Similar to hair mousses, 2024 is when the best lip liner goes mainstream—but not in the way you may think. Amid the splashy makeup innovations that saw everything from foundation to eyeliner get a revamp in recent years, lip liner has largely remained the same. Finally given the attention it deserves, a slew of brands are reimagining this humble pencil as a trusted companion to the latest takes on lip glosses, balms, and lipsticks. These formulas aren’t just entering the arena—they’re also bringing some healthy competition to long-held classic formulas by the likes of MAC and Charlotte Tilbury.
Vogue’s Favorite Lip Liners
For some people, lip liner has long been part of the cultural beauty conversation. Nineties supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Iman have championed the brown lip liner look—taking a page from thousands of other Black women who came before them, relying on black or dark brown hues found at the beauty supply store. A similar story can be told of Mexican-American chola culture—punctuated by an etching of black liner paired with a pinkish gloss. Nowadays, lip liners uses have expanded—making it a necessary step in most people’s makeup look.
“Lip liner is a very versatile beauty product,” celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles tells Vogue. “It can take the place of lipstick (line your lips all over and swipe a lip balm on top), can be used to enhance the shape of your lips, or create a crisp lip line.” As makeup wearers continue to embrace its versatility—to perfect a trending lip combo or make lips look fuller—it’s no surprise there have been a handful of new formulas hitting the market in recent months. Of note, Ami Colé’s pencil caters to people of color through a range of creamy pigments designed with melanin-rich tones in mind. Ilia’s Lip Sketch is rooted in its earth-conscious ethos—inspired by founder Sasha Plavsic’s father who drew architectural renderings with cedar pencils. Hourglass’s version, on the other hand, takes a more cool-girl approach to color with a range of mauves and reds sure to match the lipsticks shades of any makeup tastemaker. Ahead, we put these recent debuts to the test against tried-and-true pencils to create this edit of the best lip liners to shop now.
In This Story
Chanel Le Crayon Levres Longwear Lip Pencil
- Why We Love It: Truly, none of us are surprised that Chanel offers a stellar lip pencil. One of my favorite aspects is its wide shade range suitable for nearly any look. 156 Beige Naturel was worn by Margot Robbie to last year’s Met Gala. 194 Rouge Noir is perfect for me as someone with a clear penchant for brown liners. Stiles is also a fan, describing it as “A deep rich burgundy that looks great on all skin tones. When you want to wear a statement lip, this color is it.” Plus, the stick features a built-in brush on the bottom end, making it easy to blend the liner to your liking.
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba oil, cotton seed derivatives
- Shades: 18
- Waterproof: Yes
- Size: 0.04 oz
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: I’d be willing to bet that if I asked 100 people to name their favorite lip liner, the majority would answer Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat. Racking up hundreds of 5-star reviews, customers rave about its ease of use. When sharpened, Lip Cheat imparts a velvet, buttery pigment that stays put all day. And because of its diverse shade range, many of the most sought-after makeup artists are known to keep several pencils in their kits at all times to achieve natural looking shaping of the lips. Some of the most popular hues include Pillow Talk (described as a pink nude), Foxy Brown (a rich brown), and Icon Baby (a warm pink).
- Key Ingredients: Synthetic wax, jojoba oil
- Type: Sharpenable Pencil
- Shades: 20
- Waterproof: Yes
- Size: 0.04 oz
MAC Cosmetics Lip Liner Pencil
- Why We Love It: Having earned its place in many editors’ and pro makeup artists’ kits since its ’90s debut, MAC’s lip liner continues to receive top marks. No matter how many competitor liners hit the market, some of fashion and beauty’s most famous faces still rely on this classic pigment. Model and Instagram chef Gabbriette keeps shade Stone in her bag. Singer Tyla uses a hue to create her go-to glam. Even I can’t seem to go a week without swiping on a bit of shade Chestnut’s rich brown. No matter which shade you choose, trust it will have incredible staying power even when paired with your favorite lipstick or gloss.
- Key Ingredients: Hydrogenated vegetable oil, Japan fruit wax
- Type: Sharpenable Pencil
- Shades: 19
- Waterproof: No
- Size: 0.05 oz
Fenty Beauty Trace’d Out Pencil Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: Trace’d Out is Rihanna’s take on lip lining, and it’s already racked up a host of positive reviews. In the mere three weeks since it launched, the liner has taken my TikTok feed by storm with people tracing buildable color onto their lips with impressive accuracy. Its pigment is creamy, doesn’t drag, and achieves a velvet-matte finish suitable for a matte lipstick or high-octane glosses.
