Maybelline Lip Plumper: Product Review

When I saw a two-page magazine ad with supermodel Adriana Lima last month boasting the plumping action of Maybelline's newest lip gloss Maybelline New York Volume XL Seduction Lip Gloss, being a sucker for new products, I had to try it, knowing that if it didn't work, at least I'd still have a new lip product out of the deal.

Maybelline touts their newly launched lip gloss as a beauty product for the most voluptuous lips ever, making lips look more than 30 percent fuller, making for a sexy, swollen pout.

While I have shapely lips to begin with, I thought a little more fullness wouldn't hurt.

So many colors, so little time:

So I went to the store, and pondered which of the 10 colors I wanted to try. The colors range from a barely there pink to a shiny wine color. It was hard decision deciding between Born With It (105), Pouty Passion (110) or Fully Blushed (115), but ultimately I decided on the pinker of the three.(Although, on the web site, it looks more like a brown, I would suggest going to the drug store to actually compare colors). Since it's a gloss, even the darkest colors would go on sheer. Maybelline recommends wearing the gloss over your favorite lip color. I prefer wearing it by itself. It's a little more natural-looking and shows off the fullness (what fullness it creates) more.

A tingling sensation:

The packaging warns that the plumping ingredient in the lip gloss will cause a temporary tingling sensation, which is normal. There is a slight tingling sensation that begins five seconds after applying it to your lips. It lasts for less than 30 seconds, and is completely tolerable. If you have severely chapped, sensitive or otherwise damaged lips, Maybelline does not recommend using this product because it will cause irritation.

This short-lived tingling sensation, according to Maybelline, is the product's active amplifiers plumping up lips. The catch is that you can feel the lip gloss working and making your pout fuller. With all these claims, I excitedly ripped the plastic off the shiny deep purple tube, covered my lips and waited for the plumping action to begin.

Apply, reapply, then repeat...