The Golden Rule: Match or go slightly darker than your lipstick shade. When you want a seamless and polished pout, go for your exact shade or go slightly darker than your lipstick shade.
Pick the right color
Typically, you'll want to use a lip liner a shade darker than your lipstick—the slight contrast will help create definition. If you prefer a more dramatic look, you can opt for a slightly darker lip liner and use it to contour your lips for a subtle gradient effect.
A: A lip liner that is slightly darker than your natural lip color will help you achieve a fuller appearance. Using a darker shade will help create the illusion of volume through added depth and dimension.
Firstly, you need to think about your skin tone. If you have a fair complexion, you'll want to steer clear of anything too dark or dramatic. Instead, go for a light pink or nude shade. If you have a medium complexion, you can afford to be a little more adventurous with your lip liner shade.
Nude and Soft Shades: Light nude shades can create an illusion of fullness. They reflect light and can give the appearance of plumper lips.
Bold oranges, brick reds, and terracotta browns can also be especially flattering. If you're going for a nude shade, a good rule of thumb is to correspond your skin tone with the lipstick shade. For instance, if your skin is light, go for a paler nude, while if your skin is deeper, go for a richer nude.
For a natural look, opt for a lip liner shade that closely matches your natural lip colour. This subtle approach defines your lips without overshadowing your lipstick. Look for nude or neutral tones that seamlessly blend with your skin and lipstick shade, enhancing lip shape while maintaining a subtle appearance.
A nude lip liner that matches your natural lip color or is slightly darker is the most versatile option and can work with a wide range of lipstick shades.
Determine Your Skin Tone
If they appear blue or purple, you have a cool undertone. If they appear green, you have a warm undertone. If you can't tell if your veins are blue or green, you likely have a neutral undertone. For warm undertones, go for lipstick shades with golden, orange, and red undertones.
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.
If you want a super long-lasting lip look, try filling in the whole of your lips with your liner, rather than just tracing your lip line.
Some of the best lip liner shades are mild chocolate (browns), dark cherry (pinks), or fiery red (bold shades). The rule is that your chosen lip liner should be slightly darker than your lipstick shade. Other popular shades are peach, coral, and pastel shades.
Colour. The colour you choose for your pool liner will affect the pool in more ways than just the appearance of your pool and backyard. Blue is the most popular colour for pools, but it can come in various hues, from light to dark. Dark colours absorb light and heat, which will help warm up your pool water.
The Golden Rule: Match or go slightly darker than your lipstick shade. When you want a seamless and polished pout, go for your exact shade or go slightly darker than your lipstick shade.
Swatch on your jawline: Apply a small amount of foundation on your jawline and blend it towards your neck. The right shade should seamlessly blend into your skin. Consider your skin type: Different formulas work better for different skin types (e.g., matte for oily skin, dewy for dry skin).
Basic structure of the mouth
The mouth is not flat, but protrudes slightly from the face. There are some natural shadows that will occur with the contours and shapes that make up the lips. The upper lip will generally be darker than the lower lip because it angles slightly inward (see illustration below).
For the look of fuller lips use a slightly darker shade of lip liner to slightly shade just underneath your bottom lip—this technique helps to create “shading” and “contouring” effect on the lips.
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner Pillow Talk 1.2g.
Can You Wear Lipstick Without Lip Liner? Yes – you can wear lipstick without lip liner.
However, don't get too hung up on trying to find a “correct combo.” Brown is not only a universal shade, but is also ultra-forgiving. “You don't have to match the tone of your liner to your overall lip color, lipstick, or gloss,” says Davy.
She recommended opting for pink, rose and "pinky nude" shades. She said: "You don't want to go with a nude that really just looks like your lips because that's not adding anything. You want to add some of that youthful colour back to your lips."
Neutral-toned babes have the best of both worlds, as they look chic in lipsticks featuring warm or cool hues. To narrow it down, look to your skin's complexion instead. If you're fair-skinned, swipe on a pink-hued lip color like Full-On™ Plumping Lip Cream Gloss in PINK LADY (it's a cult favorite).