PRODUCT REVIEW : MAYBELLINE VOLUME XL SEDUCTION LIP PLUMPER

March 10, 2008

One way of telling a computer to display text in a certain way is to use a language called HTML. If I inserted the text <strong> in front of a word, sentence, or paragraph, and then I inserted </strong> at the end of the text, the computer would display everything enclosed between these symbols in a bold font. You could read it as < start bold font> and </end bold font>.

Product Review

Maybelline Volume XL Seduction Lip Plumper

So here it is:

<review>It left my lips numb and the colors were boring</end review>.

Details

That review seems rather short. What can I add?

You can see the colors at Maybelline’s site.

It didn’t tingle at all. It felt like lip balm with a high SPF on my lips. My lips felt frozen, as in anesthetized. Put baby teething gel all over your lips and you’ll get the idea.

Now, my friend Henna, who writes the excellent beauty blog ww.canadianbeauty.com, disagrees. Henna found the product tingly in the extreme. She generally liked this lip gloss. If you like very tingly gloss, you may like it also. You can read Henna’s full review here.

It wasn’t sticky. It was thick and creamy, not slick and greasy. It stayed on decently well for a gloss.

Going out on a limb

Although it feels blasphemous to admit this, I’m not at all convinced that tingling/plumping lip glosses actually plump anything. In fact, I’m very convinced that they don’t.

The tingling feeling, which is sometimes more of a sting, can be quite impressive at times but really, do lips really look puffier?

Your children will complain if you kiss them and leave some on their cheek. But very honestly, on which of your friends can you tell if they’re wearing a plumping product?

We’ve all climbed on this bandwagon. We couldn’t count the beauty miracles we bought into once that we’ve long forgotten.

Further out on the same limb

Is it necessary for beauty to be irritating, let alone downright painful? I wish we wouldn’t buy so easily into the pain for beauty concept, especially when the payoff is so minimal, like here. The fact that women will so willingly accept that they must feel discomfort to satisfy someone’s ideal of what “looking good” seems to weaken us somehow.

Yes, I know it’s just lip gloss and it’s not a really big deal. But what man could be convinced by cosmetics marketing to put stuff on his body that is painful, just to look more like a guy in a magazine? They wouldn’t entertain the idea for a second and they seem stronger for it.

Allowing ourselves to feel uncomfortable seems like an admission that the way we are isn’t good enough. It’s a fine line I walk here, since using any makeup makes the same admission, but at least makeup doesn’t hurt.

There are easy ways to create lips that look fuller that don’t hurt. A simple pale gloss in a color that suits you well can do the job. Look at the colors for L’Oreal’s Colour Juice, a favorite of mine among glosses.

L’Oreal Colour Juice Lip Gloss

L’Oreal Colour Juice color chart

You can probably wear several of these colors, with lipstick or alone. These colors are very adaptable. The gloss is a great one on any level : price, wear, color, durability, many non-sparkly options. The light colors will make your lips look larger just by the ability of light colors to come forwards, as opposed to darker colors that recede. The shine will help too.

Posted by Christine Scaman | Filed Under Makeup

Comments

6 Responses to “PRODUCT REVIEW : MAYBELLINE VOLUME XL SEDUCTION LIP PLUMPER”

Holly on March 16th, 2008 8:28 pm

Hi
I have tried the lip plump glosses and I liked them; however, you may be correct in that I felt a sensation but really did my lips get fuller??? I doubt it. All that happened in the end was my husband and kids complained ever time I kissed them.
But recently I found a great lip gloss – perhaps the best find to date. Vincent Longo lip gloss. It does dry my lips or make them chapped, great natural colour, fab packaging…. I love it!
And I enjoy putting it on.
Christine Scaman on March 21st, 2008 2:05 pm

Hey, Holly,

Glad to hear someone else feels the same way about the plumping effect. Doubtful is exactly the right word for it.
I’ll look for the Vincent Longo product. Which of his glosses and which color(s) do you own?
Natasha on May 10th, 2008 4:35 pm

I don’t thinking lip gloss that claims to plump up lips works either. Companies say that because they know people will buy it. It’s ridiculous. I just use Bonne Bell lip gloss since they don’t torture animals like L’Oeal and they come in great flavors. I like gloss that smells like candy.
Christine Scaman on May 11th, 2008 1:43 pm

Hi, Natasha,

I think most women would agree with us. I think it’s a sales gimmick. Maybe your lips feel a little puffier to you, but if no one else can tell, what’s the point?

Your comment is very timely because I’ve been doing a lot of research into animal testing lately. I look at http://www.leapingbunny.org , http://www.caringconsumer.com, and http://www.livingcrueltyfree.com.

The information is a little confusing. I think companies have to go through a lot more to get on the leapingbunny CCIC list but there are those (like BonneBell) who don’t test but are not on that CCIC list.
It’s an issue I carea about a lot, like you, and like so many women.

LipSmackers are still one of the greatest products out there. Fantastic performance for the price.

Thanks for drawing my attention to their non-testing policies and for your thoughtful comment.
Brittany on July 29th, 2009 5:45 pm

Well I just bought it and I get the tingle feeling as well but its bearable since it only lasts about 5 minutes. and since I have been using it regularly it hasn’t bothered me a bit. and it really DOES plump my lips.. I have virtually no top lip and even my husband has noticed. Now even without the gloss on I have much plumper lips.
I love it! But as I have noticed the tingle for some women is 2 much. As much as I encourage this buy I will say be cautious as some can’t take it.
Christine Scaman on August 1st, 2009 8:50 am

Hi, Brittany,

You added a good detail in your description that I omitted – the tingle does last 5 minutes or so. It does go away. Puts me in mind of a jellyfish sting but that may be because I’ve just returned from PEI. And you got plumper lips!!! That’s good. Makeup that does what it says it will is not always easy to find. Thanks for the comment.