We Reviewed The New Sheer Merit Beauty Lip Liner (2025)

Whether it’s perfecting a cupid’s bow, overlining our lips, or creating a budge-proof base for lipstick, there’s almost nothing a lip liner can’t do. This is why lip liners are some of the most reached-for products in our beauty arsenals. So when the ELLE team heard Merit Beauty, a brand known for effortless makeup looks, was launching their first-ever lip liner, along with a collection of lip oils, we were delighted.

What’s the promise? The Signature Lip Sheer Liner is a hydrating gel formula designed for soft definition and sheer, all-over coverage. It’s an intriguing concept. Traditionally, lip liners are matte and opaque, perfect perfecting an uneven lip or overlining Kardashian-style, but less ideal for quick application on the go or layering over dry lips.

As a lazy beauty lover with, yes a slightly uneven lip line, I often use lip liners solo. They provide fast, efficient definition without the heavy feeling of lipstick. But as someone with perpetually dry lips, I’ve struggled with liners that cling to every crack and crevice, leaving me constantly topping up with lip gloss.

So, I was intrigued by the concept of a hydrating formula.

Merit notes on the product copy that “if you’re looking for a sharp, ultra-defined liner, this isn’t it.” But I think this undersells the product. While the liner isn’t opaque, and I wouldn’t try overdrawing my lips with it (it’s not 2015, and I wouldn’t try that anyway), it provides immediate, natural definition and glides evenly across the lips.

The shade range features wearable neutrals, exactly what you’d expect from a brand that focuses on “could do it with your eyes closed” no-makeup makeup beauty. With eight shades ranging from rosy pinks to biscuity nudes and deep browns, each designed to match your natural lip colour, there’s something for everyone. Plus, the new Shade Slick Sheen lip oils, released in four shades to complement the liners, are a perfect match.

I found Coupé, a pink-rose, to be my “your lips but better” shade. Incidentally, it’s also the shade used by my new favourite person The White Lotus’s Aimee Lou Wood in this video, so felt like a no-brainer.

How Merit Beauty Signature Lip Sheer Liner Performed

The liner delivers a soft, satin finish while still feeling satisfyingly “grippy” (just what a good liner should feel like). I’ve been lining my lips and slightly blurring the edges inward for a softly defined look. Merit really cuts out the effort here, and I’m particularly grateful for the twist-up pencil with a sharpener hidden in the cap — because, honestly, I can never find one to save my life.

I’ve been pairing Coupé with the Shade Slick Sheen lip oil in Biarritz, a caramel rose, for a long-lasting, glossy 90s lip look. If you’re looking for a one-and-done product, this has become a staple in my everyday handbag.

If you’re ready for an easier life and believably full lip line Merit Beauty has granted ELLE readers early access — so you can skip the waitlist and shop before the shades sell out.