Lips: plump me up!

Yes. From time to time I can be vain. OK. Fine. I can be vain every time I pass a mirror and check my hair, shoes, pants or butt.
This week, I want bigger lips.

So, a series of long, menacing, stabby, scary needles filled with collagen would be my next step, right? Well, for one thing, I am not rich. Oh, and the thought of a needle near my mouth for anything other than dental purposes makes me cringe.
My alternatives: trying out a lip plumper or two.

I also think I'd prefer to be able to float down from my lip-high the moment I wipe it off, as opposed to stay puffed until the goo inside my lips dissipates. Yuck.

Okay. I've made my choice to avoid a surgical type procedure for the plumping up of my lips, but now I wonder. Will any of these actually do the temporary trick?

The list of contenders is as follows:
Duwop Lip venom
Blistex Lip Medex
Sally Hansen lip inflation extreme

Each has been denoted a 'Plump', 'Sting' and 'Last' factor for each, and given an over all review of the product too.

Duwop Lip venom
- The popular choice - One of the first on the market, this plumper uses essential oils consisting of ginger and cinnamon to enhance lips' natural color and shape by increasing circulation. The result: fuller bee stung lips. The cinnamon scent is uber strong, which for me is a great thing, but if you abhor the smell, you might want to steer clear.

Plump factor - Does what it says - lips were bigger.

Sting factor - a bit of a surprise if you've never used one before, it tingles to a slight point of discomfort, but it doesn't last too long.

Last factor - about an hour until I had to reapply. OR I just really wanted to smell the cinnamon scent again.

Blistex Lip Medex
- the 'Doesn't actually know it's a lip plumper' option - this one was an accidental discovery during a shoot. I used it as a base on a model with very chapped lips and not only was the problem of flaky skin on the lips solved, but the results were smooth, plumped up lips! It is formulated to help relieve pain associated with dry lips and cold sores with camphor and menthol, so there's no special fancy scent associated with this one. It is medicated all the way.

Plump factor - totally accomplishes a plump look by also hydrating your lips intensely, which in turn, smooths them out, making them look bigger.

Sting factor - It's less a sting and much more a tingle, in this case.

Last factor - OK, so it's not very long, but it'll get you through a short coffee date of 45 minutes or under.

Sally Hansen lip inflation extreme
- Sexy package option - No, really. That is one of the reasons it made the list for trial. It is a sleek, shiny gold rectangular prism of sexiness.
The stuff inside is just a bonus. A combination of marine collagen and hyaluronic acid. It also contains cinnamon extract to enhance the lips' natural color by stimulating blood flow to the lips.

Plump factor - It appeared to do it's job, but the formula was a little gooey. I was unsure if there was an actual size difference or is it was just the gleam off of my lips.

Sting factor - You can feel this one, too. This one hurt on dry lips, so I opted to place a reg. chap stick underneath it the second time around. It didn't plump as much as the first application, but it sure did hurt a lot less!

Last factor - I'd gauge it at around 30 minutes, tops. This is a total reapply product. But in a sexy gold prism package, you'd be more than happy to pull it out and slather it on.

There you have it. Relatively conclusive results that, the short list of products I tested out, did do what they promised. If you happen to be scared by the sting factor, or just want to try an alternative to a lip plumper all together, try out the no pain-makeup option:

Use a lip pencil that is almost the same shade as your natural lip colour and trace just outside of your natural lip line. Apply sheer lipstick in a medium or light shade (very dark colours can make thin lips look smaller). Then, use a shimmery gloss or even a shimmery eye shadow mixed with Vaseline, and place it in the middle of your lips, both top and bottom.