We earn commission on sales tracked from our links and codes. Thank you for your support! We earn commission from affiliate links/codes. Thank you!
I rarely find myself reaching for things like lip liner or lip primer, and while I do wear them for testing, you won’t usually see me reaching for a flat, matte liquid lipstick outside of testing.
Our collaboration is now available! Get the details! Read now.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
When I was younger I didn’t use anything but traditional lipsticks and balms like Chapstick. I am old enough to say that there was not much else available, LOL. Now I do use a lip pencil as it helps to keep the lipstick from bleeding and it helps my lipstick to last longer and not wear off in a disgusting manner. I would never use a liquid lipstick without a balm underneath or a gloss over the top since they are too drying to my lips and show all of my lip lines and wrinkles. I have very pigmented lips and so I cannot wear really nude lipsticks. I have tried covering my pigmented lips with foundation, concealer, etc. but when they wear off it is not attractive. I never wear orange lipsticks and do not use primers.
Oh yeah! Those horrible dry-down matte liquid lipsticks. I really hate how they feel. Like my lips *feel* chalky? And just tight and uncomfortable. Only one lipstick designated as such, Colourpop Cheap Thrills, doesn’t give me that unpleasant sensation. Cannot wait for this fad to go bye-bye!
Conversely, not a fan of oily gloss that feels like Crisco, either!
I’m the same Christine, no lip liner, no lip primer, I like less matte lip looks as well.
Ultra-matte lipsticks for sure. I really can’t stand the texture of those, especially if it’s liquid!
I rarely use lip gloss and almost never a lip primer. But now that I am older I did start using lip liners.
What lipliners have you found you like?
I have some by KIKO, some by MAC, but I like Essence as well. To be honest, I don’t think splurging here is necessary. Which ones do you recommend?
I’m using Kiko now and have used MAC too, like the kiko but always looking for something better. I will look into the essence one
I never use lip oils or lip plumpers. I rarely use clear gloss. I don’t wear lip primer very often; only with really troublesome lip colors.
Primer. And lip liner as primer.
Not really. I’m not a huge fan of liquid glosses in tubes with the doe foot applicator–these are always so sticky! But I still won’t pass up one that I think is really pretty.
I rarely use lip liner and I’m also not a big one for gloss (I never use it on top of lipstick though I will use a richly tinted one in place of lipstick if I’m in a hurry or just rushing out to the gym). I’ve also never used but do want to try MAC’s lipstick “primer” (I forget the proper name – it’s probably a “prep+prime” product – and don’t have the time to look for it now as I should be getting ready for work)
Prep & Prime Lip — have it. Like it quite a lot. Do I use it? Maybe once every three months when I think to find it in the bottom of my purse. 🙂
Good to read, Linda. I’ve heard from others that it’s a good product. You sound a bit like me – you have stuff like this and mean to use it but often just reach for the lipstick and slap that on before you think to use the primer! I think I will try to remember to buy a tube the next time I’m at MAC.
I should have included nude lipstick (corpse-colours!) and also those matte lipsticks – both look most unflattering to me. Christine, it was interesting to read that you don’t use the matte liquid lipsticks except for testing because within the last few weeks, when you’ve tested a bunch, I’ve notice that your very youthful and lovely lips look lined and parched so for someone like me – probably twice your age – well, it’s simply not a nice look at all. A moist lip with some colour makes anyone, EVERYONE look better, more youthful, brighter….
Pretend there is a like button for this comment. Amen on the aging effects of matte lipsticks.
Lip scrub! Often to pricy for what it is (hello tiny jars at $20+).I just run my regular face scrub (I use very gentle ones).
Lip primer … I just moisturise my lips when I get out of bed.
Lip liner is used very occasionally.
Numero uno are matte liquid lipsticks. I absolutely hate them. They look OK, I guess. Not my fave. But I cannot tolerate for more than a minute or two how they feel. Life is too short to put up with that discomfort. 🙂
I don’t use primer or lip liner pencils even though I have both and liner pencils in multiples. I’m just too lazy and will reach for them on the very rare occasion. I’d like to use them. I think pencils can add a lot but the motivation is never there.
I can’t think of any, but there are several that I don’t use very often: primer, lip liner, lip gloss, and lip scrubs — I use them anywhere from once a week to once a month, whereas I use lip balm several times a day, and lipstick at least once almost every day.
