10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (2025)

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (1)

There may be affiliate links throughout the content you're about to read. When you purchase from my links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) which helps me provide even more awesome content for you :)

I’ve talked a lot about the best MAC lip liners for Indian skin, fair skin, and other skin tones here, but I feel like it’s time I actually talked about colors: so today, we’re going to focus on all the best MAC brown lip liner shades.

In this guide, what I want to share with you are all kinds of brown and nude MAC lip liners.

We’ll talk about everything from the best MAC dark brown lip liner for medium and dark skin to super wearable, light brown lip pencils like Spice and Oak, which you can easily wear on light Caucasian skin, fair Indian skin, and most Asian skin tones as well.

I’ve shared a lot about the best MAC lip liner and lipstick combinations as well, and if you’d like to know which combos you can create with some of the most famous MAC brown lip liners and other shades, you can check out guides to the Spice lip liner, the Soar lip liner, and the Cork lip liner.

Later on, I’ll write many more guides about other shades of the best MAC brown lip liner names, like Stripdown, Chestnut, Chicory, and Mahogany, which I all count amongst some of my favorite light, reddish, and dark brown lip pencils.

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (2)

If you’ve ever wondered how to wear brown lip liner, it doesn’t really matter whether you know about the best MAC brown lip liner or not: you need to know how to use it first.

I worked as a makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics for quite some time, between their store in Paris on the Champs-Elysees and one of their makeup stores in London, in the heart of Covent Garden.

Working retail for a brand like MAC really pushes your skills to the limit, and I’ve found a lot of different lipstick and lip liner combinations, even some you wouldn’t even think of, from the Twig lipstick to the Soar lip liner.

Basically, there are three ways to wear a beautiful MAC brown lip liner:

  • You can wear brown lip liner on its own or with a touch of Lipglass on top of it (my favorites are the shades Spite, Spice, and Clear)
  • You can wear dark brown lip liner around the edges of your lips and apply a dash of a lighter nude lipstick in the center, and blend out both colors
  • Or you can wear roughly the same color for both the lip liner and the lipstick, just providing a base for a nude or light brown lipstick to hold longer in time

Today, we’re going to be looking at all the best MAC brown lip liner shades for brown skin, medium and dark skin, Indian skin, Asian skin, olive, and fair skin tones.

Roughly anyone can wear brown lip liner, especially in a shade as famous as the 90s brown lip liner Spice, for instance. Let’s get to it!

Best MAC Brown Lip Liner: Spice

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (3)

Pink cinnamon stick

The MAC Spice lip liner is one of my ultimate favorite shades; at some point, I used to wear it on its own with the matching Spice Lipglass on top. If you’re wondering what the result is with the MAC Spice lip liner on brown skin, well – it just looks fabulous.

Although it’s described as a pink cinnamon stick color, the Spice lip liner really is that perfect 90s brown color, and it matches a lot of different MAC lipsticks for medium skin, fair skin, Asian skin, and the like.

If you’re looking for the best MAC brown lip liner for nude lipsticks, Spice has got to be on your must-shop list, just because it’s so wearable on its own and provides the setting for beautiful, nude ombre lip looks.

Read: The Best MAC Red Lipsticks

Best MAC Brown Lip Liner: Stripdown

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (4)

Creamy brown beige

Compared to Spice, the MAC Stripdown lip liner is almost as famous, and since it’s a tad darker and cooler-toned, it goes very well with some more neutral everyday MAC lipsticks like Velvet Teddy, Yash, or even Modesty and Cosmo.

We’ve got here a perfect MAC lip liner for olive skin tones, fair skin, and anyone with skin with cool or warm undertones.

Stripdown is not that dark, so if you’re looking for the best MAC brown lip liner for dark skin, I’d probably recommend the Cork lip liner, Mahogany, or Chestnut, especially for ombre lips.

Read: The Best MAC Lipsticks for Olive Skin

Best MAC Brown Lip Liner: Whirl

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (5)

Dirty rose

Like Spice, the MAC Whirl lip liner is one of the most famous lip liners from the brand. It matches the Whirl lipstick to perfection, and with a mix of mauve, pink and brown, it suits most neutral MAC lipsticks, light brown, and medium brown lipsticks shades.

I always recommend the Whirl lip liner for medium skin tones, and fair skin, and would rather advise something a bit darker for really dark skin tones.

