Confession time: I used to be an eyeliner hater. For a while, I was convinced that eyeliner didn’t suit my almond-shaped eyes. I’ve always found liquid formulas to be too severe—I don’t have a lot of eyelid space, so the thick winged liner that ruled Instagram in the early 2010s made me look like a panda.
But that was then and this is now, and eyeliner has thankfully evolved. Call it the Euphoria effect, but eyeliner has produced some of the biggest trends of the year—from double wings to kitten eyeliner to fully transparent shapes.
This new era has also ushered in a preference for pencil formulas—and I’m not mad about it. Pencils give me just the right amount of definition and work best with the popular kitten eye trend, which is a more subtle and diffused version of the cat-eye that works great on all eye shapes. So when I heard about Glossier’s new No. 1 Pencil, I knew I had to try it immediately.
Glossier is one of the few beauty brands to always make waves with a new launch. From packaging to merch, the cool-girl brand knows how to reel me in, and the newest Glossier eyeliner is no different. For starters, the pencil was first debuted on Gen Z queen Olivia Rodrigo (who is Filipino with almond-shaped eyes, just like me!) and comes in 10 different vibrant colors for all your Euphoria-inspired needs.
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The No. 1 pencil is a revamped version of Glossier’s original Colorslide Pencil from the brand’s now defunct Glossier Play line. The pencils come in a variety of shades—with catchy names like Ink, Fresco, Kiln, and Patina—and range from deep colors like black, navy, forest green, and eggplant to light shades like dandelion yellow, light blue, soft lavender, and pure white. It promises a creamy, demi-matte finish that is transfer-proof and water-resistant, with a wear that lasts up to 12 hours. What else? It’s ophthalmologist tested, vegan, and cruelty-free.
I first tried the pencils with celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, the mastermind behind the No. 1 Pencil campaign looks. When I swatched them on my hand, I was shocked by how smoothly they glided onto skin and by the bright color payoff. I started to doodle on my hands, and it was as easy (and fun!) as coloring with crayons.
