My confession: Using eyeliner on your lips as a way to prep and prime them for lip colors is actually more effective than using normal lipliner. Seriously, using the pencil that you typically reach for to define your eyes (depending on your skin tone, of course) actually works better than the made-for-your-lips pencils that you probably have in a bunch of different shades.
I actually discovered this method by mistake (everything happens for a reason, y'all). I was primping for a night on the town, which obviously required a super bold lip color, but couldn't find my trusty clear lipliner that I always turn to when I want to line my lips. I noticed my favorite nude eyeliner, Rimmel London Exaggerate Auto Waterproof Eye Definer ($7) in the shade In The Nude, on my vanity and thought, "Here goes nothing!" as I swiped it all over my lips. Almost immediately after putting it on, I realized that this product actually might work better than lipliner because it's super waxy (in a good way -- any color you add on top will really stick to it), waterproof (HUGE plus), comes in a flesh-toned shade that works with any lip color and has a retractable pencil, so you always have a sharp point instead of something dull that requires constant sharpening. Here's how to hack flawlessly lined lips without liner on hand:
STEP 1: OUTLINE YOUR LIPS WITH EYELINER
First things first! I lined my lips with the pencil, carefully tracing just outside my natural lip line. Make sure you have a super smooth, clean line. This will act as a sort of trap for the lip color and keep it from feathering.
STEP 2: FILL IN YOUR LIPS WITH EYELINER
Next, fill in the rest of your lips with the eyeliner, covering them up completely with the nude shade. Blot them together.
STEP 3: ADD YOUR LIP COLOR
Now for the fun part: Slick on your favorite lipstick color as you normally would. It should glide on smoothly, have a strong color payoff and, most importantly, last for a long time.
What is your favorite lip color? Tweet us your fave @britandco!