The Truth Behind Lauren Conrad's Famous Mascara Tears from 'The Hills'

Lauren Conrad has built an entire career for herself in the fashion world (she’s even showed her LC Lauren Conrad line at New York Fashion Week), but 10 years ago, before the fashion fame, Conrad went by “LC” and was known for her dramatic scenes on The Hills. One of her most memorable “LC” moments? Her fight with Audrina Patridge over roommate woes with Lo Bosworth, which led to friendship riffs and those now-famous mascara tears.

Turns out, those mascara tears aren’t actually a result of her non-waterproof, volumizing formula running askew. The makeup-infused water drops are actually from the star’s liquid liner (from her signature cat-eye) defying her.

“I don’t think it was the mascara — I think it was the eyeliner that was running,” Conrad told MTV News. “I still wear that mascara and it doesn’t run like that.”

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Uh, what? After all these years, we’re just now learning that Conrad’s magical mascara tears that launched a million memes aren’t actually made of mascara? Talk about a reality check.

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If you’re curious to see what Conrad is up to these days (and if those tears will ever make their TV comeback), you’re in luck: LC is making her way back to The Hills for the show’s 10th anniversary special, The Hills: That Was Then, This Is Now, which airs this Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV. And to help prepare you for the big return, we’ve got an exclusive sneak peek of what to expect, below!

Are you excited for the return of The Hills? Share below!

–Sarah Kinonen
Follow @sarahkinonen