How To Apply Lip Liner
Discover how to apply lip liner for a fuller-looking, picture-perfect pout.
- 29th January 2024
- By Charlotte Tilbury
6 minute read
Shop Lip Liners
Item 1 of 23
LIP CHEATPILLOW TALK
CLP 31,500
Item 2 of 23
NEW SHADESLIP CHEATPILLOW TALK MEDIUM
CLP 31,500
Item 3 of 23
LIP CHEATICONIC NUDE
CLP 31,500
Item 4 of 23
NEW!LIP CHEATPILLOW TALK FAIR
CLP 31,500
Item 5 of 23
LIP CHEATICON BABY
CLP 31,500
Item 6 of 23
LIP CHEATFOXY BROWN
CLP 31,500
Item 7 of 23
LIP CHEATLOVE TRAP
CLP 31,500
Item 8 of 23
LIP CHEATSUPERSIZE ME
CLP 31,500
Item 9 of 23
NEW SHADESLIP CHEATPILLOW TALK INTENSE
CLP 31,500
Item 10 of 23
LIP CHEATHOT GOSSIP
CLP 31,500
Item 11 of 23
LIP CHEATWALK OF NO SHAME
CLP 31,500
Item 12 of 23
LIP CHEAT90'S PINK
CLP 31,500
Item 13 of 23
LIP CHEATRED CARPET RED
CLP 31,500
Item 14 of 23
LIP CHEATPINK VENUS
CLP 31,500
Item 15 of 23
LIP CHEATKISS 'N' TELL
CLP 31,500
Item 16 of 23
LIP CHEATHOLLYWOOD HONEY
CLP 31,500
Item 17 of 23
LIP CHEATM.I. KISS
CLP 31,500
Item 18 of 23
LIP CHEATSAVAGE ROSE
CLP 31,500
Item 19 of 23
LIP CHEATBAD ROMANCE
CLP 31,500
Item 20 of 23
LIP CHEATTHE QUEEN
CLP 31,500
Item 21 of 23
LIP CHEATBERRY NAUGHTY
CLP 31,500
Item 22 of 23
LIP CHEATMARK OF A KISS
CLP 31,500
Item 23 of 23
LIP CHEATCRAZY IN LOVE
CLP 31,500
How To Apply Lip Liner: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Prep your Lips
Applying lip liner starts with skincare! Before you apply your Lip Cheat lip liner pencil, make sure your lips are magically moisturised with Charlotte's Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir! This crystal-infused formula rolls across the lips to nourish and condition them with lip-loving ingredients from my Magic 8 Matrix such as hydrating hyaluronic acid, resurrection leaf to reduce the appearance of lip lines, and antioxidant-rich alpine rose. When lips feel smooth and hydrated, your lip liner can easily glide across them.
Tilbury Tip: When applying Charlotte's Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask, apply over the top of your lips for further hydration.
Step 2: Choose Your Shade
Choose your Lip Cheat shade based on your chosen lipstick. My guide to the perfect lip liner and lipstick combinations will help you to find your perfect lip liner shade that magically matches your go-to Charlotte Tilbury Beauty lipstick.
Discover AWARD-WINNING Pillow Talk, a nude-pink lip liner that SUITS EVERYONE; Walk of No Shame, a rose-toned berry red; Love Trap, a brown-toned pink; as well as NEW! Hollywood Beauty Icon shades Icon Baby, Red Carpet Red, 90s Pink, and more!
Step 3: Start To Line Your Lips
Using short, light-handed strokes, glide your Lip Cheat onto the top corner of your lip and follow just outside your natural lip line. This will help to create the illusion of fuller, wider-looking lips and define the look of your pout. Mirror this on your bottom lip, connecting with the upper lip line at the corners of your mouth to complete your lip liner look.
Discover more tips and tricks for how to make lips look bigger
Step 4: Fill In Your Lips
For longer-lasting lip colour, you can fill in your lips with the lip liner to give your lip makeup added intensity. My Lip Cheat lip liners are a waterproof formula that lasts at least 6 hours with no smudging*; applying your Lip Cheat all over the lips can help to create a smoother-looking base for your lipstick and can help to boost its wear time.
Step 5: Add Lipstick for Extra Colour
Lining your lips creates a neat, defined lip shape to be filled in with lipstick. When applying your lipstick, the goal is to fuse the colour seamlessly with your lip liner while staying inside the lines for the most flawless, pout-perfected look. Apply your lipstick over the top of your lip liner for a more dimensional lipstick look; you can apply lipstick straight from the bullet or with the Lip Brush for extra precision.
