Lip Liner prolongs the wear of any lip color. Applying lip liner before your lipstick or lip gloss helps prevent the color from bleeding or feathering–making it a dream for dark lipstick lovers. How to Apply: Completely fill in the mouth with lip liner to create a base for your lip color; this helps with color longevity. Liner should always be one shade darker than your natural lip color, or a shade darker or lighter than your gloss or stick of choice. Matte Lip Liner Pencil. Provides smooth lines.