I used to sigh that I was doomed to be perpetually raccoon-eyed whenever I wore mascara. I tried a number of drugstore brands, even waterproof formulas, and every. single. one. would smudge above and below my eyes within just an hour of wear. I accepted my fate and resigned myself to forever be wiping away the black smudges as discreetly as I could during events and family functions.

With some Googling, I then discovered two things: why mascara seemed to work for everyone except me (my perfect storm combination of hooded eyes and oily lids), and the magic of tubing mascaras. And the latter's painful price tags.

For about a year, I bit the bullet and spent over $25 on a certain prestige brand's blue and gold tube every few months. The darn stuff would get clumpy and become harder to apply in less than two months, every time. I knew mascara was supposed to be replaced frequently to prevent eye infections, but this seemed excessive.

Fed up, I searched for a cheaper tubing mascara, and found Elizabeth Mott's It's So Big line. And I have to say, I like it even better than the prestige brand.

1. It's WAY cheaper. More than $10 less.
2. It holds up even better. The prestige mascara I used would usually leave a few black flakes below my eyes as the day went on. I haven't seen flakes at all with It's So Big, and I've been using it regularly for around two months.
3. It comes in a set of three mini-tubes in addition to a full size, for about the same price. As I was unsure if the quick drying-out and clumping I experienced previously was a universal trait of tubing mascaras, I wanted the best possible bang for my buck. My reasoning was that if I liked the formula but it still dried out and clumped prematurely, I could just open another mini-tube and I wouldn't be throwing away almost a full-size tube's worth of product. Additionally, if the formula didn't work for me at all, I could gift the remaining two tubes to my mother and best friend.
4. It comes off easily with a makeup remover wipe.
5. It's cruelty free!

I'm pleased to say that my first tube is still going strong, with no clumping whatsoever. However, there are some minor quibbles I have with it.

1. I'm not the biggest fan of the brush shape; combined with the less-practical shorter wand of the mini-size tube, I always end up getting some mascara on my brow bone. But a little toner on a cotton swab always cleans it right up.
2. It's not as volumizing as I'd prefer. However, it has such good staying power that I'm okay with it not giving quite as much "˜oomph' factor. I can always pair it with a set of false lashes if I want real drama.

In short, if you have oily eyes, give this mascara a chance. I did, and it was a big hit. I even gave one of the mini-tubes to my mother to try, and she loved it. We ordered a second pack of the mini-tubes so we'd have three tubes total each and stay stocked for a good while.

(Note: I've paired this mascara with the NYX Epic Ink liquid liner and a cheap eye primer).

. . . but I do not yet see any advantage to the other every day mascaras over the years. If anything changes after I have used it longer, I will update my thoughts.

Update
Ok so the last few I have gotten have been good and this mascara (if you get a good tube) is really that good that I will continue to buy. The good reviews really are because it gives them really good lengthening for those of us with almost nonexistent lashes and yet is also really wearable long-lasting and doesn't flake or smudge so you can wear it all day and night. Especially now that price is more reasonable. Don't believe the reviews that say it doesn't work- what they may not be understanding is you have to layer this on several times (like 25 swipes) "before" it dries- it will build!! It does lengthen more than volumize but it does volumize. Does not smudge or flake- I have oily skin an every other mascara does- can't see how anyone could get this to flake- maybe they are rubbing their eyes or about one of those clumpy dried out tubes that were a bigger problem in 2015 . I swim in this mascara and it looks perfect afterwards!
U pdate: they must have transferred manufacturing to China or wherever it was being manufactured just isnt doing the same QC. :( the last several I have purchased have been dry and clumping. It used to be wet and you could build and build without clumps. Now it doesn't matter how careful I am it clumps and sticks and looks like Tammy Faye baker. :( very disappointed. The first two tubes I got were great. The last SEVERAL have been bad- yes I figured maybe I was just getting the random bad tube. I didn't want to believe the great mascara I had found was gone forever. But alas no tubes have had that initial glide and wet clump free lengthening.

Original: I have tried dozens of mascaras - I have been on a quest for one that doesn't clump, doesn't make raccoon eyes and yet can build up my short blond lashes and create big black lashes. This is the best mascara ever! It has a wet kind of gel quality that builds and doesn't dry too fast so that you can build up volume and length. It doesn't flake or smudge. I won't be buying anything else. The only thing close is IT mascara which is a close second, but I like this one better. I have tried maybelline (all), cover girl (all), Dior, Lancôme, benefit bad gal, rimmel, tarte, - these all ended up flaky or caused black under eye smudges by the end of the day.

I usually am a loyal user of Blinc Mascara, which is a tube mascara. I like my mascara to thicken and lengthen, and most of all, I do NOT want it to smudge after a long day. I came across this mascara on Amazon and decided to give it a try, based on the numerous positive reviews. In my opinion, it acts in the same manner as Blinc, only better! I get more product on my lashes thanks to the big, contoured brush, and the results are spectacular! My lashes are thicker and more voluminous, I never have any smudges at the end of the day, and washing it off is so simple--a little soap and water and light massage takes it all right off! I will never use any other mascara again. I only wish I had found this sooner!

UPDATE 7/27/16- I fell off the It's So BIG Mascara bandwagon last year because I felt as if the formula somehow changed, and my lashes were not as voluminous or as dramatic as they once had been when I used this product. In fact,the mascara left my lashes feeling flimsy, and the formula felt dry and crumbly. I tried several other mascaras over the next few months and felt disappointment every time. Nothing had compared to the beautiful, thick lashes that I once had as a result of It's So BIG Mascara. I felt so lost. On a whim, I decided to contact the company and to explain my disappointment of my most recent tubes of their mascara. I didn't expect anything, I just wanted to inquire if the Elizabeth Mott company had somehow changed their formula or if any other customers had observed a difference with this product. I have never received such awesome customer service because they promptly replaced my last two failed tubes of mascara at no charge, and apologized for my recent bad experiences! It was above and beyond anything that I had expected and I am so grateful to their customer service team. All companies should follow their lead. Unfortunately, the mascara was still disappointing. No explanation by the company in that regard. I hate to remove a star for this but the quality is definitely not what it used to be. The company itself receives 4 stars alone for impeccable customer service!

2nd purchase