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Byrdie / Lecia Landis
Wearing a lip liner can truly make all the difference. When lip liner is used correctly, it can help give the appearance of fuller, more defined lips, make bold lip colors appear more prominent, and prevent lipstick from feathering. "Think of lip liner as a primer for the lips. It's a barrier to keep lipstick from bleeding onto other areas of the face and ensures that it will last longer," says Patrick Ta, celebrity makeup artist and founder of Patrick Ta Beauty.
But, you don't have to splurge on lip liners to receive the full benefit from them. You can snag quality lip liners from your drugstore that'll work just as well as pricier ones. Plus, they come in a wide array of shades, textures, and colors. Once you find your favorite drugstore lip liner, you'll be wondering how you ever functioned without it. And, you won't have to shell out tons of money to purchase it.
Read on for the best drugstore lip liners for every occasion.
Best Overall
L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Matte Lip Liner
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Amazon
Easy to sharpen
Versatile
Matte finish
Can be drying
What we love most about this lip liner is its versatility—and this one is super easy to wear with any lip color. Composed of eight versatile hues, you'll have no problem finding a shade that matches your favorite lipstick or gloss. Plus, it easily sharpens and can be worn alone beautifully.
Price at time of publish: $9
Shade Range: 8 | Size: 0.04 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Budget
Essence Soft Contouring Lip Liner
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Target
Great color payoff
Long-lasting
Pairs well with every lip color
Can be drying
If you're looking to spend only a few dollars on a truly incredible lip liner, then this one's for you. Highly pigmented and composed of barely-there neutral hues, we love how flawlessly it looks with literally every lip color—regardless of how bold or sheer. Bonus: The silky formula is both smudge-proof and long-lasting.
Shade Range: 8 | Size: 0.2 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Matte Finish
The Lip Bar Lip Liner
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TLB
Hydrating
Matte finish
Tug-free application
Can break easily
Few things are comparable to the perfect matte lip liner—and this one is remarkable. Use it to outline, define, or fill in your pout for a pristine look every time. This formula, infused with aloe vera and jojoba oil, will keep your lips impeccably soft and smooth.
Price at time of publish: $10
Shade Range: 7 | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Long-Wear
Revlon ColorStay Longwear Lip Liner
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Amazon
Long-lasting
Easy to sharpen
Tug-free application
Can break easily
Looking at your lips after a couple of hours and seeing the color bleed outside the lines is the worst, which is why you need a foolproof liner handy at all times. With Revlon's Colorstay, it'll literally lock in your lip shade and prevent any of that from happening for hours.
Price at time of publish: $7
Shade Range: 16 | Size: 0.01 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Red Lips
Flower Beauty Petal Pout Lip Liner
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Flower Beauty
Works with every skin tone
Great color payoff
Long-lasting
Reviewers note colors don't match pictures
You'll want to add this red lip liner to your beauty repertoire asap. Suited for practically every skin tone, this adventurous red means business. Because the formula is so rich, the color pay-off is intense—meaning all you need is one swipe for the perfect red pout.
Price at time of publish: $9
Shade Range: 8 | Size: 0.01 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Nude Shades
Maybelline New York Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner
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Amazon
Long-lasting
Self-sharpening
Buildable
Can be drying
Maybelline's lip liner truly lives up to its name; sensational. Its wide array of neutral shades is exactly what you think of when you're looking for a nude lip liner. Creamy and smudge-proof, it also won't move a single centimeter when worn.
Price at time of publish: $11
Shade Range: 21 | Size: 0.01 ounces | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Waterproof
JOAH Beauty Lip Candy Auto Lip Liner
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JOAH Beauty
Long-lasting
Tug-free application
Lightweight
Reviewers note colors don't match pictures
Say goodbye to smudging; this is the best lip-liner you could wear for a swim. Silky and non-sliding, this intense formula glides around your lips effortlessly. Wear it alone for a natural, accentuated lip or underneath your favorite lipstick to really make it pop.
