Lip liners – do you use them, or not? I know that all the makeup experts who are doing makeup on mature women insist on using them. But, personally, I have always hated those things. They have a tendency to make your lips look harsh and painted, and the dreaded “ring around the mouth” where the lip liner remains after your lip stick has rubbed off, is unbelievably unflattering!

The problem is, mature lips do lose their definition and plumpness over time. A little bit of lip liner can definitely make them look more defined. But, how to line them so you don’t end up looking like a clown is the tricky part.

What Colors to Pick?

So, I decided to experiment a bit with some of the lip liners that are just taking up space in my cabinet. There are two options – you can either use a lip liner that is as close to your natural lip color as possible, or you can use a lip liner that is close to the color of your lip stick.

For a more natural look, I would recommend choosing one that is close to your natural lip color. That way, you can use it with all of your lip sticks, and you’ll save space in your cabinet if you only have one or two pencils instead of 15.

My favorite lip liner is from NYX, and the best color is called “Natural.” You can get NYX on amazon.com or Walmart. What I like about the NYX pencils is that the colors look very natural, and that the texture of the pencil is soft enough that it can be smudged.

The Biggest Secret to Applying Lip Liners

Apply the lip liner softly at the outer edge of your lips. Don’t overdraw more than a smidge if you have to, because overdrawing your lips is a sure way to make them look fake! And, PLEASE don’t make a pointy cupid’s bow!!! Just follow your natural lip lines!

After you draw your lines, rub your lips together to smudge the lip liner into your lip area! This is the secret to making your lips look nice! You want to smudge your liner enough that if your lip stick disappears, there is no longer a ring around your mouth. The edge of the lip liner will still line your lips, and even out undefined edges, but it won’t look harsh any more.

Once you got your liner nicely smudged and you like the edge definition, add some lip stick or Lip Tint on top of the liner. If you want your lip tint to last longer, try putting it on with a lip brush. For a little extra glam, I always add just a drop of Lip Gloss to my bottom lip, and then rub the lips together.

A little bit of gloss adds a bit of luscious plumpness to your lips. As long as the lip gloss doesn’t have glitter in it (and mine doesn’t), it can be a mature woman’s best friend, giving the face a fresh glow.

So, try these lip lining tips with a Lip Tint on top. It is easy to refresh your look with one of my lip tints. You don’t even need a mirror to put it on. Just rub it on discretely, like a lip balm, it is easy….

Photo by Danielle Peterson on Unsplash