Some people are willing to shell out big bucks for lip plumpers, as they have been all the rage in the past few years, and the quest by many to find a good, effective one is still in effect. This article will describe the various ones I’ve tried and how they measure up to one another.
FusionBeauty LipFusion
This comes as the regular treatment (Color Shine) and as the XL version. About the first one: Possibly one of the best plumping color treatments, but at 38 bucks, it’s just so expensive. If you can afford it, go for it. It has a nice orange-like flavor, it lasts fairly long, and the colors are great. “Fresh” is a gorgeous coral color which looks ravishing on darker complexions, as does “Sexy”, a transparent red. Avoid “Kiss”, a bright pink, though if you’re a brunette, for this color tends to look orange-y and unflattering. It seems to work best with blonde/fair complexions.
City Lips Collagen Lip Plumping Treatment
This comes in a nighttime treatment and in various colors (with cute names such as Sin City, San FranKissCo and Barecelona) to wear by day. Both formulas are the same, as is stated on the box. The texture is smooth, much less tacky than LipFusion and without the sting of DuWop Lip Venom (which is not being reviewed here). I especially find this product to work its magic when left on overnight. Unfortunately, as you get near the end of using the lip glass, it seems nearly impossible to get the rest of the product as the brush is shorter than the package itself. To counter this, simply warm the tube in hot or warm water and the gloss will melt, making it more accessible. Regardless of this con, this treatment works very well, even slightly increasing lip size and enhancing the curve of my lips. I am not absolutely sure, but I feel that the color of my lips is now deeper with regular use. Also, this beats any lip balm out of the water. When my lips are chapped, Carmex and other balms only further irritate my lips. The treatment, though, soothes them right over. This is an added bonus!
TheBalm Plump Your Pucker Tinted Gloss
This is a tingly gloss that didn’t offer much plumping power, really, but is a really nice gloss for the color selection and the duration it lasts on the lips. These tingle a bit, due to the menthol in there. I also see that Maxi-lip, which works over time to plump the lips, is an added ingredient. Still, after several weeks, I didn’t see any effects that I could attribute solely to this product. I discontinued the usage of the product, for it ended up making my lips peeled and irritated.
Pout Plump
It’s certainly a sticky gloss, and I didn’t really find much of a plumping effect, but the taste is nice (slightly minty with hints of vanilla) and my lips felt very moisturized, unlike the drying effects that Lip Venom and TheBalm had. However, it’s far too expensive for the plumping effects that I was looking for. It’s a sexy gloss, but not much of a plumper.
Sally Hansen Lip Inflation
Though it’s not too sticky as a lip gloss (that’s a plus for some of us, as medium to long hair can stick to the lips) and has a rather pleasant smell (like cinnamon and berries) and the plumping is noticeable to significant, this gloss works only temporarily. In fact, the tingling and plumping stopped within, say, fifteen minutes. While this was not irritating to the lips (some plumpers cause redness and peeling), it does give a nice flush to the lips. “Sheer Pink” is a nice light color which is great for fair complexions.
Victoria’s Secret Very Voluptuous Lip Plumper
Great color (I love Baby Pink) and texture, but the plumping for its high cost is not so impressive. The tingling isn’t so bad, so if this is an issue, you may want to try this one. Of course, this one does tingle, but it doesn’t do so to the point of discomfort. I would say the sensation upon my lips after applying this could be called “numbing”, which is much better than “burning”. One thing is, this is terribly drying, and I had to discontinue its usage after some time.
