We Tested a Ton of Lip Liners, and These are the Ones Worth Your $$$ (2024)

In order to earn the number one spot on our all-time favorite lip liners list, we evaluated products based on wear, shade options, ease of application, and features. *Drumroll, pls* because the Makeup by Mario Sculpting Lip Pencil checked e-v-e-r-y single one of those boxes. The formula is buttery smooth, so it applied to my lips super easily, yet it didn’t feather or smear at all. It also lasted extraordinarily long, only requiring one touch-up post-lunch. But the winning detail is the super-amazing brush on the other end—it truly helps blend everything in and is shockingly high-quality for a lip liner brush. Let’s just say I’m obsessed.

• Shades: 22
• Shade pictured: Burnt Sienna

Glowing Customer Review: “Mario has the best lip liners, in my opinion. They work and look so good on my skin tone, and I love that they’re not too creamy but not dry. They have the perfect consistency. I hate a liner that’s way too creamy.”

Hearst commerce writer Sarah Maberry grew up in the King Kylie years, a time that convinced her that lip liner was only used to create the ~illusion~ of bigger lips. That was until a celeb makeup artist taught her that there’s more to a liner (hi, definition and shape), and the game was changed. “I was having trouble getting clean edges when I applied liquid lipstick, but the waxy texture of this liner acts as a barrier and locks everything in place,” Sarah says, adding that there’s no feathering, no uneven shapes, and no smudges.

• Shades: 14
• Shade pictured: Peyote

Glowing Customer Review: “Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Lip Liner is a total game changer! It’s like butter, seriously. Goes on smooth, no tugging. And let’s talk about staying power—this stuff’s practically bulletproof. I wore it all day, through coffee, lunch, you name it. Waterproof? Check! The color range is killer too. Yeah, it’s a bit on the pricey side, but honestly, worth every penny for a lip liner that actually lasts.”

One of the key features of a good lip liner? Longevity. “The new glossier liners are everything if you don’t want to constantly touch up your lips!!!” says Cosmo beauty editor Beth Gillette. “I can swipe this on at 9 a.m. and won’t need to reapply until after I eat lunch (a feat considering I spend half of the day yapping and sipping from my Stanley cup),” she adds, noting that the formula is so smooth and really blurs all of her lip lines.

• Shades: 8
• Shade pictured: Grip

Glowing Customer Review: “This has become my favorite lip liner. It’s very affordable and it enhances my lips nicely. I love that is waterproof and I can wear it to the beach all day. It has great ingredients that don’t dry my lips.”

Celebs have saturated the beauty market as of late—I mean, let’s be real, it seems as though there’s a new brand popping up every other week. Ultimately, that led me to be skeptical of Kim K’s makeup line, SKKN. But alas, I dropped the ball and finally tried the brand out. As soon as I tested out her liners, I took a beat—I don’t know why I ever doubted Kim...these bbs are legit incredible, and every shade of nude is *chef’s kiss*. Thanks to the formula, I even ventured out and tried colors I normally would not have (see: this darker shade pictured here) and fell in <3.

• Shades: 15
• Shade pictured: Nude 08

Glowing Customer Review: “Better than the original. love that the pencil is now wood, much easier to work with. Perfect amount of precision yet still blendable.”

Days when my lips are chapped and it seems as though every lip product will cling to my dry patches, I reach for the Kosas Hotliner. It’s a new launch, and it has easily become one of my faves in my makeup collection. Another Cosmo editor fan? Olivia Truffaut-Wong, who notes that the formula is so smooth, with zero tug and zero skip. “Because it’s so smooth and creamy, it’s easy to blend into your lip to create a blurred effect or to fill in the lip entirely for long-lasting color.” That said, Olivia notes that it is also surprisingly easy to get a clean line, “It won’t smudge unless you want it to.”

• Shades: 8
• Shade pictured: Beyond

Glowing Customer Review: “This product is fantastic! It is completely smudge-proof once it dries down, which ensures it lasts a long time. It comes with an applicator on the other end, which is amazing for smoking out the product. I highly recommend!"”

Lip liners are great...except when you have to constantly sharpen them, which can be a problem if you are out and about or don’t know where TF your sharpener went. This one from Rare Beauty solves that problem with its twist-up design. It’s also one of Cosmo associate shopping editor Daisy Maldonado’s favorites, thanks to its creamy formula. “It makes outlining and defining such a breeze; I’ve gone hours wearing this without it ever so much as budging, so I can attest to its long-lasting power,” she says, adding that when she reapplies, it doesn’t feel crusty or uncomfortable like other products. Daisy also loves that the retractable liner can be slightly sharpened (with the included sharpener on the other end!) for an ultra-precise line if you so choose!

