7 Genius Ways to Use Lip Liner

If you’re a makeup lover, chances are your arsenal is stocked with an array of lipsticks and glosses. What’s more likely to be missing from your makeup bag—and your life—is lip liner. While just about everyone is a fan of coating their lips in color, the love for lip liner just isn’t the same. Perhaps what’s holding you back is being unaware of all the totally genius ways you can use lip liner. Well, that excuse won’t hold up anymore because we’re spilling all the ways to use lip liner that we were previously tight-lipped on. The secret’s out and it’s time to line.

Lip Liner Tip #1: Fake Fuller-Looking Lips

After a life of being told you’re supposed to color only inside the lines, it can be a challenge to stray from that, but here’s your chance. If you’re seeking a temporarily fuller-looking pout, you don’t have to resort to needles. All it takes is a bit of well-placed lip liner. Instead of staying strictly within the confines of your lips, start sketching your liner slightly outside of your natural shape. Don’t forget, the “slightly” part is key. Use a pencil that closely coordinates with your lip color, and bam—your faux full lips will basically have you looking like all of your favorite influencers. Pucker up, then take a selfie to test it out.

Lip Liner Tip #2: Create an Ombré Lip

Not everyone is willing to take the plunge and ombré their strands, but that doesn’t mean getting in on the ombré trend is out of the question. With the help of your handy dandy lip liner (in a few shades), the look can easily translate to your lips. Pick three lip liners that you think will blend together beautifully, and start by lining around the edges of your lips with your medium shade. Add depth with the darkest shade, focusing it on the corners of your lips, then fill in the center with your lightest liner. Use a small lip brush to blend out any harsh lines and create a seamless transition.

Lip Liner Tip #3: Lock Your Look in Place

Let’s face the facts: Lip looks tend to wear off fast. If you’re eating, talking, or making any use of your mouth, the reality is you won’t have much time with your makeup. If you’re nodding along passionately because of how much you can relate, it’s a surefire sign that you’re in need of a lip liner. Applying a liner all over your lips (outline first, then fill) can help extend the life of your look, reduce patchy pigmentation, and help fend off feathering. Sounds like a no-brainer to us. 

Lip Liner Tip #4: Top Off with Gloss

Lipstick and liner are an obvious pairing, but they aren’t the only option. For something a little different, try lining your lips and then finishing things off with a coat of super-shiny gloss.

Lip Liner Tip #5: Layer Liner Over Lipstick

As per tradition, you’re probably used to applying liner before moving on to lipstick, but you don’t always have to follow the customary order of application. Experiment with reversing things, and you can benefit from the perks of wearing pencil overtop of lipstick. Swipe on your favorite lipstick shade, then follow with lip liner to clean up any uneven edges. It should be obvious where you need to touch up, allowing for a more defined shape and crisper lines. 

Lip Liner Tip #6: Be Clear as Can Be

Lip liners may be available in all sorts of fun colors, but sometimes what you really need is one that’s completely colorless. Clear, invisible lip liner may sound pointless, but trust, it’s anything but. Just as anyone who’s ever wanted to escape an awkward situation knows, invisibility is a valuable attribute. Line your lips with a clear pencil to create an invisible barrier around your lips and reduce the risk of blurred edges.

Lip Liner Tip #7: Learn to Underline

Okay, okay, making your lips look smaller may not be for everyone, but it has its time and place. If you don’t have a preference for plumping, this look could be for you. Rather than placing your liner outside of your lips, like you do when you want to go bigger, shrink your lip size (until you wash off, anyway) by lining inside your lips, not going all the way to the edge.

Now, what’s a girl to do with all these tips and no lip liner to her name? We suggest reaching for the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Matte Lip Liner. Then, when everything’s said and done, make sure you have a plan in place to remove your lip liner. Wipe away your work with a quick sweep of a cotton pad saturated with micellar water, aka one of our favorite lip-friendly ways to remove makeup and impurities sitting on the surface of your skin!