How to Overline Lips to get NATURAL-looking Fuller, Juicy Lips

before and after overline thin lips

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 how to wear lipstick with thin lips 

As a Makeup Artist, I believe that lips are one of those makeup steps that determine the entire makeup look.

you can easily find if the makeup was done right just by looking at the lips, more specifically, the lip liner.

I have seen some people doing the “overlined lips hack” by literally just overlining their lips and this looks just bad.

Is it possible to overline your lips to make them look naturally fuller? totally.

I also have thin lips, that If I don’t do my lip makeup the right way they look almost inexistent.

So I have developed a quick and easy lip makeup routine that with only using some simple hacks I can make my thin lips look bigger.

And today, I’ll show you how below.

Here’s how to overline lips to make them appear bigger and fuller in 5 minutes!

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Is it okay to Overline your lips?

Overlining your lips is a technique that can be a bit tricky, but it’s definitely okay to do if you do it right.

The key to making it work is to make sure that you’re blending the overline with your natural lip line so it looks seamless and not like you’re trying too hard.

If you overline your lips too much, it can end up looking really obvious and a bit strange.

But if you use the right technique, it can actually make your lips look fuller and more defined.

The trick is to use a lip liner that’s the same color or almost the same color as your lips, and then slightly extend the line beyond your natural lip line, focusing on the center of your lips.

To blend the line, use a small brush or your finger to soften the edges and make it look more natural.

You can then apply your lipstick or lip gloss as usual, and you’ll have a beautiful, full pout.

If you’re new to overlining your lips and want to see the technique in action, check the full step-by-step tutorial below.

How do you Realistically overline your lips?

The trick to realistically overlining your lips is to focus the overline in the center of your lips.

This means using a lip liner that is similar in tone to your natural lip color, or slightly darker if you want a more defined look.

A nude lip liner is a great option for achieving a natural-looking overline.

Another helpful tip is to use a lip liner that matches the natural contour on your face.

This can help create a more cohesive look, and make your overline appear more seamless.

When applying the lip liner, start at the Cupid’s bow and draw a line that is slightly above your natural lip line.

Then, work your way out towards the corners of your mouth, still keeping the line close to your natural lip line. Be sure to focus on the center of your lips, where the overline will have the most impact.

Once you have your lip liner applied, you can fill in your lips with a matching lipstick or gloss.

This will help blend the overline with your natural lip color, and create a more natural-looking result.

How to apply lipstick to thin lips to make them look Naturally fuller

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The right way to apply lipstick to thin lips is by selecting the lipstick shade and a similar but darker shade for the lip liner.

After that, overline your natural lip line with the lip liner and blend it with your lipstick. This will make your lips look bigger.

You can also, highlight the center of your lips with a highlighter or a really light color lipstick.

Always use the lip contour and lip prep steps for better results

 how to make thin lips fuller: (Tutorial)

I love wearing nude lips, so in this fuller lips tutorial, I will show you exactly how to make your thin lips look bigger using nude lipstick.

These are the exact steps I use to make properly overline my lips so they look fuller but natural.

NOTE: These tips and tricks can be applied with ANY lipstick shade of your preference.

1. Prep your lips

Like any other lip makeup, we need to start with the beginning which is having a good base.

You don’t want to have those dead skin cells on your lips mixed with your lipstick. This just doesn’t look good.

So to prep your lips for this overlined lips tutorial we need to exfoliate them.

This is super simple, just gently scrub a lip exfoliator for 30 seconds to one minute for your lips and remove the dead skin cells with a makeup remover wipe or a clean wash cloth.

A good lip exfoliator that I found on amazon is this one here, It just leaves the lips so soft and delicious!

The second thing we want to make sure to have properly prepared lips is lip balm!

If you love a good lip balm that also has a touch of color like me, check this one.

The tiny sheer tint doesn’t interfere with the following steps.

2. Select the right lip liner

Because I’m doing a nude makeup tutorial, I’m obviously using a nude lip liner.


How to pick the right lip liner to overline the lips?

You should seek a slightly darker than your lipstick lip liner.

IF you are doing natural/nude lip makeup, you should seek a natural nude lip liner but slightly darker than your NATURAL LIP COLOR.

If you are using red lipstick, you can try a dark wine lip liner or even a dark brown lip liner.

BUT, try to avoid super dark lip liners for this one.

The best approach to make your overline lip makeup look natural is by using also a natural shade of lip liner that is similar to your lips or just slightly darker than the lipstick that you will use.

Lip liner tips

  1. Using a lip liner that is similar but slighty darker than your natural lips color
  2. You can use other colors of lip liner if you are doing a fucsia or red lip makeup.
  3. Seek for creamy but long lasting formulas, so it doesn’t dry your lip makeup but also stays in place all day.

My top 3 lip liners for overlining the lips

  1. Milani lip liner (Best Overall)
  2. Italia Deluxe lip liner (Best Offer)
  3. L’oreal Age Perfect lip liner (Best for thin lips)

Ok so now that we have selected the right lip makeup products and have our lips prepared, let’s start with the makeup tricks!

3. Apply cream contour

The first makeup hack to make your lips look more fuller BUT natural is lip contour!

