By Maya Thomas
last updated
in Buying Guides
One thing to know about me is that I'll never be caught dead wearing a lip combo without a good liner. It's common knowledge among beauty lovers that your favorite lip colors (stains, lipsticks, and glosses) are made even better when they're given a little more definition with the help of a lip liner, but it can also make or break your look. Rather than shying away from incorporating them into look for fear of ruining your hard work, take this as your sign to consider spending extra time hunting for your perfect lip liner match.
Investing in lip liners that define, shape, and deliver pigmented color is an easy way to level up your makeup, allowing you to transform your look by putting slightly more pressure on the tip of your lip liner or playing around with blending lip products. I like to think lip liners aren't very different from the crayons and colored pencils I used as a child. I'm coloring in or outside of the lines to create my own little masterpiece.
Who wants to sacrifice an iconic lip look for a product that doesn't do exactly what it promises? Below, I've compiled a list of the best lip liners accompanied by glowing reviews from Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom customers. If you like what you see, screenshot your favorites for quick access on your next trip to the store. Keep scrolling!
The 16 Best Lip Liners
Wearing the Anastasia Beverly Hills Long-Lasting Velvety-Matte Lip Liner in Cool Brown.
1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Long-Lasting Velvety-Matte Lip Liner
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Long-Lasting Velvety-Matte Lip Liner in Cool Brown
When I'm shopping for a lip liner, one of the first features I look for is longevity. Not only does this lip liner last all day, but its creamy formula also glides onto my lips without looking shiny or feeling slippery.
Customer Review: "If you're looking for a lip liner that can be worn with ANY lip color combo—this is it. I was just so impressed with the way this lip liner applies and the color shade. It is so easy to put on and does not budge. The color honestly works with any and all lip shades, glosses, etc. you want to wear. A must for anyone wearing lipstick."
2. BareMinerals Mineralist Lasting Lip Liner
bareMinerals
Mineralist Lasting Lip Liner in Treasured Red
I've only recently been introduced to BareMinerals' lip liner but have been using it nonstop lately. It's creamy and richly pigmented and feels amazing on the lips with all-day wear. I also noticed there's no feathering or bleeding, no matter what other products I pair it with.
Customer Review: "I have never been disappointed by any Bare Minerals products, but even still I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this lip pencil. Unlike other (expensive) brands I have tried, this pencil is soft and supple. You don’t have to apply any pressure, this color glides on effortlessly, smoothly, and leaves your skin feeling hydrated not dry. The range of colors are also flattering to many skin tones. The color will linger for hours, so you won't have to worry about reapplying often. Simply put, it's a lovely product."
3. Chantecaille Lip Definer Pencil
Chantecaille
Lip Definer Pencil in Natural
It's hard to find a natural-looking lip pencil that complements the shade of my lips, but once I hit the color jackpot, I stick with it. The Chantecaille Lip Definer Pencil in Natural blends in beautifully with the natural tone of my lips while also working well with my favorite deep-rose lip colors.
Customer Review: "[I] purchased this particular lip liner a few years ago, and since then it is my go to liner. Often times, I fill in my full lip as well. I go for a more conservative look, and this color just enhances my natural lip color. The lip liners in this line are beautiful and go on very smooth. Not too soft or not too hard."
4. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner
Charlotte Tilbury
Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Love Trap
If you love lip liners that feel and look velvety, here's one you should consider adding to your product lineup. Since discovering the Lip Cheat Lip Liner during my college years, my extensive collection of shades has earned itself its very own vanity bag. Love Trap, Iconic Nude, and Foxy Brown are my go-tos.
Customer Review: "This lip liner is a game-changer! Its long-lasting formula ensures that your lip color stays put all day, while the rich color payoff adds depth and definition to your pout. Whether you're going for a natural look or a bold statement, this lip liner has the staying power and pigment to elevate any lip look."
5. Clinique Quickliner for Lips Lip Liner Pencil
Clinique
Quickliner for Lips Lip Liner Pencil in Intense Caf
This lip liner by Clinique is severely underrated, but I'm on a mission to spread the news. The Quickliner pencil does wonders for keeping my lip product of choice in place without feathering or bleeding. It even uses a nondrying formula that's perfect for all-day wear and doesn't require a sharpener.