I have a hard time with extremes. Overly shiny or overly matte liquid lip colors and I do not get along.
I’m not really a lipstick person! I just don’t like how they wear off. I don’t even own a lipliner, and I’ve never felt the need for a primer. I don’t have great luck with liquid lipstick, either (same issue with weird wear and just not looking very natural or flattering). I pretty much only use gloss and balm! I have a deluxe sample of a Fresh lip scrub that I pull out every once in a long while, but I’m not sure it does much.
I’ve never used lip primer, and you’ll never see me wearing a metallic lip unless it’s from OCC.
Lip primer (which I honestly should use for special events), and matte lip products whether they be a liquid lipstick style or lipstick style.
Matte lip products and my lips don’t work well together no matter how much I prep, so while it’s sad it’s okay. The matte-st I can get with is a semi-matte, so those lip products that say they’re matte but end up not being as matte as they should be.
Anything matte. They make my lips look unhealthy and dead. Frankly I think they make all lips look that way and don’t get the appeal whatsoever. I don’t want disco ball shine either, but completely matte…. shudder.
Lip liners and liquid lipsticks
I never use lip primers or anything specifically for lip exfoliation. I use just about everything else from time to time, but I prefer not to use lip liner except with lipsticks that are prone to bleeding into fine lines.
No lip liner and no matte formulas. I hate how matte lip products look and feel.
I never use lip liner ever, and personally i dont think a good liquid lipstick even needs one, and that is the only kind of lipstick i use. So technically, that would be another answer: bullet lipstick. I only own ones i got in Sephora Favorites boxes.. I too do not use lip primer. I also do not use things like EOS lip balm because it does nothing for me. Literally no chapstick/lip balm can even attempt to help my chapped winter lips, they are so beyond it. So i cant remember the last time i even tried to use one. So i guess the easy answer is that i dont really use any lip products besides: Kat von D liquid lipstick in lolita, Bite Beauty Matte Lip Creme Crayon in Glace, Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask (the only thing that cures my winter lips), and Kari Gran Tinted Lipwhip in cinnamon. So i only use 4 lip products now that i think about it. Wierd. Thanks for listening to my life story lol.
My lips get really chapped in the winter too. I found Smiths Rosebud Salve at Sephora. Works great. Maybe it’d work for you too.
I don’t use on my lips:
*Lip scrubs – I usually exfoliate my face every other day with a light Aveeno product and lips are included in that
*Lip primers – didn’t need them back then and don’t need it now. To me, it’s just another unnecessary product
*Lip Liners – unless I’m wearing a dark lip, I don’t use a liner.
*Combination lip/cheek products – I can’t put something on my cheek then use the same product on my lips and eyes, my bacteria phobia-ness wouldn’t allow me to do that nor do I understand the concept of the product.
*Any lip product that requires my finger to apply it
* I love matte lips but not the OVERLY dry ones so it takes a while for me to discover the right formula. (ABH, Dose of Colors, BH Cosmetics, Jeffree Star work fine but Coloured Raine and LA Splash are horrible for me)
*Anything scented – it’s just wrong man. lol.
*Glitter on my lips is not ok.
Oh I am so the same with finger application. Soooo gross to me. Same with lip/cheek products, as I never use them for both so it’s a waste of money for me.
Christine, you’re gonna hate me for this one! I don’t own a SINGLE sheer or moisturizing lipstick! (like your love of all time, Guerlain Rouge G!) If I see a lipstick whose wear is advertised at less than 8+ hours (or reviews as such on your site) I immediately pass on it. Maybe it’s the drag makeup thing, but I always strive for the whole ‘immortal makeup’ vibe. Reapplying is such an unattractive concept to me and I’ve never really known why — not even for other people, just for myself. I actually find there to be something classy and gorgeous about a woman touching up her lipstick on in public. Just not me. LOL
Are you me!? I always wear liquid lips or long wearing lipsticks, because I’m too shy and anxious to reapply in public.
Iv been known to sneak into the bathroom, inot a bathroom stall, and use my cell phone to help me reapply!!
I love watching other women apply lipstick. But with me. MAN.
I’m sure it’s all in our heads 😉
I never reach for lipliners!! I own 5 lip liners, and they are all the exact same brand and shade!! And even then I barely use them.
I also own two lip primers, but I RARELY use them. Only for super glossy/emollient lipsticks!!
