In a society where bodies have become trends, the desirability of having fuller and plumper lips is very prevalent. Lip injections are a cosmetic procedure that has been around for years, but the most memorable craze that made the appeal of larger lips increase dramatically was none other than the dangerous ‘Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge.’
Back in 2015, 17-year-old Kylie Jenner revealed that she had gotten lip injections and in response to that many teenagers decided to place their lips into glasses or jars and suck out the air. The result of this left many teenagers with inflamed, bruised and swollen lips. And from that point on, the obsession with large lips was born. Thankfully, the lip challenge was left behind and instead, many young women opted for lip injections. The procedure is minimally invasive, where lip filler is injected into the top and lower lip.
Lip injections last for around six to nine months before another round of filler is required. In the UK, lip filler injections can cost anywhere between £200 and £500, according to the Private Clinic, but for some people, like me, this is out of their price range and the idea of having needles inserted into their lips is a thought worth cringing at. But needles aren’t the only way to voluptuous lips and
Luckily, like any good business should, many makeup brands have responded to the market and understood their demographic. Now, many brands have brought out their own ranges of ‘Lip Injection Lip gloss.’ Brands like Barry M, Elf and Revolution all claim that their glosses will enhance lips ad create a “fuller” look, but how truthful is this?
I decided to test out the Too Faced Lip Injection Gloss, an “Instant & Long Term Lip Plumper.”
The online description for the gloss says the it is made from a “lab-tested blend of ingredients… that give it the unique ability to offer long-term, lasting plumping effects.” When first using the gloss, it seemed like any other regular gloss. It looked nice on, made my lips shiny, but that was about it. However, just twenty seconds later and a tingling sensation occurred where I had put the gloss over my lips. Peculiar at first, maybe a bit uncomfortable, but nothing I couldn’t get used to and it only lasted for a few minutes before the tingling stopped. Looking in the mirror after, my lips looked no different. “Maybe it will make a difference after constant use.” I said.
And so, for the next month I applied the lip gloss every day at several different times. And at some points I would catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and think to myself that my lips had definitely gotten bigger, but then I would look again and see no difference at all. I eventually came to the conclusion that while there may be short-term effects, long-lasting effects are either non-existent or so minuscule that a difference won’t even be noticed. And the tingling sensation was simply an illusion to make you think that the lip gloss will have extreme result.
So, the most important question… Will I buy again? Yes. Do I believe the gloss has magical lip-altering powers? No I don’t but, you can’t deny how glossy it looks!
