If your cotton ball/vaseline combo is messy, you are using too much vaseline.
In fact, I've found too much vaseline is actually quite a bad thing, as it can make it difficult to for the cotton to catch a spark.
My experience too with first attempts, years ago ... massaged unheated PJ into cotton balls but found difficult to remove excess PJ.
Current method: heat golf ball-size chunk of PJ in microwave at half-power 30 seconds or so until liquid; submerge cotton balls, then squeeze one-at-a-time in garlic press to remove excess PJ. Good saturation; not messy; finished cotton balls nicely compressed; easy ignition with ferro rod (after 'fluffing' to expose fibers); good burn time.
And my third-level firestarting method/gear: windproof/waterproof matches. But only REI and UCO Stormproof. For their size, I've found nothing that has the same "explosive ignition" sometimes required for less-than-optimum tinder/conditions. They're like mini-road flares. I know the arguments against: once they're used/gone, they're gone; and they require a special striker. I don't sweat the striker-issue ... carry plenty of "waterproofed" spares not only with other gear, but on my person. Consider the dozen or so matches I carry to be adequate third-tier back-up.
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