Why? Just so Whirl doesn’t look greyish or ashy on your skin. Super wearable and you can create lots of perfect lipstick and Whirl lip liner combos for every day – another must-have.

Read: The Best Juvia’s Place Eyeshadow Palettes

Best MAC Dark Brown Lip Liner for Dark Skin: Cork

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (6)

Muted golden brown

I’ve written about the Cork lip liner combos a few days ago, and indeed, it’s one of the most versatile MAC dark brown lip liner shades for medium skin, brown skin, and black skin.

With Cork, you can wear countless MAC matte lipsticks, from Taupe to Whirl, as well as beautiful Satin shades like Mocha or Spirit.

The color of the MAC Cork lip liner is much warmer than, say, the Stripdown or the Spice lip liner; and it’s basically the same undertone as the Oak lip liner, but much darker.

Compared to Chestnut, this is in my opinion one of the best MAC lip liners for medium skin, as it’s a tad lighter, and a little bit more yellow.

Read: The Best MAC Bridal Lipstick Shades

Best MAC Brown Lip Liner: Oak

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (7)

Soft beige brown

Now, if you’re ever looking for the best MAC lip liners for fair skin tones, Oak is one of my go-to’s. As I said previously, compared to Cork, it’s roughly the same beige-yellowish undertone, only much lighter.

You can wear a lot of beautiful everyday nude MAC lipsticks with the Oak lip liner, from Velvet Teddy to Blankety, Hug Me, or even Creme Cup if you’d like to create a slight ombre lip look and have a very pale skin tone.

Obviously, given just how light the MAC Oak lip liner is, it’s definitely not one of the brown lip pencil shades I’d recommend for brown and dark skin tones, as it just won’t show up. But anywhere between pale, fair skin and medium skin tones, it’s perfect to have in your stash.

Read: The Best Green Eyeshadow Palettes

Best MAC Dark Brown Lip Liner: Chestnut

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (8)

Intense brown

Chestnut is one of the ultimate best MAC lip liners for dark skin tones and Indian skin that tends to be on the brown side.

Although I was already into MAC brown lipstick shades before discovering the Chestnut lip liner, in time, I’ve tried it with many different lipsticks and found that it was one of the best MAC lip liners for overlining.

Whether you have Indian skin, tan Asian skin, dark olive skin, or black skin, the MAC Chestnut lip liner is perfect to have in your makeup bag if you know you’re addicted to ombre lip looks.

If you’d like to create some MAC Chestnut lip liner and lipstick combos, I would recommend shades like Crème in Your Coffee, Whirl, Mocha, or even Can’t Dull My Shine, one of the most hydrating MAC lipsticks if you’re after a rich brown color.

Read: The Best MAC Lipsticks for Indian Skin

Best MAC Brown Lip Liner: Mahogany

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (9)

Intense reddish brown

Mahogany, like the Auburn lip liner, is one of the most interesting lip pencils to wear with some reddish brown MAC lipsticks.

Mahogany and Chili, or Mahogany and Marrakesh, for instance, are two amazing dark brown lip combos that look otherworldly on Asian skin, medium skin, brown, and dark skin tones.

What I’ve always loved about the MAC Mahogany lip liner is the fact that it’s not just another MAC brown lip liner shade. It’s got that sure red tinge in the brown background, which makes it perfect to wear on its own with just a touch of Lipglass in Clear on top of it.

Read: The Best Blue Eyeshadow Palettes

Best MAC Brown Lip Liner: Boldly Bare

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (10)

Dirty red brown

If you just wish to find a light brown lip liner at MAC, Boldly Bare is one of the best selling nude lip liners. Definitely not one I’d recommend for brown skin and dark skin; the MAC Boldly Bare lip liner is however perfect for pale to fair skin tones.

Whether you have fair Asian skin, olive skin, or fair Indian skin, this is one of the lightest MAC brown lip liner shades you’ll find in the brand’s collection.

It looks really beautiful in combination with super light nude lipsticks, like Honeylove, Yash, or even Hug Me from the Lustreglass range if you just want to wear it underneath.

Read: The Best Gold Lipsticks from Matte to Metallic

Best MAC Brown Lip Liner: Subculture

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (11)

Underground pink

Now, the MAC Subculture lip liner may be described as an underground pink, but to me, it’s always felt like a really light brown MAC lip liner with a tinge of pink.

