Budget Beauty: Five great lip liners under P200

After reading Liz’s article on whether it’s still worth splurging on expensive makeup, I checked my stash for which makeup items I don’t tend to spend much on. I found that for each makeup category, I own an even mix of drugstore and high-end stuff - except for one: lip liner.

Lip liners are a must-have if you want your lipstick to stay on all day with no bleeding or feathering. Color-coordinate your shades, or choose a lighter or darker base to change your lipstick color! I find that with lip liners, a significant jump in price usually doesn’t mean a proportionate increase in quality. It’s easy to find really good ones under P200. 

Here are some of the best ones we’ve found!

Essence Lip Liner (P99 for 1g, department stores)

Lip liners from Essence are the creamiest I’ve tried so far. They are so creamy that I use it more as a lipstick than a lip liner! If you prefer zero tugging with your lip liners, these are the ones to get.

There’s a good number of shades to choose from that would complement most lipstick colors in your collection. Two of my favorite shades in this line are 07 Cute Pink (medium blue-based pink) and 06 Satin Mauve (a my-lips-but-better pink mauve).

Etude House Soft Touch Auto Lipliner (P98 for 0.2g, department stores)

These lip liners apply tuggier compared to the Essence ones, but they’re still convenient to put on. These have a cult-following in matte lipstick universe. As a self-confessed matte lipstick addict, I often get asked if I’ve already tried these as an all-over lip color.

I love that it’s in a retractable pencil format. My only gripe with this is that it only has 0.2 grams of product. When you extend the whole thing, it’s barely even an inch long. This is better used just for lining the edge of the lips.

There are 5 shades in the collection: #01 Soft Rose, #02 Pink Beige, #03 Milky Brown, #04 Real Rose, #05 Natural Berry. Of particular note is Milky Brown. If you find brown lip colors to be very intimidating, we highly recommend the latter.

Nichido Lip Pencil (P100 for 1.14g, department stores)

Some of the best from local brand options are Nichido’s lip pencils. The product is not exactly creamy, but it’s easy to apply.

I tried to hunt down the complete shade selection but in all of the stores I went to, most of the shades are out of stock. This isn’t surprising, because I would buy at least two, if I find a store that carries Nichido’s classic nude pink liner in Rosette.

Another shade to check out is Spice. It's a deep brown-tinged red that make my teeth look white despite the warm hue.

Tony Moly Easy Touch Auto Lip Liner (P178 for 0.2g, Tony Moly)

This lip liner comes in a unique, retractable dual-ended pencil with a lip brush on the other end. The product is so creamy that it can be sheered out with the lip brush it comes with. It's perfect for achieving the stained lips look, particularly if you use 03 Red Wine or 05 Red. The other three shades in the collection are: 01 Rose Beige, 02 Rose Pink, and 04 Brown.

I really love the formula of these, but same problem as with Etude House, the pencils only have 0.2 grams of product.

Menow Kiss Proof Soft Lipstick (P149 for 4.5g, BeautyMNL.com)

So, you’ve bought one of these lipsticks and you found it too dry for your liking? Try lining your lips with it instead!

The best thing about this line is that there are 19 shades to choose from. If you’re the type who wants your lip liner to exactly match your lipstick, you have better chances of doing so from Menow’s offerings.

I hope this helps! If you know of any good but inexpensive lip liners, please share them in the comments!