• Shades: 11
• Shade pictured: Humble
  

Glowing Customer Review: “The color is stunning!! This lip pencil is very creamy and comfortable to use, and it lasts a long time on the lips even after drinking and eating. It’s a rotating lip pencil so you don’t need to use a sharpener. I highly recommend it, especially this color.”

Pictured here is Cosmo beauty editor Beth Gillette in MAC Cherry, aka her pick for the best overall red lip liner. The neutral-toned, dark-medium red is opaque and matte, so it’s truly the perfect base for a variety of skin tones. And it’s not just the color that earns this bb a spot on our list: “I just love how long-lasting the formula is; I don’t have to touch it up for a few hours, and it never bleeds or looks dry and chapped,” Beth says, adding, “TBH, I am in love with basically every shade—‘Soar’ is my go-to pink, and ‘Cork’ is a dreamy brown.”

• Shades: 19
• Shade pictured: Cherry

Glowing Customer Review: “I hope it’s never discontinued. I don’t want to ever have to search for a dupe! I feel the liner lasts all day—I only touch up after lunch (I really don’t have to) because I am adding more gloss so I go through both motions.”

Cosmo associate shopping editor Daisy Maldonado has always had trouble finding a lip liner that wasn’t too drying on her lips and did’'t have a low color payoff. Her fave? R.e.m. Beauty’s. “I love this one because it is creamy, has high pigment, and has a built-in sharpener!” says Daisy, adding that it’s “legit the perfect tool to create the illusion of fuller lips” on herself. Each color is deeply pigmented, so not only will it show up bright when it’s applied, but the color will also stay vibrant all day long.

• Shades: 10
• Shade pictured: Adlibs

Glowing Customer Review: “I ordered this lip liner in the shade ‘Key Change’ and paired it with the ‘Tongue-tied’ lipstick. Both were super pigmented and I got a nice magenta/pink color that lasted the whole day. This product is very precise when it comes to lining your lips and I got the exact shape I wanted. The packaging was cute too! I also really liked the formula; it felt really nice and creamy when applied. Overall a 10/10, really nice product.”

This liner is the definition of your lips but better. It’s iconic and loved in the beauty community for good reason and does exactly as its name suggests: cheats the size of your lips without looking like you did. In this photo, I’m wearing the classic ‘Pillow Talk’ shade that is closest to the actual shade of my lips, but it’s available in ‘Pillow Talk’ fair, medium, and intense as well, along with 16 other shades. It glides on my lips super easily, and I find that I only have to reapply it once or twice a day.

• Shades: 20
• Shade pictured: Pillow Talk (original)

Glowing Customer Review: “Charlotte Tilbury does it again. This lip liner was all over social media as a fan fave. I delayed purchasing it due to the price, but let me tell you, you will not be disappointed. I loved the choices of color, but what really impressed me was the long wear that these liners have. They are highly pigmented, go on smoothly, and stay on your lips for hours. Yes, you’ll have to sharpen it, but you’ll get more product out of it when compared to other lip liners that don’t need sharpening. Worth every penny."”

Here, I’m wearing the Ortega lip liner,” says Beth Gillette, adding, “I’m obsessed with the shade ‘Cinnamon Girl.’ which, FYI, founder and makeup artist Etienne Ortega often uses on Lana Del Rey, NBD.” Beth loves this liner specifically for the design of the ultra-fine tip, which allows her to precisely draw a line in order to contour her lips. It also is great to smudge where desired as it blends v easily.

• Shades: 10
• Shade pictured: Cinnamon Girl
  

Glowing Customer Review: “I think this is the best lip liner I’ve ever tried, and I’ve some expensive ones home in my drawer. It glides on like no other lip liner. Very, very smooth—and it gives you time to work with it after application, so you can blend it out effortlessly without getting a stark dry line you almost have to rub at. Beautiful.”

My number one pet peeve in a lip liner is when it clings to dry patches (or if you’re older, you may be worried about it settling into your fine lines). The solution? An ultra-smoothing formula like this one from Pat McGrath contains silicone to add a film over your skin, which creates a smooth, even base. This liner also happens to be another one of editor Olivia Truffaut-Wong’s favorites: “It’s a creamy gel formula that applies super easily to the lips—it’s moisturizing enough that it won’t skip over dry lips but not so much that it won’t give you a sharp line,” she says.

• Shades: 7
• Shade pictured: Suburbia
  

Glowing Customer Review: “This is a beautiful shade of lip liner. It is the longest-wearing lip liner I have ever worn, like truly insane how long it lasted by the end of the night. Can’t wait to try other colors."”