If you follow my blog for a while, you probably already know that MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners are my absolute favorite eyeliner formula (although lately I’ve been reaching for the Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayons just as often!). It was my long time wish that MAC would release more colors of the Pearlglides and alas, they finally did! The newly released MAC Isabel and Ruben Toledo Collection features a brand new shade along with another two repromoted colors. I didn’t want to review just the new shade so I thought I’d do an updated post of all my Pearlglides together so you can see them in action side-by-side! :D


The lineup
- Black Line – black with golden pearl but in certain lighting it looks like olive green!
- Black Swan – deep black with silver pearl
- Lord It Up – dark warm brown with copper pearl
- Designer Purple – beautiful iridescent purple with pink pearl
- Petrol Blue – deep navy blue with sapphire pearl
- Undercurrent – deep green with gold pearl
- Industrial – periwinkle grey with silver-purple pearl
- Chlorafill (new and LE) – yellowish lime green with subtle silver micro pearl
As you can see I have the pencils in quite a few different packaging from different releases. The permanent packaging has a pearly black body and cap, the Toledo collection has a white body with Ruben’s illustrations of graphic lines and faces and a matching white cap, and the middle one is from the Archie’s Girls collection which has a white body and cap as well but with a red heart print instead. :)

My thoughts on these MAC Pearlglide Intense Eye Liners still remain the same as when I published my first review about them more than a year ago. In short, they are ridiculously creamy, almost like a gel eyeliner in pencil form, and they pack a punch of pigmentation! They glide on smoothly and flawlessly without tugging or pulling and depositing a deep, rich, nearly-opaque coverage in one pass. The coverage is buildable for more intensity and I like that the existing layers underneath don’t move around too much when I go back and forth on the line. They are smudge-able for a smokey eye look but you need to be speedy because they set rather quickly.

These pencils also have excellent staying power. I normally get a full-day wear with them but on warmer days, they seem to transfer and collect at the outer corner of the eyes a tiny bit. I don’t notice any fallout even though they are loaded with sparkly particles! However, I have read reviews where they report the sparkly bits getting into their eyes when these are used on the waterline. I have never had such problem myself but I’m always careful where I put them. Another aspect I feel that some may not appreciate is the fact that they get dull very, very easily. I practically have to sharpen them after every use and they are not easy to sharpen without pencil wastage.


The new shade, Chlorafill, is a nice and fun color to pop onto the lower lash line! It is the least sparkly shade as you can see in the swatches above. It has more of a creamy matte finish and the consistency is considerably softer and thinner than the rest. My favorite shade is still Petrol Blue, followed closely by Designer Purple and Undercurrent. For an everyday eye look, though, I reach for Lord It Up and Black Line a lot! Lord It Up is my good blogger friend Kristen‘s favorite shade as well! I do hope you give these pencils a try! They are cult-favorite for a reason! :)
And by the way, do you like the background I used in this post? It is my boyfriend’s half-finished painting! LOL!
I love the backdrop as well as the drawing you made with the pencils! So cute! I haven’t tried any of these, but I don’t reach for the pencils I own often, so I probably don’t “need” any :)
Thanks, Sunny! I usually get creative with my swatches when it comes to swatching eyeliners. :D
Wow your collection is massive
I do have two shades from the regular like Lord it up and undercurrant I like it but bit of creasing happens so I apply on top of a matte liner to avoid it else the shades are so beautiful
I will be looking forward for the new collection to launch here
Hey that background is so cool ;-))
Great tip, Krithi! Gotta try that! :D And thanks!
Black Swan is lovey!
It is not just another black liner, you know? The sparkly bits really make it shine! :)
I haven’t tried these eyeliners from MAC yet, in fact I haven’t even tried their foundations either. Half the time I’m so confused when people say they are ‘NC…’ coz I have no idea lol Petrol blue looks amazing.
I love your photos, so clear and crisp.
Thanks, Kerri! :D I actually got matched just for reference since it seems to be a “gold standard” system! ;) Petrol Blue is my absolute favorite blue liner! <3
Petrol Blue is also one of my favourite eyeliners! I got it with the Archie’s Girl collection and I really like it.
I just discovered your blog thanks to Sunny (and the new BISC series!) and I love your photography! :)
Thank you so much, Carla! And welcome! And nice to meet you! And please come back again! LOL!
I love the backdrop, does your boyfriend paint on regular basis? I love the little swatch drawings :-) I don’t have a single Pearlglide pencils although I know they get great reviews. Since I love purple I wouldn’t mind adding Designer Purple to my collection. Although I don’t really use colored eyeliners all that much!
He used to paint a lot but lately he’s been into sculpting more. He’s a true artist! We are so not alike. Haha.
Black Swan looks amazing! Love the blackground, I like the areas you can see it’s not finished yet! ;) xx
Gyudy’s Notes Of Beauty
LOL! I’m so glad that he doesn’t mind it! ;)
I was so excited for Chlorafill but I tried it twice at the counter and my eyes went watery– and literally washed it off each time. This is not something that usually happens to me, which is why I went back a second time to make sure it was not due to something else. I did not use it on the waterline but on the lower lashes. So I had to pass. But it gave me enthusiasm to try another brand with a similar color. It’s a gorgeous shade.
Ouch I’m sorry to hear, Alison! I wonder what caused the reaction! Were you able to find a similar color from other brand?
Not quite the same but I got a vintage UD liquid liner in Pistachio.
I love your boyfriend’s half-finished painting!! Wow! Love your whole collex of Pearlglides. They really are creamy and pigmented like no other liner, including UD’s. I LOVE when they release Pearlglides in LE packaging! And you’re so right, they do have to be sharpened a LOT, but they are WORTH IT! Thank you for the shout out, love! <3
Yep! I actually prefer these more than the UD ones! Oopss! :D But UD has a wider color range, though! No problem, Kristen! Anytime! <3
Wowsa! I just lurve this line from MAC,such a wonderful formula! I’ll stick to the classics – undercurrent, industrial, designer purple.. great post love!
What? No Black Swan or Lord It Up? They are classics, too! ;)
I love the painting! Please show it when it’s finished!
I don’t have a Mac pearlglide, I think if I ever did want to buy one it would have to be Petrol Blue, it’s just gorgeous! I love the lime green one too! ^_^
Haha I will! ;D Pretty sure it’s gonna take him a while since he seems to have moved on to sculptures now! :) You *will* love Petrol Blue!
They sound really amazing! I love the look of Chlorafill, Industrial and Petrol Blue :-) I have a fierce loyalty to my UD 24/7 pencils, but I don’t know if they have anything like either Chlorafill or Industrial….
Not that I know of. I used to be loyal to UD, too, until I came across MAC Pearlglides and Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayons…. ;)