All Made Up: Walking the Lip Line

Lip Liner – most college age girls skip it all together and, quite frankly, probably associate it with crazy old ladies that draw on their faces with Crayola crayons. But don’t let those trend-ruiners ruin lip liner for you! There are some cases where you NEED to wear it.

Since most of us don’t usually (or ever) rock the lined lip I’ve compiled some basic do’s and don’ts so you know what to use and when to use it for the perfect pout.

When you DO need it:

Lip liner is a MUST if you are wearing dark lipstick colors or opaque glosses. If you want to try for some Hollywood red lips you NEED to match it with a good liner. It’s also a good idea for formal occasions or for professional photographs. Using lip liner will make you look polished and glamorous.

When you DON’T need it:

You shouldn’t use lip liners for every day makeup. You might be mistaken for a theater major. Never use liner with sheer glosses or lipsticks. The liner stays longer than the lip color so you can end up looking a little Bozo the Clown.

DON’T color outside the lines.

Makeup experts will tell you that using lip liner just outside your natural lip line can make your lips appear larger. Especially if your top lip is smaller than the bottom like most women. This works great in photos and if you are competing to be the next Miss, such as, South Carolina. BUT if you aren’t on stage or in front of a camera lens and have to converse with people less than a foot away from your face, it’s pretty freaking obvious.

DO line exactly on the edge.

When lining your lips, follow the ridge of your lip exactly. Anything else can just look sloppy. The purpose of liner is to keep color from feathering, not create new lips for yourself. You are not Mrs. Potato Head. You’re stuck with the lips you’ve got so line them accordingly.

DON’T use a shade too dark.

There are plenty of makeup experts who will tell you to use a lip liner a shade darker than the lipstick. This might work for magazine covers or the red carpet, but it can be a disaster at your sorority formal. When you are going to be talking to people face to face, the difference in color can be pretty obvious. Especially once the lipstick starts to fade through the night. You’ll quickly find yourself heading into Paula Abdul makeup meltdown territory.

DO match the shade of your lips.

The best way to use lip liner in a non-catwalk/photo shoot type setting is to find a lip liner that closely matches the color your lips are naturally. This allows you to use one lip liner shade with just about any lipstick or gloss. Plus, if the liner and lip color wear off differently (as usually tends to happen), you don’t have to worry about looking all Pam-Anderson-two-toned.

Duwop makes lip liners with just this idea in mind. Their Liptones Retractable Lip Liners ($18 sephora.com) come in four shades designed to match natural lip tones. They are a little pricey but when you consider that you can wear them with just about any lip color they’re definitely worth the price. And if it matches your lips closely enough you can totally break the earlier rule and wear it with sheer colors and glosses!