Comparison of MAC’s Black Eyeliners



Which black is the blackest black? That is usually the oh-so important question that determines which liner we buy, and so in today’s post I decided to compare MAC’s Ebony, Engraved, and Smolder. Can one black be blacker than the other? Most definitely! With these swatches you can see the major differences in the way the liners appear, and later I will explain the differences in how these liners apply and wear. Ebony vs Engraved vs Smolder… I will be rating these on a scale of 1-10 describing how dark the shade of black is. LET THE SHOWDOWN BEGIN!!



From left to right: Ebony, Engraved, Smolder
 
 
EBONY: Ebony is called an “Eye Pencil” by MAC but it is drugstore quality disguised in MAC packaging… what a huge disappointment! The color is so light that it isn’t even black. It also is a very dry liner so when used on the eye lots of pulling and tugging — NOT cool! When you finally get it on, the wear isn’t very good, and just forget about trying to get it on your waterline! Fail. Rating: 1
 
ENGRAVED: Engraved is called a “Powerpoint Eye Pencil” by MAC which basically means that it is waterproof and longwearing. It has medium darkness, but it is a total neutral black, not leaning cool or warm! What makes Engraved special is it’s wear. I love that it won’t smudge or budge, but that’s also what I don’t like about it. That may sound crazy, but hear me out… because it wears so long it applies sticky. When used on the waterlines, it feels especially so. I don’t like for my eyelids to feel like they are sticking together everytime I blink. Some people love this liner, but personally the stickiness is a deal breaker. Rating: 6
 
SMOLDER: Smolder is called an “Eye Kohl” by MAC, which means that it is a soft-on liner that is very pigmented and great to smudge out. This is my favorite of the three and I highly recommend it to anyone! It’s amazing on the waterline, and stays put most of the day. Ladies with oilier lids may need to set it with a black eyeshadow on the upper lashline. This one is definitely the deepest of the three, but has the slightest blue undertone. This liner smudges when I want it to, sets quickly, and stays where I put it. LOVE.  Rating: 9
 
 
 
 

 
MAC makes a couple other blacks and occasionally they’ll even come out with limited editions. My next purchase will be Feline, which is considered to be the blackest of them all! I will be sure to do a review. I passed on Graphblack, their twist up black, because I’m not a fan of twist up liners. I hope this post was helpful! Don’t forget to subscribe!
 

One thought on “Comparison of MAC’s Black Eyeliners

  1. tousledelegance

    Ebony is the perfect eyebrow pencil for me. My hair is naturally black- more of a violet black than a blue black. Dark brown brows look silly on me and jet black browns can be a bit harsh for daytime. Ebony is somewhere in between the two.
    (I tried it on my eyes too though and, yeah, lame.)

    Reply
  2. tousledelegance

    Correction: "jet black BROWS can be a bit harsh for daytime." Ooops πŸ˜‰

    Reply
  3. Nur Aza Mohd Farit

    Hi, sarah! I stumbled into your blog site today and was really blown away with your reviews, tutorials and honest opinion. Good job! πŸ™‚ Btw, my favorite MAC eyeliner are Engraved and Stubborn Brown. I live in a humid country and those eyeliner are awesome for the weather.

    Reply
  4. Nur Aza Mohd Farit

    Hei, i am from Malaysia, forgot to mention that, sarah! πŸ™‚ I'm from KL. Where have you visited in Malaysia?

    MAC here are quite expensive. In the States u gals pay about USD15 for their lipsticks, we have to fork out about USD45 (based on USD3=RM1). And some of their collection don't get featured here too, what a bummer! I am an ardent MAC collector especially their limited edition collection, so i just suck it up, and pay! Hahaha!:DD

    Btw, i need your opinion on nude lippies from MAC. I am NC30, which nude lipsticks compliment my skin tone without looking too washed out? I want to try Angel but just afraid it might look too light on me.

    Reply
  5. admin

    That's cool that you are from Malaysia! I spent most of my time in Singapore and one weekend we took the ferry to Desaru. We had a nice time there, and everyone was so nice to us! I didn't get to go to KL, but my mom did πŸ™‚ I remember MAC being very expensive there!

    I don't think Angel would be too light on you, but I would consider it more of a nude pink. Aside from Hue, my favorite nude is Japanese Maple… I wonder if it is available in Asia. The next time you go to the counter ask them if you can try on Hue, Japanese Maple, and Blankety.

    It's really hard to know what will wash you out without trying it first. You will have to let me know what you end up getting!

    Reply
  6. Nur Aza Mohd Farit

    Will do, Sarah!��

    Reply

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