- Key Ingredients: N/A
- Type: Sharpenable Pencil
- Shades: 10
- Waterproof: Yes
- Size: 0.04 oz / 10.9g
Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil
- Why We Love It: As the age old question goes, if I were stranded on a desert island and could only pick one lip liner it would be this one by Make Up For Ever. Reason number one is that I truly adore shade Limitless Brown—I once lost it, nearly cried, and unsuccessfully searched for a new pencil for an hour in the beauty closet. When I finally acquired it, I stored it in my nightstand each day for safekeeping. And though I primarily use the liner on my lips, I love how multipurpose it is—you really never know when you need quick bit of eyeliner or to touch up your brows. (Did I mention even J.Lo is a fan?) Plus, the brand has recently introduced a more pigmented version—Artist Color Pencil Extreme—that ads more intense color when a statement lip is on the agenda.
- Key Ingredients: Hydrogenated palm glycerides, synthetic wax, kaolin
- Type: Sharpenable Pencil
- Shades: 12
- Waterproof: Yes
- Size: 0.04 oz
Glossier Lip Line
- Why We Love It: Glossier’s Lip Line goes on smooth—meaning anyone can shape or define their pout without needing mirror (seriously, I do it all the time). What’s more, the pigment is smudge-, transfer-, and water-resistant. Translation: once the color is in place, it’s staying there. And in to-be-expected Glossier fashion, the available eight hues feel modern and skin-like—enhancing one’s natural beauty rather than glamorizing it.
- Key Ingredients: Fractional quartz, jojoba oil, Lip Grip complex
- Type: Sharpenable Pencil
- Shades: 8
- Waterproof: No, water-resistant
- Size: 0.04 oz / 1.2g
NYX Slim Lip Pencil
- Why We Love It: Your local drugstore is certainly not lacking solid lip liner options, but if I were to visit one, I’d make a beeline for this NYX one. For just $5, you get a pencil that delivers soft, slim definition to the lips—gliding on smoothly without dragging or pulling. And with 31 shade options to choose from, there is a hue (or two) for everyone.
- Key Ingredients: Candelilla wax, shea butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil
- Type: Sharpenable Pencil
- Shades: 31
- Waterproof: No
- Size: 0.04 oz
Ilia Lip Sketch Hydrating Crayon
- Why We Love It: One of the less-talked-about uses of liner is that you could really color in your entire lip if you wanted—an action made simpler with Ilia’s Lip Sketch. Here, Plavsic set out to create a simple, no-fuss solution that took the guesswork out of accentuating your pout; or, as the brand puts it pair “the comfort of a lipstick with the precision of a lip liner.” The shade range offers a modern take on lip coloring, with options ranging from a deep, bluish red to a soft, mauve-y pink.
- Key Ingredients: Wakastim, salicornia, hyaluronic acid, rosehip oil
- Type: Sharpenable Pencil
- Shades: 12
- Waterproof: No
- Size: 0.04 oz
Hourglass Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: When I spoke with Laura Harrier about her partnership with Hourglass, we bonded over our love of its Shape & Sculpt—both of us agreeing that the lip liner is perhaps the brand’s most underrated product. Upon testing it in February, I fell in love with the creaminess of the pigment: it swipes easily onto lips, delivering a soft matte, transfer-resistant hue that genuinely lasts for hours.
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba oil
- Type: Twist-up Pencil
- Shades: 7
- Waterproof: No
- Size: 0.04 oz
Ami Colé Soft Shape Waterproof Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: What’s not to love about Ami Colé’s Soft Shape lip liner? Its creamy pencil sharpens to a fine tip for precise definitions—and the shades are crafted to enhance melanin-rich skin tones. There are five to choose between: from Midnight, a rich chocolate (almost black) hue to Rose Clay, a rosy brown. Cafe Touba is a personal favorite for its reddish-brown tint that pairs well with pink, mauve, and nude lipsticks.
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, marula oil, vitamin E
- Type: Sharpenable Pencil
- Shades: 5
- Waterproof: Yes
- Size: 0.04 oz
Jones Road The Lip Pencil
- Why We Love It: Castor oil and two types of wax lead Jones Road’s The Lip Pencil—creating a creamy formula sure to enhance anyone’s lip wardrobe. With eight shades representative of different takes on “nude,” Bobbi Brown’s pencil defines the lips but blends into an undetectable finish that’s truly like your lips but better.
