How To Define Your Cupid’s Bow with Lip Liner
Refine the look of your lip shape with my lip liner tricks for a defined Cupid’s bow.
- 27th May 2025
- By Charlotte Tilbury
6 minute read
Darlings, every signature lipstick look throughout the decades has a distinctive, defined Cupid’s bow. Whether you prefer to dramatically overline your Cupid’s bow with a noughties-nude lip liner or accentuate its natural shape, defining your Cupid’s bow is the secret to creating the most flattering lip shape for your look.
In this guide, find out how to define the look of your Cupid’s bow with lip liner, discover the different shapes you can create to overline your Cupid’s bow, and learn more makeup tips and tricks to make your Cupid’s bow pout perfect.
Tilbury Tip: Before you define your Cupid’s bow, darlings, discover which type of lip shape you have.
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Heart-Shaped Cupid’s Bow
The most defined-looking Cupid’s bows have a deep V that gives them the appearance of a love heart. To get a heart-shaped Cupid’s bow look, take your lip liner and draw an X in the centre of your top lip, then softly round out either side to create the appearance of a heart. If you don’t have a naturally heart-shaped Cupid’s bow, you can extend the X you create outside of your lip shape – just be sure to align the centre of the X with the centre of your Cupid’s bow to create a convincing lip proportion.
Perfect for: Heart-shaped lips or naturally full lips.
Bow-Shaped Cupid’s Bow
Much like a heart-shaped Cupid’s bow, a bow-shaped Cupid’s bow has a V shape in the centre, however it is shallower and creates a more subtle, understated shape. To perfect the bow-shaped Cupid’s bow look, dot lip liner into the centre of your Cupid’s bow to mark the centre, then glide in a softly arched shape towards the outer corners of your lip to create the appearance of a classic Cupid’s bow. To master the softness of bow-shaped lips, I suggest using a light hand when overlining and opting for a more minimal, true-to-you lip shape.
Perfect for: Bow-shaped lips or lips that are wider than they are full.
Crescent-Shaped Cupid’s Bow
If you prefer your Cupid’s bow to look less pronounced, I recommend creating a crescent-shaped Cupid’s bow with lip liner. If you have a defined Cupid’s bow, you can fill in the centre to create a softer, rounder-looking shape by shading across the naturally occurring V shape to resemble an upturned crescent moon. Due to the dipped appearance of a crescent-shaped Cupid’s bow, I suggest keeping close to your natural lip line in the centre, then softly overlining on either side to create a fuller-looking shape.
Perfect for: Thin lips or lips without a defined Cupid’s bow.
Domed Cupid’s Bow
To disguise the appearance of your Cupid’s bow entirely, you can overline your lips to create a domed shape. Overdrawing your lips into a domed shape forms the illusion of fuller, rounder lips that look pouty and plump. To get the look, glide your lip liner in a straight line slightly above your natural Cupid’s bow. Then, extend the line you have created and meet the outer corners of your mouth to create a domed shape that looks like a sun setting across your lips.
Perfect for: those with round lips without a defined Cupid’s bow.
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More Makeup Tips for a Defined-Looking Cupid’s Bow
Darlings, all you need to define the look of your Cupid’s bow are my legendary lip liners! Use my Lip Cheat lip liners to draw a defined looking Cupid’s bow or reach for my Lip Cheat Contour Duos to sculpt and fill for the perfect lip contour.
If you want to make your Cupid’s bow pop even more, discover some quick tricks you can do to define and enhance the look of your Cupid’s bow:
1. Carve with Concealer
Once you have created a defined line with lip liner, you can take a brightening shade of concealer on a lip brush and carve out your Cupid’s bow even more. Using a small amount of concealer, paint along the outline of your lip shape then blend carefully into the rest of your complexion.
2. Spotlight with Highlighter
To cast a spotlight on the beautiful lip shape you have created with lip liner, tap highlighter onto the centre of your Cupid’s bow. This lip trick catches the light and draws attention to the centre of your lips, helping them to look fuller and more prominent. I like to tap into my Hollywood Glow Glide Face Architect Highlighters with the Eye Blender Brush then softly swish onto the Cupid’s bow for an easy illuminating effect.
Discover where to apply highlighter in Charlotte’s Glow Glide Guide
3. Plump with Lip Gloss
You can’t go wrong with a glossy lip, darlings… A glossy finish makes lips appear bigger, fuller, and more mesmerising! If you want to accentuate the look of your lips, swipe on a plumping lip gloss like my Big Lip Plumpgasm in Nudegasm Diamonds to dial up any lip look. The Plumpgasm Heat and Ice Technology will plump the look of your natural lip shape and the diamond shimmer finish will create dazzling light play that makes your lips pop.
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Author Details
Charlotte Tilbury
Founder, President, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty
With over 30 years experience, Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the world's number 1 makeup artist and British beauty entrepreneur. Charlotte established Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013, which is now a record-breaking beauty brand that has won over 400 awards.
