'Hands down, this $17 mascara is the best product I've tried for hooded eyes.'

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If you've got hooded eyes like me, you'll know the pain of mascara transfer.

The little black smudge under your brow bone halfway through the day. The flakes under your eyes that make you look like you've been crying.

The dreaded panda-eye situation. Been there. Tried them all. Given up. Started again. This mascara? It doesn't do any of that. And that's why I can't shut up about it.

In my day-to-day job, I need to present professionally and corporate. I can't look like I have just emerged from under a bridge!

Watch: The one product everyone should be wearing, according to a celebrity makeup artist. Post continues after video.

Hooded eyes and mascara: It's complicated.

My lids have started to sag onto my lashes (shoutout to gravity and midlife), which means if my mascara can't give me lift and length, my lashes just vanish into the fold of my eyelid. It makes my eyes look smaller and more tired than they are. 

So I need length from my mascaras. A good lengthening mascara doesn't just make lashes look longer, it makes my whole eye area feel more open and awake.

Second, everything transfers. And when I say everything, I mean everything.

No matter what I do, I'll look in the mirror a few hours later and there it is, mascara sitting under my eyes like I've had a nap in it. And it's not because my skin's oily (it's not, it's actually pretty balanced). I even set under my eyes and use setting sprays before mascara, waiting until everything's dry. Still, those little half-moons show up by the end of the day, making me look way more tired than I feel.

So when I found a mascara that built the length I need and stayed put all day without a single smudge? Honestly, it felt like a small miracle.

Before and after applying the tubing mascara. Image: Supplied.

Why tubing mascara is the best for hooded eyes.

Here's the science-y bit (but in plain English). Regular mascaras coat your lashes in pigment that can smudge or flake the second your lashes touch your skin. 

And if you've got hooded lids, your lashes are basically kissing your upper lid all day long. Disaster.

Tubing mascaras, on the other hand, use little flexible polymers that wrap around each lash like tiny tubes. 

Once they're on, they set in place, almost like cling wrap for your lashes. The result? No smudges. No flakes. No "mascara dust" under your eyes by 2pm.

And the best part? You don't need an industrial-strength remover to get it off. At night, you just splash on some warm water, gently press your lashes, and the tubes slide off in little lash-sized sleeves. 

It looks a bit odd the first time you see it, but it's also strangely satisfying.

The best tubing mascara I've tried.

The Revlon All In Tubing Mascara. Image: Supplied.

I've gone through so many tubes of the Revlon All In Tubing Mascara that I've literally worn the writing off the packaging. Both black and brown. That's how much I reach for it.

It's become a non-negotiable part of my routine to get through a long day.

I've tried many tubing mascaras, and this one ticks every single box. It builds length beautifully (so I get the lash definition I need to balance out my droopy lids), and it never transfers under my eyes, no matter how long I wear it.

It's also lightweight (so it doesn't weigh my lashes down), and I love that I can choose between black for a bold lash or brown for something softer and more natural. Having both in rotation has become non-negotiable.

And most importantly, it doesn't smudge onto my lids! Even on sweaty, humid days. Even when my hooded eyes do their thing and my lashes are basically kissing my upper lid all day long. It stays put.

I wear this in black and brown. Image: Supplied.

My quick routine is: curl, wiggle from the roots, sweep up. Let it dry for a few seconds, then do a second coat. I'll sometimes go in a third time just on the outer lashes, to sweep them out and up. That's it. My lashes look long and defined without clumping, and I can go about my day without constantly checking for smudges.

And when it's time for bed? A bit of warm water, and off it comes. No scrubbing, no raccoon eyes in the morning.

If you've got hooded eyes, sagging lids, or you're just over mascaras betraying you by lunchtime, Revlon All In Tubing Mascara is absolutely worth trying. 

I tell everyone about this mascara, no gatekeeping here, and now I'm sharing it with you.

For more tried and tested beauty recommendations, listen to the You Beauty podcast or watch You Beauty on YouTube.

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Learn more midlife beauty tips from Teresa by reading these next:

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• 'I'm a beauty writer in my 50s. Here are the best foundations that won't settle into fine lines.'

Feature image: Supplied.