its endless feed of Gen Z beauty know-how and genius hacks. Wondering how to do winged eyeliner? TikTok's got a trick for that. Can't get your foundation to stay put? You guessed it: the good people of TikTok have you covered.

While there are some TikTok hacks we'd probably prefer to forget (read: some of the worst skincare advice ever to besmirch the internet), there are actually some brilliant bits of beauty advice, tutorials and product recommendations on there. After all, it is the app that brought us Dr Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass CC Cream, and don't you ever forget it.

Case in point: the new mascara hack that's sweeping (geddit?) the internet, and making us doubt everything we ever thought we knew about beauty.

So you take the best mascara, give it a few runs through your lashes, maybe run a q tip over any smudges if you're feeling fancy, and you're done, right? Wrong, apparently.

According to TikTok user @makeupbylxna, there's an even better way to boost your lashes, and it involves a method called 'Zick Zacking'.

Never heard of it? Nope, us either.

How is it done? Well, you pull the skin taut at the outer corner of your eyes, hold your mascara wand vertically, then zig-zag (or 'zick zack') the brush from side to side across your lashes to coat the tips and sides of each lash. Follow it with a sweep of your wand the good old fashioned way, and voilà: it's like LVL lashes in seconds.

Naturally, the TikTok community were quick to try the trend out for themselves, and it turns out that it's actually pretty foolproof.

Creator @rachelrigler put her own spin on the trend, by alternating between the 'zick zack' method and the traditional way (leaving to try between each coat); while @suzi_sina's video showing her incorporating the side-to-side step has brought in over 70,000 likes.

Worth a shot for dreamily long lashes?

Absolutely.