Lip Plumpers and Why You Might Be Better Off With Skinny Lips

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New Year’s Eve is only a few days away and many women are picking out the perfect celebration outfit. You probably know just how you want to look when the clock strikes midnight and you ring in the New Year. A fancy outfit. Perfect hair. Carefully applied make-up. You might even consider using a lip plumper product so you can have that perfect pout when zeroing in on a partner for your New Year’s kiss.

I am here to tell you, leave that plumper at home.

To be fair, I have only tested one lip plumper product. One time was enough. But with that being said, I know other women who have tried other brands and experienced a similar effect.

Here is my experience. I was getting ready for a fun night out of dinner and drinks with my husband and two other couples. Our friends were visiting Arizona so we were already together prior to going out. The ladies left the guys alone so we could get ready. We changed our outfits and freshened up our hair and make-up. It was then that I remembered that I had a lip plumper that I had never tried. My friends and I decided it was the perfect night to add a little punch to our pucker.

I smoothed the clear gel over my lips and stared into the mirror, waiting to be transformed into Angelina Jolie. One of my friends tried the plumper at the same time that I did. Impatiently, I stepped away to pick out a pair of shoes. As I contemplated the decision between my black heels verses my suede boots, my lips began to burn. I rushed back to the bathroom where my friends were still getting ready. “Are your lips burning?” I yelled as I ran. I stopped when I saw my friend’s face. We gasped in surprise as we saw each other and our matching lips. They were turning red and starting to swell. Even the skin surrounding our lip line was turning red and puffy. We frantically grabbed tissues and started to wipe away what we could of the lip plumper. Just to be sure we used make-up remover and washed off any remaining product. We warned our other friend that she should skip the lip plumping. As our excited and hungry group left for dinner, I knew for certain, my lips were bigger than usual, only this was not a good thing. Even with the lip liner and lipstick that I wore to disguise the irritation, my lips were red and swollen beyond my lip line. Luckily, the effects did not last long.

I do not know what ingredients were in that brand. I threw the package away as fast as I could. Typically, these products work by irritating the thin, delicate skin of the lips with ingredients like menthol or camphor. One friend of mine told me that her husband complained that his lips were burning after kissing her the night she sampled a lip plumping product. Yikes! That is not the reaction you want on New Year’s Eve. It took a negative experience to help me see that I am satisfied with my normal, not seductively full lips.

Wishing you a safe and happy New Year!

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.