Review on Cruelty-Free Black Volumizing Mascara: Elizabeth Mott It's So BIG Waterproof Smudge Proof Mascara with Hourglass Wand - No Clump, Curl & Lash Extension (10ml) by Heather Aragon

I used to sigh that every time I applied mascara I was doomed to see raccoon eyes forever. I've tried several drugstore brands, even waterproof formulas, and that's it. Single. one. will smear over and under my eyes in just an hour of wear. I've resigned myself to my fate and resigned myself to always wiping away black spots as discreetly as possible at events and family gatherings. When I googled, I discovered two things: why the mascara seemed to work on everyone but me (my perfect stormy combination of half-closed eyes and oily eyelids) and the magic of the mascara in the tube. And painful price tags of the latter. For about a year I bit the bullet and spent over $25 every few months on a certain prestige brand of blue and gold pipe. The damn stuff was getting clumpy and harder to apply every time in less than two months. I knew mascara had to be changed frequently to avoid eye infections, but it felt like overkill. I was fed up and was looking for a cheap tube of mascara and came across the It's So Big line by Elisabeth Mott. And I have to say I like it even more than the prestige brand.1. It's a lot cheaper. More than 10 dollars less.2. Holds even better. The Prestige mascara I used usually left a few black flakes under my eyes throughout the day. I haven't seen muesli at all on It's So Big and have been using it regularly for about two months.3. It comes in a set of three mini tubes in addition to the full size for about the same price. Not sure if the quick drying and clumping I've experienced before is a universal feature of mascara in a tube, I wanted to get the best bang for my buck. I figured if I like the formula but it still dries prematurely and clumps, I can just open another mini-tube and I'm not going to throw away a nearly full-sized tube of the product. Even if the formula doesn't work for me at all, I could give the remaining two tubes to my mom and my best friend.4. Easily removed with a makeup remover.5. It's not cruel! I'm happy to report that my first tube is still working with no lumps. However, there are some minor issues I'm having. I'm not the biggest fan of the brush shape; paired with the less practical short stem of the minitube, i always apply some mascara to my brow. But a little toner on a cotton swab always cleans.2. It's not as big as I would like. However, it has such good staying power that I agree it doesn't offer that much of an "appeal factor". I can always pair it with a set of false lashes if I want some real drama. In short, if you have oily eyes, try this mascara. I did it and it was a great success. I even gave my mom one of the mini tubes to try and she loved it. We ordered a second pack of mini tubes so we only had three tubes each and had a long supply. (Note: I paired this mascara with NYX Epic Ink liquid eyeliner and a cheap eye primer.)