Lauren Conrad’s lone mascara-tinged tear dripping down her face after a conflict with Audrina Partridge might be the most memorable image of The Hills. In fact, so notorious is this image that the Internet, that a bastion of all things trending and meme-worthy, has crowned that drama-filled moment as the ultimate GIF for sad occasions.
However, in an interview with MTV News in preparation for the tenth anniversary special of the The Hills, Conrad revealed that everything we knew to be true about that single iconic tear is a lie. Apparently, that tear’s makeup-colored hue was not due to LC’s mascara, but her liquid eyeliner from her signature cat-eye.
“I don’t think it was the mascara — I think it was the eyeliner that was running,” Conrad said. “I still wear the same mascara, and it doesn’t run like that.”
Conrad also said that her mascara/eyeliner tears have reduced drastically since her days on The Hills, noting that “I rarely cry these days.”
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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com