Beauty is full of contradictions. No-makeup-makeup, the naked manicure—the trends of yore are meant to look like you’re not wearing anything at all (even though you most definitely are). The allure of the no-liner lip liner is its undetectability.
These are the pencils I reach for when I want to subtly amplify my lips’ fullness—no needles required—and achieve a result so natural, some might suspect I’ve opted for filler. The true test is simple: After applying any pencil in my collectsion, do my lips merely look a bit plumper, or is the liner itself obvious? I consider myself something of an authority here, having spent years perfecting my lineup of natural-looking lip liners. While playful experimentation is certainly on the rise, no-liner lip liners remain the perfect complement to a bold, smoky eye or a pop of blue shadow.
Vogue’s Favorite Natural-Looking Lip Liners
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The rise of the subtle lip liner is certainly a departure from the more contrasting liner looks of the early aughts and 2010s—which can admittedly be intimidating for everyday wear. The 2020s, however, has found resonance with makeup as a form subtle enhancements. Think: natural skin-tone shades for contoured over contrasted pouts, and even blurred finishes; as evidenced by one of my favorite 2025 debuts from Merit.
“Lip liner felt like a category ripe for our particular brand of disruption–a classic product with pain points that tend to make it intimidating for the average consumer,” Merit’s chief marketing officer Aila Morin tells Vogue. The idea of their new lip liner is that its incredibly easy to use, designed with versatility in mind. “Our sheer liner is truly impossible to mess up, no matter how much you feel you don’t know how to do makeup. It’s more forgiving and easier to play with–you can outline, overline, or fill in lips entirely–there’s no wrong way to use it.”
Since, two of my favorite makeup artists—Mary Philips and Katie Jane Hughes—have launched their own options that became instant makeup bag staples. Phillips’s peptide-packed wooden pencil and Hughes’s retractable chubby liner require no professional artist’s touch to master—both aiming to enhance the natural lip shape. Other options by Rhode, Refy, and Dior which instead of the sheer color provided by Merit—which celebrity makeup artist Joel Vasquez describes as a translucent finish by softly outlining the lips while enhancing your natural lip color—lean into the contoured finish; which, per Vasquez, work “to add depth and shape, emulating natural shadows to achieve fuller, more defined lips without noticeable lines.”
Whichever you choose, expect subtle enhancement instead of bold definition. Ahead, the best natural-looking lip liners for your everyday look.
In This Story
Best Sheer: Merit Signature Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: Those who hate the waxy harshness of a traditional lip liner will adore Merit’s take. Creamy as can be via a jojoba seed oil complex, this has a conditioning quality to it that’s both beneficial for the lips and a dream to apply. “It doesn’t pull or crumble like a traditional liner, but glides smoothly and fades out naturally throughout the day, which makes it so easy to use,” Morin explains. “It’s also buildable: sheer for someone who is new to lip liner or wants something natural, but can be built into higher coverage for more payoff if that’s what you’re after.”
- Editor’s Experience: “Even lip liner skeptics and minimalist makeup extremists could come around to Merit’s Signature Lip Liner. As a fan of sheer lipsticks, the allure of this liner’s transparent color payoff is what first drew me it, and I loved how seamlessly it glides on. My favorite shade, Tabac (a neutral brown), looks very much like a natural lip shadow. My only qualm is that this wears off pretty quickly on me—but despite my preference for longer-wearing formulas, I still really enjoy it overall.” —Conçetta Ciarlo, beauty shopping writer
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba seed oil, pomegranate flower extract, moringa seed oil
- Type: Retractible, gel
- Finish: Diffused, satin finish
- Shades: 8
- Size: 0.001 oz
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Semi-sheer, natural color payoff that’s non-drying | Not very long-lasting |
| Tug-free, glide-on application | |
| Built-in sharpener attached to the back of the pencil |
Best Lip Contour: Rhode Peptide Lip Shape
- Why We Love It: “The idea is to go outside the lines of the lips and overdo it, and then kind of blend and smudge to the capacity that you want to contour the lips,” Bieber tells Vogue of the latest Rhode launch. Creamy and well-pigmented, this is designed to tint the lips with barely-there color, applied without precision, and flushed out with the smudger tool on the opposite end of the crayon. She wanted something that achieved the “appearance of fuller, poutier lips, but still look natural.”
