Artistry Diaries

Artistry 101

4 Lip Liner Tricks That Serve

Mar 23, 2024

4 min. read

4 Lip Liner Tricks That Serve

Your natural lip shape doesn’t have to be your only option when it comes to lip looks – that’s literally what lip liner was created for. You might be familiar with the overlining lip liner technique, but did you know there are actually way more ways to play up your pout with a simple liner?

Like an artist with a pencil, your lip liner can unlock a world of pout possibilities – it’s all about creating shade, dimension, and brightness in different areas of your lip to trick the eye. No fillers are even required.

You don’t even have to be a beauty expert, celeb influencer, or MUA – we’ve asked Morphe’s Head of Education Ryane Michaels for her top 4 lip liner tips and tricks she goes to when she wants to switch it up.

Start by choosing a great lip liner, of course. The Morphe Soulmatte Filling Gel Lip Liner is such a fave because it is comfy on the skin and glides on like a dream. In ten shades that span beiges, berries, and brights, it’s a versatile choice no matter the lip look you’re about to create.

The Lip Liner Trick: The X


This tip comes straight from Ryane’s Mom and is one of the first beauty hacks she noticed when she was a kid. Once you’ve prepped your lips and are ready to begin your look (this should involve a light exfoliation plus a lip balm), take your chosen lip liner and make sure the tip is sharpened to a comfortable point.

Then from your Cupid’s bow, make an ‘X’ shape from the tips of your top lip downward. Then continue to line the rest of your top lip. This creates dimension and helps with a symmetrical Cupid’s bow. You can also fake dimension by drawing a straight line right down the center of your bottom lip, smudging it a little before applying the rest of your lip products like lipstick or lip gloss.

The Lip Liner Trick: Magnify It


Often times when we are applying our lip looks, we think we know where the border of our lip starts and ends, but we don’t actually. This can result in uneven lip looks or even bleeding products over the course of the day.

Ryane suggests using a magnifying mirror to find your vermillion border (that’s where your lip meets your skin). That way you can decide if you want to line perfectly on your border – or if you want to try and overline your lips, this is a smart way to start slow. Sketch your line lightly over the border as you look into the mirror and build up from there.

The Lip Liner Trick: Fill It In


This tip not only helps create dimension on your lip looks, but it also aids in your lip shades lasting longer throughout the day. Start lining both lips from the outside of your lips in, lightly overlining the bottom of your bottom lip. Then, as if creating an ombre lip liner effect, shade in the outer corners of both upper and lower lip – blending lightly with your finger. Top it with a translucent Dripglass Glazed High Shine Lip Gloss or lip balm.

Pro tip: The Morphe Soulmatte Filling Gel Lip Liner comes with a sharpener on one end, so your lip liner will never get dull.

The Lip Liner Trick: So Symmetrical


Like eyebrows, our lips are not twins – they are siblings. Unless we’ve spent money to ensure they are perfectly symmetrical, they are likely not. So what are some lip liner tips to ensure they look that way? Ryane suggests it’s all in the way you hold your lip liner.

Grasping the pencil like you would a paint brush, line up the tip of the pencil with your lip’s border and the edge of the pencil with the inside of your lip. This way, you are creating a true line and any excess is creating shading and dimension – almost like a coloring book. Start subtle, then build up to the desired symmetrical lip liner effect.

"Like an artist with a pencil, your lip liner can unlock a world of pout possibilities – it’s all about creating shade, dimension, and brightness in different areas of your lip to trick the eye."

Morphe’s Head of Education, Ryane Michaels

What Do I Wear With Lip Liner?


Once you’ve created the line you love, the possibilities are endless from there. Keep it subtly and glossy with a high-shine lip gloss, or crisp and matte with a Morphe liquid lipstick. Blot it out with a sheer pigmented lip balm formula, or swipe on the same shade as your cheeks. Who’s the lip liner expert now?

Show us all your lip liner looks and tag us! @morpheofficial on TikTok and @morphebrushes on IG.