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Love wearing lipstick but feel like you need a stronger pop of color? Or is your lipstick feathering into lip wrinkles? Adding a lip liner might be the perfect fix. Lip liners are "beneficial for creating a fuller looking pout, keeping lipsticks from feathering outward and creating definition and contrast," says New York City-based celebrity makeup artist Judi Gabbay-Braha.
Wearing a lip liner can also help your lip makeup last longer, says Kelli Anne Sewell, New York-based celebrity makeup artist and founder of Makeup By Kelli Anne. You can lightly powder your lips before and after applying lip liner to help the look stay put better as well, our experts share.
Our Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab has evaluated and tested several lip products over the decades, including lipsticks, lip glosses, both tinted lip balms and untinted lip balms, lip masks, lip oils and more. With the help of Beauty Lab and makeup artist experts, in addition to GH editor favorites, here are our top picks.
Pros
Easy to apply- Long-lasting on lips
Cons
- Some shades may look too warm on certain skin tones
Not one, not two, but five of our GH staffers and experts consider this Charlotte Tilbury lip liner a go-to. The most commonly recommended shade among our team is the iconic Pillow Talk (a matte pink nude), with the second most-recommended option being Pillow Talk Medium.
GH Commerce Editorial Director Jessica Teich notes that Pillow Talk can sometimes run too orange on her olive skin tone, which is why she opts for the slightly deeper Medium shade. These liners "look natural, are easy to apply and are long-lasting," adds GH analyst Amanda Constantine, who loves to pair Pillow Talk with a nude gloss.
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| Shades available | 23 |
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GH Beauty Assistant Catharine Malzahn wearing Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in shade Pillow Talk.
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Pros
- Good color payoff
- Wide range of shades available
Cons
- Not as long-lasting as other lip liners
For about the same price as a cup of coffee, you can grab this lip liner from NYX Professional Makeup. A velvety matte formula, Constantine has been using it "for years," calling it her "go-to drugstore lip liner." Though it doesn't have the same long-lasting staying power of others she's used, "it has a nice consistency and solid color payoff," she says. "And for just $5, it's totally worth it." With an impressive 38-shade range, there's a liner for every occasion.
| Shades available | 38 |
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GH Analyst Amanda Constantine wearing NYX Professional Makeup Suede Matte Lip Liner in shade London.
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3
Best Drugstore Lip Liner
E.L.F. Cosmetics Cream Glide Lip Liner
Pros
- Bargain buy
- Glides well on lips
Cons
- Limited shade range
At just $2 (!), you can buy the entire eight-shade range of these E.L.F. Cosmetics lip liners for less than the cost of one higher-end liner. Known for their high-quality products at affordable price points, E.L.F. Cosmetics does that and more with this liner: "The pigment is beautiful and the glide on these are perfect," says GH Editorial Assistant Adrianna Freedman. "You wouldn't know these are so cheap if you had to use it in a blind test."
| Shades available | 8 |
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GH Editorial Assistant Adrianna Freedman wearing E.L.F. Cosmetics Cream Glide Lip Liner in shade Mauve Aside.
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4
Most Long-Lasting
Pat McGrath Labs Permagel Ultra Lip Pencil
Pros
- Stays in place all day
- Glides easily on lips
Cons
- Pricey
If you're looking for a lip liner that won't budge all day long, you've come to the right place. Created by makeup artist Pat McGrath, her eponymous line is known for high color payoff that stays in place all day, and this liner is no different.
"It's not going anywhere — I was so surprised to get out of the shower and see some of this lip liner lingering," one of our editors shares. "I can't believe how long this lasts on my lips." The creamy gel formula glides on easily, and though it's a higher price point, you can trust these liners to perform.
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| Shades available | 23 |
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Malzahn wearing Pat McGrath Labs Permagel Ultra Lip Pencil in shade Nude Venus.
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5
Best Waterproof
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Lip Pencil
Pros
- Won't transfer off of lips
- Offered in a clear shade if you like an invisible lip liner
Cons
- Might need to apply liner twice to get full pigment
Urban Decay's waterproof lip liner "does not budge" or "transfer off lips," says GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann. She likes its natural matte finish and notes that she uses it to define her lips and "embolden lipsticks."
The brand even offers a clear lip liner, so if you're not usually a lip liner person but want to prevent your lip color from feathering or moving out of place, this option is for you. These formulas have a waxy texture, so "I find the liner needs to be applied twice for a full pigment to emerge," Wizemann says.
| Shades available | 24 |
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6
Best Nude
MAC Lip Pencil
Pros
- Makeup artist go-to
- Several nude shades available
Cons
- Can be drying on lips
Another expert favorite, MAC's lip liner in shade Cork was recommended three times (by both makeup artists as well as Teich), who calls it "perfect for a brown nude lip." Gabbay also raves about the MAC liners, saying she uses them daily on clients. Though Cork is a favorite (Teich loves Whirl for a lighter nude lip as well, shown below), there are a whopping 37 shades available, ranging from vivid magentas and deep plums to beige nudes and pinky mauves. "These are must-haves that have stood the test of time," says Teich. Some online reviewers find the formula drying on lips, though.
| Shades available | 37 |
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GH Commerce Editorial Director Jessica Teich wearing MAC Lip Pencil in shade Whirl.