I only own 2 glosses!! One is a duochrome shimmer top coat, and the other ones a MLBB. and I BARELY wear them!!
Lip primer and lip oils. Lip oils always irritate the skin around my lips, which looks gross. And I’ve never found a lip primer to really do anything that a balm or a liner couldn’t (maybe I haven’t tried the right one?). But I love lip liners and matte lipsticks! Probably in the minority here, but to me it’s so much more comfortable when it doesn’t feel like my lipstick is sliding around.
Can you tell me the brands of lip liners you like?
As a category — I don’t do matte lipsticks. Also, there are a ranges of colors that don’t do well on me — cool colors, deeper or darker shades (I’m pretty fair), or too far into blues/greens/purples (I guess I’m just too conservative or middle aged or something). I haven’t tried liner or primer but may at some point.
I use lip liner, but never any other kind of lip primer. I’ve also never used glitter or other particulates on my lips, though I figure I’m in the majority there. I also don’t often use gloss, and when I do it’s never sticky, and never shimmery or glittery.
I never use a lip primer and never a liquid matte lipstick. I just don’t like the look or feel of those mattes.
Your answer isn’t lip plumper?!
I guess I don’t use…lip oils (like YSL). They seem trendy but I would rather wear normal tinted balm or gloss.
Totally forgot, sorry!
I don’t use plumpers, only because they are glossy and interfere with my lip colour. No primers or liquid lipsticks, I think I’d “eat” them off and I generally find liquid lipsticks a bit drying.
I don’t usually wear lip liner or primer. Not that I never wear lip liner but only in the purpose of creating a specific look but I don’t really use to make anything last longer and I never find it helps much anyway. I also never use lip plumpers or any lip product with irritants like peppermint which dries your lips out!
I save matte lipsticks for a couple times per week only. I do NOT use lip gloss… just to greasy even the un greasiest of them. Don’t like shine on my lips.
Flat liquid lips and a ton of lip liner. The only liner I have right now is clear.
I will never wear liquid lipstick. Not on these dry and chapped babies. I like creamy and emollient finishes not too glossy.
Lip liner for lining lips. But I bought some mac long wear lip pencils recently to try them as lipstick. In the Mariah Carey collection there was the lip pencil ombré and you showed it on your lips completely filled with the lip pencil. I liked it very much and tried it out and surprisingly it did not dry out my lips as much as I thought it would and it lasted very good. So I will try out with other long wear lip pencils now.
Lip gloss
Metallic lipsticks
Lip masks!
I don’t like liquid lipstick. I just don’t care to use it.
I will not use liquid lipstick. Just don’t care for it.
What I don’t use:
1. Lip gloss
2. Liquid lipsticks of any kind
3. Lip liners
4. Matte lipsticks
5. Sheer lipsticks
6. Nude shades
Yeah, I almost never use lip liner. I only own the basics anway – a red, a pink, and two nude ones. I wear more liquid lipsticks so liners aren’t as necessary for me.
I never use lip primer and the only liner I use is red; which helps give me a more sexy defined lip
I don’t bother with priducts to relieve chafeness when it occurs especially in winter. I believe our bodies does that for us eventually or I very few times use my toothbrush and that’s about it. Don’t believe in buying products that will actually worsen it. Tons of chapstic ( I’m a runner) and any lip smoothing stick I can get my hands off. Vaseline at night does the trick.
I never wear any lip product which refers to itself as a lip plumper, anything with cinnamon extract, peppermint extract or any other mint (except spearmint).
I purchased an expensive lip plumping lipstick two years ago and the day after I used it, found myself in the dermatologist’s office. My lips were plump, bright red, blistery, peeling and the skin around my lips was bright red and inflamed. I felt the tingling when I applied the lipstick the day before, but never associated the lipstick with the terrible condition of my lips the following day. My derm took one look and askd me if I had used a lip plumping lipstick. I left her office with an Rx for two different creams directions to never use a plumper or a product having any the above ingredients. It took a full 6 weeks for my lips to heal. For months after, the only thing I could tolerate was a cocoa butter lip balm. To this day, even if I wear a hypo-allergenic lipstick on Monday, I cannot wear lipstick on Tuesday. I have now developed a reaction response to the color pigments in lipsticks.
I never use a lip primer I find it to be very drying and tight feeling. I will use liner.
