ARE LIP LINERS EVEN RELEVANT ANYMORE?

After 10 years, could it be? Are we finally embracing lip liners again?

According to makeup artist Molly Warkentin, the answer is YES.

“With lips being a key trend this season, be it a bold red, glitter or a subtle stained lip, liners are the most definitely relevant,” she says. “I think liners copped a bad rep after the ’90s trend of wearing liner that was darker than lipstick. Then there was a rebellion against liner, but it’s back again and it’s a staple product in my kit,” she adds.

To be honest, we’re not too surprised by this beauty redux. Unlike other trends of that decade (blonde tips, sharpie brows, etc) this one’s actually got some versatility to it. Let us explain…

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USE IS AS A LONG-WEAR LIP COLOUR

By colouring the entire lip with a pencil, this creates a base for lipstick to hold onto, which means it doesn’t grab onto any dry, flaky bits on your lips. Using lip liner as a base also makes the pigment of your lipstick look brighter and stay on longer . We’ve been known to use only a soft liner as an alternative to lipstick.

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OVERDRAWN LIPS

Warkentin’s a fan. She shares: “The key to doing it well is that it needs to be matte where the overdraw is. If there is even a hint of sheen you can see where the natural lip line is, which you don’t want. The overdraw has to look natural so I’ll only cheat the size and shape slightly.” Her tip on where to start? “A great trick to make your lips look fuller is to do the overdraw of the lip in between the cupid’s bow, making the two points of the cupid’s bow less prominent and creating more of a round/pout look to the mouth,” she offers.

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NUDE EYE MAKEUP

If you can’t find any eyeliners to match your skintone, use a lip liner on the eye instead. With the second wave of nude, brown and even black lipsticks (hello M.A.C Cosmetics Liptensity in Stallion), lip liners in these colours are becoming increasingly available. “I’ll smudge some neutral brown tone lip liner of the lash line because it’s so much softer looking than eyeliner,” says Warkentin.

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FAUX FRECKLES

“I also use a brown-tone lip liner for creating faux freckles on the skin. This is an easy way to create a youthful appearance” she shares. Our easy guide on faux freckling  is right over HERE. Not completely sold? We get it, which is why, up next on the site – we have one editor & founder of Gritty Pretty, Eleanor Pendleton trying this trend for your viewing pleasure. #COMINGSOON.

Tell us, when was the last time you used lip liner?