Lip liner

Lip liners are firmer and drier than lipstick, so they hold a clean edge. A line drawn along the natural lip line gives lipstick a boundary to stop at, which reduces feathering into the fine lines around the mouth. Filling the whole lip with liner before lipstick gives a base that helps the colour wear longer and fade more evenly.

The usual choice is a liner close to the lipstick’s colour, or one close to the natural lip colour that works with several shades. A liner slightly deeper than the lipstick defines the shape more strongly and is the basis of ombré lips. Drawing just outside the natural line to make the lips look fuller is called overlining.

Liner matters most with deep, saturated and matte shades, where an uneven edge is easy to see, and with nude shades, which can blur into the skin without a defined edge. It is used with bullet lipsticks and liquid formulas alike.