Picture your perfect pout. Is it coated in a shimmery gloss or defined by soft outer lines? Perhaps, it’s an amalgamation of both? In that case, TikTok has you covered—and you only need a handful of products to master the look. Seen recently on celebrities such as Lily-Rose Depp, Zoë Kravitz, Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Bieber (to name a handful), the blurred cupid’s bow has taken the beauty world by storm.
What is a blurred cupid’s bow?
Different to the sharp and dramatic geometric shapes that came to define make-up during the 1920s, the blurred cupid’s bow aims to soften the outer lip line and create a rounded silhouette.
Where did the trend come from?
The trend seems to be another gift from the ’90s revival: think Naomi Campbell’s contrast lip liner (a chocolate brown border melted into a clear gloss) and barely-there brows from the era. Interest in the look experienced an uptick after the 2025 Oscars, when Lily-Rose Depp’s lip combo went viral. LA-based make-up artist Nina Park described the look she created on Depp as “modern with a graphic twist”, featuring the actor’s go-to blurred upper lip line.
Fans of Depp have since been posting copycat videos online, swapping tips on how to master the technique and injecting their own spin on the look. They’re not short of liners to try the trend with, either. Earlier this year, Rhode founder Hailey Bieber launched a selection of chunky lip liners infused with peptides to boost hydration and create the illusion of naturally fuller, more voluminous lips. Another fan of the blurred lip, Bieber also tends to trace the outer corners of her lips first, before going over her cupid’s bow a few times. To fade the lines, she uses a silicone shaper tool—included within the peptide lip-shape stick—which gently blurs out the liner.
Why you should include a lip liner in your routine
According to make-up artist Celia Burton, finding a signature lip combo is like picking the perfect handbag—a foolproof way to look put together. “If you’re in need of a touch up and still have your slightly worn, all-day make-up on, refreshing your lip liner creates an instant lift and elevates the look.”
For fans of a minimal beauty look, celebrity make-up artist Mary Phillips, agrees that blurring out your liner is the way to go. “The result is effortless and natural, obscuring the use of make-up to accentuate the lips,” she says. “Lips are a major focal point in make-up these days and everyone wants their lips to be perfect—even on my ‘no make-up’ days I always grab a lip liner for a little bit of definition.”
“The Cupid’s bow, in particular, dictates the shape of the rest of the lip,” Burton continues. “Depending on how you define the ‘V’ of the Cupid’s bow, it defines either the pertness or the fullness of the mouth.” When applying lip liner, Burton homes in on both the Cupid’s bow and the centre of the bottom lip, which makes it easier to neatly glide the product around the rest of the mouth.
“Make-up artists have been doing this for a long time,” she adds. “Lips are a sensual part of the face, and a smooth lip line is a lovely way to create a more romantic pout, that’s not too harsh or severe.”
How to recreate the blurred cupid’s bow
“I start off by contouring the lips with a cream contour,” shares Phillips. “Then, I select a shade closest to the natural lip colour, before using a small brush to diffuse the lip liner so there are no harsh lines. Sometimes, I like to contour again with a cool-toned lip liner on the cupid’s bow and corners of the mouth,” she adds. “Lastly, I’ll apply lipstick and pat my finger on the lips to work the product in.”
For Burton, “a gel texture is better because it tends to be more long-wearing,” adding “you also need a really good lip balm, nothing too slippery to completely wipe off the lip line.” Hero picks include “Glossier’s lip-line enhancing pencil and lip gloss—it’s so dense and sticky that it kind of keeps everything in place.”
This story was originally published on Vogue.com.
