Sally Hansen Lip Inflation

On the quest for bigger lips without shelling out the equivalent of four hours of hard work? Look no further than Sally Hansen, one of my favorite drugstore makeup brands.

Sally Hansen is the queen of drugstore nail polish, seriously, the QUEEN, what you might not know is that her lippies are just as incredible. I've been a huge fan of the Diamond Treatment lipglosses for their fun sparkles and pretty colors but great sparkly lipglosses are a dime a dozen at the drugstore (although I really think these are the best)! What you really need to know about, and probably can't find elsewhere in this price range, are Lip Inflation and Lip Inflation Extreme.

These babies work! The cinnamon-y scent causes the lips to swell for visible plumping action. Trust me when I say these aren't for the faint of heart, they burn, significantly less than Lip Venom but it's still there. Your tongue isn't going to go numb and, at least on me, most of the irritation is at the outer edge of the lips, mostly concentrated on the top lip and fades before the gloss wears off. I wouldn't recommend kissing your man without a fair warning ahead of time, he'll think you're trying to poison him or something. But, the thing is, that's how these work. The cinnamon is supposed to irritate your lips slightly, that's what causes them to swell. If you can't handle the burn, I recommend applying a THIN layer of lip balm under, you'll still get most of the plumping without all the irritation. And, remember to apply a hydrating treatment after you use any plumping product.

Of course, these are available in clear but what I love is the colors, great baby pinks and nudes in Lip Inflation and even brighter pinks in the Extreme line. My lips look fuller and the colors are gorgeous. Best part, these cost about 1/4 of those pricier, less effective brands and can be found at discount stores (shh, that's where I got my latest batch for $3 each). The tube is generously sized and super chic, no less so than LipFusion. If you've never tried a lip plumper these are a great starter product, if you hate it you're not out too much money. I honestly have had better luck with plump-age and Sally Hansen than I have with more expensive, only available at Sephora-esque products.