As I work towards having a full face of Pat McGrath, my most recent purchase has been her Permagel liners. Keep reading to find out more.
The Evolution Of My Eye Liner Preferences
Ever since discovering Illamasqua pencils in around 2013, I’ve been super picky about what constitutes a good liner. I’ve tried all sorts but only a few rise to the top as products that I would highly highly recommend. The Illamasqua pencils were pivotal for me as they were a pencil that could be used on the eyes and the lips. I don’t have any in my collection any more but they were a traditional pencil in a huge range of colours that were used all over the face. For eyes, my top recommendations are the Trish McEvoy Gel eyeliner which is the blackest but in a soft gel formula that sets and does not budge. I also love the Aqua Eyes formula from Makeup forever. The texture is not quite as soft as the Trish McEvoy but great nonetheless. More recently I discovered the Revolution Pro eye pencils. Again a gel formula and a fraction of the price of Pat.
A Few Thoughts About Lip Liners
In terms of lip pencils, I mainly own MAC and they have all kind of scared me. A traditional pencil formula that is very dry and tugs the lips. The MAC pro formula is not that much better and whilst the colour range is unsurpassed, you have to ensure that your lips are well and truly moisturised before you use the. This is where the Illamasqua pencil was a much better option. Another recommendation for the Makeup For Ever Aqua formula for lips.
Pat’s Permagel Eye Pencils
My first set of Mother Pat Pencils are the Xtreme Black eye pencil an the Ground Control and Deep void lip pencils. A black eyeliner is ESSENTIAL for me. I’ve read and considered how brown eyeliner is less harsh and especially as I get older that black eyeliner closes the eyes. Blah blah blah whatever. I love black eyeliner and I love the texture of the Permagel. The silicone in the formula makes it supremely smooth on the eye, it glides over the waterline easily. When sharpened you don’t get bits of wooden pencil shavings in your eye and the level of pigmentation means that it is the blackest black. Perfect. Perfect Perfect.
The other reason that I love the eyeliner pencil is that I can use it to draw the shape of eyeshadow that I want on my eye before applying shadow. My hooded eyes, especially on my left eye are getting droopier. I seem to have an additional flap of skin at the outer corner of my eye that has made it it’s life mission to prevent me from doing a decent winged liner. However the Permagel formula allows me to create the shape that I want, and blend it out without making my eyes water and without me having to pull the skin taut to get a straight line.
Pat’s Permagel Lip Liners
The lip pencils however are the real revelation for me. Ground Control has replaced every other brown lip liner in my collection. Yes, including Cork and Chestnut from MAC. As someone who previously was against a gloss and a nude lip, I am now loving both. When I’ve got all of Pat’s glitters and metallics going on my eyes, sometimes a nude lip is very necessary and who better than Pat to help me create it. Deep Void is my favourite lip liner however. The colour is perfection blackened aubergine. Used lightly I get my nude lip vibe with a touch of purple. With the lightest of Pat’s nude 3 lips wearable with or without a gloss and it transforms my pinks into delicious ombre purples.
Final Thoughts
Pat’s Permagel liners are amazing. The pigmentation lasts all day and the texture is the smoothest. However, as with all of Pats’s products they are pricey. Pat regularly has sales on her site so you will able to pick them up for less. I personally think that they are worth the investment. However, if you really cant justify spending that amount of coin on a pencil. The best drugstore option for eyes in my opinion is from Revolution Pro. I’m yet to find a great alternative for lip pencils, so if you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments below.
Read more of my Pat McGrath reviews here, here and here. Follow me on Instagram for more beauty news and reviews.