- Key Ingredients: Castor oil
- Type: Sharpenable pencil
- Shades: 8
- Waterproof: Yes
- Size: 0.03 oz / 0.92g
Victoria Beckham Beauty Lip Definer
- Why We Love It: All the posh-est pouts will gravitate towards Victoria Beckham’s Lip Definer. A precision lip pencil available in seven contemporary hues—think pale pinks and velvety mauves—it delivers a long-wear, natural-looking pigment. When the pencil is sharpened, it’s easy to accentuate the cupid’s bow or trace around the lips edge for a fuller, plumper-looking finish.
- Key Ingredients: Palmitoyl tripeptide-1, vitamin E
- Type: Sharpenable pencil
- Shades: 7
- Waterproof: Yes
- Size: 0.04 oz
Ortega Soft Contour Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: I still remember when Etienne Ortega visited the Vogue office in March this year to showcase his new lip liners, and demonstrated the perfect lip combo on my lips. A quick etching of shade Xola (a perfect warm brown) with a touch of gloss and my lips have seriously never looked better. Fortunately, achieving a similar look at home without his expert touch is simple. Ortega’s creamy pencils glide on buttery smooth, are easily blended, and after a few seconds—the color stays in place for hours.
- Key Ingredients: Blue agave, vitamin E
- Type: Twist-up pencil
- Shades: 10
- Waterproof: No
- Size: 0.04 oz
What is lip liner?
“A lip liner is a pencil that is used to achieve a defined edge to a lip and it often helps to add longevity to a lip,” says celebrity makeup artist Amber Dreadon. They are also used to overdraw lips or as a shading tool to make lips appear larger and fuller.
Who should use lip liner?
“You should use a lip pencil if you want to achieve a sharp defined lip line,” Dreadon explains. “A lip liner is also great to use if you want to make your lips look larger and fuller. Lip liners are especially beneficial for someone who might be maturing and losing color and shape definition to their lips.”
What to Look for in a Lip Liner
Shade: According to makeup artist Adam Burrell, the liner shade you use depends on your lip product color and end goal. “You may want to wear a bold lipstick so defining the edge will make your lips look sharp and neat, and make the lip color last longer. In this case I like to use a pencil one or two shades darker than the lipstick color to create a subtle ombré and to give dimension,” he explains. “Or maybe you want to look for a lipliner just to enhance your natural lip color, find a neutral pink or brown tone that matches your lip color exactly.”
Texture: How a lip liner feels on the lips is of equal importance to color, though the texture itself is a purely personal choice. “I really do like a smooth formula that sets,” says pro makeup artist Fiona Stiles. “Nothing too dry; too dry tends to skip, too creamy tends to move.” Avendaño agrees, it should feel smooth and glide-on seamlessly. “In general the formula should be easy to apply especially when you want to blend it easily through your lips,” he says. “If your specifically looking to line your lips and want an obvious sharp lip line, then a harder not so blendable pencil would be okay.”
How to Apply Lip Liner
“I like to apply a lip balm when I start my skincare prep so that when it comes to lip application my lips are smooth and hydrated,” Dreadon begins. “Then I buff a little concealer along my lip line so when i draw my lip liner on i can get a nice clean even line.” Applying is really as simple as tracing the edges of your mouth to your liking. Per Stiles, you can also do lip liner first or lip liner second (after lipstick). “I have to say that it’s just a personal preference and there are no rules here.”
How do you make lips look fuller with lip liner?
“In general, applying just above the natural lip line (with a lip liner of similar color) is the easiest way,” says Avendaño. “Then shading the other edges with that lip liner and using a lipstick that’s lighter shade in the middle can really create a fuller looking pout.” For something a bit more subtle, Greenwald recommends riding the edge of the lip with a thin etching of liner. “It’s the perfect balance without looking overlined.”
Meet The Experts
- Allan Avendaño is a celebrity makeup artist who often works with Rachel Zegler, Isabela Merced, and Joey King.
- Amber Dreadon is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Lorde, Emily Bader, and Taylor Tomlinson.
- Molly Greenwald is a celebrity makeup artist who often works with Chloe Sevigny, Cynthia Nixon, and Hannah Einbinder.
- Fiona Stiles is a celebrity makeup artist whose clientele includes Gabrielle Union, Ashley Park, and Lily Collins.