I'll admit that I used to think lipliner was completely unnecessary. Even throughout wearing stage makeup in performances of The Nutcracker for 8 years, I would always skip the liner and end up with red lipstick running down my face halfway through Waltz of the Flowers. (I always skipped filling in my eyebrows, too - I know, I was naive!)
Fast forward to this fall when the popularity of lip liner exploded. Suddenly everyone was talking about its uses not only to keep your lipstick from bleeding outside of your lips, but to fill in your entire lips with it for a lip color that would stay put. And apparently you could subtly enhance your lips, making them look fuller.
The first lipliner I really fell in love with was MAC's Lip Pencil in Whirl. This subtle browny-pink nude shade is perfect for that subtle enhancement I mentioned before. While I don't necessarily overdraw my lips, I do like to subtly even out any inconsistencies. Since the color of the lips naturally fades out towards the edges, lining the natural line of the lips and filling them in actually makes my lips appear larger. I've taken to using this neutral shade to line my lips no matter what I plan on putting on top.
Since falling in love with Whirl I've started to slowly collect different colors. After Whirl, I set my sights on Soar by MAC, similar to Whirl but with more pink/mauve. Unfortunately it's always sold out, but I've found what seems pretty similar in the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Lip Pencil in Rush - a pink-mauve shade with a tiny hint of brown, but with some subtle shimmer. This doesn't appear as chunky glitter on the lips, but rather subtly enhances the shape and softly plumps the lips. Another great natural color is the Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lipliner in Eastend Snob. It's much more pink with almost none of the brown of my other options.
So far I've only fallen in love with the natural, lip-enhancing shades, but I'd love to try out some bolder colors as a long-lasting option. So any suggestions of your favorites are welcome!