I promised I could do this post soon! It took me a longer than expected to post this because I misplaced the note where I wrote the order in which lip swatches were taken! Some of these are very similar but I found it this week among a few receipts and here I am.
I’ve been averse to lip liners for the majority of my “makeup life”. It’s only in the last two years that I really started wearing them and saw the benefit in doing so. Lip liners for bright lipsticks makes obvious sense but I use nudes a lot more. You will find atleast one or two lip liners in my handbag everyday. My favourite thing to do is fill them in lightly, mainly at the corners which are darker and then use a sheer nude lipstick over it. Obviously, I’ve accumulated enough lip liners for a country and then some.
Pinky mauve, more mauve, peachy nudes, just peachy, brown nudes, I have you covered! I’ll talk briefly about the formula and shades but scroll ahead if you want to see swatches.
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk has more of a waxy formula that fills your lip in and makes it appear smooth as canvas. It has a slight tackiness to it that helps any lipstick adhere to it. I use this more as a base lip liner when I want my lipstick to last. Pillow Talk is more of a cool toned pink nude. For deeper skintones I think the shade Iconic Nude would be more flattering (purely based on Googling).
Marc Jacobs Poutliner in Primrose is most similar to Charlotte Tilbury because it also has that waxy formula. But I love that it’s a twist up pencil and doesn’t need sharpening. It’s a darker rose pink but it does show up more cool toned on me. Also, just the packaging is really appealing.
I picked up the Nyx Slim Lip Pencil in Peekaboo Neutral and Ever in one of those ebay sets a really long time ago. If you really don’t use lip liner that often and you want some for brighter colours, I would really suggest getting Nyx. I don’t find the formula similar to Mac as it’s often touted but for bright colours it works well. That said, these two shades are amazing! I don’t find these comfortable on bare lips, so I always use a light layer of lip balm underneath but Peekaboo is a warm pink nude while Ever is a warm peachy nude. These two are really good for medium Indian skintones.
Mac Lip Pencil in Soar and Whirl are iconic now but I find them both very handy. While Soar is more cool toned and mauve, Whirl is darker and muddier. I find these to be very dark lip pencils in person when you put them on. I loved these initially but I don’t find the formula to be very long lasting. But I do like the colour payoff and softness of these pencils. I also like that it doesn’t break very easily.
Mac Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Nice ’n’ Spicy is what you really want to buy the next time you’re at Mac! It’s hard to distinguish it from the regular Mac Lip Pencil packaging wise but just ask the SA. The formula really lasts longer, it’s creamier to apply and mostly transfer proof! It’s a tiny bit more waxy which again lends well to cover up lip lines and make them appear even. The shade range isn’t massive but Nice ‘n’ Spicy is a warm peachy nude that would be great on anyone.
Lakme 9 to 5 Lip Liner in Brick Rose is the real unsung hero here. I think it’s only available in India but since we have such few local brands, it’s a marvel when you find something this good this cheap. I bought this when the 9 to 5 collection came out a few years ago and it stayed untouched till the lip liner craze started. The formula is comparable to the Mac or Laura Mercier lip liners where it’s very pigmented and soft to apply. The shade Brick Rose is just that right kind of nude, it’s warm with a tinge of brown but still a bit rosy in person. Colorwise it’s very similar to Laura Mercier Chestnut and Rimmel Epic.
Rimmel Exaggerate Automatic Lipliner in Epic is a good lip liner for the price. It’s one of the few twist up liners available in the affordable price bracket but I find it too stiff and patchy to apply. I would like to gladly forget I own this. I usually use this with lip balm to make it more pliable.
Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Chestnut gets five gold stars from me. It’s expensive but you get more product. The shade Chestnut is a warm brown nude that doesn’t look muddy. I just love this colour so much! I love wearing it by itself too, doesn’t make my lips shrivel up! It’s not waxy and drying but it still manages to even out the lip texture and last really long.
Lastly, I have the Colourpop Lippie Pencil in Bound. While I like the mauvey brown shade and soft formula, but this pencil broke after the first sharpening and so it’s very difficult to use it. Like Nyx, if you want to try out lip liners in bolder or less often worn colours, give Colourpop a go!
I can’t really pick favourites among these but I thought I should mention a few that really do standout for me. Overall, the formula I prefer the most is a toss up between Mac Pro Longwear and Laura Mercier. Colour-wise, my favourite colours are Laura Mercier Chestnut and Nyx Ever. But best value for money is probably Lakme Brick Rose or Colourpop Bound. The waxy formulas are great for long wear but I just don’t find them very comfortable.
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk ($22) – Nordstrom, Beautylish
Nyx Slim Lip Pencil in Peekaboo Neutral and Ever (Rs. 450) – Nykaa
Mac Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Nice ’n’ Spicy ($21) – Nordstrom, Nykaa
Lakme 9 to 5 Lip Liner in Brick Rose (Rs. 400) – Nykaa
Rimmel Exaggerate Automatic Lipliner in Epic (Rs. 315) – Nykaa
Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Chestnut ($24) – Nordstrom, Sephora
Marc Jacobs (P)Outliner in Prim(Rose) ($24) – Sephora
Mac Lip Pencil in Soar and Whirl ($17.5) – Nordstrom, Nykaa
Colourpop Lippie Pencil in Bound ($5) – Colourpop
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