I don’t use a Lip primer. I use everything else pretty regularly. I love matte lips so I exfoliate and sleep in a hydrating balm so my lips aren’t as dry.
Never liquid lipstick and rarely gloss. I hate the textures or both.
I never use liquid lipsticks, I dislike both the feel of them and the flat one-dimensional effect they give lips. I have never found that having to reapply lipstick every once in a while is a burden (actually I quite enjoy it!) and my lips actually look better with nothing on them than with a liquid lipstick. That is one trend that I wouldn’t mind seeing disappear!
That is it really, while I don’t wear primers, lipgloss or lip liners all the time I do occasionally, especially lip liners for when I do want to extend the wear time of my lipstick.
I don’t use glittery lipsticks or lipsticks in non traditional colors such as blue, black, green, etc. i also extremely dislike fragrance in lip products. However, I use urban decay ozone lip primer and lip liner every time I use lipstick or gloss because they really help the color last a long, long time and keep the color from feathering. Primer and liner are essential when wearing red lipstick, in my humble opinion.
Without lipliner, you can’t even tell that I have lips. I never, ever, ever go without lipliner. I never wear nude or light colored lipsticks for the same reason; they just blend into my skin and my face looks unbalanced. I do wear lip primer (MAC- just got it and it’s my favorite so far). I always prep my lips really well, and exfoliate them with a little bit of vaseline and sugar sometimes. I love Clinique Black Honey Lip Balm, and I hate any and all forms of Chapstick. It just makes my lips feel a million times worse for some reason. I do like certain liquid lipsticks, and sometimes I actually like matte lipsticks now.
I’m like you Tammy, without lip liner you can’t tell I have lips. I wear it daily and am always looking for a good one. Which ines do you like?
I’ll use anything at all. I have mostly Urban Decay, but would like something better and I don’t care what brand. It’s hard to find something that will stay on!!! UD is too soft. I prefer a harder lipliner. What about you? If anyone has suggestions please let me know. I’ve tried the wax pencil from Too Faced but that’s not what I I’m looking for- I need to be able to see an outline.
I tried Urban Decay and like you didn’t care for them, they were soft. Right now I’m using Kiko and their just ok, alittle hard but I feel like there has to be good ones out there, just haven’t found it. For years I used Lancome and I liked it but it dried out my lips so bad and they changed the colors so I’m still looking. I have Mac Stripdown and it ok.
I’m going to get some NYX lipliners tomorrow & I’ll report back to you with some results!!
I’ve liked NYX lip liners, and they’re on the firmer side.
I’m going to Ulta tomorrow anyway so I’m definitely going to get some NYX llipliners! Thanks for the tip!!!
No plumpers, primer, or matte lip products. Matte makes most of us look much older, and who needs that? No nude lip colors for me, either. I agree with Mariella — “corpse colors!”
I never use lip primer, nude lipsticks and pearly cream lipstick. I like lip gloss but I never find the occasion to use it…so I suposse I don´t use lip gloss either.
I hardly reach for a matte (“flat) lipstick. Recently, I’ve begun to use lip pencil and I love it! (Marc Jacobs’s Nude and Lacome’s Rose Thé). I do use a balm in wintertime, makes a world of difference.
Most types of lip products that lots of people wear, I’ve tried at least once. But I’d say lip primer. I still own one and almost never use it. Also, gloss is very rare for me.
Other than lip plumpers, there’s not much I won’t try! I’m less likely to go for glitter/pearl, lip gloss, a matte lip (ouch), or a “nude” than anything else, though–huge fan of tinted balms and traditional bullets.
I have not and will not ever buy a lip scrub. I believe our body’s dies just exact that for us already. I sometimes/rarely use my toothbrush as lip scrub alone or with honey. I don’t see the need and besides, it might lead to more dryness if experimenting with it. A primer? Especially on lips??Yuck! Never will either. I’m sounding like the 7Up commercial. Lol!
On face rarely wear it also and own two. Been wearing CeraVe moisturizer instead and my skin has greatly improved. Bingo! Hapoy Discovery.
Oops! Just realized I had answered before a while ago. Chapstick yes! Lots of it. And simple Vaseline before going to sleep does wonders. No major issue with dry lips and I’m out there either running or gardening. Love the outdoors in S. California. I’ll worry about the wrinkles when dead. For now enjoy life. Do wear spf must! That I obey. Hmmm lip liner I have tons but forget to use most times.