The Illusion of fuller lips Rimmel Cappuccino Lip Liner – Unfading Beauty

Despite all the ridiculous nonsense on TikTok (yes, I’m old), it occasionally produces something genuinely useful.

I know I’m late to the party but I tried this one and it works.

After slogging through numerous long-winded step-by-step guides, this is the short version.

• Outline the top lip, in a medium brown shade, extending it almost to the corners and slightly overlining your natural lip line.
• Repeat the process on the lower lip, see my expert illustration below for guidance.
• Using your preferred coloured lip liner pencil, extend the line to the corners of your mouth.
• Fill in (a lip brush is useful here) with gloss or lipstick of your choice.

That’s it—like most makeup, it’s all about illusion. The brown lip liner creates a shadow effect that makes the lips appear fuller but still natural.

I used this technique a few times initially to get a feel for it, and now I have to use it all the time, or I feel like something’s missing.

If I didn’t have a phobia of needles and a fear that I’d be the one in a million to suffer a severe allergic reaction, I think I’d get the tiniest amount of filler to add a touch of volume to my lips. This is the next best thing and takes seconds.

If you have time, this is the long, detailed version.

THE FULL-ON VERSION

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Rimmel Cappuccino Lip Pencil
• Lip exfoliator
• Lip balm or primer
• Nude or clear lip gloss
• Concealer or foundation
• Lip brush

STEP 1

Prep lips with a lip exfoliator.

e.l.f  has an excellent exfoliator for £5.00. Shades Brown Sugar and Coconut are the best two flavours in my opinion. Scrubby and effective.

I said I wouldn’t splurge on the outrageously expensive DIOR Addict Lip Sugar Scrub Exfoliating Lip Balm (£33.00, Escentual) *

But, of course, I caved. It’s an absolute delight to use—the sugary particles melt effortlessly into your lips like a balm, leaving them beautifully soft and smooth. That said, full disclosure: the stick is quite slim, and there’s not a lot of product for your money!

STEP 2

Apply lip balm or primer, and leave it to sink in for a few minutes.

DIOR’s Sugar Scrub transforms into a balm but being real, equally effective are:

Vaseline Lip Therapy Aloe Vera Lip Tin 20g down to £1.22 at BOOTS *

Carmex Moisturising Vanilla Lip Balm SPF15 £2.99 BOOTS *

STEP 3

Pat concealer or foundation around your lips, slightly over the lipline.

STEP 4

Sharpen the lip pencil and outline the top lip, extending it almost to the corners and slightly overlining your natural lip line.

Repeat the process on the lower lip.

STEP 5

Using your coloured lip liner extend the line to the corners of your mouth, ensuring not to overline them here or you’ll veer into Joker territory.

STEP 6

Fill in your lips using a lip brush (MAC 318, see below) with a nude gloss or your favourite lipstick, adding a dab of gloss in the centre for extra dimension.

THE STAR OF THE SHOW

Rimmel Lasting Finish 8-hour Lip Pencil in the shade Cappuccino

I have to say it—the pencil feels cheap, but the shade is spot on. It creates a subtle shadow effect, which is key to this look.

Some people prefer a blunt tip as it’s softer to work with, but I prefer the pencil to be sharpened for a more precise finish. The quality of the wood isn’t great as it sharpens unevenly, and sometimes tiny splinters break off.

As for being creamy and long-lasting, I’m not entirely sure where that claim originates—I constantly find myself reapplying it. I forgive everything though, because the shade is so right for my pale skin tone.

That said, I’m looking for a higher-end alternative. I’ve considered Charlotte Tilbury’s Iconic Nude, but it doesn’t live up to Cappuccino. I’ve read that e.l.f and NYX have similar light brown-toned pencils but again, they’re on the cheapy side so my quest continues.

My go-to lip pencils for lining the corners of my mouth are the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheats, priced at £21.00 – Black Friday price £16.00 on 22/11/124 at John Lewis *

They glide onto lips without tugging at the skin (I see you, Rimmel), offer strong pigment – especially 90s pink and long-lasting wear. Plus, they sharpen beautifully.

My only gripe is that the ‘lead’ doesn’t always extend to the bottom, and sometimes it falls out as the pencil shortens.

Favourite Lip Pencil shades

• M.I. Kiss (formerly Bond Girl) – Natural berry (I’d describe it as a light berry shade)
• Supersize Me – Deep nude pink
• Pillow Talk (of course) – Nude pink
• Hot Gossip – Tawny rose pink
• Walk of Shame – Dark rose pink
• 90s Pink – All-time favourite, see a review here.

Black Friday at John Lewis Charlotte Tilbury Lip Liners down from £21.00 to £16.00 John Lewis *

LIP BRUSH

The best one is MAC 318 Retractable Lip Brush, which is 9cm when closed and 13.5cm when retracted. I’ve used this for years. There’s no lid which explains the poor reviews, but I’ve pre-loaded lipstick on it for a fast touch-up when out and about and it’s never transferred onto my makeup bag. Now an eye-watering £21.00, it’s on sale for £15.75 at MAC.

ONE STEP FURTHER

This is another lipstick ‘hack’ I must have read about somewhere learned all by myself only recently.

Think Angelina Jolie. Called everything from a central lip cleft to a lower double lobe or bottom lip cleavage, it’s the slight lip crease that runs down the centre of the lower lip.

This is the 5-second way to recreate it making lips look even bigger and kinda sexy, you’ll see.

Draw a vertical line down the centre of your lower lip using the Rimmel lip pencil. When applying lipstick or gloss, go over it lightly so the line remains subtly visible. This is one of the reasons I love using a lip brush—it gives you the precision to perfect this look.

SHOPPING INFORMATION

CONCLUSION

These techniques aren’t new but they’re simple and WORK!