This story first appeared on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, in The Strategist Beauty Brief, a weekly newsletter in which our beauty writers share their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. But we liked it so much we wanted to share it with all of our readers. If you want more first impressions of buzzy launches, quick takes on what’s trending on TikTok and Instagram, and deep dives into the week’s best beauty launches, sign up here. The Strategist Beauty Brief is delivered every Wednesday.
The brown-liner-and-gloss combination has been around forever, but I suspect the current popularity has to do with the resurgence of Y2K aesthetics and a swing back toward glossy, shiny lips. Plus, everyone — no matter their natural lip color — can look good wearing it. I wanted to keep an eye on the trend, so I spent much of the summer and fall cataloguing and testing new brown liners: Glossier Lip Line, Ami Colé Soft Shape, Refy Blur Liner, and Tower28 OneLiner. My criterion was straightforward: Color is important. Personally, I gravitate toward warmer tones, but how a product looks on folks is really a matter of skin tone and preference. I also considered formula and longevity: How did it feel going on? Did the tip work well for application? Did it last as long as my gloss?
First up, Glossier Lip Line. I expect longevity and performance from some products, like my eye shadow, and less from my blush. My expectations for lip liner fall somewhere in the middle. I know I’ll eat and drink, so I expect it to come off over time, but I do value opacity and clear definition. I tested all three brown Glossier shades: Flush, a deep cognac; Nip, a walnut brown; and Bare, a dark chocolate. What I find most interesting about them is that they’re “nipple-matched” (the idea is that your natural nude should be the color of your nipple). On my skin tone, a medium brown, Flush showed up sort of pink. Nip is deeper and was closer to what I was looking for, but it was a bit cool-toned for my liking, though it did match. Bare was a bit too dark for me and felt more dramatic than I like. As for the texture, it’s creamy. It rolled on my mouth easily, but I like my lip liner slightly drier and for the tip to be pointier so I can create a sharp line. This reminded me of a crayon more than a sharp pencil. Lip Line does stay put once it sets, so I didn’t have to worry about touching it up or fixing it throughout the day. I think this would work for someone who gravitates toward cooler-toned lip liners.
Tower28’s lip liner has been around the longest of the bunch, and after testing it, I get why it’s popular. I tested Draw Me, a deep brown that is one of the brand’s original shades. I loved this one. The color is nice and warm, and the point is sharp. It’s very pigmented and creamy, which I owe to ingredients like shea butter and marula oil, and it doesn’t move. It’s designed to be multiuse (lip, eyes, cheeks), which is great if you want to cut down on the amount of products in your routine. But while I’m definitely a believer in lip-eye combo use, the FDA warns that you could be moving bacteria from your lips to your eye — something to consider.
Of all the liners I tried, Refy was my least favorite. It has the most crayon-y feel of the group, with a rounded, imprecise tip designed to re-create the blurred lip-liner look. It makes the lip line look a little feathery and creates a wash of color around the mouth. As for the colors, Umber was a fairly close match for my lip color, and Teak was a little too dark. I’d recommend this for a beginner because it is easy to blend. I could also see it working well for someone who wants the illusion of larger lips because of the blurred, soft finish.
The consistency was perfect for me. The tip is sharp and it goes on smoothly, but it doesn’t feel slippy. I tried the three darkest shades — Petit Cola, Cafe Touba, and Midnight. Of the three, I like Cafe Touba, a stunning brown, best. It’s a little darker than my natural lip color but adds dimension. Unsurprisingly, it pairs well with the brand’s lip glosses, which I’m a big fan of. The color also has impressive staying power. Even after my lip gloss came off, I still saw hints of the lip liner’s color, and it wasn’t until I wiped my makeup off at the end of the day that it fully came off. Of all the new liners I tried, the Ami Colé Soft Shape is the only one, after six months, still in heavy rotation.
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