I will readily admit that I spend entirely too much time on TikTok. My favorite community to be a part of? BeautyTok [3]. If you're wondering why, it's because I find incredible beauty-product recommendations [4] and even hacks like the one I am about to share with you, without even trying. The hack in question is one where people use a drugstore peel-off brow gel [5] as lip liner and essentially give themselves budge-proof lip-liner looks.
When I saw creator Iris Beilin [6] post about the hack (in a video that has since gone viral with over three million views,) as a lipstick-lover — and subsequent lip-liner hoarder — I immediately had to try it. The product used in the video is the Maybelline Tattoo Brow Easy Peel Off Tint [7] ($15). Beilin used the shade dark brown, but I went with medium brown for a slightly more natural look.
The product comes in a small tube and opens to reveal a brush-tip applicator to apply the tint. The consistency seemed a little thick, but with the results that Beilin achieved — and given the fact that I was using it for something it's completely not intended for — I was willing to overlook that.
Just as Beilin did, I applied the product directly onto my clean lips as I would with a normal lip pencil. As I was doing this, I found the brush a bit hard to work with, as it was much more pliable than an actual lip pencil, making it easier to get out of the lines of my lips. I also felt like the first coat I put on was too thin, so I put an extra coat of product on my bottom lip to see if it would make a difference.
After putting the tint on and waiting 10 minutes as suggested, I peeled the tint off. This is where I noticed that it didn't come off as smoothly for my top lip — where I applied a thinner layer of product — as it did for my bottom lip, where I added an additional layer. However, this ultimately didn't affect the finished look, as both lips had a similar color payoff in the end.
In all, I actually really liked this hack. I rubbed my lips after removing the peel, and the tint remained in place, so I definitely can wear this on days when I need my lip look to stay put. The only thing I would do differently next time is to fill my lips a bit more with the tint so that the results look more like a gradient and less like a single line around my lips. I will say, the color medium brown does look extremely natural, so there wasn't a heavy contrast when I applied other lip products, which I loved, so should you try this hack, consider going for a slightly lighter shade to give you more "everyday-wear" results. I definitely will be using this hack again, particularly for long nights out or on days when I just need my lipstick to last.