Step 6: Lip Gloss Finishing Touches
If you want to create the appearance of fuller-looking lips and adore a glowing, glossy lip look, apply lip gloss over the top of your lipstick for a glamorous, glossy finish. Collagen Lip Bath is a high-shine, mirror-like gloss with a soft, plumping effect that helps lips to look more voluptuous, and Lip Lustre is a shimmering lip gloss that delivers a perfect coat of kissable colour. Choose your favourite and get the most magical lip gloss look!
Shop Lip Kits
Item 1 of 42
Item 2 of 42
Item 3 of 42
Item 4 of 42
Item 5 of 42
EXCLUSIVE!GLOSSY LIP DUONUDE PINK
CLP 31,500
Item 6 of 42
Item 7 of 42
EXCLUSIVE!GLOSSY LIP DUOFRESH PINK
CLP 31,500
Item 8 of 42
Item 9 of 42
Item 10 of 42
Item 11 of 42
Item 12 of 42
A MAGICAL SAVINGPILLOW TALK LUSCIOUS LIP SLICKMAGICAL SAVINGS
CLP 104,500CLP 88,825Item 13 of 42
Item 14 of 42
SAVE 20%PILLOW TALK LIPSTICK DUOMAGICAL SAVINGS
CLP 86,500CLP 69,200Item 15 of 42
Item 16 of 42
NEW!GLOSS & LIPSTICK DUOICON BABY
CLP 37,500
Item 17 of 42
SAVE 15%PILLOW TALK COLLAGEN LIP BATH KITMAGICAL SAVINGS
CLP 74,500CLP 63,325Item 18 of 42
Item 19 of 42
Item 20 of 42
Item 21 of 42
Item 22 of 42
Item 23 of 42
NEW!GLOSS & LIPSTICK DUO90s PINK
CLP 37,500
Item 24 of 42
Item 25 of 42
Item 26 of 42
Item 27 of 42
Item 28 of 42
SAVE 10%BUILD YOUR OWN LIP KITBEAUTY KIT
from CLP 150,000
Item 29 of 42
Item 30 of 42
Item 31 of 42
Item 32 of 42
Item 33 of 42
Item 34 of 42
Item 35 of 42
Item 36 of 42
SAVE 10%COLLAGEN LIP BATH KITLIP KIT
CLP 74,500CLP 67,050Item 37 of 42
Item 38 of 42
10% OffPILLOW TALK LIPS AND DREAM LASHES KITMAKEUP KIT
CLP 79,500CLP 71,550Item 39 of 42
LIP BRUSHROSE GOLD & NIGHT CRIMSON
CLP 37,500
Item 40 of 42
Item 41 of 42
Out of StockItem 42 of 42
Out of Stock
How To Apply Lip Liner: More FAQs
Where should you start when applying lip liner?
The best way to apply your lip liner is to start with your top lip. Glide your lip liner along the natural line of your lips starting halfway between your Cupid’s bow and the corner of your mouth. Trace back and forth along your top lip to create a defined line that softly accentuates the shape of your cupid’s bow and connects with the outer corners of your mouth. Once you’ve perfected the look of your top lip, you can line your bottom lip to balance out your shape.
Do you put lip liner or lipstick on first?
Lip liner is designed to be applied before lipstick. You can reshape and define the look of your lips with lip liner to create a fuller-looking lip shape, which in turn makes it easier to get a neater lipstick application. Filling in your lips with lip liner before applying lipstick can also help to build intensity, giving lipstick greater colour opacity and helping to increase its longevity.
Should lip liner be darker or lighter than lipstick?
As a rule, your lip liner should be a close colour match to your lipstick to help them mesh seamlessly on the lips. However, you can also use a darker shade of lip liner to contour the look of your lips; reach for a shade that mimics natural shadows on the outline of your lips to make them appear fuller and more dimensional.
What is overlining lips?
Overlining your lips involves applying lip liner just outside of your natural lip line. It’s sometimes referred to as overdrawing and is the secret to exaggerating the look of your lip shape. Your lip line is the very edge of your lips where the pigment of your lips stops and your skin tone begins; taking your lip liner and subtly overlining past this point allows you to create the illusion of a fuller, wider-looking lip shape.
