Why Lip Liners Make Fantastic Lipsticks

Kayana has been an online writer for more than eight years. She enjoys writing about makeup, especially lipsticks and lip liners.

1. Lip Liners Work Like Matte Lipsticks

Almost all lip liners give you a creamy, highly-pigmented, non-shiny look. There are a few that have some shine to them (think "bronze"), but that is usually recognizable by its color and/or name, and if you want that, go right ahead; it's still a great lipstick. I have found that lip liners that don't need sharpening are creamier than lip pencils, so experiment with that to find your preference. Lip pencils, accordingly, tend to be drier, and you may want to put a lip balm on first. Like matte lipsticks, lip liners stay put, making them a no-fuss lipstick option.

2. Lip Liners Can Be Found in Many Colors

If you look at just one brand's lip liners, you may find a limited selection of colors. However, if you search a lot of brands together, say, at a drugstore, you will find a wide array of colors at your disposal. One brand's "nude" lip liner may be too pinkish for you, while another brand's "nude" will be more beige. My personal favorite nude lip liner is Jordana's lip liner in Latte, found in drugstores. It is a beige nude with hardly any pink in it. There are cosmetic brands that have a wide selection of lip liner colors; MAC Cosmetics has a wonderful palette of distinct, colorful lip liners, my favorite being Auburn, which delivers a rich brownish-red.

3. Many Lip Liners Are Inexpensive

For the most part, I can tell no difference between my drugstore lip liners and my department store lip liners. The only exceptions are the ones that come from the very inexpensive brands like Wet n Wild. These lip pencils, while usually costing about 99 cents a pencil, tend to be too hard and not deposit color on your lips easily. Other than that, you can get wonderful lip liners in the drugstore that cost anywhere from around $4.00 to $7.00. My favorite lip liner of all time is one by Rimmel called Cafe Au Lait, which is under $4.00 at my local drugstore. It is a brownish-red that gives me a rich, creamy, matte lipstick that stays on all day. I can't buy enough of them (even though I appear to be trying to given how many I have). If you are on a tight budget but want a department store-quality lip product, lip liners are well worth checking out.

4. You Don't Need an Extra Product to Line Your Lips With

It seems silly to point this out, but this really is a bonus. Instead of having two lip products in your purse, you only have one. This is handy for a small purse, and also if you just want to feel you have simplified your makeup routine. If you, like me, like the look of a line around your lips and are worried that you won't get that with just a lip liner, don't be; you can still create that look by going over the outline of your lips a few times more than normal, which will create that effect.

My Lip Liner Epiphany

I, like many women, bought lip liners when I needed something to line my lips and gave it no further thought. Then, one day, a co-worker of mine was re-doing her lips after lunch. I watched her, and I saw something that I'd never seen before: She was using a lip pencil to fill in her lips. The pencil was her lipstick. I know there are more important things in life to have an epiphany over, but I had one at that moment.

Beauty Inspiration From a Co-Worker

Since then, I have read beauty articles that have suggested that you should line your lips with a lip liner or lip pencil that is the same color as your own lips, then use that liner to "fill in" your lips, so you have a base for a lipstick or a lip gloss to stick to. However, it was only as a step, not as the finished product, and especially not an actual lipstick color—say, red or coral. (Because, really, no one has natural red- or coral-colored lips—not that I've met.) My co-worker was using a copper-orange lip pencil, making it clear that this was her chosen lip color and that she was not trying to match her lips.

I immediately began to experiment with the lip liners I had at home. I was overjoyed with the results, for all the reasons that I've listed above.

The One Drawback

The only downside, if you can call it that, is that it takes a little more time to fill in your lips with a lip liner as opposed to that quick swipe you can do with a lipstick tube. I have found that this is a minor issue, especially as I got faster through practice. Whether you use a lip pencil or a self-sharpening lip liner may not be much of an issue when you are just lining your lips, but you may find you have a distinct preference when coloring your lips full. Have fun experimenting!

Try It Yourself!

Since you most likely have at least one lip liner lying around (or not, that's okay, no judgment here), try making it your lipstick. You might have a little epiphany of your own.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

babette on January 25, 2017:

I've been doing this for years! I hate makeup in general, but lipstick in particular so I replaced mine with lip liners or lip pencils in natural colours and haven't looked back.

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Rukhsar from Leicester, UK on December 12, 2015:

I love wearing lipliners on their own. It leaves a beautiful 'retro matte' effect

Jess H from Oregon on March 29, 2014:

I've been looking for an inexpensive matte lipstick forever! thank you :)

schoolgirlforreal on July 05, 2011:

That's good to know, thanks! :) ps. keep on hubbing!

Kayana (author) from Campbell, CA on July 05, 2011:

@schoolgirlforreal, thank you for your question! I do put lipgloss over lipliner sometimes, which will give you the same effect as a highly-pigmented lipgloss, and will stay put longer, in my experience. :)

schoolgirlforreal on July 05, 2011:

I used to use lip liner when I was younger but I've never since been a big makeup person..

I'm wondering if you ever put lipgloss over your lipliner?

Sherri from Southeastern Pennsylvania on July 05, 2011:

First I must tell you that I don't wear anything but lip gloss, and then, only sometimes. So, I have nothing to add, topically speaking. However, once I hit the last sentence in your first paragraph, I was hooked! And then amazed at how much can be said about using lip liners. Hey, I'm happy for any epiphany, and I had fun reading about yours. :)

Dianemae on July 03, 2011:

I also have a problem when my lipstick wears out before the lip liner, and it looks funny with just a thin line. There are many pros and cons and I quess it comes down to how you personally feel.

Your article is good..started off a little slow, but I certainly will read you again.