- Editor’s Experience: “Rhode’s Peptide Lip Shape is my go-to when I want something chubby. I’d consider this a true lip contour—less for color, more for definition.” —Kiana Murden, beauty shopping editor
- Key Ingredients: Peptides, fenugreek extract
- Type: Retractible pencil, creamy
- Finish: Soft matte
- Shades: 11
- Size: 0.026 oz.
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Subtle, natural color pay off | Not the most long-lasting |
| Broad, true-to-tone shade range | |
| Built-in silicone smudger on the back of the pencil |
Best Viral: Wonderskin 360 Contour Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: There’s seldom a time I log on TiKTok where I’m not served a video of someone swearing by Wonderskin’s lip liner—so to say it’s viral would be an understatement. This pick is best known for it’s flesh-toned shades that leave the lips looking bare to the untrained eye. Plus, the formula leans more waxy and its waterproof, so it stays in place once drawn on.
- Key Ingredients: Synthetic wax, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, jojoba seed oil, tocopherol
- Type: Sharpenable pencil, waxy
- Shades: 9
- Finish: Matte
- Size: 0.042 oz
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Boasts long-wearing finish for up to 6 hours | Shades aren’t as suited for deeper skin tones |
| Despite waxier feel, it still remains tug-free |
Best Blurring: Refy Blur Liner
- Why We Love It: No doubt drawing inspiration from K-Beauty’s chubby, retracticle liner pencils, similarly, the goal of Refy’s pick is to create the appearance of naturally-fuller lips through a blurred finish. Powered by its Blur-gel technology to visibly smooth and blur fine liners, this delivers a subtle wash of soft matte pigment where you place it. It’s available in a wash of flesh-toned shades like Teak, described as a deep brown perfect for darker skin tones, or mauve which adds a pinkish touch to any nude lip. Its wide domed tip aids in application—you can line the lips without precision or the need to blend.
- Editor’s Experience: “This liner my personal hack for a blurred lip look, because there’s no need to blend out the color once you draw it on—it already has a diffused finish. I have a double lip line, so I always tend to subtly over-line to fill in the naturally missing color; chubby liner shapes like this really do the trick of imparting a truly natural, but notably poutier finish. I couldn’t quite find a true-to-tone shade for my lip color, though my favorite lip contour shade is Umber (a medium brown).” —Conçetta Ciarlo, beauty shopping writer
- Key Ingredients: Blur-gel technology, moisturizing oils
- Type: Retractible, dome tip
- Finish: Diffused, soft matte
- Shades: 7
- Size: 0.029 oz
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Wide domed tip imparts a diffused finish | Not for precision lining |
| Tug-free application |
Best Shade-Range: Dior Rouge Dior Contour Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: Rouge Dior Contour is Replica Hermes Bag Reviews beauty editor-at-large Arden Fanning Andrews’s pick. An “invisible lip liner” as she calls it, her favorite thing about it is that it can last all day without looking makeup-y—delivering a bit of pigment that never transfers or smudges. Plus, it applies without the harsh lines of your average lip liner; plus, there’s a handy brush at the opposing end in case you’d like to buff out any harsh lines or blend a bit more.
- Editor’s Experience: “To create that invisible blur effect, I gravitate towards pinks versus grayish nudes. I find with so many shades that I try, something looks off. However, Rouge Dior Contour in 277 Osée hits strikes the perfect balance; I also want to try 218 Rose Rose, which reads like a balance between pink and nude. Plus, This pencil really stays where you want them to!” —C.C.
- Key Ingredients: Peony extract, pomegranate flower extract, shea butter
- Type: Sharpenable pencil, creamy
- Finish: Soft matte
- Shades: 27
- Size: 0.04 oz
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Creamy, tug-free texture | Some find the pencil dries out over time |
| Built-in sharpener and smudger brush |
Best Clean: Fara Homidi Smudge & Contour Lip Pencil
- 8Why We Love It: Clean and prestige, Fara Homidi’s lip pencil is packed with a blend of nourishing agents (think: sunflower seed oil, vegan wax blend, and squalane), the formula lines the lips easily—delivering a velvet suede finish that pairs well with glosses and mattes. And in case you want a more bold lip definition, you can build up the finish to your liking. Another perk, the domed pencil back also acts as a nifty blender (though its design intent was likely more for aesthetics than utility).
