With considerations like quality, brand, and type, a lot goes into buying the perfect lip liner for your makeup collection. Even if you manage to get all of that right, you still have to find a shade that compliments your lipstick and skin tone. But, don’t worry, we’re here to help you navigate through it all! Here’s everything you should know to make sure you’re investing your money in the right products.
Your lip liner experience starts with applying it, and this should be as smooth and seamless as possible. Some low-quality options can drag on your skin or even skip a few spots, so steer clear of the products that have these kinds of complaints in their review sections. You want to buy a lip liner that has a lightweight, smooth, and creamy texture that lets it glide effortlessly onto your lips.
The most important aspect of any lip liner is how well it performs. This includes factors like how well it defines the shape of your lips, how long it lasts, and its resistance to bleeding. Lip liners also shouldn’t smudge or fade easily.
Ideally, liners should have a moisturizing effect on your lips that keeps them supple and soft, rather than drying them out — which is a common issue with cheaper options.
You also need to judge how something looks on your lips. The best way to gauge this is looking at some reviews with images and checking if it looks natural and well-blended, or just forms an undesirable ring around lips. But of course, this also has a lot to do with individual makeup skills! The overall appearance of a lip liner also relies on the shade selection and finding something that compliments a lipstick’s color — which brings us to the next part of this guide!
Consider these factors for finding a lip liner shade that suits your particular style and skin tone.
The first step is understanding your skin tone, and then identifying whether your undertone is cool or warm. An effective way of doing this is holding a piece of gold and silver jewelry up to your face. If gold feels more flattering, then your undertone is warmer. If silver looks better, your skin has a cooler undertone.
If you’ve got a warm undertone with a golden, yellowish, or olive hue to your skin, we recommend going for red, peachy, and orange shades. Any color with some more brownish elements will likely complement your skin well.
On the other hand, people with cooler undertones can pull off purple and blue shades. We recommend sticking to darker shades like plum and deep red, and orange is probably a no-go.
Besides your skin tone, the natural color of your lips is another key factor to consider when picking out a shade of lip liner. Generally, using a liner that’s a couple of shades lighter than your lipstick (using the same color spectrum) works like a charm!
For a more natural look, you should always stick near your own lip color. Doing this will let you get away with using the same lip liner with almost any lipstick!
Sitting at the top, we have this slim lip pencil from Nyx Professional Makeup. It’s designed to be a good fit for all skin types and lip tones with 18 different shades to choose from. From bold colors like organ, auburn, and a “traffic-stopping” red, to more natural-looking ones like rose and sand pink, this option has something for everyone, and it’s designed to be long-lasting and resist bleeding.
With no animal-derived ingredients or byproducts, this is a cruelty-free product with a completely vegan formula. In fact, all of the products from this brand are certified by PETA as cruelty-free. Our favorite feature about this lip liner is how buttery soft it feels on your lips, making it the best overall option on this list.
With a premium beauty tag from Amazon, this option from Haus Laboratories is also Lady Gaga’s brand, so you can expect it to be as premium as it gets. This product is one of the longest-lasting options on this list, and it uses a highly pigmented pencil formula. You also get a unique, demi-matte finish with a creamy touch to it. With 16 different, equally classy shades to choose from, this pencil can really help glam up almost any look.
It’s also known for having the comfort, texture, and versatility of a lipstick with the precision of a lip liner — so you get the greatest of both worlds!
This next option from Italia is something for bargain hunters, which is good because beauty isn’t just a luxury for the rich — it’s for everyone! For under $10, you get a remarkable 12-piece collection of lip liners that include all of the major shades. Whether you’re into reds, pinks, or nudes, this set will have you covered. It’s an almost unbeatable offer!
The pencils are pigmented and creamy and go on without a lot of hassle, which is incredibly impressive for the price. The 4.5-star rating also shows the brand hasn’t skimped out on the quality to achieve its very competitive price tag.
Next up, we have a top-quality lip liner from the well-known Maybelline brand, and it offers some of the greatest shades you can find in the market — this really helps set this option apart from the competition.
The formula can also help define the look of your lips with its smudge-proof design. You can even wear this product all day without worrying about feathering, crumbling, or bleeding. You also get a built-in sharpener, so you’ll always have a tool ready to work with for precise applications. Ranging from “purpely” nude and magnetic mauve to completely clear, the 14 super-saturated shades give you a lot of options.
Last on our list, we have a lip liner from Rimmel. It’s one of the longest-lasting products on this list, which is often a top priority for a lot of customers. While it’s not the most affordable option out there, the brand does offer 50% off when buying two — which basically translates to buy four, get one free! With 15 irresistible shades to choose from, that deal definitely comes in handy when you’re looking to expand the options in your makeup collection.
You can also easily feel the difference in this option’s premium quality with the very first use, like how it blends so seamlessly, its precise application, and of course — how long it lasts.
A: Lip liners can help enhance and define your lips’ shape, help your lipstick last longer, and provide a firmer outline which can prevent bleeding. It also ensures that even after your lipstick fades, there’s still some color left to go with your makeup.
A: You can hold onto liquid lip liners for about six months, while pencil lip liners can easily last up to two years if stored properly.
A: Lip liners can expire, and this can cause problematic reactions with your skin due to the ingredients. This can lead to irritation, redness, breakouts, and even infections.