Are Louis Vuitton’s New Lip Liners Worth the Splurge? We Tried Them

3 min read

Dame Pat McGrath, legendary makeup artist and creative director of cosmetics for La Beauté Louis Vuitton, starts all of her makeup looks with a crisp lip liner. “Every look I have ever created for the Louis Vuitton runway begins with a lip line—it’s where precision becomes art,” she says in a press release. The new LV Lip Crayon, designed by McGrath, is made to be a glidable and buildable pencil thanks to its buttery texture and semimatte finish.

The LV Lip Crayon arrives as an extension of the La Beauté lip collection and is meant to be used in conjunction with the LV Rouge and LV Baume. It is also available in 10 shades, from soft nudes and warm terracotta hues to deep brown and burgundy shades, and is embossed with the brand’s iconic Monogram Flower. The liner retails for $58, and the ELLE team had to put it to the test to see if it’s worth the splurge. Below, see our candid thoughts about the fashion house’s latest beauty launch.

Kathleen Hou, Beauty Director

“The best tip that Pat McGrath gave me for lip liner is that defining your cupid’s bow is one of the most important elements. If you don’t do this, it’s like you’re not even wearing any lip liner at all. With its beveled base (to give you a secure handling on the pencil) and pigmented formula, the LV Crayon ensures that it’s foolproof to weild. The formula is so creamy that you don’t need much pressure at all—I even broke a few tips because I pressed too hard. The array of flattering nude lip shades, plus a few vibrant reds and darker colors, are a McGrath signature. The Nude Rêverie shade was a perfect match for the vermillion border (the pinky-red edge of my lips), and it was visible and luxe, and especially appropriate for the Fragrance Foundation Awards.”

Katie Berohn, Beauty Editor

“Unfortunately for my bank account, the LV Crayon in Nude Rêverie is my ideal lip liner. I love a Nina Park lip, where the top is slightly overdrawn and shadowy, and for my skin tone, this rose-toned neutral is my perfect shade. It adds just the right amount of definition, and I end up with a ‘my lips but better’ effect. It goes on super creamy and doesn’t tug on my skin while I drag it and blends in easily. I like pairing it with Merit’s Signature Lip Blush in Andie. My only qualm is that I wish it lasted longer—I have to reapply within an hour.”

Emma Aerin Becker, Associate Beauty Commerce Writer

“This lip liner may be pricey, but one swipe makes it easy to see why. The pigment is beautifully intense and the formula is buttery smooth, so it’s ultra-easy to create a crisp outline and diffuse it out to your desired level. I tested shade Nude Quest, which pulled a little orange on me, but looked great once topped with a brown-toned gloss. Because of its creamy texture, this liner isn’t the most long-wearing option. However, the color looks stunning while it lasts.”

Tasha Nicole Smith, Beauty Assistant

“I am loyal to a dark brown lip liner and rarely try other colors, but this deep burgundy shade will definitely be in my summer makeup rotation. Lip liners are an important part of my makeup routine, so I am a notoriously harsh critic. This one passed the test. Firstly, the formula is so smooth and pigmented, that I was truly shocked. I used the shade Plum Comet and the deep berry color was vibrant and lasted for hours before needing to be reapplied. Since the color was a bit of a deviation from my usual, I paired it with my staple M.A.C Cosmetics liner in Chestnut for a nice gradient (and more familiar) finish.”