Lip Liners: In Praise of an Unsung Hero

Lip Liners are like underwear. For most they're a daily essential that goes unheralded, an indispensable item working in the shadows. Some are barely there, while others offer shape and support without being obvious. Oh, and if you've chosen the wrong one, boy does it ruin your look.

I don't have a vast lip liner collection, but I use each one I have. Whether it's to extend the life of a lipstick, provide some color beneath a gloss or just to define and shape my lips, I have a few trusty go-tos.

From left to right:

• Chanel Precision Lip Definer in Natural ($28)- Chanel's lip liner in Nude garners accolades, but I prefer the soft peachy pinky nude of Natural. This pencil is creamy enough to be used all over the lips in place of lipstick, though I always top it with a bit of gloss.
• Lancome Lip Contour in Caramel ($22)- this is a self-sharpening liner in a deeper mauvey brown. It gets used more in the fall and winter to anchor bronze and berry shades.
• MAC Cremestick Pearl Liner in Gingeroot ($14)- a pearly natural pink that's great with nude shades.
• Wet and Wild 666 ($1)- the cult favorite. A light berry bronze frost at an unbeatable price. One of the few magazine raves that lives up to the hype. It really is flattering on everyone
• True Cosmetics Lip Definer 1 ($18)- True Cosmetics is a mineral line sold at spas. This is a shimmer-free buff pink a few shades deeper than Gingerroot.
• LORAC 06 ($16)- a pinky plum with a hint of taupe. My go-to with any plummy lip.
  
• Prescriptives Lipcoling Pencil in Guava ($15.50)- the smoothest formula of any lip liner I've tried, yet the color lasts. Guava is a muted rose that seems to adapt to accommodate warm and cool tones.
• Face Stockholm Lip Liner in Lavish ($17)- the ultimate, perfect red. I wear this on its own blotted down to a stain. It lasts all night and manages to avoid looking garish, a problem I have with most red lipsticks.

Top to bottom: Chanel Natural, Lancome Caramel, MAC Gingerroot, W&W 666, True 1, LORAC 06, Px Guava, Face Stockholm Lavish