Customer Review: "This creamy classic of a lipliner has been a forever item in my makeup bag from my very first purchase eons ago! Not only is Chocolate Chip's color deep and rich, but moisturizing matte in texture, making it a perfect full-coverage lip product all by its lonesome! I always get compliments when I use this solo in lieu of lipstick!"
6. Em Cosmetics Soft Blur Velvet Lip Liner
Em Cosmetics
Soft Blur Velvet Lip Liner in Foxy
I love using this ultra-blurring lip liner to achieve that soft-focus finish that's been everywhere. Whenever I'm going for a rosy and glowy Sabrina Carpenter–inspired look, I reach for this velvety-smooth lip liner in the shade Foxy to line the lips or completely fill them in. Either way, I get a gorgeous end result.
Customer Review: "Em Cosmetics has the best lip liner formula! Their consistency isn't too soft or too waxy, it's just right! They are long-wearing and give the most beautiful velvety effect. I've purchased the shade Kitten multiple times now, it goes with everything! I will absolutely repurchase the others when I run out of those, too. They're the best and only tones you will ever need for any lipstick shade, IMO."
7. Hourglass Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner in Uncover
Hourglass
Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner in Uncover
I've tried many Hourglass products, but its Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner is, by far, one of my favorites offered by the brand. In addition to being ultra-creamy and transfer-resistant (no more stained white blouses for me), it offers full-coverage color that doesn't go anywhere throughout the day to keep my lips looking full.
Customer Review: "I like the tip of it, gives my lip a good definition. It glides like butter, so smooth, and the color pays off whole day and does not smudge at all. I tried the shade Flaunt and love that I can pair it with my nude lipsticks. I will definitely try more colors."
Wearing the MAC Lip Liner Pencil in Nightmoth.
8. MAC Lip Liner Pencil
MAC
Lip Liner Pencil in Nightmoth
MAC's award-winning lip liner is designed for shaping, lining, and filling in the lips, and I definitely see the evidence of that with every use. Whether I'm pairing it with a lip stain or gloss, I can trust it to deliver major definition and richly pigmented color.
Customer Review: "This lip pencil provides nice color and a great base for my coordinating MAC lipstick. I selected Soar to complement my Twig lipstick, and the combination gives me natural-looking but noticeable lip color. Applying this pencil before my lipstick helps the color last longer. and enhances the look. Love it!"
9. Milani Understatement Lip Liner
Milani
Understatement Lip Liner in Café Au Lait
I'm obsessed with how easily Milani's highly pigmented and creamy formula glides on lips without skipping or tugging on their surface. While I like to use this to shape and define the natural shape of my pout, filling in my lips with my Café Au Lait pencil creates a striking finish.
Customer Review: "I never used to use lip liners, but now that I've discovered how much of a difference they make, I can't go back! These are super creamy, and I love that I can wear them alone under gloss or with a lipstick."
10. Nars Precision Lip Liner
Nars
Precision Lip Liner in Halong Bay
Whenever I'm asked which lip pencil is the easiest for makeup novices to use, this one immediately comes to mind. It's a highly pigmented wooden lip liner that provides the perfect amount of control with its smooth-gliding formula, making for clean definition. Of the eight shades offered at Sephora, Halong Bay is my all-time favorite.
Customer Review: "This is one of the best lip liners that I've ever used. It glides on my lips amazingly well and stays put for hours. Blends in well with my lipstick to where it doesn't make my lips look outlined, only that my application skills are on point."
11. Natasha Denona I Need a Nude Lip Liner
Natasha Denona
I Need a Nude Lip Liner in Emily
Everyone needs a good nude shade in their makeup kit, and Natasha Denona's line of I Need a Nude Lip Liners makes it ridiculously easy to find your perfect match. Its unique formula uses a mix of silky ester oils that works to deliver nondrying and comfortable all-day wear, offering lightweight texture with pigmented matte color.
Customer Review: "I am really impressed with this lip pencil! I received the shade Gaia, and it's a beautiful midtone pinky-brown that is great for pairing with most pinks and nude lipsticks. I found it to be very pigmented and smooth to apply with long-lasting wear."