Price at time of publish: $5
Shade Range: 6 | Size: 0.01 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Multi-Use
e.l.f. Cosmetics Lip Liner & Blending Brush
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e.l.f
Built-in blending brush
Works with every skin tone
Great color payoff
Packaging is flimsy
This smooth-gliding lip liner comes in a stunning berry hue, so don't be surprised that it looks unbelievably flattering on every lip hue. Even better? It comes with a built-in blending brush for blending flawlessly on the go.
Shade Range: 1 | Size: 0.01 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Fair Skin
Colourpop Lippie Pencil in On Snap
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Colourpop
Long-lasting
Can be worn alone
Great for fairer skin tones
Packaging is flimsy
Super pigmented and long-wearing, this high-intensity lip pencil applies beautifully with little to no effort. Its muted pink nude, "On Snap," is incredibly flattering for fairer skin tones. Accomplishing clean lines with zero feathering has never been easier.
Price at time of publish: $7
Shade Range: 24 | Size: 0.035 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Deep Skin
Iman Cosmetics Perfect Lip Pencil in Cocoa Mass
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Amazon
Tug-free application
Long-lasting
Easy to sharpen
Reviewers note it feels waxy
Cocoa Mass, a cocoa-colored brown, is absolutely captivating on deeper skin tones. Smooth and creamy, it defines lips flawlessly while staying in place all day. And, it has a built-in sharpener for those times when you need to touch up on the go.
Shade Range: 9 | Size: 0.32 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Medium Skin
CoverGirl Exhibitionist Lip Liner
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Walgreens
Great for contouring lips
Long-lasting
Tug-free application
Can be drying
"Mauvelous" (aka mauve) looks gorgeous on any skin tone, but especially so on those with medium skin tones. Contouring your lips has never been simpler with zero feathering or bleeding whatsoever. Plus, the application is easy, breezy, beautiful (like their commercial slogan).
Price at time of publish: $6
Shade Range: 8 | Size: 0.01 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Shade Range
NYX Professional Makeup Slim Lip Pencil
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Walgreens
Hydrating
Precise tip
Long-lasting
Color payoff could be better
This liner is one of NYX Professional Makeup's best sellers for a reason. The teeny-tiny tip will create the finest line to give you that sharp definition you're looking for. Your lips won't get dry, either, since it's formulated with coconut oils for extra hydration.
Price at time of publish: $5
Shade Range: 39 | Size: 0.04 ounces | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Final Verdict
With the wide array of choices available in drugstores, finding the best lip liners can be quite tricky. To narrow it down a bit, our favorite pick overall is Lóreal's Color Riche Matte Lip Liner. Its versatility is what truly sets it apart from others, and it can literally be worn with any lipstick or gloss. If you're looking to save money, Essence's Soft Contouring Lip Liner is a great choice for its silky, smudge-proof, and long-lasting formula. Lastly, for the best shade range, try NYX Professional Makeup Slim Lip Pencil for a choice between more than 30 lip liner colors.
FYI, the way you apply lip liner can make a huge difference. If you're looking for an over-lined look, never over-line your entire lip all the way to the crease, explains Ta. "You want to over-line only at the cupid's bow and draw a little farther down the lip. This will give you that sexy, pouty mouth and will avoid looking too overdrawn," he says. "If you're applying a super pigmented matte lipstick, I love to apply it to the lips directly from the bullet and then follow up with a lip liner to get a super precise line."
What to Look for in a Drugstore Lip Liner
Moisturizing Ingredients
"When purchasing a drugstore lip liner, look for moisturizing ingredients to keep the product from piling," says Ta. Some of these ingredients include shea butter, castor oil, beeswax, and lanolin—just to name a few.
Retractable Tip
"I like lip liners that are retractable, as I'm not a fan of carrying a lip liner pencil when I'm on set," explains Ta. It can be quite difficult to sharpen your pencil on the go, so a retractable formula is less messy (no lip pencil shavings!).
How We Researched
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best products on the market in this category, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, shade range, or design—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.
Why Trust Byrdie?
Byrdie contributor Rachel Dube has written for some of the biggest magazines and websites out there and has tested hundreds of products. She is constantly researching the newest trends and is always looking for the best drugstore finds.
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