Decorated gymnast Suni Lee has accomplished so much in her Olympic career, earning six medals across both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 games. Her dedication to her sport is inspiring, but off the mat, she’s also an avid beauty lover like us. In the past, she’s opened up about her experience with eczema and has shared her must-have products, leading us to uncover a handful of fun beauty recommendations.
Earlier in August, her video on her go-to lip combination went viral on TikTok, selling out the products – the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil ($24) and the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment ($22) – for weeks to come. The two products helped her create her perfect, pinky-nude, “my lips but better” look and I decided to try the combination out for myself. Keep reading for my full review of the combo, as well as some alternatives for darker skin tones.
Suni Lee’s Go-To Lip Combination
@sunisalee_ here for the girlies 🫶🏻 also dont mind my lashes fighting for their life 😪 @makeupforever @Olehenriksen
Lee first uses the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in the shade Anywhere Caffeine, which she describes as a darker brown, to line the perimeter of her lips. Then, she uses the shade Wherever Walnut to fill in the center of her lips. She tops it off with the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment in the shade Original, noting the texture is “super thick and super glossy.” At the end of her viral TikTok, Lee clarifies, “Everyone has different skin tones, so it might look different.”
As someone with tan skin, I had a hunch that her original lip combo would make me look washed out, but I still went ahead and tried it. The Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencils have a smooth glide that feels creamy but stays put. They are long-wearing, but I do have to reapply and touch up after eating and drinking. The shade Anywhere Caffeine shows up close to my natural skin tone but with a more pink-ish tone, and Wherever Walnut shows up lighter with a more rosy pink tone. To get that blended, ombré look, I used my finger to merge the two shades gently. Liberally applying the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment also helped achieve that natural gradient.
Lee’s description of the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment is absolutely accurate. It is a super thick balm that feels deeply hydrating on the lips and has a high-shine finish. It has a more viscous texture compared to other viral favorites, like the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm or the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment, but it also feels cushiony and flexible. It’s ideal for those who are prone to getting chapped or excessively dry lips.
Although the result looked a bit too light on me, the combination is essentially a brown lip liner with a nude, pink-tone shade and a clear gloss. Even though Lee’s exact shades didn’t work for me, I could still achieve a similar look using the exact same products but in different hues. The Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencils come in a wide range of neutral tones, and the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment also comes in three tinted shades. With some mixing and matching, trial and error, and color theory, I found deeper skin-friendly combinations that deliver an everyday glossy, pinky-nude lip.
Suni Lee’s Go-To Lip Combination For Tan Skin
For tan skin tones or those who have two-tone lips, as I do, I found that lining your lips with a true brown shade, like the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in Limitless Brown, is key. Then, I like to use the shade Up and Down Tan, which pulls more rosy pink on my skin tone, to fill in my lips. I used the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment in the shade Crème Brûlée, a translucent caramel, beige-nude tone, to top off the lip. This combination closely resembles the look of Lee’s natural pink lip but with colors that are more flattering on tan skin. You can also pair the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment in the Strawberry Sorbet shade, which is a mauve pink shade, to emphasize the pink tones.
If you want the lip to pull more mauve or muted, you can pair Limitless Brown with the shade Versatile Chestnut, which appears more muted pink on me, with the Crème Brûlée Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment on top.
Those with dark skin may find the shades Dimensional Dark Brown, a deep neutral brown shade, and Versatile Chestnut to be a better fit. You can pair it with the Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment in Crème Brûlée or Cocoa Crème, which has a more chocolate brown tint for a richer tone.
Anvita Reddy is an assistant editor for PS Shopping. She has a passion for products and is an avid reviewer of everything including furniture, mattresses, home gadgets, cookware, tech, and more. Having dealt with acne as a teenager and into adulthood, her expertise lies in beauty. She has tried and tested plenty of skin care, makeup, hair care, and countless other beauty products.
