Zendaya’s Met Gala Glam Is a Masterclass in the Modern Way to Wear Lip Liner (2025)

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Stepping out on the 2025 Met Gala red carpet, Zendaya stunned in a custom Louis Vuitton suit styled by Law Roach — and made a statement with a blurred lip liner look that rewrites the rules on how to use the makeup essential.

On top of defined cheeks and smoky eye makeup, makeup artist Ernesto Casillas created major dimension on Zendaya’s smile by tracing the “Challengers” actress’ lips with liner and topping them off with a nude gloss. This chiaroscuro effect gave Zendaya’s smile depth and fullness, and makes the case for a rebrand of the lip liner category as a whole — one where the product is used similar to a contour stick to shape the lips versus a colored pencil that simply extends the wear time of a lip look.

Two new Charlotte Tilbury products are behind the Golden Globe winner’s blurred lip look, including a new dual-ended lip liner and a plumping lip gloss. The lip liner — Super Nudes Lip Cheat Contour Duo —is tailor-made for the softer definition we saw on Zendaya, with one end of the pencil providing depth and the other offering a complementary, slightly lighter tone for blending into the center of the lips.

At the Met Gala alone, we saw a similar blurred lip on stars like Doechii and Jenna Ortega. Off the red carpet, brands like Merit, Refy, Hard Candy, and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode have launched lip liners that prioritize an easy-to-blend, creamy texture over previous hallmarks for the category like a stiff texture and long-wearing pigments. And on TikTok, the term “blurred lip liner” has amassed over 62 million posts — where users gravitate towards subtly enhancing their lips with pigment versus committing to pricey syringes of lip filler. (A recession indicator? We digress.)

Perhaps best shown by Leighton Meester in a recent Vogue beauty secrets tutorial, the beauty of the blurred lip look is in its laid-back ease of application. These modern lip liners do not require Kylie Lip Kit-caliber levels of precision. A softer texture allows you to simply draw the liner on the vermillion border, then smudge it with your ring finger for dimension that looks real, not painted on.

Ahead, shop Zendaya’s Met Gala lip combination and more liners that are editor-tested and approved.

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Meet the Author

Claire Sullivanis a contributing beauty writer for WWD, where she writes and edits beauty, fashion, and lifestyle stories. She has over eight years of experience as a writer and editor for national media outlets including Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle, and Byrdie. She’s tested hundreds of products during her time as an editor, so she’s well-versed in selecting the products that make a meaningful difference in your skin and hair. Sullivan regularly reports on red carpet beauty trends.