Must have MAC. (MAC Eye Kohl)

Member Name: AprilMay

Product:	MAC Eye Kohl
Date:	20/10/08 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great colour, easy to apply, versatile.

Disadvantages: A little pricey.

MAC do some amazing products, the best aspect of the brand being the fabulous colour range that the always offer. So, when I wanted to break out of my eye-make up rut I went directly to the MAC counter for a look at some exotic new options. The assistant used all sorts of impressive products on me (the primer, a shadow, two different liners, and mascara) and while I loved the finished product it was more fuss than I'd usually go to for my make-up, and I also wouldn't buy all those products at once - there are little treats, and then there's just going overboard!

So the product I settled on was this MAC Eye Kohl in "Rosemary and Thyme". The colour is a gorgeous olivey green with a distinct gold tone to it. When you look at the pencil it looks green, but on application the gold undertones really shine through and it can look quite gold indeed. It is a classy and subtle gold though, which shimmers elegantly rather than glittering or looking at all cheap.

Application of the eye kohl is very simple. You can either sharpen the pencil to apply a fine line all around the eye, or apply it more thickly. Because this shade is actually quite light I find that it can almost be used as a substitute for eye shadow.

Using a coloured liner like this has so many applications because the colours can be accurately placed exactly where you want it (like in the inner corners of the eye) - very difficult to achieve with eye shadows - and you can still use your darker liner for definition. I like to apply this in the inner corners of my eyes with a darker liner towards the outer corners for a more subtle but interesting day look. Or, to get really glam, you can apply your dark eyeliner as normal and then use the lighter shade of Eye Kohl to give a line of colour above the darker liner on the upper eyelid and even below the darker liner beneath the lower lashline. I find that the subtle gold combined with the gorgeous green of "Rosemary and Thyme" really brings out my eyes, and is easy to apply because of the pencil rather than trying to use shadow brushes. Plus, because it is quite a soft pencil, it's relatively easy to either smudge the edges of the liner to create a soft finish, or just apply it so that the most intense areas of colour is near the lashline and a lighter application on the upper edge.

I have also been impressed with how long the pencil lasts. I bought mine over 4 months ago, use it regularly, and still have approximately 15 cm left in the pencil. I imagine it will last at least another 6 to 9 months. So while the 11 pound initial outlay might seem a lot, I don't think it's too bad for a year's worth of fantastic colour!

This is the first Eye Kohl that I've tried so I can't comment on the other colours. I know that there are some quite bold opaque colours available, but my advice, unless you're super confident at applying the liner, or absolutely love a particular opaque shade, would be to go for something with a more subtle colour and possibly with a metallic undertone, like Rosemary and Thyme. This means it's useable for both day and night wear, is easy to apply, and you won't get bored of the colour a third of the way through the pencil.

Overall, I have been really impressed with the MAC Eye Kohl and will be investing in a new Rosemary and Thyme when my current one runs out. I might even see if there isn't another colour that takes my fancy in the meantime!

Summary: Highly recommended.