Can you use a kid’s colouring pencil dipped in water to replace lip liner?

The hack
Using a coloured pencil as a lipliner, according to fans on TikTok.

The test
Some hacks make sense; some seem slightly pointless from the get-go. One that fits into the second category is, for me, using a coloured pencil dipped in water in place of a lipliner pencil. Before we even try this, it’s worth just remembering that although they may feel like an extravagance or an afterthought, great lipliners are one of the most undervalued makeup products out there: they can be used to line the lips with a slick of balm for a natural vibe, and they help keep lipstick on longer if you use them on the whole lip before applying lipstick.

Lipliners can be bought fairly cheaply too: Makeup Revolution and Nyx have some for under £5. But in the name of trying this hack, I “borrow” a red pencil from a friend’s child, sharpen it and, as the TikTok method describes, dip it in water and try to apply it like a lipliner. But it didn’t really work: my pencil was still pretty hard and I couldn’t get it on my lips at all. All it did was drag my skin fairly harshly. Maybe I just picked a bad pencil, but it’s worth remembering that coloured pencils haven’t been tested for use on skin.

The verdict
Not for me. Lipliners are more expensive, yes, but they have a degree of softness to allow them to deposit on the skin and blend with your lipstick.