IF LUSCIOUS LIPS are your thing, there's good news. That bee-sting pout sported by the likes of Charlize Theron and Keira Knightley isn't as hard to achieve as you might think. Beauty companies say it's now as simple as using a lipstick.
A new generation of lip plumpers, popular in the US and Britain, include lipsticks, lip glosses or lip moisturisers that promise to temporarily create fuller lips - with not a needle in sight.
Not so long ago, the only way to get plump lips was to inject substances such as collagen or hyaluronic acid (Restylane is the trade name). Beauty experts agree that this is the only way to increase long-term lip volume. But for a quick fix, try temporary plumpers.
One problem is that, as with most beauty products, there's a bewildering array on offer. Many of them work well, but bear in mind that beauty often comes at a price - some of these products will leave your lips unpleasantly zinging long after the initial application.
This is because some use natural irritants such as cinnamon, menthol or cayenne pepper to puff up the lips.
'Putting something irritating on the lips can cause temporary swelling - something we've all experienced after eating chilli,' says Hong Kong dermatologist Tinny Ho Tin-yee. 'For example, DuWop's Lip Venom contains cinnamon, ginger and wintergreen. Both cinnamon and ginger essential oils are known irritants. Cinnamon is also known to be a strong sensitiser - that means it's highly likely to cause an allergic reaction with repeated use.'
