Item would have received a 5 star if it were not waterproof.I was very impressed with how fast this item arrived and the excellent and careful packaging.I ordered this mascara because it is supposed to be a blue-black color. Sometimes I have my lashes dyed a blue-black color, because it looks really nice with my blue eyes. But I really don't see the blue in it... I even put it on my brows and a little on my hand to see if I could see the blue, but I can't. Nevertheless, I think it's a good mascara. I like the way it doesn't clump, and it doesn't come on too thick, the way so many mascaras do. It comes on very nicely, and the color is nice, despite the lack of a blue tint. I like the brush a lot. If someone is just looking for a good black mascara, then I recommend it very highly.OK, I am editing this review: I have been wearing this mascara a lot and MAYBE it does have a slight blue tint; I'm not sure... Originally I said "I don't see the Blue" and I am changing it to "not sure". Because maybe it does have a slight tint of blue. I definitely don't want blue mascara, but would have wanted it just a tad more blue. But my eyes do look nice with it, as they are blue. So I changed this somewhat to be fair. Still four stars, but that is still a good rating. I'm quite happy with the mascara.I've had a heck of a time finding a mascara that doesn't flake off of my eyelashes. This one is the first one in a LONG time that will stay on even as I rub my itchy allergy eyes. The color is nice, almost dark auburn. Not so stark black, perfect for this strawberry blonde. And I do believe that I can find a bit of shimmer if I really try, like rubbing the wand on a tissue and holding it in direct light. But I've never noticed any glitter or sparkles on my face (ahem, Almay Intense iColor glitter bomb.)The tube of Black Ruby that I got today (sold by Amazon, not a third-party vendor) was very fresh--manufactured in June 2014. There is a tiny, etched alphanumeric code on the tube that can be plugged into "checkcosmetic dot net" to find the manufacturing date. June 2014 was almost a year ago but mascara is good for about three years unopened. For comparison, another tube of mascara I got from Amazon (third party) recently was manufactured in 2009. 2009!This is my favorite mascara. I don't wear mascara a lot because I have found that it flakes pretty bad on me and eyeliner also tends to run. Also I'm a ginger and I like my makeup look to be fairly natural and a lot of mascara is just too dark on my eyes and doesn't work for me. I have tried this product in the version for blue and green eyes and prefer the green (even though I have blue eyes). It looks pretty light and natural on and even though it does flake, you can't hardly tell because the mascara itself lacks significant tint. Also it really does not flake much, especially compared to other "luxury" mascaras I have tried. And unlike a lot of other products, the flakes do not irritate my eyes. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a lighter mascara that stays on and flatters a natural look.I love this mascara and I have been using it for years - it's the perfect mascara for blue eyes and it''s no clump, no smear, waterproof - it's great. . now suddenly it's not available in stores anymore which is really a drag. when I bought this product in January I thought the price then was ridiculous, but now it's absolutely outrageous - almost $20 for what was about $8 in the stores. unfortunately, I will not be buying this product again unless the price goes down. I've found a substitute, not as great because of the color, but I just won't pay this extortion priceThe best water proof Mascara that truly does hold the curlThe waterproof part works really well. I chopped onions, and wore it for three days straight. I only had to apply it once and it looked great all those days even when I cried. The only bad thing about it is it doesn't really "brighten" your eye color at all like I was hoping. They give the color name "gold-black" even though it is just plain brown. And also it doesn't make your eyelashes look much longer. This is a great product for somebody who is looking for dependable, long-lasting water-proof mascara. But if you are wanting to make your hazel eyes look more unique, I would not recommend this product.I have the Sapphire version for blue eyes and wanted to try this. Its a bit more black than I realized but still looks good. Totally waterproof and it lasts all day which is awesome! My only issue was the wand. It is flimsy and too flexible so trying to remove the excess mascara by running the brush end over the edge of the tube could easily break the brush at the base. I ended up swapping it out with the brush from the Sapphire color. All in all, I would get this color again.I've been using this brand and its non-waterproof counterpart for years. It goes on well, it isn't clumpy and gross, and looks great. You actually get three in this package, which was a great surprise and great value for the money. I wish that Amazon also sold the non-waterproof version here as well. Love this stuff - it lasts a long time as well.Wish I could find this in the regular kind, not waterproof. The waterproofing is very strong so if you’re looking for one that won’t run, this is the one to get. Otherwise I love how it goes on the lashes.Finally a mascara that does not flake on me! However, even with a strong eye makeup remover, it is difficult to remove the mascara.It also does not seem to thicken my lashes, just lengthens themlLove it, too bad its discontinued in stores.Love this one and cant find it in stores. Really brings out your eyes color.