Pros
- Can be used to line lips or fill them in entirely
- Creamy and applies smoothly onto lips
Cons
- May be difficult to sharpen
Medium skin types, this brown lip liner is calling your name. "Chai is the perfect cinnamon brown base for medium skin types," says Teich. It can be used in different ways: Teich will either line her lips with this and pair it with a sheer gloss, or she'll even use it to fill her lips in entirely. Online reviewers say it's creamy and applies smoothly on lips. However, some note that it's difficult to sharpen due to its square design, rather than round like some other pencils.
| Shades available | 22 |
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Teich wearing Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Liner in shade Chai, topped with Saie Glossybounce Lip Gloss Oil in shade Bounce.
Pros
- Can be used on lips, eyes and cheeks
- Good color payoff
Cons
- Can be hard to blend on cheeks
A multitasker, you can use Tower 28's liner on your lips, eyes and cheeks, making an already well-priced pencil an even better deal. Use the three-in-one to define lips, line eyes or add a wash of color to cheeks. "The color payoff is really great for a wooden pencil," shares Freedman. "I also love how the shades are the perfect neutral range, and they flatter whatever color lipstick or gloss I use with it." Online reviewers find it a bit difficult to blend out the color on cheeks.
| Shades available | 6 |
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Freedman wearing Tower 28 OneLiner Multi Liner in shade Fill Me In.
Pros
- Includes ingredients to help moisturize lips
- Can be used as a liner and a lipstick
Cons
- Liner tip isn't very fine and can be difficult to precisely line lips
From Lady Gaga's makeup brand Haus Labs, this moisturizing lip crayon (a lipstick and lip liner in one), impressed our editor with consistently dry lips. "Many lip liners and lipsticks leave my lips feeling and looking dry, so I tend to avoid them," she shares. "But not this one. I used this to line my lips for some definition and loved how soft and supple my lips looked and felt after."
The formula includes ingredients like mango seed oil, which helps nourish and moisturize. Good to know: Because it's designed to be both a liner and a lipstick, the pointed tip is a bit larger than a traditional liner, making it harder to precisely line lips.
| Shades available | 17 |
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Malzahn wearing Haus Labs Le Monster Lip Crayon in shade Mauve Matte.
Pros
- Can be used on lips, brows and eyes
- Blends easily
Cons
- Should be sharpened between eye and lip applications for hygiene, but does not come with a built-in sharpener
Another convenient three-in-one, Make Up For Ever's liners are widely loved by consumers, experts and celebrities alike, from our experts Wizemann and Sewell to singer Sabrina Carpenter and Olympic athlete Suni Lee.
"It can be applied on lips, brows and eyes," notes Wizemann. "I make sure to sharpen it between eye/lip applications for hygienic purposes. It is one of my most blendable formulas." Wizemann likes traveling with this pencil (she and Sewell love shade Endless Cacao) and uses it as a multitasker to keep her makeup bag uncluttered.
| Shades available | 14 |
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GH Beauty Lab Director Sabina Wizemann wearing Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in shade Up & Down Tan.
Pros
- Features a built-in brush for blending
- Makeup artist-approved
Cons
- Formula could be creamier and less drying on lips
Makeup artists trust this lip liner on their clients, so you can trust it too. Created by celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, these matte lip liners "glide on smoothly and the tones are so wearable and beautiful," says Gabbay.
The dual-ended liner features a brush on the other side, so you can easily blend and perfect the liner without having to pack a separate tool. Gabbay and Sewell both love the shade Almond, among others. Online reviewers which these were a bit creamier — however, this is a matte formulation.
| Shades available | 21 |
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Catharine Malzahn
Beauty Assistant
Catharine (she/her) is the beauty assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day and Prevention, working closely with the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab to write science-backed beauty content. She was previously an assistant beauty editor at Group Nine Media and returned to Hearst in 2022 after having held editorial internships at Harper’s Bazaar and CR Fashion Book. Catharine received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Tested bySabina Wizemann
Beauty Lab Director
Sabina (she/her) is the director of the Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she has overseen skincare, haircare and makeup testing since 2012. She also reviews applications, substantiates claims and evaluates products for the GH Seal and the Beauty Awards and Sustainability Awards programs. She has a B.S. in chemistry from Ithaca College and more than 16 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical and personal care industries.
