What makes a beautiful smile? Is it the shape of the lips, the curve of the edges, the color of the lips, or the color of the lip liner that highlights the edges?
If you love your lips looking nice and voluminous even with your lipstick, then you should go for a lip liner. Lip liners are a bonus secret to make your makeup complete. Not only are they underrated in a beauty routine, but they are also sometimes totally ignored.
If you have been blessed with full lips, all you need is a lip liner and a colored gloss to bring out your lush lips. And if you want to define your lips to look voluminous, a lip liner is your go-to choice.
Though overall you might think lipstick and lip liner has a marginal role in the total outcome of a beauty routine, they add much to the lips, especially when you smile. So if you want to know what lip liner that best suits you and your needs, this is the perfect place.
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Shopping Guide
Lip liners are not too complicated to apply, yet they give excellent quiet results to their wearers. When using lip liners you have to know what type of shades are versatile, what type of lip liner is suitable for you, and many other questions that need answers. This section will tackle every possible question there is about buying lip liners.
What are lip liners exactly?
Lip liners, also known as lip pencils are cosmetic products designed to fill the uneven areas of the lip’s outer edges. They are used to contour the lips and create a shape you want. It is to the lipstick what primer is to the foundation. They make the lipstick look better, brighter, and also make it last longer.
Lip liners can are usually used to fill in the entire lips before lipstick application, and in some cases worn naturally like lipstick. This makeup product offers more than we think if we go beyond traditional makeup effects. Lip liners are good if you are focusing on enhancing your lip makeup and making it the highlight of your overall makeup.
Pros and cons of lip liners
When using lip liners you have to know their advantages and disadvantages. Don’t worry, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Pros
- Lip liners give your lips volume.
- They correct your lips’ imperfections and asymmetries.
- Lip liners also help the lipstick stay in place and not bleed.
- They help the lipstick last longer on the lips.
- You can define the lines of your lips with a lip liner.
Cons
- They can look unnatural.
- Makeup errors become more visible when lip liners are done wrong.
- Learning to line your lips perfectly might take some time.
How should I apply my lip liner?
For first-timers who want to use a lip liner, you have to prepare yourself for some challenges because you won’t get it right on your first try. But if you follow a series of essential steps on how to apply the product, you might get a near to perfect finish.
The following steps will get you nice lined lips:
- Get your lips hydrated and moisturized by adding a lip balm, then blot with a tissue.
- Start from your cupid’s bow (the V of your upper lip), the line down to the edges.
- Contour the edges of your lips with light strokes to make the center pop.
- Start at the middle of your lower lips and outline the contour of your mouth, starting from the corners of your lips.
- Blend the colored lines into your lip.
- And finally, fill your lips with lipstick or a gloss of your choice.
What are the types of liners?
When going for lip liners, you have two options to pick from. There are the classic pencil form and the retractable tubes. Both have their benefits and their cons, but these are based on your needs and preference.
Pencil lip liners are usually sharpened to get a nice colored tip. It is a commonly used lip liner. The good thing about the pencil liner is it is more hygienic to use and any possible bacteria around the edges will be sharpened off.
Also, pencil liners are more accurate to apply because of their hard texture. But because of this same texture, it makes it harder to slide over the lip. A good lip liner should be easy to slide through the lips.
The retractable tube liner is different and is closed with a cap. When the cap is taken off, the pencil is rolled up, which means you don’t need to sharpen it. It also has a soft and creamy texture to the lips, making it easy to apply with an easy slip along the lips. But this makes the tips break more easily because it is not firm.
What effects can I create with different liner shades?
There is a world of colors and lots of effects your lip liner can create. It might be difficult to start with the world of colors you don’t understand, so knowing where to start is the first step to getting the perfect lined lips.
Your makeup shades are usually personal to you because it represents the type of person you are. And combining these colors will bring other different colors. For instance, a neutral shade will help make the asymmetry lines of your lips almost imperceptible. And if you pair it with the same-color lipstick color, your lips can look more sophisticated and defined.
