The Genius Reason You Should Swap Out Your Lip Liner for a Highlighter Pencil

May we blow your full-lip-loving and simultaneously highlighter-obsessed minds? Get this: When makeup artist Carmindy gives living legend Isabella Rossellini her signature red lip, she doesn't use a lip liner, like we've all been told to do when wearing a bold shade. She uses a *highlighter pencil.* Why, you ask? Because it makes her pout look fuller but not in an obviously-overdrawn kind of way.

"It captures light and gives the lips a natural, fuller look that enhances them without having to draw on a false shape," Carmindy tells us.

In addition to being a more ✨lit✨, natural-looking, and harder-to-mess-up alternative, there's another benefit: It also ensures your lip color stays in the lines.

"The waxy texture of a pencil works well to stop bleeding," explains Carmindy, whose go-to is Benefit's High Brow Glow Luminous Highlight & Lift pencil (opens in new tab).

If you're opposed to pencil usage for any reason (or just don't have one—in which case see our recs below), you can also use a highlighting powder or cream around the lips.

And then of course there's the trick you probably already know: Trace just the "v" with a highlighting product to make your cupid's bow pop.

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