It’s the same kind of muted pinkish brown color that you’d find in lipsticks like Twig, Whirl, or Crème in Your Coffee – with variating ratios of pink to brown.

On my fair olive skin tone (I’m an NW15 to NW20 when I tan), I have never been able to wear the Subculture lip liner and make it look good. It just looks way too light, and that’s really one of the lightest MAC nude lip liners for pale skin and fair skin tones.

If you have medium or tan skin, that’s one of the shades I’d definitely not recommend for you; instead, go for either the Spice lip liner, Oak, or the Stripdown lip liner if you want that same kind of nude result on your lips.

Read: The Best Gold Eyeshadow Palettes

Mac lip liners by skin tone
  • The Best MAC Lip Liners for Fair Skin
  • The Best MAC Lip Liners for Indian Skin
  • The Best MAC Lip Liners for Olive Skin
  • The Best MAC Lip Liners for Asian Skin
  • The Best MAC Lip Liners for Medium Skin
  • The Best MAC Lip Liners for Dark Skin

Best MAC Brown Lip Liner: Chicory

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (12)

Soft muted peachy brown

I mentioned Chicory in quite a few guides; namely, it’s one of the best MAC lip liners for Honeylove, Kinda Sexy, and the Taupe lipstick.

It’s one of the easiest to wear MAC brown lip liner shades, as it’s got a slight tinge of peachy red inside, and looks beautiful on its own if you’ve got a skin tone with a warm undertone or olive skin.

The MAC Chicory lip liner is a mid-tone reddish brown color, which means even medium to brown skin can wear it, but anything darker, and it will look much more red than brown on you.

If you’d like to create some combinations with the Chicory lip liner, some of the most beautiful MAC Satin lipsticks like Mocha, Spirit, and Myth, or hydrating MAC lipsticks like Smoked Almond, from the Amplified range, will look amazing with Chicory.

Read: The Best Revolution Eyeshadow Palettes

mac lipsticks by skin tone
  • The Best MAC Lipsticks for Fair Skin
  • The Best MAC Lipsticks for Asian Skin
  • The Best MAC Lipsticks for Olive Skin
  • The Best MAC Lipsticks for Indian Skin
  • The Best MAC Lipsticks for Medium Skin
  • The Best MAC Lipsticks for Dark Skin

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (13)

There you have them, all the best MAC brown lip liner shades for dark skin, brown skin, Asian, Indian, medium, and even fair skin tones! You’ve got here all the dark brown MAC lip liners, as well as some of the most famous shades to create stunning MAC nude lipstick and lip liner combos!

All that’s left to do, as I always say, is to have fun and experiment – that’s what makeup is for, after all!

Until next time!

Other Beauty Posts

  • The Best Makeup Revolution MAC Lipstick Dupes
  • The Best Beauty Bay Eyeshadow Palettes
  • The Best Wet n Wild MAC Lipstick Dupes
  • NYX Suede Matte Dupes for MAC Lipsticks
  • Barry M MAC Lip Liner Dupes
  • Kiko Gossamer MAC Lipsticks Dupes
  • Sephora Lipstories MAC Lipstick Dupes
  • MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick Dupes
  • The Best NYX MAC Lip Liner Dupes
  • The Best Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Dupes
  • The Best MAC Berry Lipsticks
  • The Best MAC Coral Lipsticks and Peach Shades
  • The Best MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick and Lip Liner Combinations
  • The Best MAC Mehr Lipstick and Lip Liner Combinations
  • The Best Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks
  • The Best W7 Nail Polish Colors
  • The Best Gold Lipstick Shades From Matte to Metallic

The Working Line

Website|+ posts

Sam is a certified fashion makeup artist, a freelance writer, a blogger and a digital nomad. Since 2019, she roams around the world, from London to Rome and shares her knowledge about makeup, scented candles, travel, blogging and the digital nomad lifestyle.

10 Best MAC Brown Lip Liner Shades from Stripdown to Spice (2025)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Roderick King

Last Updated:

Views: 5551

Rating: 4 / 5 (51 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Roderick King

Birthday: 1997-10-09

Address: 3782 Madge Knoll, East Dudley, MA 63913

Phone: +2521695290067

Job: Customer Sales Coordinator

Hobby: Gunsmithing, Embroidery, Parkour, Kitesurfing, Rock climbing, Sand art, Beekeeping

Introduction: My name is Roderick King, I am a cute, splendid, excited, perfect, gentle, funny, vivacious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.