Maed’s Duet Lip Pencil Is Rewriting the Rules of Lip Liner

I'm a sucker for a good lip product. I may forget my wallet while rushing out of the house in the morning, but I'll never forget to grab a little something for my lips. Maed founder and multihyphenate Denise Vasi and I have that in common.

In 2024, she launched Maed, a decadent lip-care brand centered on self-care and self-expression. The debut lineup included essentials like a lip polish, a serum, a balm, and a gorgeous liquid red lipstick . Now, Vasi is releasing a highly-requested addition to her brand. Enter Duet : a dynamic, dual-ended lip pencil. "In order to achieve that dimensional look, you need more than one product," Vasi tells us. "We created a tool that simplifies the technique." 

Ahead, here's an inside look at Duet, launching on Sephora's website on August 14 and in-store beginning on August 24.

The Inspiration

Lip liner isn't very precise nowadays. Blurry, smudged lip contour is all the rage. While we love this dreamy and delicate lip trend, Vasi says it's time to bring some structure back into our lip routines. As the founder of a Sephora Accelerate brand, model, and influencer, Vasi has unique insight into what consumers look for in their lip care products.

"The two concerns [I heard] were, one, this liner doesn't stay. It's too soft; it evaporates," Vasi explains. "And, two, [the formulas] were too firm. We really went out to balance the number one and number two pain points in the category," Vasi says. "Something that was firm enough, gave you a defined, pronounced line, was soft and felt really good on the lip, and lasted."

The Pencil

According to Vasi, her dual-ended wooden lip pencil is all about embracing life's duality with a perfect balance of sharpness and smoothness. "With Duet, we have the two shades because duality for us is really important," Vasi tells us. "Each one of us is seeking to show all the different sides of ourselves throughout the day."

Duet's four shades—Trace, Bound, Rouse, and Oath— also reflect Maed's "balance between care and self-expression" philosophy. She names her products with deep intention, and I felt like I was being let in on a little secret as I learned the inspiration behind Duet's shade titles. "I have a very specific naming convention when it comes to shade names," Vasi tells us. "We always want to make sure that those names tie back to ritual in some way."

Trace is a dusty rose-and-apricot nude that Vasi calls an easy, natural shade. Rouse is a bit more fiery due to its deep berry-brown and rosewood-nude tones. "When I'm heading out for dinner or something later, I might want to try Rouse and spice things up a little bit," Vasi says. Oath and Bound round out the four Duet lip pencils with warm brown shades that take your makeup look from day to night. 

"What is distinct about Duet is that we have two complementary shades, but two distinct textures," Vasi says. "The contour side is to define—it's matte and firm by design on purpose. And then you have the cushion side, which is really soft, satin, and creamy."

My Review

As I mentioned previously, I'm a lippie girl. So imagine my excitement when I received not one, but all four Duet lip pencils to test. I normally apply a gloss atop a creamy lip liner, but sometimes, I want a little more structure to help carve out my lip shape. As a dark-skinned woman with naturally full lips and a pronounced cupid's bow, I need precision and a deep enough shade to contour the perfect pout.

Duet makes for a pleasant addition to my lip routine. I tried Oath because I prefer a darker liner and brown transition shade. I lightly overlined my lips with the contour side, and the deep brown strokes were perfectly precise and smudge-proof thanks to the pencil's sharp tip. I followed that with the caramely-brown cushion pencil, which blended smoothly and layered super well with the outer line. I topped it off with a neutral gloss and felt ready to take on the world with my perfectly lined lips.

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