Plump It Up!

Written by: Lauren Warner, Staff Writer

I’ve always been obsessed with lip plumpers. I have really tiny lips so anything that makes my lips feel remotely bigger makes me feel like I’ve achieved OC Housewife status. When lip plumpers first came out on the market, I’d endure painful burning lips just to have fuller lips for an hour or two. I believe one of these lip plumping ingredients was cinnamon. New lip pumpers seem to work far better and without the painful sting. Duri’s Lush Lips Plumping Lip Shine is no exception.

I really love the soft, silky texture of this cruelty free, plumping lip gloss when applying it to my lips. The color I tried is called Icicle and it’s clear with a slight silver shimmer. As with most lip glosses with “shimmer,” I’m always fearful that pieces of glitter will stick to my lips. Sometimes a little glitter is fun but I prefer lip glosses that I can wear everyday. My personal lip gloss test is if I can apply it without staring in a mirror – I know it’s a keeper. I was pleased that this made my lips slightly shimmery but I didn’t detect any pieces of glitter.

The flavor of the gloss was slightly minty but after I applied it, the taste didn’t linger and it quickly went away which I found unusual but really, really appreciated. The box claims that “you may feel a fresh, cooling tingle” which I didn’t feel (and I’m glad I didn’t). This is more than likely from the added menthol which also explains the minty taste.

I was impressed with the ingredients such as aloe, vitamin E, coconut oil and sunflower oil. I just wish it didn’t contain mineral oil. I also really loved the applicator wand and packaging. The square lid twisted and snapped into the lip gloss container so I know it’s not going to open and ooze in my purse. I’m intrigued by the “tripeptides” that “structure and restore lips volume by stimulating collagen production.” Although I didn’t notice a huge difference in the size of my lips (again this could just be due to my very tiny lips) they did feel slightly plumper in a non-painful way and I wouldn’t mind trying one in a color just in time for those fun summer nights!