"Bee-stung lips" - sounds painful

September 29, 2022 10:17 PM

Commercial "lip plumper" products - do any of them actually swell lips? What if you applied it to one of your toes? Or is it just another marketing term for "glossy?"

I had assumed the latter, but while reality-checking this post, I found this [thecut.com] that supposes products that created physical swelling.

posted by porpoise to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

They are indeed painful. A lot of them have stuff like cinnamon and mint extracts or capsaicin even in order to irritate the lips and cause swelling and puffiness. Fancier ones have different ingredients intended to like, super-hydrate your lips and therefor gently swell them? I don’t get it, because the ingredient is usually hyaluronic acid which is a nice thing for skincare because it does help retain hydration in your skin, but I wouldn’t say when I apply the skincare stuff I have with it that any part of me swells. But anyway after being (literally) burned by a supposedly subtle gloss that I didn’t realize was of the plumping variety, I have been cautious ever since and never tried any again. Note, I do have kind of sensitive skin, but I like lipstick in general and have worn plenty of it with no problems.

As for if it would hurt if applied elsewhere, part of the supposed efficacy of these products is that the skin of your lips is very thin. It has a ton of nerve endings and is pretty sensitive so it will react more noticeably to irritations than, say, your toes. But if you’ve ever cut hot peppers with your bare hands and felt that tingle or burn, you can probably approximate the sensation without buying plumping gloss for yourself.

Beauty is pain, yadda yadda. Do not recommend.
posted by Mizu at 10:32 PM on September 29, 2022 [4 favorites]

Oh yeah, did you ever try that "Venom" product in the late 90s / early 00s that the cut article leads with? It was all the rage in my middle / high school and burned like hell. Cinnamon oil, I think.
posted by athirstforsalt at 10:50 PM on September 29, 2022 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: ... did you ever try that "Venom" product in the late 90s / early 00s that the cut article leads with?

No! Did it work (to increase volume), or did it just suck?
(I am of the age, but the best I managed was peelable nail polish.)

I have narrow and very thin lips and I'm looking for anything that actually works to bring me closer to the mean, visually irl.
posted by porpoise at 11:16 PM on September 29, 2022

Yes, lip plumpers that 'work' visibly in a short span of time would contain irritants as mentioned above. The ones that attempt to do so via long-term hydration is a bit on the wishful thinking side, imo if one's lips aren't already full (as they work best if you think of them the way calcium supplements augment mineral loss in your bones. Your lips do become flatter as you age as the collagen levels recede). You'll still get good result if you wait but it won't change your lip shape significantly.

In your case, if you're ok with it, surgical fillers might be an alternative, but i don't have a lot of specific advice on this end other than finding experts who don't deal it out with a heavy hand. Other than that, some skillful makeup tips such as overlining your lips might be best.
posted by cendawanita at 11:37 PM on September 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

@porpoise it just sucked.

To respond to your follow-up comment, I used this technique when I had to host some events that were above my glamour paygrade and this overdrawing move did not make me feel unrecognizable to myself, which is for me a very strong endorsement?! You could try.
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:57 AM on September 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

So, my friend had one of these and I tried it one night before going out.

It definitely plumped my lips. I don't remember how long the effect lasted, and I don't know if this is the exact one that she had (the reviews say there's issues with the suction on this one, that was not the case with the one my friend had), and I remember being warned not to go too crazy because it can bruise the area around the lips if not careful.
posted by newpotato at 2:54 AM on September 30, 2022 [3 favorites]

They cause a bit of swelling and they do actually work for an hour or two. Definitely enough time to take some photos, and if you reapply a few times, the effect will keep renewing all day.

Hyalauronic acid injected as lip filler is a very successful cosmetic procedure, can be subtle and natural or dramatic, and it’s totally reversible- the filler can be immediately dissolved with another injection at any time if needed.

You get what you pay for with the injector’s skill so don’t cheap out! Instagram has lots of accounts with info and examples. The two accounts I linked are great to browse through and educate yourself.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:35 AM on September 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

WRT your update, the delightfully real Alexandra Anele has a good video about lip contour and keeping it neutral and versatile. Definitely a technique to familiarize yourself with before going the manual irritation route.
posted by Mizu at 5:55 AM on September 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Ooh, I actually LOVED the Venom lip plumper you all are talking about when I was a teen and it was all the rage. I don't think I would've described the sensation as painful or hurty, more tingly and buzzy. And it was a nice shiny gloss and it tasted like cinnamon! I think the plumping effect was there, but fairly small and temporary. But I definitely used it because I liked the feel and the taste as much as any lip plumping magic. Hmm, now I'm off to go look for the closest modern equivalent to Venom...
posted by carlypennylane at 6:44 AM on September 30, 2022 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: look for the closest modern equivalent to Venom...

Please let me know if you identify anything (for novelty purposes for trying, if nothing else)!

To all, thanks for the tips, examples, and experience-notes!
posted by porpoise at 7:30 AM on September 30, 2022

The Buxom lip-plumping glosses are the most highly recommended lip plumper. Some people do find them too ‘burny’ but they do appear to give a good plump and shiny appearance.
posted by hydrobatidae at 8:11 AM on September 30, 2022 [2 favorites]

Lip Venom is still alive and well if you're interested in trying that. Personally, I find the buzzy feeling really addictive.
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 10:06 AM on September 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Try acrolein, it is the ingredient in teargas and other chemical weapons, is a biocide, and used in lipstick, to plump lips. It has uses in cosmetics. If you come up short, there are 1.8 million gallons of it nearby here.
posted by Oyéah at 12:38 PM on September 30, 2022

I use this lip plumping treatment at night, and I have seen a small difference. It does not sting or burn, and while the results aren't dramatic I do notice that when I have run out and not used it for a few weeks my lips look thinner and more lined.

A few years ago the Ordinary worked with Dr. Esho and made a lip plumper that worked quite well on me, with very little sting or burn but obvious effects. Then they had a falling out and it's no longer made. If I got it on other parts of my body there was definitely a tingling feeling and some redness, probably from the methyl nicotinate in it.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:15 AM on October 1, 2022 [1 favorite]