Lip Liner Makeup

Lip liner is a type of lip makeup that helps define the shape of your lips and can also create plumper, fuller-looking lips if you draw outside of the lip line. Using a lip liner will also help keep your lip color in place, preventing it from bleeding or feathering, which also ensures a longer wear finish. Lip liner comes in the form of a sharpenable pencil or twist/mechanical pencil, so you’re able to keep the tip sharp to create the most precise lines.

While you can certainly create a lip look without lip liner, most makeup artists will tell you that, yes, lip liner is necessary because of all of the benefits it provides. Lip liner offers a base for lipstick, balm, or gloss to adhere to and also shapes the lips in a way that lipstick can’t do on its own. Lip liner will help your lip look stay in place, preventing feathering or smudging, allowing it to last longer and essentially, look better. However, if you choose to skip lip liner, that’s totally up to you!

Similar to choosing a lipstick shade, your lip liner shade is influenced by a few things, including your skin tone, undertone, and personal preference. A nude lip liner, such as Color Sensational Purely Nude, will go a long way, as you can use it with any and every lipstick look, and it’s flattering across all skin tones. But if you want a bolder lip look, you might want to go for a more pigmented, colorful lip liner shade that matches your lipstick. For a red lipstick look, a red lip liner like our Lifter Liner in Main Character can help you create sharp lines for the crispest and cleanest lip. We all love the ’90s technique of pairing a darker nude or brown lip liner with a pale lip gloss so the lip liner really gets its moment to shine. But, there are so many different looks you can create with lip liner!

The best nude lip liners are usually a few shades deeper than your natural lip tone. This ensures your lip liner enhances and shapes your lips in a way that's super-natural, but also flattering. The same goes for choosing a nude lipstick to go with your nude lip liner. We always recommend looking at your skin tone and undertone to find the best nude lipstick. A pinky nude like Lifter Liner in Upstate is super flattering, but if you want something deeper, Let’s Bounce is a great option, too. Try our Virtual Try-On tool to see how each shade will look on you!

You can pair black lip liner with whatever you want! We love how it looks with a matching black lipstick for a super bold, monochromatic look, but there’s also something about pairing black lip liner with red lipstick that gives it a vampy, mysterious look. Just make sure you blend the lipstick and liner together well with a lip brush, so there's no line of demarcation.

Yes, you can totally use lip liner as lipstick! In fact, using lip liner as lipstick is a great way to streamline your routine or lighten your makeup bag when traveling. Using lip liner as lipstick will also give you a longer-wear finish, as it adheres to lips almost like a stain– so there are lots of pros to wearing your lip liner this way! One thing to note, though, it’s smart to opt for a creamier formula like our Lifter Liner, which has hydrating hyaluronic acid, if you’re wearing lip liner as lipstick, because lip liner formulas tend to be on the drier side. You could also follow your liner with a sheer balm, if you still want the solid liner look, but with a little more hydration.

Yes, you can wear lip liner with lip gloss. We love the clean, yet chic look of pairing lip liner with lip gloss! Our Lifter Liner and Lifter Gloss are the perfect combo for creating a natural, polished look. And the liner also contains hyaluronic acid, lending itself to a fuller, more hydrated pout. And you have some options as far as how you wear your lip liner with lip gloss– you can stick to lining the borders of the lips and apply a pigmented lip gloss in between for a bolder look, or you can fill your lips in with your liner and apply a gloss over top for more of a low-maintenance, but high-shine effect.

You can make your lips look bigger with lip liner by outlining the shape of your lips slightly outside your natural lip line. This will help to exaggerate the shape. Just make sure you choose a lip liner shade that’s close to your natural lip color, so your plumper pout appears natural. Then, top with the lipstick or lip gloss of your choice to finish the look.

The best drugstore lip liners are ones that perform like their prestige counterparts, but for a fraction of the price. Our Lifter Liner has skincare ingredients that nourish your lips with each swipe, and their creamy texture allows for an easy glide and seamless liner application. Our Color Sensational Liner has a tapered tip for the sharpest point and a mechanical twist-up feature, so you don’t have to worry about sharpening it. Plus, they match our Color Sensational Lipstick Shades for easy pairing.

Yes, Maybelline lip liners are affordable, but don't compromise on quality. Formulated with skincare ingredients like jojoba oil and hyaluronic acid, our Lifter Liner and Color Sensational Liner are super creamy, pigmented, and long-lasting, punching way above their drugstore class, at a budget-friendly price.

Maybelline New York lip liner products can be purchased at mass market retailers, drugstores, and supermarkets nationwide. To locate a specific lip liner, head to maybelline.com and click on the product you are interested in. Find the one you are looking to purchase and select it. You will have a choice to buy from our online retailers, or you can enter your zip code in the FIND IN STORE field to find stores in your area that have your product in stock.