If you look back at the past few months of new beauty launches, you’ll notice lip liners are having a moment. There was NYX's Duck Plump Stick, Refy's Remastered Lip Sculpt, and, of course, Rhode's divisive first lip liner that blew up on TikTok. I, for one, have never been a big fan of the product. As a thin-lip girl, I typically don’t want to draw any attention to that area of my face. But then I met the product that flipped my anti-lip liner sentiment on its head: Merit's Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner.
The brand has a knack for creating elevated, easy-to-use essentials—the Merit Flush Balm changed my blush game, for example—and this liner is no different. It's similar to Merit's cream blush in that it's a sheer, gel-based formula with buildable color. This buttery smooth stick glides incredibly well without any tugging or skipping. In fact, I'd say the texture is more in line with a satiny lipstick rather than your typical pencil liner.
Its especially creamy formula is what had me hooked from the get-go. Some naysayers may say that it's too soft, but I find its texture particularly hassle-free. I can scribble it around my lips and use my finger to blend. When I press my lips together, it creates a gorgeous, diffused effect. Its sheerness is another major win, too, since I don't need to be too precise with my application (although it does come with a built-in sharpener on one end in case you do want more definition). Bonus: the jojoba complex formula is ultra-hydrating, which means that it won’t settle into fine lines as you go about your day.
Merit's lip liner comes in eight neutral shades: Beverly Hills, a soft peachy pink; Bespoke, a pink brown; Coupé, a cool pink; Sportif, a warm peachy brown; Mayfair, a cool mauve; Tabac, a neutral brown; Brownstone, a warm brown; and Capricorn, a deep brown. Natural lips are my go-to so Beverly Hills made its way into my heart fast. It's the perfect pink shade for every day and gives my lips a nice boost of color without going too overboard. The color lasts impressively well for how creamy and hydrating the formula is, too—I wore the liner to a concert and my lips still looked softly defined after a night of singing.
MC's Beauty Writer, Ariel Baker, is equally as obsessed with Merit's lip liner. "I honestly didn't expect to love this lip liner as much as I did," she admits. "This pencil almost allows you to skip the blending step because it's so sheer that it already has that shadowy 'lived-in' look as soon as you add your lip color on top, almost as if it's a lip contour just as much as it's a lip pencil. I truly have been reaching for this much more than my other pencils, which I never would have predicted."
If you've been burned by dry, too-pigmented liners in the past, Merit's new Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner will change your mind—I know it has for me.