Are you supposed to blend lip liner?
You can blend your lip liner to get a softer, more natural-looking lip look, however, to create a well-defined lip line it’s important to leave the outer portion of your lip liner sharp and unblended. The purpose of lip liner is to create a defined line around the lips and blending out the line you have created will lose the definition you’ve built. To get a flawless blend, I suggest lining and filling in your lips with lip liner, then applying a lipstick or lip gloss inside the lines to create a diffused, soft-focused finish.
Can you wear lip liner alone?
Yes – you can wear lip liner on its own, darlings. Whether you want to use a lip liner shade that’s close to your lip colour to softly enhance the look of your lip shape, or you want to use a bold shade of lip liner to fill in your lips, you can create a magical lip makeup look with a single lip liner.
How can I make my lip liner look natural?
To get a natural-looking finish with lip liner, choose a shade that’s a close match for the natural tone of your lips such as a beige-nude, pink or brown. Opting to follow the natural line of your lips instead of overlining them will also create a more natural look.
Tilbury Tip: My Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk Original is everyone’s perfect shade! I created Pillow Talk as the perfect nude-pink shade that suits everyone – it’s a natural makeup must-have!
Shop Pillow Talk Original Lip Liner
What lip liner shade makes lips look bigger?
Darker shades of lip liner can help lips appear bigger and more voluptuous. Deeper shades like browns, mauves and mid-toned pinks can mimic the look of shadows to create the appearance of contouring on the lips. By accentuating the outline of your lips with lip liner, you can create the illusion of fuller, wider, plumper-looking lips!
Tilbury Tip: To make your lips appear bigger with lip liner, discover my Supersize Me Lip Cheat!
Shop Lips
Item 1 of 103
Item 2 of 103
Item 3 of 103
EXCLUSIVE!GLOSSY LIP DUOFRESH PINK
CLP 31,500
Item 4 of 103
MATTE REVOLUTIONPILLOW TALK ORIGINAL
CLP 43,500
Item 5 of 103
LIP CHEATPILLOW TALK
CLP 31,500
Item 6 of 103
Item 7 of 103
Item 8 of 103
HYALURONIC HAPPIKISSCRYSTAL HAPPIKISS
CLP 43,500
Item 9 of 103
K.I.S.S.I.N.GPILLOW TALK FAIR
CLP 43,500
Item 10 of 103
SUPERSTAR LIPSPILLOW TALK
CLP 43,500
Item 11 of 103
Item 12 of 103
Item 13 of 103
EXCLUSIVE!GLOSSY LIP DUONUDE PINK
CLP 31,500
Item 14 of 103
Item 15 of 103
LIP LUSTREPILLOW TALK
CLP 31,500
Item 16 of 103
Item 17 of 103
NEW!COLLAGEN LIP BATHPILLOW TALK FAIR
CLP 43,500
Item 18 of 103
HYALURONIC HAPPIKISSPILLOW TALK
CLP 43,500
Item 19 of 103
LIP CHEATICONIC NUDE
CLP 31,500
Item 20 of 103
Item 21 of 103
Item 22 of 103
A MAGICAL SAVINGPILLOW TALK LUSCIOUS LIP SLICKMAGICAL SAVINGS
CLP 104,500CLP 88,825Item 23 of 103
HOT LIPS 2DANCEFLOOR PRINCESS
CLP 47,500
Item 24 of 103
Item 25 of 103
Item 26 of 103
LIP LUSTRESEDUCTION
CLP 31,500
Item 27 of 103
HOT LIPSKIM K.W.