How to contour your lips?


Use a pointy contour stick like this one and apply it above your natural lips but leave a small space between the contour and your lips for the lip liner.

This trick will create a shade that will create the illusion that the lip liner that we are about to apply is actually your natural lip line.

Also, apply some contour below your bottom lip to make them look fuller.

This will create a lip injections effect without actually getting injections.

Trust me!

Don’t forget to blend your contour well until you have a shade that looks natural.

how to do lip contour tutorial

Related Makeup post: 7 Amazing Cream Contour Sticks you need to try! (Affordable options)

4. Overline your natural lip shape the right way

Next, let’s overline the lips!

Here’s the trick.

Overline your lips right above your natural lip line (and below your lip contour we just did) and overline ONLY THE CENTER of your lips and just line the lips corner as you would normally do.

overlining thin lips, tutorial

This is crucial!

if we only overline the center of the lips and line the lip corners, as usual, the overlined lip liner will look more natural and blended with your natural lip line.

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5. Blend the lip liner 

Now, blend the lip liner using a lip brush or the tip of a finger before applying lipstick.

To blend even better, try to blend the liner towards the center of your lips and concentrate the product on the lip corners.

overlining thin lips to make them look fuller

6. Apply lipstick

Next, apply the lipstick as you normally would.

Try to center the product on the center of the lips and blend it towards the lip line we just did.

What kind of lipstick to use?

Basically, you can use any lipstick you want, but I’d recommend avoiding matte liquid lipsticks.

You can try cream/satin liquid lipsticks, regular lipsticks, colored lip gloss, and my favorite cream lip color.

Related Makeup post: The 10 best Nude lipsticks for every Type of Woman! (Affordable options)

7. Highlight the lips

how to highlight the lips

The next step is totally optional. I’m actually going to give you two alternatives to this step.

This step consists in using a lighter shade to highlight your lips and complement the contour we did earlier.

You can use a powder highlighter, cream highlighter, a lighter lipstick shade, or (like me) my concealer.

Related makeup post: The Absolute best cream highlighters that will make you Glow like a queen (and Why these are my favorites!)

I know this can sound a little weird but since I’m doing nude/natural lip makeup, using the same concealer that I use to highlight the rest of my face as a lip highlighter, it actually makes sense.

Check how it went below.

Thin lips that look bigger by using lips contour and highlight

8. The natural juicy lips hack

Another way to tock this overlined lips makeup is by also doing what I call the Natural juicy lips to hack.

This lip makeup hack consists in using a red/pink lipstick right in the center of the lips instead of doing the highlighter part of the step above.

The cream lip color that I’m using for this makeup tutorial is from this amazing lip color palette from Maybelline.

Since I found this lip palette I just can not stop using it! It’s part of my everyday bag essential because the formula is just perfect, and I LOVE the full coverage it has and how it easily blends on the lips.

The best way to do it is by applying a small amount of creamy lipstick with your fingers and blending it well with your lip liner.

The key is to concentrate the product on the center of the lips to make them look like we have bitten lips

and this makes the illusion of juicier, sexier lips.

how to overline thin lips to make them look fuller

Related Makeup post: MAKEUP 101 Guide (Free printable pdf ebook available)

9. How to overline lips with lip gloss

Can you overline lips using lip gloss? Totally!

The cherry on top of the cake is to also apply a clear lip gloss! Check these amazing lip glosses set.

juicy lips makeup tutorial for thin lips

How to Overline your lips without lip liner

Overlining your lips without a lip liner is definitely possible. Here are a few tips on how to do it with different products:

Contour stick:

You can use a cream contour stick to overline your lips.

Choose a shade that’s slightly darker than your natural lip color, and start by drawing a line just above your natural lip line.

Blend it in with a small brush or your finger, focusing on the center of your lips to create a more natural-looking effect.

Powder contour:

If you prefer to use powder products, you can use a contour powder to overline your lips.

Use a small brush to apply the powder just above your natural lip line, and then blend it in using a clean brush or your finger.

Again, focus on the center of your lips for a more natural look.

Lipstick:

You can also use a darker lipstick to overline your lips.

Choose a shade that’s slightly darker than your natural lip color, and start by applying it just above your natural lip line.

Then, blend it in using a lip brush or your finger, focusing on the center of your lips.

No matter which product you choose to use, the key to achieving a natural-looking overline is to focus on the center of your lips.

By gradually building up the product in the center and blending it out towards the edges, you can create a fuller, more defined pout without it looking overdone.

Remember to start with a clean, dry canvas and choose a product that’s similar in tone to your natural lip color.

And as always, practice makes perfect!

With a bit of trial and error, you’ll soon find the technique that works best for you.

Final Results on How to Overline lips

This is the final result of this fuller lips makeup tutorial!

I literally do this lip makeup routine every single time that I do my makeup

because I can have the illusion of bigger lips in just 5 minutes of doing these extra lip makeup steps.

And the results are just great.

What’s next? Check these FREE makeup guides on the blog:

  • Let me know what you think about this thin lips tutorial! There’s something else that you would add to it? Have you tried something similar before?
  • How to Overline Lips Like a Pro (Thin lips Tutorial)

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