Tubing mascara works differently from regular formulas. Instead of painting lashes with pigment and wax, it wraps each lash in tiny tubes of polymer that set around it. At night, you press warm water and your fingers against your lashes, and the tubes slide off in little pieces. No scrubbing, no oily remover near your eyes.

That is why so many people with sensitive eyes like them. Less rubbing means less irritation, and tubing mascaras tend not to flake or smudge during the day, which means fewer bits falling into your eyes.

Hourglass Unlocked is a tubing mascara that stretches each lash for a look close to lash extensions. Urban Decay's Tube Job gives lifted, lengthened lashes for up to 24 hours without clumps or smudges. Too Faced's Ribbon Wrapped is the extreme-length version with dramatic separation. Tarte's Tartelette tubing mascara volumizes, lengthens and curls without flaking.

Merit's Clean Volume is buildable, lifting and separating for precise volume. Caliray's Come Hell or High Water is waterproof but still rolls off with warm water, a clever pairing for anyone who cries at weddings.

The only catch is that tubing mascaras give less drama than a heavy volumizer. They look like your lashes, only longer and more defined, which on sensitive eyes is often the best look anyway. If you want more, add a second coat while the first is still wet.

Taking mascara off is where a lot of irritation begins. Rubbing a cotton pad back and forth tugs at lashes and pushes remover into the eye. The gentle way is to melt it off.

Clinique's Take the Day Off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes and Lips is made for long-wearing eye makeup without tugging. Soak a pad, hold it against closed eyes for a slow count of ten, then wipe down and out, once. Clinique's Take the Day Off balm melts makeup and SPF off the whole face and rinses clean.

Balms and oils are the gentlest for everything else. Elemis's Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm softens and removes makeup, and Farmacy's Green Clean balm is clinically shown to remove waterproof mascara along with SPF and foundation. Glow Recipe's Papaya Sorbet balm uses papaya enzymes and is PEG free, and Tatcha's Camellia Oil cleanser melts away waterproof makeup and sunscreen, leaving skin soft.

Dermalogica's PreCleanse oil melts waterproof makeup without clogging pores, and Josie Maran's Argan Melt-Away oil is nourishing and effective on stubborn makeup.

Whatever you use, keep your eyes closed, go slowly, and follow with a gentle cleanser. If your eyes still sting after removal, the remover may be the problem, not the mascara, so try a different one before you give up on mascara altogether. Wash your face with lukewarm water rather than hot, and pat the eye area dry with a clean towel instead of rubbing it.

Mascara is the one makeup product with a real expiration date. The wand goes from your lashes back into a dark, damp tube every day, and after about three months it is time to throw it out and start fresh, even if there is plenty left. Write the date on the tube with a marker when you open it. It takes two seconds and saves a lot of guessing later.

Never share mascara, never add water to a dried-out tube, and skip it entirely when your eyes are red or irritated. If a reaction does not settle after you stop wearing it, see an eye doctor. And keep it simple, because one gentle mascara you trust is better than five you rotate through. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together The Best Mascara Ranked By Finish and Burgundy Mascara.