Matita labbra: come metterla e come abbinarla al rossetto per una perfetta lip combo

Prepping Your Lips: Secrets to Making Your Makeup Last Longer

Before you even pick up your lip liner, there's one crucial step you shouldn't skip: lip preparation . A smooth, well-hydrated surface helps the liner, like any other lip makeup, last longer. If necessary, start with a gentle scrub to eliminate flakes and roughness, then always apply a thin layer of balm and let it absorb: your lips will be softer, firmer, and ready for makeup.

An extra tip? Dab a little translucent powder on your lips after lining them: this helps make both your lip liner and lipstick last longer.

However, if you use a long-lasting lip pencil , like our Plump&Fill which lasts up to 24 hours, you can also skip this step : the waterproof formula guarantees precision and resistance, without the need for extra fixing.

At this point, all that's left to do is move on to the application: choosing the right lip pencil and using it well really makes a difference.

How to choose a lip pencil and how to apply it: makeup artist techniques

To draw the lip contour in a precise and elegant way, choosing the right pencil is the first step.

• The softer leads are perfect if you want to lightly blend the edge or completely fill in your lips with the pencil itself.

• The harder leads , on the other hand, guarantee a sharper and more defined line : ideal if you want to outline the contour and fill in the lips with another product.

How to apply lip pencil? Hold it slightly vertically and always start from the cupid's bow (the small, heart-shaped space just above the upper lip), drawing small strokes outward.

For the lower lip, you can start from the sides or the center, always following the natural shape. Avoid drawing a single, continuous line : short strokes will help you maintain control and correct any asymmetries.

If you want to play with different finishes and colors, you can match the pencil with a lipstick or gloss , creating a fuller effect on the lips.

We'll talk about it shortly, but in the meantime, know that there are excellent multifunctional lip pencils that are also perfect on their own .

This is the case with our Plump&Fill My Lips , an automatic, waterproof pencil with an instant filler effect. It's enriched with microcirculation- stimulating active ingredients and provides a visible plumping effect, with proven hold for up to 24 hours. Excellent for both contouring and full-face filling , it's a valuable ally for enhancing and redefining lip volume.

Curious about other multifunctional lip pencils? Check out the complete collection of Diego dalla Palma lip pencils.

Matching lip pencil with lipstick: the lip combo trend

The hottest trend of 2025? Lip combos! From social media to the runways, everyone is experimenting with mixing pencils, lipsticks, and glosses for unique and irresistible lips. But how do you find the perfect match?

A matching technique, reminiscent of '90s looks, involves choosing a pencil one or two shades darker than your lipstick : this allows you to outline your lips, defining their volume and creating a three-dimensional effect. Blending is crucial here : lightening the line toward the inside helps to harmonize the color and avoid sharp contrasts, while still leaving lips appearing fuller and plumper.

An alternative, if you want a more sophisticated and versatile effect, is to create a tone-on-tone lip combo, using lip pencil and lipstick in the same or similar shade. Finally, if you want a volumizing but more harmonious visual effect, choose a nude lip pencil that emphasizes the lipstick color without creating excessive contrast with the rest of your face.

The possible combinations are many and also include pairings with plumping glosses, hydrating balms, sheer lipsticks or long-lasting tints

If you love a glossy effect but want even more volumized lips, the best choice is Push-Up Gloss (a volumizing and plumping lip gloss): available in both clear and colored versions, it guarantees an extremely voluminous and full finish on the lips. Finally, for extreme color and hold, we recommend a long-lasting matte liquid lipstick , like our Stay on Me.

All these combinations can be created with either the Stay On Me Lip Liner or the soft and nude Diego dalla Palma lip pencil , included in the dedicated promo: by purchasing a pencil + selected lip product pair, you immediately get a 15% discount on both products*

The advice that remains essential, however, is to choose the shades of each product based on the tone of your two lips . Let's see how!

*Promotion active for a limited time and cannot be combined with other promotions or discounts.

