MAC Plum Lip Liner and How to Wear a Berry Lip Line

MAC Plum Lip Liner and How to Wear a Berry Lip Line

The MAC Plum lip liner is a reddened plum pencil that makes almost any berry lip look finished. Here it sits with the berry liners, lipsticks and glosses I would pair with it, from a soft stain to a deep evening lip.

MAC started in Toronto in 1984, when makeup artist Frank Toskan and salon owner Frank Angelo began making products that would hold up under the hot lights of photo shoots. The line was built for professionals first, which explains why so many of its pencils are still in makeup kits today. The MAC Plum lip liner is one of those quiet classics, described by the brand as a potent reddened plum. It works as a liner under almost any berry lipstick, and on its own it gives a stained, lived-in lip that looks great with a black turtleneck.

The rest of this row is berry lip liners in different depths. MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil in Boundless Berry is a medium berry that lasts. Fenty Beauty Trace'd Out in They So Vine is a waterproof berry that stays for up to eight hours. Anastasia Beverly Hills in Blackberry is the deepest, a velvety matte. Saie Lip Liner 101 in Fling is a rich red plum that is very easy to blend. MERIT Sheer Lip Liner in Subconscious is a plum mauve soft enough to fill the whole lip. NARS Long Lasting Matte Lip Liner is a mulberry that does not tug, and m.ph Overliner in When in Rome is a deep plum with peptides.

A quick test: line only your bottom lip and look in the mirror. If the pencil makes your lips look fuller, not smaller, you have the right depth.

Floating collage of MAC Lip Pencil in Plum, Anastasia Beverly Hills lip liner in Blackberry, Pat McGrath Labs Night Kiss, Valentino It's Valentino Baby, Fara Homidi Pomme and Tom Ford Midnight Encounter over a plum dusk sky and sea
MAC Plum Lip Liner

Plum and berry lip liners

Berry lipsticks to fill in

A berry lipstick is the most flattering fall color for a lot of people, because it sits between red and brown. These are the lipsticks I would pair with a plum liner.

PAT McGRATH LABS SatinAllure in Night Kiss is a deep berry rose with a dewy finish. Hourglass Unlocked Soft Matte in Currant 362 is a deep berry with a built-in primer. HUNG VANNGO Award Winner is a rich berry in a creamy matte. Valentino Spike in It's Valentino Baby is a rich deep berry that goes on in one stroke. Sarah Creal Speak For Yourself in Pay Equity is a strong berry with a luminous finish. Laura Mercier Caviar Smoothing Matte in Plum Plisse is a warm berry that lasts up to sixteen hours. ILIA Color Block in Wild Aster is a softer berry, and MAKEUP BY MARIO Ultra Suede in Lucia is a berry mauve with a soft-focus finish.

Pairing tip: line and fill your lips with the plum pencil first, then apply the berry lipstick on top. The liner acts like a primer and the color lasts much longer.

What I would skip: a berry lipstick with no liner on a long day. Deep colors fade unevenly from the center and leave a ring. A liner underneath fixes that.

Berry lipsticks

Berry glosses for a softer look

A berry gloss over a plum liner is the softest version of this look, perfect for daytime or for anyone who finds a full berry lipstick too much.

tarte maracuja juicy lip plumping gloss in Berry is a berry shimmer with a little plump. MAKE UP FOR EVER Super Boost in Boundless Berry is a berry pink with hyaluronic acid and a cooling feel. Jillian Dempsey Lip Gloss in Lavish Berry has no stickiness and no sting. Good Weather Skin Daily Lip Sun Gloss in Ripe Berry has SPF 30, which is great for sunny winter days. Fara Homidi Soft Glass in Pomme is a translucent pink berry. Lancôme Lip Idole JuicyTreat comes in a plum berry with squalane. HUNG VANNGO Glossy Lip Hue in From The Heart is a deep berry, and TOM FORD Soleil in Midnight Encounter starts glossy and leaves a transfer-resistant tint.

How to use them: line with the plum pencil, smudge it inward with a fingertip, then add a berry gloss on top. It looks like a stain with shine.

What I would skip: a very sheer, light gloss over a deep plum liner. The contrast shows. Pick a gloss with some berry pigment so the two blend.

Berry glosses

Building a berry lip

Start with the MAC Plum lip liner and one berry gloss. Line, smudge and add gloss, and you have a daytime berry lip in under a minute. For evenings, swap the gloss for a berry lipstick from the middle row, and fill in the whole lip with liner first so the color lasts through dinner. Keep the pencil sharp and your lip line soft. A berry lip is one of the easiest ways to look put together in fall, and a good plum liner is the tool that makes it work every time.