- Editor’s Experience: “Fara Homidi’s lip pencil is the dream. It applies almost undetectably for pretty, picture-perfect lips without going overtly balloon-y.” —Arden Fanning Andrews, beauty editor at large
- Key Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, vegan wax blend, squalane
- Type: Sharpenable wooden pencil; creamy and slightly waxy
- Finish: Suede, soft matte
- Shades: 8
- Size: 0.03 oz
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Imparts a natural, suede-like finish | Not the most long-lasting |
| Includes a metal sharpener |
Best Understated: Westman Atelier Lip Shape Lip Liner
- Why We Love It: Westman Atelier’s lip liner offers subtle definition, ideal for those seeking enhanced shape without noticeable lip lines. Its range of shades is inspired by real lip tones, with carefully chosen neutrals that reflect the natural spectrum—from soft rose and warm beige to understated berry. The formula, enriched with nourishing botanical oils, remains flexible and comfortable on the lips, preventing smudging or feathering. Antioxidants help keep lips healthy, while natural waxes create a smooth, effortless application with no tugging.
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba seed oil, carnauba wax, squalane, candelilla cera, mica, tocopherol
- Type: Sharpenable, woody pencil; creamy
- Finish: Velvety, natural
- Shades: 8
- Size: 0.03 oz
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Clean formula, enriched with hydrating ingredients | Not the most long-wearing |
| Natural, true to life shades |
Best Long-Wearing: m.ph Beauty The Overliner
- Why We Love It: Following the success of her under-painting contour palettes and sheer lipsticks, Celebrity makeup artist Mary Phillips debuted a natural yet sculpting lip liner. Philips describes her approach to makeup as being “all about comfort,” and a skin-first approach, and her product formulations reflect just that. The wooden pencil draws on with precision, featuring hydrating ingredients like peptides, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E for slip. Meanwhile, kaolin clay ensures the product stays put for a long-wearing finish.
- Editor’s Experience: “When this product mailer came across my desk I was delighted by the brown-velvet lined box that featured a red sharpener and several shades of these lip liners. I’m always impressed by how long-wearing it is, and how they have actually neutral shades. My favorites are Skinny Dip (a cool, pinky nude) and Tease (a cool taupe brown).” —Conçetta Ciarlo, beauty shopping writer
- Key Ingredients: Synthetic japan wax, tocopherol, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil, hyaluronic acid, kaolin
- Type: Sharpenable wooden pencil; creamy and slightly waxy
- Finish: Soft focus, natural
- Shades: 8
- Size: 0.04 oz
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Easy to blend, soft-focus finish | Shades aren’t as suited for deeper skin tones |
| Comfortable, long-lasting formula |
Best Multipurpose: KJH.brand Precision Sculpture Stylo
- Why We Love It: Calling this pick a lip liner would actually limit its full potential; instead, the wide-dome tip color pencil is intended for multi-purpose contouring. Sculpt your lips for the illusion of a pillowy pout, carve out your brow bone for snatching, and even contour your nose while you’re at it. The creamy formula features long-lasting silicones to ensure the product stays put and imparts a subtle, soft-matte texture.
- Key Ingredients: Dimethicone, synthetic wax, silica, mica
- Type: Retractibe wide-domed tip; creamy
- Shades: 5
- Finish: Matte
- Size: 0.57g
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Multi-purpose color for contouring | Some report minor pilling |
| Long-lasting and easily blended |
Everything You Need To Know
How We Tested
When we test and review a product, we take a holistic approach to deliver well-rounded product recommendations. First, we lean on Vogue’s vast network of experts—from professional makeup artists to beauty entrepreneurs—to gain professional acumen on the industry’s standout products, ones these specialists would actually use on their clients. We pair their expertise with our editorial best practices to curate the thoughtful edits you read on our site.
As it relates to natural lip liners, we selected the best based on the following characteristics: ingredients, texture, packaging, finish, and color payoff. To do this, we paired our own personal tests of each formula with expert guidance and reviewer insights to determine which we would recommend to you.
Meet The Experts
- Aila Morin is the chief marketing officer of Merit.
- Joel Vasquez is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Nicky Rothschild Hilton and Dorit Kemsley.
