The best nude lip liners are the unsung heroes of our makeup bags—full stop. It might seem like they’re skippable (your lips are already “nude,” right?), but trust: These neutral-toned sticks pull more weight than you’d think. Whether you’re generously overlining, tightlining your pout with a surgeon’s precision, subtly supplementing your cupid’s bow, or filling in your whole pucker, a great nude lip liner quietly ties your look together. And “nude” never has to mean boring. You can play with cool and warm tones to match your lips exactly, create soft contrast, or pull off an impressive ombré effect. Use one under lipstick or gloss, over a balm, or all on its own—no hard and fast rules here. Our editors stepped up to share their favorite nude lip liners, and we consulted with professional makeup artists to get the scoop on the best way to apply them.
Our Top Nude Lip Liners
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Refy Lip Sculpt
Why we love it: When your look du jour involves a soft-edged, blurry-bordered lip, pick up Refy’s Lip Blur. This pencil creates a perimeter mellow enough so you don’t need to blend or blur manually. Use it as the first step in your lip routine, tracing the outer edges, moving inward, and then applying your favorite, more pigmented lippie. (Or wear the Blur alone!) This pencil is available in five hues, and despite a shade range on the lower end of the spectrum, there’s a lot of versatility to be achieved here. The result is a soft matte, “your lips but better” energy.
Tester feedback from Allure commerce producer Sarah Hoffmann
If you have really pale lips or double lip lines, you will regret every second you spend without Refy’s Lip Sculpt in Oat—trust me. As a person whose lips are barely pinker than my skin, this liner makes a world of difference when defining my lip shape and making me look alive. I use it to shade in the parts of my lips that lack pigment, and my lips instantly look fuller and healthier. Also, this lip liner does not budge. You have to be really precise when applying—that’s how transfer-resistant this formula is.
Shades and who it’s for
Best Creamy: Rhode Peptide Lip Shape
Why we love it: Ms. Bieber has done it again with her Rhode Peptide Lip Shape. This stuff is capital-C creamy and, like many of Rhode’s products, puts plumping, moisturizing, and conditioning peptides center stage. The “shape” in the product’s name refers to this pencil’s contouring abilities—designed to gently manipulate the look of your pout’s size and symmetry. But does that really make it different from your standard lip liner? Kind of. “Lip shapers tend to be a hybrid of ingredients, from hydrating to plumping, which offers more than your traditional pencil lining,” says New York City-based makeup artist Neil Scibelli. “They give a bit more shape and conditioning to the lips instead of your traditional point liner.”
Each Lip Shape shade accommodates the natural hues of a wide range of lip colors, adding a subtle matte finish that organically extends the edges of your lips. If you’re inclined, you can also use the pencil to shade the entirety of your lips, which we think looks pretty dang good, too.
Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han
I’m not a typical lip liner person but Mrs. Hailey Bieber is helping me explore that territory. I love how the applicator is a bit chunkier than a slim pencil, which I find is much more forgiving and natural-looking. I’m wearing Lift, a soft neutral pink that truly blends into my lips, that fills out my upper lips oh so subtly—I’m kinda obsessed with the effect. No notes!
Shades and who it’s for
Best Waterproof: Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner
Why we love it: While the shade range of Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat Lip Liner extends far beyond skin-toned hues, the spectrum includes a ton of honest-to-goodness nudes that professionals love. Waterproof, buttery-smooth, and long-wearing (read: no feathering or transferring), this formula is a go-to for Los Angeles-based makeup artist Robin Black. “Velvety texture and long-lasting pigment make this a go-to for makeup pros,” Black says. “When I want to overdraw or reshape lips using liner, this is the product I reach for.” Joseph Carillo, a New York City-based makeup artist, agrees: “It’s 100% like your lips, but better.” Carrillo says that even though the formula leads with a juicy, hydrating feel, it looks totally matte soon after meeting your skin. All the hues are delish, but we’re diehard fans of the iconic nude Pillow Talk iteration.
I personally believe that everyone—makeup newbie or MUA—needs a Charlotte Tilbury liner in their bag. They’re perfectly creamy, blendable, and stay put—in the loveliest pink-neutral shades, to boot. Since my lips lean a natural mauve, the Medium shade is great for enhancing their color. I’ll usually line my lips, then layer a lip balm or tinted lip balm over it and be done. No need for lipstick!
