Color in the Lines! The Best Lip Liners to Define and Plump Your Pout
If 2024 was the year the best lip liners went mainstream, 2025 was the year they evolved. Amid the splashy makeup innovations that saw everything from foundation to eyeliner get a revamp in recent years, lip liner had largely remained the same. Finally given the attention it deserves, a slew of brands are reimagining this humble pencil as a trusted companion to the latest takes on lip glosses, balms, and lipsticks. Rhode started the year with its Peptide Lip Shape debut, beloved for its contouring effect. Merit followed suit later with a Signature Lip Liner which delivers “sheer” pigment meant to fade naturally throughout wear. It was a phenomena I coined the “no-liner lip liner”—making enhancing and defining one’s pout enviable to even the makeup minimalist.
Vogue’s Favorite Lip Liners
Some of us though, resonate with a classic approach to lining—taking inspiration plus generations of Black women known to sport black or dark brown liners found at the beauty supply store, a look popularized by from nineties supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Iman. A similar story can be told of Mexican-American chola culture—punctuated by an etching of black liner paired with a pinkish gloss.
For subtle definition or full glam volume, there’s a liner for every look. Today, lip liner formulas are better than ever, offering refined, natural-looking shades designed to complement a wide range of skin tones, along with long-wearing performance that prove remarkably versatile. “It can take the place of lipstick—line your lips all over and swipe a lip balm on top—enhance the shape of your lips, or create a crisp, defined lip line,” celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles tells Vogue.
Its adaptability is something I can attest to—I always have one on hand, at minimum. The fruits of my years-long tests of every formula below to curate this edit of the absolute best lip liners to shop, plus more insight on how to apply them and make the pigment last.
In This Story
Best Long-wear: Chanel Le Crayon Levres Longwear Lip Pencil
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Chanel
Le Crayon Levres Longwear Lip Pencil
- Why We Love It: As with most Chanel makeup products, this lip liner stands out for its impressive longevity and rich color payoff. It’s a red-carpet regular—Margot Robbie’s wear of shade 156 Beige Natural at the Met Gala being a prime example—and a staple in many celebrity makeup artists’ kits. For those with richer skin tones or a preference for brown-leaning liners, 194 Rouge Noir is an easy choice—a hue that Stiles describes as “a deep rich burgundy that looks great on all skin tones. When you want to wear a statement lip, this color is it.” Best of all, the dual-ended pencil features a built-in flat brush for seamless blending.
- Editor’s Note:“After a glowing recommendation from my beauty editor, I gave Chanel’s lip liner a try in the shade Pivoine (a muave-y rose). In the midst of my maid of honor duties druing my best friend’s wedding, six hours post-touchup and two meal courses later, this long-wear lip liner hadn’t moved an inch. I couldn’t belive I didn’t need to reapply.” —Conçetta Ciarlo, beauty shopping writer
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba oil, cotton seed derivatives
- Type: Sharpenable pencil
- Shades: 19
- Waterproof: Yes
- Size: 0.04 oz