CLP 43,500
Item 28 of 103
Item 29 of 103
NEW SHADESLIP CHEATPILLOW TALK MEDIUM
CLP 31,500
Item 30 of 103
ROCK LIPSROCKET GIRL
CLP 47,500
Item 31 of 103
SAVE 20%PILLOW TALK LIPSTICK DUOMAGICAL SAVINGS
CLP 86,500CLP 69,200Item 32 of 103
K.I.S.S.I.N.GICON BABY
CLP 43,500
Item 33 of 103
Item 34 of 103
COLLAGEN LIP BATHPILLOW TALK
CLP 43,500
Item 35 of 103
MATTE REVOLUTIONHOLLYWOOD VIXEN
CLP 43,500
Item 36 of 103
SAVE 15%PILLOW TALK COLLAGEN LIP BATH KITMAGICAL SAVINGS
CLP 74,500CLP 63,325Item 37 of 103
Item 38 of 103
K.I.S.S.I.N.GBITCH PERFECT
CLP 43,500
Item 39 of 103
Item 40 of 103
MATTE REVOLUTIONVERY VICTORIA
CLP 43,500
Item 41 of 103
LIP LUSTREBLONDIE
CLP 31,500
Item 42 of 103
MORE SHADES AVAILABLEHOT LIPSMIRANDA MAY
CLP 43,500
Item 43 of 103
Item 44 of 103
Item 45 of 103
AIRBRUSH FLAWLESS LIP BLURROSE BLUR
CLP 43,500
Item 46 of 103
Item 47 of 103
Item 48 of 103
LIP CHEATRED CARPET RED
CLP 31,500
Item 49 of 103
COLLAGEN LIP BATHPILLOW TALK MEDIUM
CLP 43,500
Item 50 of 103
EASY LIP & CHEEK WANDSUPER CHIC
CLP 33,500
Item 51 of 103
Item 52 of 103
Item 53 of 103
K.I.S.S.I.N.GPENELOPE PINK
CLP 43,500
Item 54 of 103
Item 55 of 103
LIP CHEATICON BABY
CLP 31,500
Item 56 of 103
COLLAGEN LIP BATHPEACHY PLUMP
CLP 43,500
Item 57 of 103
Item 58 of 103
Item 59 of 103
Item 60 of 103
Item 61 of 103
Item 62 of 103
LIP CHEATSUPERSIZE ME
CLP 31,500
Item 63 of 103
HOT LIPS 2 REFILLGLOWING JEN
CLP 32,500
Item 64 of 103
Item 65 of 103
COLLAGEN LIP BATHROSY GLOW
CLP 43,500
Item 66 of 103
Item 67 of 103
Item 68 of 103
Item 69 of 103
Item 70 of 103
SAVE 10%BUILD YOUR OWN LIP KITBEAUTY KIT
from CLP 150,000
Item 71 of 103
Item 72 of 103
Item 73 of 103
Item 74 of 103
NEW!LIP CHEATPILLOW TALK FAIR
CLP 31,500
Item 75 of 103
Item 76 of 103
Item 77 of 103
LIP CHEATPINK VENUS
CLP 31,500
Item 78 of 103
LIP BRUSHROSE GOLD & NIGHT CRIMSON
CLP 37,500
Item 79 of 103
Item 80 of 103
AIRBRUSH FLAWLESS LIP BLURNUDE BLUR
CLP 43,500
Item 81 of 103
HOT LIPSLIV IT UP
CLP 43,500
Item 82 of 103
AIRBRUSH FLAWLESS LIP BLURRUBY BLUR
CLP 43,500
Item 83 of 103
NEW SHADESLIP CHEATPILLOW TALK INTENSE
CLP 31,500
Item 84 of 103
COLLAGEN LIP BATHWALK OF NO SHAME
CLP 43,500
Item 85 of 103
MATTE REVOLUTIONRED CARPET RED
CLP 43,500
Item 86 of 103
ONLINE EXCLUSIVEK.I.S.S.I.N.GNUDE TALK
CLP 45,500
Item 87 of 103
Item 88 of 103
Item 89 of 103
Item 90 of 103
Item 91 of 103
EASY LIP & CHEEK WANDGOLDEN GLOW
CLP 33,500
Item 92 of 103
SAVE 10%COLLAGEN LIP BATH KITLIP KIT
CLP 74,500CLP 67,050Item 93 of 103
40% OFF!LIP LUSTRE DUOLIMITED TIME OFFER
CLP 61,500
Item 94 of 103
Item 95 of 103
Item 96 of 103
Item 97 of 103
HYALURONIC HAPPIKISSHAPPIPETAL
CLP 43,500
Out of StockItem 98 of 103
COLLAGEN LIP BATHREFRESH ROSE
CLP 43,500
Out of StockItem 99 of 103
Out of StockItem 100 of 103
Out of StockItem 101 of 103
Out of StockItem 102 of 103
Item 103 of 103
Share article
Author Details
Charlotte Tilbury
Founder, President, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
With over 30 years experience, Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the world's number 1 makeup artist and British beauty entrepreneur. Charlotte established Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013, which is now a record-breaking beauty brand that has won over 400 awards.