Lips are a huge business in the beauty
industry. Many people strive to enhance their pout slightly and
others want to go full with Angelina Jolie in mind. From the one and
only King Kylie, to YouTube Makeup Influencers such as Carli Bybel
having fillers, with their fans following suit, it has become one of the most popular non-surgical procedures. There's absolutely no shame in having them, but not
everybody can afford it, or simply aren't suitable candidates to have
the procedure done (that's me!)
 |
| Upper left lip collapses into my mouth. |
A luscious pout is something I've
always dreamed about. I don't have the thinnest lips in the world,
but I certainly wasn't blessed with, or have been able to achieve the
size or shape I want. Having braces as a teenager pushed my lower lip
further out than it originally was, and a dog bite left me with some
scarring and a crooked smile, not to mention nerve damage to part of my face. I'm so
contraindicated to having lip fillers that even cosmetic doctors have
said no, so in my quest of getting the pout I want, lip plumping
products will have to do.
Got plump?
Lip plumpers are basically lip glosses
or balms that have specialized active ingredients that boost
circulation and encourage edema. In simpler terms, they encourage
blood flow and swelling through a controlled allergic reaction. Out
of the four products I have used, all contain a different blend of
actives but are designed to achieve the same results. Back in the
day, my Mum bought me a lip plumper that had a distinct flavour of cinnamon, but it is only one ingredient in the many that can create
these reactions.
 |
| My arsenal of lip plumpers. |
The four products I have tried that
will be featured in this post are:
Transformulas Lip Volume [PR Sample]
DuWop Cosmetics Lip Venom [Purchase]
Freeze Frame Lip Injection [Purchase]
Manuka Dr. Lip Enhancer with Purified
Bee Venom [Purchase]
Active ingredients
Cinnamon Oil – Approximately
two-thirds of this oil is based upon cinnamaldehyde, the molecule
responsible for the cinnamon aroma and taste. When applied to the
skin at full concentration, this compound can cause burns and is an
irritant, but in the right amount, can assist in getting the blood
flow happening. Cinnamon oil is used widely used in topical muscle
therapy products because it gives a warming sensation to the skin. It
doesn't cure anything, but it feels nice, especially with a massage!
Found in: Freeze Frame Lip Injection,
DuWop Lip Venom
Peppermint Oil – This is the most
common active found in lip plumpers. Peppermint is rich in menthol,
which unlike cinnamaldehyde, has a cooling sensation on the skin but
is still used topical muscle therapy products because of that effect. Whilst there are different varieties of mint, peppermint is
just the most commonly used oil. It is used in a lot of lip products
because it gives flavour, a freshness, and also does a wonderful job
of irritating your lips. A derivative of menthol, methyl lactate, is
also found listed in the ingredients of some plumpers.
Found in: Transformulas Lip Volume,
Manuka Dr. Lip Enhancer with PVB, Freeze Frame Lip Injection (as
methyl lactate)
Wintergreen Oil – This is where
Asprin [acetylsalicylic acid] comes from, the main component is
methyl salicylate. Similar to the menthol found in Peppermint, it
creates the irritation needed to swell lips.
Found in: DuWop Lip Venom
Dictyopteris Oil – There's not much
information flying around on this ingredient as it may hold a patent,
but it is derived from Brown Algae and claims to increase volume of
adipose (fatty) tissue.
Found in: Freeze Frame Lip Injection
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Chilli –
Not even kidding, if there's a way to irritate lips, it's chilli. The
a resin from the genus Capsicum Frutescens (think of Piri Piri and
Tabasco chillies) has been listed as an ingredient in the Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme gloss, not a product I have tried, but it seems
worth a go.
Vacuum
type tools – CandyLipz are probably the most well known
non-surgical tool to enhance lips, and they do work, but incorrect
use, or use of non-specific apparatuses can permanently damage the tissues around your lips; see Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge.
These must be used with caution and have a long list of
contraindications (and guess who has one).
The big
question, DO THEY WORK?
Yes, they
work. No, they do not give you the look of fillers or reshape your
pout. The realistic expectation is going to be slight swelling and a
slightly larger looking pout, but you will definitely not look like
you've had 1mL of Juvederm or Restylane injected. You can definitely
achieve an overall larger pout over time if you keep using the
product regularly, but depending on your tolerance levels, and how
quickly your body adapts to the irritants.
Product
Overview:
Transformulas
Lip Volume 10mL - $49.00 from
BeautyHQ
 |
| Transformulas Lip Volume 10mL |
Claims to
increase volume of lips by up to 40% when used three times per day
for 30 days, moisturise lips, reduce fine lines, and no sting.
Thoughts?
This was
the first of the lot that I tried and I did use it for the time
period specified. I took specialized photos with my finger for
reference and did a complete review (which will be available to view
in the #RivetReview archive soon). I did notice an increase in
volume, but when I ran out of product (it lasted approximately a few
more weeks), my lips returned to their flattened state.
DuWop
Lip Venom 5mL - $24.00 from PM Studio
 |
| DuWop Lip Venom 5mL |
Claims to
give a “bee stung pout” from a mix of essential oils including
cinnamon, wintergreen and ginger. The first product of its kind to
enter the market.
Thoughts?
This
is a true gloss type product; sticky and shiny. It does sting, but my
lips really do increase in size, more so than the Lip Volume. The
result is only temporary as this product is probably designed more
with a “plump as you wear” approach, and once it has come off,
the effect only lasts as long as it takes for my lips to return to normal, but this is still probably my favourite.
However, the other products in the line, including the Venom Lip
STYXX and Venom Gloss have less concentration of the actives and
serve to slightly plump on wear.
 |
| Probably the most effective of the lot. Typical glossy finish. |
Freeze
Frame Lip Injection 10mL - $59.00 from Priceline
Note: My product is 5mL from a gift set and the full size comes in different packaging.
 |
| Freeze Frame Lip Injection [5mL gift set packaging] |
Claims to
be a serious treatment rather than a plumping cosmetic gloss (with
irritants), that instantly plumps lips when used once daily and gives
long term results when used twice daily. Uses “micronised
hyaluronic acid” and a special blend of two ingredients that
stimulate fatty tissue to grow in the area.
Thoughts?
I find
myself often massaging this one in for a long time in hopes of it
helping to break down scar tissue (wishful thinking), and whilst it
does give me an instant pout, I have not studied the effects of use
if I were to use it twice per day for X amount of days. The pout I do
get isn't that amazing, but it's definitely better than what I
already have, probably due to hydrating HA.
Manuka
Doctor ApiRefine Lip Enhancer with Purified Bee Venom 15mL - $25.99 from
Priceline
 |
| Manuka Doctor ApiRefine Lip Enhancer 15mL |
Claims to
increase lip volume in 5 minutes with added manuka honey and bee
venom to encourage natural collagen production. Of course, Kourtney
Kardashian is the poster girl for this NZ born brand.
Thoughts?
This is
the most irritating of the lot, and it actually states that I should
be able to feel it working. Seeing as I have just opened this one and
used it a handful of times, it does compare to other products that
are designed to plump via irritation. This comes in a close second to
Lip Venom.
In conclusion
I have had good innings with these products, not to the effect I'd like, but there is a visible improvement.
Have you tried any of these products? Let me know!
Products mentioned in this post were purchased by myself and received as a PR Sample. My opinions are honest.
No comments:
Post a Comment