Liquid eyeliner is one of the most intimidating products any novice could be confronted with, especially if they feature a brush. Too many times in my earliest days of makeup application, I ended up with, well, black liquid eyelids that were unfortunately reminiscent of my earliest forays into kohl. The less said about those, the better.

Anyway, in my search for the ultimate liquid eyeliner that was quick, easy, and well pigmented, I decided that I might as well choose by name. Hence, MAC’s Penultimate eyeliner (then marketed as part of the Marilyn Monroe collection) found its way into my own collection of “eyeliners I met and tried”.

It’s billed as “A liquid pen-style liner that provides the ultimate precise, bold line in a rich, deep carbon black shade. Goes on fluidly, in one steady stroke, to style any fashion of eye line.” on the site, but I can’t find an ingredients list anywhere, much to my chagrin. The packaging is MAC standard black-and-white. The lid clicks shut, which should stop it drying out for as long as possible, and the tip itself is a felt tip style. Sharpie for the eyelids, excellent.

with/without flash

It does apply smoothly – the skin around my eyes is relatively delicate, but it didn’t feel “scratchy” in the least. The pigmentation in one stroke is better than a lot of other felt-tip eyeliners I’ve tried, too. Where I think the product could be improved is a slightly slimmer barrel so I didn’t feel quite so ham-fisted touching up the ends, especially on my weaker side.

In terms of endurance, I’m not particularly given to rubbing my eyes even though I wear contact lenses, so I’m possibly not the greatest judge.  I have noted, however, that it can comfortably last a day (or night) without noticeable blurring. Removal can get very, very messy though. I’m guessing that this might depend on the remover you use (I like the Simple bottles), but yes, there’s nothing remotely enticing about panda eyes. I refer you back to my heavy kohl stage. Yikes.

At £16, it’s more than most liquid eyeliners I’ve come across. Quite a lot more, actually, although it’s not firmly in high-end territory –so, typical for MAC, really! I don’t know how long the tube itself lasts as I’ve only been using it a month or so, but there seems to be plenty of life in it yet where others have failed by this point.

In short, would I recommend it? Yes. It applies and lasts well in my experience, but if you’re looking for more precision, it’s such a hefty tube (relatively speaking) you may want to look at a more traditional shape like this, which I’ve used and liked. 7/10

*

PS: I’m stating the obvious here, but it’s freezing! Hope everybody’s doubling up on lipbalm and moisturiser with their hat, gloves, scarf, and novelty socks. More importantly, that you’re driving safely. It came as a bit of a surprise to me earlier that my car might as well be a pair of ice skates on the roads near me. Oops. x