Tester feedback from deputy beauty director Elizabeth Siegel
I use it in Pillow Talk Medium whenever I want to look effortlessly pulled together—I color in my lips, top it with a gloss, and I’m pouty. The pencil’s magic is in its pigmented, creamy formula. It has a soft-looking quality, so you can shape lips without any harsh, fake lines. The pencil wears comfortably under lip gloss or lipstick, and it gives them all-day staying power.
Shades and who it’s for
20; people who want a long-wearing option
Best Hydrating: Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Liner in Brown
Why we love it: Tarte’s Maracuja Juicy Lip Liner selection easily boasts one of the most decadent brown liners. Depending on your skin tone, this melty, glidey formula can get you that classic ‘90s high-contrast, outer-edge lip liner look, or, on more melanted lips, a true, deep nude. Of course, if brown isn’t your thing, you have other nudies, like muted peachy pinks or subdued taupes and mauves. No matter your hue, you’ll get a nice dose of maracuja oil and hyaluronic acid to plump and nourish your pout. Wear it alone or pair it with your favorite lipstick, stain, or gloss.
Being a Black girl who grew up in the ’90s, I’m a connoisseur of brown lip liners. My current go-to is Maracuja Juicy Lip Liner in Brown from Tarte. My favorite thing about it is that there is no need for a sharpener; just twist up to get more. The formula is creamy going on, gives a few seconds to blend, but dries down to an immovable finish. I often pair it with my signature red liquid lipstick to give my lips definition.
Shades and who it’s for
Best for Blending: Hard Candy Lip Blur
Why we love it: Hard Candy’s Lip Blur bridges the gap between a liner and a lipstick. Complete with a built-in blotting sponge, this meant-to-be-blended stick houses a lightweight, buildable formula that shapes, shades, and wears very naturally. Shea butter, grapeseed oil, and avocado help with the glide, making this drugstore pick feel a lot more expensive than it is. However, remember that because the product is a lipstick-liner hybrid, the point is rounder and larger than a typical lip liner. If tight-line precision is your thing, there are probably better options. Shopping market editor Angela Trakoshis can’t get enough of this product.
Shades and who it’s for
Other great nude lip liners
- If you want to up the plumping factor to complement your overlining, Too Faced’s Lip Injection Extreme Lip Shaper (which comes in six nudey shades) is a no-brainer. It features the brand’s proprietary Lip Injection technology, a blend of collagen, peptides, botanicals, and capsicum frutescens resin (derived from chili peppers).
- For a barely-there finish, we really like the Jones Road The Lip Pencil. It’s creamy, lightweight, and also works nicely as a sub for your matte lipstick.
- And if you’re looking for a long-lasting option, Lancôme’s Lip Idôle Lip Shaper is your girl. This stuff is waterproof and stays put for up to eight hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I choose a nude lip liner?
If you’re aiming for contrast or subtle contouring, Columbus, Ohio-based makeup artist Ciara Williams recommends picking a shade one to two tones deeper than your natural lip color. “This will give a softer appearance when blended into nude lipstick or gloss,” she explains.
For a more seamless blur—or to overline without it looking overly obvious—opt for a liner that matches your natural lip color as closely as possible, much like you’d choose a concealer or foundation shade. “A nude lip liner can help emphasize the size and shape of your lips because it mimics your natural tone,” says Scibelli. “Wearing one slightly outside your lipline can extend your shape in a way that still looks believable.”
How should I apply a nude lip liner?
“You can focus your lip shape application on the outer perimeters of the lips first, and work your way inwards with the product,” says Scibelli. “You can add a more pigmented product over it, or leave it as is, for a more natural lip finish.” Makeup artist Kasey Spickard suggests “[blending] the overlining downward onto the lip to create depth and the illusion of a ‘bigger shadow,’ which is going to look like fuller lips.”
No matter the vibe you’re going for, it’s best “to start [by] following the natural shape of your lips with light pressure,” per Williams. “Once you’ve gotten the initial line, you can darken it and then decide based on your preference if you’d like to slightly overline to make the lips appear fuller. If so, I recommend doing so at the cupid’s bow.” Check out our full-fledged lip liner application guide here for more details.
Meet the experts
How we test and review products
Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?