There is something quietly rebellious about a well-drawn lip. Once dismissed as a relic of the ’90s—too sharp, too defined, too contrived—the lip liner has reclaimed its place in beauty’s most coveted routines. It marks a shift away from the glossed minimalism of the “clean girl” era toward something more tactile, expressive, and imperfect. Where once the ideal was seamless and bare, today’s beauty mood is embracing dark, defined, lip liners.
The revival of lip liner is steeped in nostalgia. The ’90s, that decade of quiet rebellion and polished nonchalance, still dictate much of what we find aspirational. Back then, a sharply defined lip—usually in shades of brown, taupe, or rosewood—became shorthand for confidence and individuality. The new wave doesn’t replicate that look; it evolves it.
Few have captured this evolution quite like Huda Beauty. With ‘Lip Contour Stain’ and ‘Faux Filler Jelly Oil,’ Huda Kattan has reimagined the ritual for a generation fluent in both precision and play. The Lip Contour Stain, a hybrid between a stain and liner, offers 12-hour wear and a matte finish that doesn’t bleed or budge, making it the perfect tool perfect for achieving that subtly overlined pout without the fuss.
@haileybieber yes chef 🙇🏼♀️ @rhode skin ♬ Messy – Lola Young
Additionally, Rhode’s ‘Peptide Lip Shape’ pencils—courtesy of Hailey Bieber, the poster child for minimalist glamour—reimagine the contouring ritual for the post-clean-girl generation.
The appeal of this new wave lies in its duality. Lip liner can be both armor and invitation, definition and diffusion. It can alter proportions without injectables and add depth without drama. And perhaps that is why it resonates now.
