Today we are talking about just how versatile your makeup products can be. Imagine you’re getting ready for a date, or a business meeting, or maybe you’re just going out for a girl’s night.
You’ve got your eyeliner on and it looks fantastic, but when you go to start on your lips, you realize a tragedy has occurred – your lip liner is nowhere to be found! Now obviously you can do your lips without liner, but we all know it can feel like it has less of an edge.
So now you’re digging through your makeup and you find an old eyeliner pencil that is pretty close to the shade of your lipstick, but can you use it? Will it even work?
So, can you use eyeliner as lip liner? The short answer to that question is yes! Eyeliner will work as a lip liner, especially in a pinch. You’re going to want to choose a lip liner that is more like a pencil or stick. A felt-tip eyeliner pen may make lining a little difficult.
If you wanted to see how lip liner would look with your lip stick and you have a shade close to a lip color you like, then you can go for it! Now, your black eyeliner won’t really match a bold red lip, so you will want to try to find a match as close as possible. But hey, if you like the look of black on red, we don’t judge.
If you did find it in the back of a drawer, just do us a favor and double check that it’s not expired. Now, before you run to try your eyeliner on your lips, there’s a little more to know, so keep reading if you’re looking to line like a pro!
Eyeliner That Works Best As Lip Liner
Whether you are beauty balling on a budget, or you have the means to shop the highest quality makeup, sometimes a place just doesn’t have what you’re looking for! So, if you’re looking for a funky color lip liner and the store only has funky colored eye liners, we have some advice for you.
You’re going to want to look for a creamier eye liner, or if you’re really in a pinch, you could also look for a cream-based eye shadow. Basically, the creamier the better. You want to make sure whichever eyeliner you choose is going to have the base ability to glide across the top and bottom of your lips without smudging.
Waterproof eyeliner is great for a day near the water or during a tear-jerking movie, but it’s not so great on your lips. Waterproof eyeliner may dry up on your lips, and flaky isn’t our favorite look.
Using Eyeliner As Lip Liner
Okay, so you’ve got your eyeliner and you’re ready to start perking up that pout, but you’re not quite sure where to start. If you’re using a creamy eyeliner stick, you can apply your substitute lip liner as you normally would.
Take your pencil and gently line the cupid’s bow of your top lips (the dip between the peaks of your top lip). Bring the pencil down the edges of your lips and tuck into the crease of your mouth.
For a thicker lip look, you can line a little extra outside of your true lip line. We’ll include a YouTube video further down on how exactly to apply lip liner for any beginners.
Eyeshadow Vs. Eyeliner As Lip Liner
We talked earlier about being in a situation where your favorite lip liner is unavailable, but what if you are really having a rough day and you’re also out of luck with an eyeliner? Eyeshadow can work as a lip liner too!
You’ll still want a cream-based eyeshadow, and it will take some extra effort, but if there’s a will, there’s a way!
You’ll need a tipped applicator for some precision with your eyeshadow application, and keep in mind that the color matters for the look you’re going for. An eyeshadow color closest to the color of your lip shade is what you’re wanting.
Benefits Of Lining Your Lips
If you are a beginner and you’re really just curious as to why lining your lips is important enough to use eyeliner or eyeshadow, we’ll let you in on a secret. Lip liner acts as an accentuating feature to your favorite lip color.
Lining your lips will help make the color really pop against your foundation or natural skin. You can also line your lips in a way to make your lips appear fuller or to give yourself a poutier look.
What Color Eyeliner To Use On Lips
Regardless of the product you’re using, a color match is going to make an impact. For a fuller, more sultry look, using a color a few shades darker than your natural lip color can make a big difference.
But unless you’re going for an extremely bold look, you’re going to want to keep the color spectrum of the liner neutral and matching your chosen lip shade.
For that fuller look, you can make your liner a shade darker than the lip shade you’ve chosen for your lips. You can also use that lighter liner to highlight the center of your bottom lip for some extra pout.
Finding The Right Shade of Eyeliner
Like we said earlier, the shade you want depends on the look you’re going for. You can use a liner that’s lighter than your lipstick shade if you’re not looking for stark contrast between your skin and your lips.
A subtle look will see that your liner is about the same color as your natural lips and only within one shade darker or lighter.
Finding the right shade of lipstick or overall lip color is really a matter of preference, but we would encourage you to play around with the color spectrum and find whatever makes you feel like the beauty queen (or king) that you are!
Is Using Eyeliner As Lip Liner Safe?
For the most part, it is safe to use eyeliner on your lips. You should always check your makeup products for any ingestion warnings, and make sure they aren’t expired. Try to avoid mineral eyeshadows for your mouth, and keep in mind that colorants in some eyeshadows are only labeled as safe for topical use.
We know you probably aren’t going to be ingesting large amounts of eyeshadow or eyeliner, but it’s always better to be safe. We’ve all seen how lip color can come off on a straw or the rim of a glass we drink from, so be conscious of the warnings or ingredients on the eyeliner or eyeshadow you’re looking to use as lip liner.
If you do use your eyeliner as lip liner, it would be best to keep that liner for your lips from then on to avoid cross contamination with any germs.
Final Thoughts
We love playing around with different looks and methods, and you should too! The more you explore, the more you’ll find what fits you. So, if you want to use eyeliner as lip liner, then go for it. Your makeup look is all about how it makes you feel.
We just ask that you make sure you stay safe, look at your ingredients, check that expiration date, and express your beautiful self.
Related Questions
Here’s some answers to questions related to using eyeliner as lip liner, or even using lip liner in general. There’s no shame in the beauty learning game.
How do I apply lip liner?
Applying lip liner is not as easy as it looks, so we’ve included a link to a YouTube video with Jennifer Chiu that we hope helps explain things a little better.
Do you have to use lip liner with lipstick?
No! It is not absolutely necessary to use a lip liner with lipstick. You can definitely just apply your lip color without a liner and still have a gorgeous look. Liner is just a way to accentuate your appearance. It’s a great addition, but you don’t have to use it.
Can I make my lips look bigger without lining them?
Yes, you can make your lips look bigger without lining them by using a few different methods. You can use a plumping lip balm which will cause a tingling sensation and enhance the fullness of your lips. You can also use a lip scrub or exfoliant to naturally plump your lips without color or gloss.
Can you use lip liner as eyeliner?
This question definitely might need its own informative article. While the technical answer is yes, you could use lip liner for your eyeliner, you want to be careful about using products you’ve used on your mouth on your eyes.
Eyelids in particular are super sensitive, so the versatility of products changes when it comes to your eyes. If you must, use an unopened and unused product designed for sensitive skin just to be safe.
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