If you want voluminous lips, you can contour your lips with a lighter shape and use a darker lipstick color. Your lips will look poutier with more volume. The lip liner is versatile and practical for all users alike.
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Buying Guide
Before buying a lip liner, there are some criteria you need to check off your list. These criteria will influence your final buying choice.
Texture
When choosing a lip liner product you have to watch out for the texture. As mentioned, the texture is how smooth the wax slips on the lip. Retractable tubes are soft and provide an easy slip. But when pressure is added, they can break or become too dark on the lips.
While pencil liners have harder textures that are not easy to use neither do they stick for long. But the good thing is they don’t smudge and are firmer on the lips.
Format
This is choosing between the retractable tubes or pencil liners. Their major characteristics have been highlighted previously. Pencils are harder and have to be sharpened, while retractable tubes are softer and more fragile. They are also rolling liners that can be pulled up and down.
The choice is yours based on your preference and what you are comfortable with. The pencil liners might work well for some people, while others prefer retractable tubes.
Duration
How long your lip liner can last is another important influencing factor. How long it lasts depends on the level of pigmentation and also whether it is water-resistant or not. When a lip liner has these characteristics in high qualities, then its duration is bound to last.
Desired Effect
The effects you wish to achieve with your lip liner will determine what you get. Are you going for the transparent effect? Then you pick a liner color that matches your lipstick and or is not too far off. As a rule, go with nude colors at first, then you can buy deeper colors over time.
Also, you have to make sure your lip liner is in line with the color concepts of your makeup. Buy colors that you already have for other products. This will make your makeup concept align.
User Ratings
If you are choosing to use a lip liner for the first time, you might find it challenging and overwhelming. But do not worry, this is where user reviews come to help. You can read people’s reviews about a product thanks to the Internet. Lip liners are no different. You can read what users commented about a particular brand. Also, you can find realistic information that is unbiased.
For application, seek out YouTube and Instagram videos for help on how to perfectly apply a lip liner. You can seek their expert advice on some tested products too.
Recommended Lip Liners
Here we will be recommending the best lip liners that are available in the U.S. market right now. These selected products are based on good reviews and also make Amazon’s best list.
Best Lip Liner Set
DC-Beautiful’s 18-Color Lip Liner Set is made with premium materials to provide waterproof and long-lasting pencils. The wax is velvety to the lips and moderate with no toxic particles. Also, the pencil can double as eyeliners. Therefore they are the best economical value pencils to have.
Best Value
Now, this is right up a professional’s alley. Since they use pencils frequently, having Nabi 54 pieces Lip Liner will come in handy. It can create any type of look you want, and the range of colors is just fantastic. The lip liners will match whatever lipstick you have and make it even better by enhancing it.
Best Retractable
Revlon’s ColorStay Lip Liner gives you high-definition full lips. It’s a great liner that lasts long without re-application. Also, the lip liner comes in 14 different shades to bring your lustrous lips to life.
Best Matte
If you are looking for something inexpensive and matte, Bestnice Lip Liner Pencil Set is your best choice. Matte li liners are great for making the lips look luscious. It’s waterproof and long-lasting natural with moisturizing ingredients to keep the lips silky and nourished. It is the best enhancer for matte lipsticks as it completes them and does not allow them to bleed out.
Summary
Lip liners are underrated makeup products that help to enhance the volume of the lips. They are also used to contour the asymmetrical lines of the lips, making them look nice and smooth. You can opt for any type that suits you best, whether pencil or retractable tubes.
Just like lipsticks, lip liners come in various colors and are best utilized when they match the color of lipsticks used. You can also use a lip liner alone if you have voluminous lips. The lip liner that lasts long is water-resistant and also high in pigmentation.
You would love using lip liners because they are the best lip enhancers that people seem to forget about. Now that you have all the information necessary, you can buy the best lip liner in the market.
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