I Never Wear Lipstick Without a Good Liner—16 I'm Currently Obsessed With

One thing to know about me is that I'll never be caught dead wearing a lip combo without a good liner. It's common knowledge among beauty lovers that your favorite lip colors (stains, lipsticks, and glosses) are made even better when they're given a little more definition with the help of a lip liner, but it can also make or break your look. Rather than shying away from incorporating them into look for fear of ruining your hard work, take this as your sign to consider spending extra time hunting for your perfect lip liner match.

Investing in lip liners that define, shape, and deliver pigmented color is an easy way to level up your makeup, allowing you to transform your look by putting slightly more pressure on the tip of your lip liner or playing around with blending lip products. I like to think lip liners aren't very different from the crayons and colored pencils I used as a child. I'm coloring in or outside of the lines to create my own little masterpiece.

Who wants to sacrifice an iconic lip look for a product that doesn't do exactly what it promises? Below, I've compiled a list of the best lip liners accompanied by glowing reviews from Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom customers. If you like what you see, screenshot your favorites for quick access on your next trip to the store. Keep scrolling!

The 16 Best Lip Liners

Maya Thomas Best Lip Liners

(Image credit: @itsmayalala)

Wearing the Anastasia Beverly Hills Long-Lasting Velvety-Matte Lip Liner in Cool Brown.

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Long-Lasting Velvety-Matte Lip Liner

2. BareMinerals Mineralist Lasting Lip Liner

3. Chantecaille Lip Definer Pencil

4. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner

5. Clinique Quickliner for Lips Lip Liner Pencil

6. Em Cosmetics Soft Blur Velvet Lip Liner

7. Hourglass Shape & Sculpt Lip Liner in Uncover

Maya Thomas Best Lip Liners

(Image credit: @itsmayalala)

Wearing the MAC Lip Liner Pencil in Nightmoth.

8. MAC Lip Liner Pencil

9. Milani Understatement Lip Liner

10. Nars Precision Lip Liner

11. Natasha Denona I Need a Nude Lip Liner

12. Nyx Professional Makeup Suede Matte Velvet Smooth Lip Liner

13. Rare Beauty Kind Words Lip Liner

14. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Lip Liner

15. Wet n Wild Perfect Pout Gel Lip Liner

16. Mented Cosmetics Lip Liner

Maya Thomas
Assistant Beauty Editor
Maya Thomas is Who What Wear's assistant beauty editor based just outside of Seattle, Washington. Her strong love for all things beauty and fashion stems from a strong childhood interest in the fine arts. During a gap year spent in Paris studying the history of French fashion, she shifted her focus to English literature and journalism as a student at Loyola Marymount University with the goal of one day pursuing a career in fashion. After graduating in May 2021, Maya began freelancing for Parade.com as a contributing commerce writer while also building a following on her lifestyle blog, Itsmayalala.com. When she's not writing, Maya spends her free time catching up on reading, perusing art galleries, and enjoying a night out at the ballet every now and then.