Lip Liner

It is chosen by people whose lip border has softened, whose two sides differ slightly, or who simply want their lipstick to sit neatly without drawing a line first. On its own it can look like a ring of colour once the rest of the lip fades, so many technicians recommend blending it into a light wash of colour across the whole lip instead of leaving a hard outline.

Overlining beyond the natural border is possible but ages poorly and is hard to undo, which is why most studios keep any adjustment subtle and symmetry-focused. A perfecting visit six to eight weeks later is standard, and longevity varies by salon, pigment line, skin type and sun exposure — lips fade faster than brows.

The border is drawn on with pencil and checked with you at conversation distance and in a mirror, since symmetry judged up close can look wrong from a metre away. After topical numbing, a machine traces the line and then softens it inward with lighter passes. The session is shorter than full lip work, often around an hour and a half. The line looks sharper and darker for the first few days than it will once healed.