What Is Lip Liner, What Does It Do and How Do You Use It?

What Is Lip Liner? What Does It Do?

Lip liner is one of the essentials of lip makeup; it's a pencil used to define the lip line naturally and give the lips a velvety smoothness. We see lip liners often in recent lip makeup trends, because one of the secrets of flawless makeup is lips that look healthy, natural and vibrant.

Makeup bags usually hold foundations, liquid lipsticks, Satin Touch Lipstick, eyeshadows, makeup brushes, even a makeup brush set and face powder. Lip liners may not be in every makeup bag, but they should always be there as the finishing step of lip makeup. If you wear lipstick or lip gloss, keeping a lip liner in your makeup bag will take your lip makeup to a whole new level. You might say, “How can a lip liner work wonders in my makeup?” but don't forget that the secret of beauty is in the details!

Lip liner sharpens the outline of your lips. With lip liner, you can change how big your lips look. If you have thin lips, you can make them look bigger, or if you have full lips, you can make them look thinner and smaller than they are. And all just by drawing a line! This way, you get a balanced makeup look that works with your facial features.

Before we get to “How should I use lip liner?”, the first question to ask yourself is: Which lip liner should I choose? If you choose the right lip liner for you and apply it with the right makeup techniques, you'll experience the best lip makeup for you.

How Do You Choose the Right Lip Liner?

When you choose and use the right lip liner for you, you won't believe the difference in your lip makeup! And not only in your lip makeup: smooth lips with a natural color will affect your whole look, because makeup is a whole, and lip makeup is one of the most important parts of it. Since any gap or flaw in your makeup will draw all the attention, the products you apply to every area of your face and the techniques you use matter a lot…

You're at the first stage of flawless lip makeup. Here are some factors to keep in mind:

Lip Liner Color

If you don't have a lip liner but own lots of lip glosses or lipsticks, it's a good idea to start with the products already in your makeup bag, both for your wallet and to use them before they expire. The color of your lip liner should be the same as, or very close to, the color of the lipstick you use; so take a look in your makeup bag, and the colors of the products you use are right there… You should choose lip liners in the same or very similar colors. If you're going to buy both a lip gloss or lipstick and a lip liner, choosing us will make things much easier for you, since Alix Avien Paris also makes lip liners to match the colors of its lip glosses and lipsticks. For a natural, harmonious look, color harmony between your lipstick and lip liner is important.

Full-Coverage Lip Liner

To cover lines on your lips or marks you see as flaws, you should use highly pigmented lip liners. These lip liners are usually waterproof and long-lasting.

Long-Lasting Lip Liner

A long-lasting lip liner is one that stays on your lips all day without breaking down. If you're going to use a long-lasting lip liner, your lipstick should have the same quality. Otherwise, lip makeup where the lipstick has worn off but the lip liner has stayed perfectly intact is not the end-of-day look you want. This is especially important for long events and evening makeup.

Easy Application

Who doesn't want a lip liner that glides across the lips and goes on effortlessly, without tiring or harming them? We can almost hear the answers.

Some are a real pleasure to apply, while others feel like torture, because hard, draggy ones lift the skin on your lips, which both hurts and gets in the way of a smooth look. That's why it's important to choose a soft lip liner that you trust won't damage the lines of your lips.

Matching Your Skin Undertone

You may have chosen your lip liner to match your lip gloss or lipstick. But what about your skin undertone? We always say that makeup is a whole. So you need to take your skin undertone into account too.

If you have skin with cool undertones, lip liners with pink undertones will suit you better; if your skin has warm undertones, lip liners with brown undertones are a better fit.

How Do You Apply Lip Liner?

We have come to the most exciting part: application time! You're standing in front of the mirror with your lips ready. You pick up your lip liner and then what? Where should you start? Before we answer, we want to ask you this: Are your lips clean and moisturized? If your lips aren't clean and are dry, we recommend cleaning them first and then using a lip scrub. This way you get rid of dead skin, and the flaky patches disappear.

Our other question: Is your lip liner sharpened? If the tip of your lip liner is sharp, you can start applying. For good lip makeup, the tip of your pencil should be sharp, but not too sharp. If you feel the tip might break while applying it to your lips, you can dull it slightly with a cotton pad.

Once your prep is done, let's get to the application… For example, you can plump up your lips for the day or the moment with lip liner, without lip-plumping lipsticks or any cosmetic procedure. There are endless lip liner tricks. That's why there are many different ways to apply lip liner, but we'll talk about the best-known technique used in everyday life.

Start applying your lip liner at the corners of your mouth. From the right and left corners, draw the lip liner upward toward the peaks of your lips, also known as the cupid's bow. When you reach the peaks, join the lines without going past the natural curve of your lips. Apply it the same way on your lower lip: join the lines from the corners toward the center. This technique also helps your lip makeup stay in place all day.

Common Mistakes When Applying Lip Liner

Here's what not to do if you want natural, vibrant and full lips:

• Not choosing a lip liner that suits your skin undertone after you have identified it.
• Starting the application without cleaning and moisturizing your lips and getting rid of dead skin on them.
• Going outside the lines that start at the corners of your mouth to make your lips look fuller.

Like every other area of your face, your lips matter, no question about it… In everyday life, at an event or at a dinner you attend in a smart-casual outfit, you can impress with your lip makeup and draw all the attention.