Beauty Size Up Mascara Set Vs Big By Definition: Which Wins Now?
The Sephora Favorites set includes Size Up mascara, while Big By Definition comes as a mascara duo. One gives a full makeup wardrobe. The other focuses purely on lashes. Here is how they compare.
| Factor | Sephora Favorites Makeup Mania Set with | Sephora Big By Definition Mascara, 2 Pac |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Sephora Favorites Makeup Mania Set (incl. Size Up) | Sephora Collection Big By Definition, 2-Pack |
| Mascara included | Full-size Size Up, Ultra Black | Two Big By Definition tubes |
| Extras | Five more full-size products plus bag | None, mascara only |
| Best for | Gifts and variety | Lash-focused buyers |
| Typical price | Check price | Check price |
| Value verdict | Excellent bundle value | Excellent per-tube value |
Our Verdict
Choose the Makeup Mania Set if you want Size Up plus more. Six full-size products make it a strong gift. The value is excellent. Choose Big By Definition if you only want mascara. The two-pack lasts for months. The defining formula suits precise lash looks. Both come from Sephora Collection. The set wins for variety and gifting. The duo wins for lash-focused buyers. Pick based on your shopping goal.
Trying a Mascara Set: How to Test Five Formulas Fairly
The Sephora Favorites Makeup Mania set hands you several mascaras at once, which is a testing opportunity most buyers waste by opening everything and judging on day one. Test one mascara at a time, one per week, wearing it for at least five full days before forming an opinion. Mascara formulas change as they age in the tube; a formula that seems wet and clumpy on day one often hits its sweet spot in week two as solvents evaporate slightly. Judging on first application punishes good formulas and rewards the ones that happen to be at ideal viscosity on opening day. Keep notes on your phone: smudging by hour six, flaking, ease of removal, and how the lashes look at the end of the day, not just in the morning mirror.
Test under your real conditions, not ideal ones. If you have oily lids, a humid commute, or long days, that is the test track that matters. And test removal from the start; a mascara that looks great but requires ten minutes of scrubbing will cost you lashes within a month. The Big By Definition mascara in this comparison is the known quantity, a tubing formula with a strong reputation, so use it as your baseline: every set sample gets compared against it on the same criteria. Our tubing mascara guide explains the polymer science behind why tubing formulas like Big By Definition behave so differently from the traditional formulas you will find in the rest of the set.
The Waterproof Decision: A Real Matrix
Buyers default to waterproof for every occasion, and that default costs lashes. Here is the honest matrix. Water-resistant handles humidity, watery eyes, and light sweat, and it removes with normal cleanser. Choose it for daily office wear in any climate. Waterproof handles swimming, heavy workouts, and ugly-crying, but it demands oil-based remover and extra soak time every night. Choose it only for those specific days, not as a daily driver. Tubing handles oily lids, long days, and sensitive eyes better than either, and it removes with warm water alone, but it surrenders to hot showers, saunas, and steam rooms. Choose it for daily wear if your main problem is smudging rather than water exposure.
The mistake is wearing waterproof daily for a non-waterproof life. The nightly removal toll accumulates into lash breakage that no conditioning mascara can offset, because the damage happens at removal, not during wear. A smarter kit is one water-resistant or tubing mascara for every day and one waterproof for pool days and weddings, which is exactly the kind of role assignment a multi-mascara set lets you discover. Our L'Oreal Telescopic waterproof vs washable comparison shows how the same brand's two versions perform across a full day, which helps you calibrate what each category actually delivers.
Contact Lens Wearers: Flakes vs Tubes
Contact lens wearers face a specific mascara failure: particles that migrate onto the lens and sit under it, causing irritation that feels like something is scratching the eye. Fiber mascaras are the worst offenders here, because the loose fibers are exactly the right size to travel. Tubing formulas are the best option for lens wearers with dry eyes, since the polymer sleeves stay on the lash instead of shedding particles, and what does come off slides away in warm water rather than crumbling. Standard formulas like most of the set's samples sit in the middle: fine if they do not flake, miserable if they do.
The application rules for lens wearers are strict. Insert lenses before any eye makeup, so particles cannot get trapped under the lens during insertion. Never apply mascara to the waterline or the very base of the lower lashes, where product sits closest to the lens edge. Replace mascara on schedule without exception, because an old, dried formula flakes more, and flakes plus contacts is the combination that sends people to the eye doctor. If your eyes are dry as well as lens-wearing, preservative-heavy formulas can sting; our mascara tips for sensitive eyes cover which ingredient types cause the fewest problems.
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