12. Nyx Professional Makeup Suede Matte Velvet Smooth Lip Liner
Nyx Professional Makeup
Suede Matte Velvet Smooth Lip Liner in Sandstorm
Here's another velvety lip liner I can't stop recommending to my fellow beauty lovers. The Nyx Professional Makeup Suede Matte Velvet Smooth Lip Liner offers medium-to-full coverage and a matte finish, and it doubles as a lip plumper that enhances the lips for a full pout. Every shade goes on smoothly and pairs perfectly with the brand's matte lippies.
Customer Review: "I love this lipliner! Super affordable and the color selection is unbeatable! I got the shade Moonwalk because I love mauve/purple colors. It looks so pretty with a light pink shade in the center of the lips. When you first use the pencil it's a little stiff. However, the more you use it, it warms up and blends into the lips better."
13. Rare Beauty Kind Words Lip Liner
Rare Beauty
Kind Words Lip Liner in Strong
Rare Beauty earns so much love for its creamy blushes and stunning highlighters, but I think the same should be attributed to the Kind Words Lip Liner. It glides on the lips like a balm using a super-creamy, waterproof formula that won't skip or tug. It stays on all day without smudging and will help your lipstick stay in place.
Customer Review: "Yep, legit speechless—that's all I got to say. If you're looking for that Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk dupe, this is it, but in my opinion worth way more of your money. It is so smooth [to] apply and literally lasts on your lips all day! My new go-to lip liner for sure!"
14. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Lip Liner
Urban Decay
24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Lip Liner in Hex
Urban Decay is one of those brands that always delivers hard-hitting, effective products without fail. Its 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Lip Liner, for example, does exactly what it promises, offering creamy, full-coverage color that wears up to 16 hours without feathering or looking dry and cakey. Its formula is also extremely nourishing since it's made with vitamin E and jojoba oil.
Customer Review: "I usually don't like lip liners because they always dry out my lips. But this one by Urban Decay was so creamy and buttery I now use it every day! It's so smooth on the lips and layers well with a little gloss over it. It has great staying power, and I would definitely recommend trying it."
15. Wet n Wild Perfect Pout Gel Lip Liner
Wet n Wild
Perfect Pout Gel Lip Liner in Bare to Comment
Lastly, I would be failing you as a beauty editor if I didn't mention Wet n Wild's Perfect Pout Gel Lip Liner. Made with a polymer formula, this lip liner seamlessly glides onto the lips and delivers pigmented color that can be worn alone or under your favorite lipstick. Bare to Comment is the perfect berry red for all skin tones but looks especially great against my deep one.
Customer Review: "I was greatly surprised by this gel lip liner—not only for the beautiful mauvy-rose color that goes with many tones of rose but [also] with the ease of use and its creamy, gel-y complexion that was easy to apply and didn't move, long lasting on the lips. I would highly recommend this product."
16. Mented Cosmetics Lip Liner
Mented Cosmetics
Lip Liner in Night
Mented Cosmetics' Lip Liner has an extremely buttery texture that provides long-lasting definition and over 8 hours of wear. I love a natural-looking lip when I'm transitioning my makeup from day to night, and the Lip Liner shade in Night, a cinnamon brown shade, matches my lips extremely well.
Explore More:
Maya Thomas
Assistant Beauty Editor
Maya Thomas is Who What Wear's assistant beauty editor based just outside of Seattle, Washington. Her strong love for all things beauty and fashion stems from a strong childhood interest in the fine arts. During a gap year spent in Paris studying the history of French fashion, she shifted her focus to English literature and journalism as a student at Loyola Marymount University with the goal of one day pursuing a career in fashion. After graduating in May 2021, Maya began freelancing for Parade.com as a contributing commerce writer while also building a following on her lifestyle blog, Itsmayalala.com. When she's not writing, Maya spends her free time catching up on reading, perusing art galleries, and enjoying a night out at the ballet every now and then.
SPONSORED_HEADLINE
SPONSOREDSPONSORED_STRAPLINE
SPONSORED_BYLINE