Pleasingly Plump: Do Lip Plumpers Really Work
I was blessed with fairly full lips. I’m no Angelina Jolie, although a little boy at the school where I used to work part time once said to me, “Mrs. Smith, you look like Mrs. Smith from ‘Mr. Smith and Mrs. Smith’.” Did you get that? An actual Angelina reference. I was thrilled.
Well, now I’m 43 and I’ve noticed that my lips do not look as full as they used to. Seriously? Aging messes with the lips, too? Is nothing safe? Apparently not….
I decided to try a couple of lip plumping glosses to see if they’d make a difference. Lip plumpers work by both hydrating and irritating the lips. I did not find the plumping effect to be a huge difference, but my lips did look softer, fuller, and the little lines around the edges of my lips smoothed out. (Asking for more than that just feels greedy).
Here’s what I don’t like – they sting. What happens when someone wants to kiss you? Does it sting them, too? I wish I was not currently single so that I could give you an accurate accounting of what happens when you kiss someone with lip plumper on, but I can’t. When that changes, I’ll update.
I tried AVON Perfect Wear Plump & Stay Lip Color in Pink For Life, LipFusion in Sexy, and LipFusion InFATuation in Angelic.
*AVON Perfect Wear: This is a two-step lip color. The color is a long-wear, transfer-resistant product – paired with the clear “plumping” gloss, your lips stay full and fancy for up to 8 hours. I was sent the Pink for Life as a sample for review, but I think I’d prefer the Berry Enduring or the Rosy Resistance, because they are closer to my usual lip look. I go for a nude or sheer berry lip for every day. You can wear the clear gloss on it’s own and still get the plumping effect.
You apply the color and gloss from seperate ends of the product, with a sponge-tip aplicator. The color side has a makeup-y scent, but the clear gloss is minty. I liked that. The color, shine, and plump last for a long time. Right now if you buy one Perfect Wear Plump & Stay, you can get a second one for 1/2 price. It retails for $9.
*Micro-Injected Collagen LipFusion Lip Plump: This gloss uses “..dehydrated, marine collagen micro spheres are instantly absorbed by the lips, and seek out the body’s natural moisture.” Upon rehydration, the lips plump and hold onto the moisture. The plumped effect can last for up to 48 hours.
This one was my favorite. You apply it with a sponge-tip applicator and the color is a sheer, very wearable red gloss. When I first looked at it, I thought, “I dunno, it’s very…RED…” but when applied it’s really only a glossy tint with little sparkles. Very pretty. I’d recommend this one first. It retails for $36.
*LipFusion LipFATuation: This gloss uses your own body fat to plump the lips. Using an igredient called Amplifat, which is derived from sea fern, lips are plumped when key proteins – ADFP and FABP5 – are triggered.
The gloss is applied with a brush and the color is opaque – pink color gives you pink lips. This product does what it claims, it does plump the lips, but I didn’t like actual color as much as I liked the other LipFusion product. On the plus side, it is irritant-free, Paraben-free, and Silicone-free. It retails for $29.
Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith
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