The 90s were all about lip liner. Destiny’s Child, Pamela Anderson, Halle Berry and Cindy Crawford are just a few iconic references to help you place the look. But, you know the one: darker outer edges with a lighter shade in the centre to give a pillowy pout effect. 

Then, gloss took over in the 00s and lip liners slowly disappeared from our make-up bags. However, it’s made a huge comeback in the past five or so years, and I often pick liner over lipstick these days. And I have to admit, this has been largely thanks to Hailey Bieber. 

She’s the godmother of the lip liner renaissance, in my opinion. When she was spotted using the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in a few TikTok videos, you couldn’t get hold of them afterwards. That’s the power of Hailey’s pout.

Now, she’s launching her own: the Rhode Peptide Lip Shape. Except they’re not lip liners; they’re ‘lip contours’, and the aim is to sculpt lips with a more diffused laid-back effect. Naturally, the Stylist beauty team had to get our hands on them to put them to the test. These are our honest thoughts on the Rhode Peptide Lip Shape. 

Hanna Ibraheem, Stylist’s beauty director

“As somebody with hyperpigmentation on my lips, particularly around the edges, lip liner has long been a make-up bag requisite. Except, I don’t really enjoy looking like I’m wearing lip liner, which is why I was a huge fan of Rhode’s version as soon as it touched my skin.

The pointed nib delivers definition but without being too harsh or crisp, and the formula settles onto the skin for a more diffused, blurred finish that also makes my lips look a bit plumper. Every one of the shades is gorgeous and incredibly wearable, but my favourite is Balance (pictured), which the brand describes as a ‘warm caramel’.

For me, it’s the ultimate my-lips-but-better shade. I sketched it along the lip line, pushing the bullet as far into the outer edge as possible and filling in the lips slightly – the creamy formula makes this so comfortable and there’s zero dragging. Then, I took a tip from Hailey’s viral make-up routine and topped it off with clear lip balm, but it wasn’t really needed as the liner has its own flattering sheen.”

Charlotte Bitmead, Stylist’s senior beauty writer

“I have to say, I am a complete Rhode convert. I have the Barrier Butter on the go at the moment, the Pocket Blushes are in my handbag and the famous phone case is currently keeping my iPhone cosy, but none of these items sparked quite the same excitement as when Hailey finally dropped the Rhode Peptide Lip Shapes. 

After being obsessed with lipstick in my teens, I’m now a lip liner convert. They give me a more au naturel vibe to my make-up that I now prefer. This means I have more pencils for my lips than I did in my pencil case at school, so I was sceptical about whether the Lip Shapes would wow me enough to be added to my roster. 

First, the thicker nib surprised me. I have wonky lips and thin pencils drive me nuts because they’re often too precise and bold, making the unevenness more obvious. These didn’t do that, and with a little overlining, I could create a subtle diffused edge to help my skinny lips out. There’s no tugging involved with this formula; it glides onto skin like ice skates on frozen water. 

My favourite ‘your lips but better’ shade is Lunge (pictured). It’s the perfect pinky flesh tone to naturally contour my lips. I use these around the corners and often as an all-over colour – as I would do lipstick – and I love both results. When Hailey was teasing these on Instagram, I first thought the other side was the pencil in a pen format, but it’s actually a silicone-based smudger or eraser, depending on your needs, which was way more helpful than I ever thought it would be. It removes the need for me to use my fingers to blend, which inevitably ends up with me smudging product all over my face. Not ideal.

My lips definitely look naturally fuller and more plumped after using, without making my lips look too ‘done’. The creamy formula is infused with Rhode’s favourite peptides, which in theory can “help lips feel smoother and more hydrated over time”. I’m a bit sceptical if a pencil format can really make a difference to the skin, but I’m definitely going to keep it them to find out.”

Images: Hanna Ibraheem; Charlotte Bitmead