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Which Charlotte Tilbury lip liner is best?
Lip liners are versatile products that everyone should keep on hand. Lining your lips can lead to eye-catching multishade looks, help keep your lipstick and other lip products from smearing and can be used directly on the lips for a subtle look.
Charlotte Tilbury is among the better midrange brands. Its lip liner, the Lip Cheat Lip Liner, comes in 15 shades and contains no unhealthy ingredients, such as parabens. The company also doesn’t engage in animal testing or use animal-based ingredients for an entirely vegan product.
What to know before you buy a Charlotte Tilbury lip liner
Finish
Lip liners typically come in either matte or cream finishes, though most exist somewhere in the middle. Charlotte Tilbury lip liners tend to have matte or matte-leaning finishes.
- Matte finishes produce a flat look, as in they don’t reflect light. They tend to dry the lips out slightly unless they include some hydrating ingredients, which many of Charlotte Tilbury’s do. They also don’t smudge as easily and usually last for many hours.
- Cream finishes are full of hydrating ingredients and, as a by-product, greatly reflect light for a more attention-grabbing look. The downside is they are easy to smudge, and even if they don’t smudge, they likely won’t last longer than two hours at best.
Barrel
Charlotte Tilbury lip liners come packaged in pencil-like barrels that require manual sharpening with a special, makeup-only pencil sharpener. Other brands use retractable barrels, which twist up and down. Both have their pros and cons.
- Pencil barrels are harder to maintain, and there’s a high likelihood of you wasting product during the sharpening stages if you’re inexperienced or using a bad sharpener. However, you can also fine-tune the tip to be as narrow or wide as you want to achieve the look you desire.
- Retractable barrels are much easier for the inexperienced user, as there’s no need for sharpening and little chance of wasting product. However, you’re stuck with the same tip thickness, and with cheap liners, you risk the product falling out of the tube.
What to look for in a quality Charlotte Tilbury lip liner
Application length
Charlotte Tilbury lip liners, thanks to their matte and matte-leaning finishes, have long application lengths. Most last for 6 to 12 hours, depending on what activities you’re engaging in.
Color
Charlotte Tilbury lip liners come in 15 shades, and a majority of them are shades of red, pink and brown. They use the same color names among all their products, so it’s easy to pair like and similar colors depending on your intended look.
How much you can expect to spend on a Charlotte Tilbury lip liner
Charlotte Tilbury only has one lip liner that costs $10-$30, and the cost depends on the seller. It also offers kits that bundle its lip liner with other lip products for $30-$100, and again, the cost depends on the seller.
Charlotte Tilbury lip liner FAQ
When should I apply my Charlotte Tilbury lip liner?
A. There are two schools of thought, and both are valid. One says you should apply lip liner before lipstick and other lip products. This helps you keep your lipstick application between the lines. The other says to apply it after lipstick or other lip products. This lets you somewhat fix the first application by lightly adjusting it.
Should I exfoliate my lips before applying lip liner?
A. It isn’t necessary, but it does help improve a few aspects. The biggest is simply that your lips won’t have creases. There won’t be any valleys that can fill with product, so there won’t be enough product to smear around later in the day. In turn, this helps your application last a little longer than it would otherwise. It also improves the health and softness of your lips, regardless of whether you want to apply lip product after.
What’s the best Charlotte Tilbury lip liner to buy?
Top Charlotte Tilbury lip liner
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner
What you need to know: If all you need is a new lip liner, then find your favorite color and add it to your cart.
What you’ll love: It is available in 15 colors, including shades of red, pink and brown, and comes in full or travel sizes. Its application time is long, and it contains no parabens or animal-based ingredients.
What you should consider: A few consumers felt that the lip liner colors were slightly lighter than their matching lipsticks. Others thought the application didn’t last as long as it should.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora and Amazon
Top Charlotte Tilbury lip liner for the money
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Secrets
What you need to know: This kit includes four travel-sized lip products, including lip liner.
What you’ll love: The kit includes lip gloss, lip plumper, lipstick and a lip liner all in matching colors. Each product is hydrating and contains no parabens. You can finish your application with either the plumper or gloss to vary your look.
What you should consider: The price is a little high, and the products won’t last long if you use them outside of special occasions.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Charlotte Tilbury Mini Pillow Talk Lipstick and Liner Set
What you need to know: This mini set is perfect for testing the Charlotte Tilbury brand.
What you’ll love: The kit includes a travel-sized tube of lip liner and lipstick in a matching color. Both products are paraben- and cruelty-free with matte finishes that last for hours. These products won’t dry out your lips, and they resist fading and smearing, even when eating and drinking.
What you should consider: It’s only available in three colors. The product runs out fast, so you’ll need to spend more money quickly if you like it.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Sephora
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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