When I first tell someone that I make my living writing about beauty products, I’m often met with this reaction: “OK, so can you explain to me how to use (insert name of a beauty product here)?”
That question always makes me laugh because the fact of the matter is that I find myself completely baffled by the beauty industry on a near-weekly basis. I can’t remember the last time I scrolled through Instagram without coming across yet another updated version of the cat eye or walked into Sephora without discovering a crazy new product.
Take, for example, the conversation I had over dinner with my little sister last month:
Me: “What do you think of my new lipstick? Am I a total beauty queen or what?”
Sister: “I like the color, but you need to use lip liner.”
Me: “What? Why? Is my lipstick all over my face or something?”
Sister: “No, but it’s dangerously close. Just get lip liner.”
Me: “But… I don’t want to. I don’t like the look.”
Sister, as if she’s speaking to a total dumb-dumb: “Then get an invisible one?”
Me: “Oh. Yeah, duh. Of course.”
Me: (Silently making a mental note to figure out what the hell invisible lip liner is.)
See? Even my baby sister has schooled me on the stuff I make a living writing about. But this post isn’t about all of the things my little sister knows that I don’t (thank God). It’s about my journey to discovering the wonders of invisible lip liners. Let’s dive right in, shall we?
A quick Google search told me that invisible lip liner is exactly what it sounds like: it’s a colorless liner that goes on clear and helps to keep your lipstick from feathering all over your face. Two weeks ago, I went to Sephora to buy my first one. I picked No Cosmetic’s No Bleeding Lips ($15, sephora.com) because it was relatively affordable and received mostly positive reviews online. I’m not about to drop 15 bucks on a product that the Internet doesn’t approve of, you know?
The next day, I pulled out my trusty fall beauty staple—Revlon’s Colorstay Moisture Lip Stain in Parisian Passion—because, as you might recall, it has a tendency to bleed after a few hours of wear. Before applying the lip stain, I lined my lips with an invisible liner. I then carefully applied the color, lined my lips one more time for good measure, and went about my day.
As you can see, the lip stain didn’t bleed at all. It survived five hours, two cups of tea, one large plate of chopped kale and cabbage salad, and two mini chocolate bars (I’m prepping for Halloween, OK?). Looking at these results, it’s crazy to think that I used to avoid wearing lipstick because I knew I’d wind up making repeated trips to the bathroom to check if it had smudged. How did I live my life like that? I’m so ashamed.
Long story short, invisible lipliner is my new must-have beauty product, and I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know about it until last month. But I can’t be the only person who’s only just recently discovered a life-changing product… Right? If you’re in the same boat I am, please share your story with the class. Or you could always just leave me your thoughts on invisible lip liner because I’d like to hear those, too. Let me know what you’re thinking in the comments section below.
Written by Kristyn Filip