How lip tone can influence your lip combo choice

The natural color of your lips is linked to your skin undertone , which affects their pigmentation: if you have a warm undertone , your lips tend towards pink-peach shades; if your undertone is cool , they more easily veer towards mauve or purple .

• For a cool undertone , pink, light pink, and mauve nude pencils and lipsticks work well. If you want to be bold, cherry reds or intense burgundies create an elegant and bold contrast.
• If you have warm undertones , you can enhance them with pencils in plum, chocolate, or dark brown shades , paired with burgundy, ruby, or purple lipsticks . Darker complexions are enhanced with bronze and warm brown shades , which add depth without weighing them down.
• And if you recognize yourself as having a neutral undertone , you're in luck: you can freely explore the shades , choosing the look you prefer each time.

You can also follow this curious - but surprisingly effective - tip that's circulating among makeup artists: to find the perfect nude lip color, look at the color of your nipples.

Yes, that's right: that natural shade of pink, beige, or brown is often the closest thing to your ideal nude, because it mirrors the body's natural pigmentation. Both areas - lips and nipples - have a similar concentration of melanin and blood vessels, which is why their tones tend to blend in with the rest of the skin.

You don't have to literally compare yourself in the mirror - just understand your "color family": more pink, more brunette, or peachy? From there, finding the right nude lipstick becomes almost a breeze. The result? A natural, warm, and sensual effect that doesn't erase your lip color but discreetly enhances it, as if it were your own skin tone... but enhanced.

A little beauty secret that, between irony and truth, reminds us of a simple thing: the perfect palette is already written on the body.

Whatever your skin tone, there are techniques that can help you enhance the volume of your lips. Let's explore them together in the next section.

How to make your lips look bigger with a pencil

If you want volume and definition, there are several techniques you can use, from drawing your lips with a pencil to choosing a well-designed lip combo.

The best-known is controlled overlining: smile slightly to stretch your lips and draw the outline just outside the natural line, without exaggerating. The result is natural but visually more voluminous.

Another effective method is lip contouring, which uses the play of light and shade: apply a nude pencil along the edges and blend it outwards, leaving the center lighter. You can finish with a gloss or luminous lipstick, only in the center, for a plumping effect.

You can also try the X technique, drawing two thin lines with a pencil that intersect on the Cupid's bow to emphasize its shape and create a natural highlight. By then applying a gloss to the center of the lips, the light is strategically reflected, visually amplifying the plump effect.

If you like more experimental looks, you can play with blurred lips, which are created by blending the pencil along the edges of the lips until they become soft and undefined, leaving the most intense color concentrated in the center. Another option is ombré lips, which involve a chromatic gradation: starting with a darker shade applied on the edge and blending towards a lighter shade in the center, creating depth and volume.

Finally, a trend that has become extremely popular in 2025 is the Korean lips technique, which works in the opposite way and is therefore also called reverse ombré : choose a shade darker than your undertone and apply it only to the heart of the lips, blending it delicately outwards (with your fingers or a brush) to obtain a light and natural effect, almost as if the colour emerged from within.

For even more visible results, you can use, once again, the Plump & Fill pencil together with the Push-Up Gloss : two products designed specifically to enlarge the lips and enhance their volume instantly.

Find the perfect lip combo: tips from our makeup artists

Now that you know how to apply and blend lip liner and how to pair it with lipstick, stain, or gloss, all that's left to do is experiment. Each technique discussed in this article can be adapted to your style, lip shape, or occasion: the important thing is to have fun and find the lip combo that makes you feel like yourself for every occasion.

If you want to start with the right products, now's the perfect time to try Plump&Fill , the automatic waterproof filler pencil you learned about in the article. And thanks to the 15% off combinations suggested by Diego dalla Palma makeup artists (pencil + gloss, lipstick, tint, or balm), you can enhance your look with a professional touch.

Your Lip Era starts here.