Top 3 Favorite Neutral / MLBB Drugstore Lipliners

I wanted to share my top 3 favorite drugstore MLBB (my lips but better) neutral pink lip liners. Neutral pink shades are the ultimate in versatility - perfect for everyday makeup, adding definition to nude lipsticks, and adding dimension to berry lipsticks. Even better, each of these is under $5!

Without further ado, my top 3:

• NYX Lipliner Pencil - #860 Peekaboo Neutral
• Milani Color Statement Lipliner - #03 Nude
• Jordana Easyliner For Lips - Tawny 

I love neutral MLBB pinks and wear them often. These are my top 3 most reached for neutral lip liners, and for good reason - I think that these 3 are the best 3 lip liner formulas at the drugstore. Each of these is pigmented, easy to apply, and very affordable.

Formula

The formula is what we are all here for, right? All 3 of these are very good, but the formulas are very different. NYX's lip liner formula is very pigmented and opaque and sets to a natural matte finish. This means that the NYX pencil will tug on your lips and be the most drying of the three, but will also wear the longest. Milani's pencil formula is more emollient than NYX, but is almost as pigmented and creates a satin matte finish. Milani's range also comes in significantly fewer shades than NYX's. Jordana's formula is the most sheer of the three with a medium opacity and also comes off with a satin matte finish. I find Jordana's formula to be the most forgiving for dry lips, but also has a slightly shorter wear time to compensate.

Packaging

NYX and Milani's lip liners are traditional pencils, while Jordana's is a twist up pencil.  As a result, the Jordana pencil tip is smaller in diameter unless you keep sharpening the other pencils after every use. I find that the NYX pencil really smells like a pencil (anyone else smell wood shavings strongly?) when you sharpen it. The Milani pencil sharpens more easily and I don't get that classic sharpened pencil smell. I would also like to note that NYX makes a twist up pencil version, but I don't own any to compare.

Swatches

Swatches were done directly from the pencil onto bare, unprimed skin. From left to right, NYX Lipliner Pencil in Peekaboo Neutral, Milani Color Statement Lipliner in Nude, Jordana Easyliner For Lips in Tawny.

As you can see, NYX Peekaboo Neutral is slightly more red, Milani Nude is slightly more mauve purple, and Tawny is a classic warm pink. My natural lip color matches Milani Nude almost perfectly, so NYX Peekaboo Neutral is a little darker than my natural lip color and Jordana Tawny is a little more pink than my bare lips. All three create a pretty, neutral look and would work well for many skintones.

Pairings

While I sometimes wear lip liner alone, I usually pair it with a lipstick or gloss. My favorite MLBB and pink lipstick pairings are Urban Decay Revolution in Rush, NYX Matte Lipstick in Natural, NYX Butter Lipstick in Pops, and Revlon Creme Lipstick in Temptress. My favorite gloss pairings are NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee, NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige, and Buxom Full On Lip Polish in Dolly.

My ultimate favorite and most worn lip liner in my entire collection is Milani's Nude.  Milani's formula is a fantastic compromise between pigmentation, wear time, creaminess, and comfort. Highly recommend!