There are a lot of beauty products out there with hefty price tags. La Prairie, La Mer, I mean Augustinus Bader anyone? 111 Skin brought out the big guns with this lip balm. Reviews (online and in person) are mixed.
I stood and listened with surprise and hope while a woman genuinely raved about this and what it did to her lips. I was promised plumping, volume, conditioning, but I can only speak from my own experience. I use this daily, mainly because with the price I paid for it, I am going to use it until the oversized silver pot is devoid of every last drop of it’s 15ml. I have never spent so much time in the mirror analysing the size or plumpness of my lips. I don’t have fillers, nor do I have the thinnest of lips, but let’s say they’re not Julia Roberts-esque either. Having the perkiest pout isn’t something I lose sleep over but, with the current trend, a little extra volume wouldn’t be unwelcomed.
The dual-phase product works like this: you apply a little of the cream ‘mask’ to your lips, and you seal that in with the balm. There is no booklet that says when you’ll start to see a change in lip plumpness, how many applications are required or whether to use this daily, hourly, or once a month. A little gripe I’m compelled to mention, my first jar arrived with only a tiny squeeze of the mask component, rather than the full amount. After apologies from the store, and the assurance of quality control feedback to the brand, I received a replacement, full product. If you give this a test, ensure you’re getting the amount you’re paying for.
Application-wise, the cream mask absorbs very quickly so you’re not left with a moisturiser-smelling, goopy film on your lips and the balm feels suitably hydrating and comfortable – it’s nothing on my standard lanolin balm. It’s one week later and while I don’t see any visible difference in the size of my lips, it is noticeable that they are nicely hydrated and haven’t been peeling or feeling chapped. I was pouting in the mirror one day I think I actually imagined fuller lips but I’m pretty convinced their size remains the same – application after application. It remains my opinion that the only way of attaining truly bigger lips is through more invasive measures that sadly no lip balm can reach, but for now I’ll be sticking with a good lip liner and learning to accept my pout the way Mamma made me.