Many people complain about how lip plumpers don't work for them but let me offer the devil's advocate opinion from experience and verify that it works mainly for restorative purposes from what I can see.

My mom is 63 and I am 38. She used to have those enviable Cindy Crawford lips when she was younger. My dad has razor-thin lips so I turned out with slender, daintier lips with a slight touch of fullness but with lack of personal care and possibly age, I see my upper lips flattening out and giving me that tired, mean, unfriendly look which I wanted to correct.

I bought a 3-pack of Sovage and gave my mom the two coloured ones and she was instantly thrilled! She wasn't interested in any of my regular lipsticks anymore which she was eyeing. It worked great for her, (her results were better than for me) for restorative purposes as she had experienced flattening on both upper and lower lips through aging. I was seeing both her upper and lower lips restored. I saw some improvement on my upper lip as much as a possible 40%. The effect wears off after 3 hours, then it kinda returns to normal. It was very pleasant to use and worked.

Then I bought Stung to try, which made my upper lip huge cos apparently it was burning its way in and my body was having a nasty reaction (much like a histamine reaction). For those who have not tried it, it's just like taking a bird's eye chilli, freshly cut and applying it to your lips. There is capsicum oil in it so that's the expected effect. So when it got intolerable to the point I couldn't even do think about doing anything else, I decided to negate it with milk from the fridge (milk contains an enzyme, capsein which neutralizes the chilli spice effect)  Chilli does increase the metabolic rate so I believe it does have long term effects in building the infrastructure of lips. (Actually, if you can find any other product that draws blood supply to the lips, it would work too, without such pain) For those of you who can bear with the pain, go ahead as it is a relatively inexpensive product.

I've learnt how to control it my way so I'm just gonna stick to finishing using what I bought just to see the effect on purely scientific interests. Not a pleasant product to use although the good news is the sensitivity to it wears down, which does not necessarily equate to it being totally absorbed so I would advise applying milk to the lips which might be a prudent thing to do before kissing the boyfriend or performing what he likes best on him. Bear in mind that you may not feel it after some time but someone else might on contact with it.

In terms of effectiveness, both products did work. Sovage swelled them to about 40% more and while Stung on naked lips increased my lips to almost twice the size, they dropped back to the same size that Sovage gave after the burning effect subsided. I'm using the Sovage underneath  b4 I apply Stung to kinda block out the burning and alleviate the pain but I think the overall combination works for me.

A Word about contamination:

You would have noticed how easy it is for mascara and lip products to spoil or change. As liquid containing products, they are more subceptible to contamination (great medium for bacterial growth if preservatives aren't added in a significant amount), hence causing dilution and/or destruction of the active ingredients and of course, oxidation.

Haven't you noticed how often a great treatment product works on you right at the start and then after a few weeks, the effects wear off? Each time you re-insert the applicator back into the tube or apply a roll-on, you introduce air and your own contaminants from your lips into the tube. So, it is no fault of the product. It was made to work great but after some time, it won't work as great as at the start because of what you've introduced into it.

It would therefore make more sense to actually purchase smaller volumes of it so that the product stays true to its original state as much as possible. Most importantly, practice good hygeine before touching the product. Start with really clean lips (yes, it does mean wiping your lips clean after a meal before reapplying, or even using a cleanser).

Other factors:

Don't get too excited about seeing plumpness in the morning when you wake up. I used to observe that even without using anything on my lips at all. They flatten out after brushing of teeth or regular morning activities that use up your body's water before you've even had a chance at drinking your first glass of water. It's normal but it's more plumped up in the morning after using a regular lipbalm at night like Blistex which help retain moisture in your lips.

Diet and physiology probably plays a more important role in lip plumpness. Drinking enough of plain water (without caffeine or other sorts of beverages), getting a diet that includes enough high quality protein or supplements which have hyaluronic acid and/or collagen in them would contribute to results. Sexual physiology and frequency matters, too. Haven't u ever noticed how full your boyfriend's lips suddenly look when he is aroused when in a normal state they were flat? When aroused, blood flow floods towards the lip area. That's why some sexual stimulants have been added into some lip enhancement products. When blood floods those capillaries there, there are ample nutrients and oxygen for healthy tissue to develop.

So what's the verdict? Do Lip Plumpers effect any sort of permanent change in the infrastructure in your lips?

My honest answer? No. Sorry to disappoint. Even the Lip Plumpers will state clearly they will give a temporary cosmetic effect. Your body is in constant dynamic change everyday, even the lips. They might help provide a sustainable cosmetic plumpness for several hours but, what really matters is what is happening right inside your own physiology. You can only attempt at adding more physical matter into the lip faster than your body is degrading it away, as what Lip Fusion is doing, while building it internally on your own.

There is only maintenance and I would put more faith into personal care that involves a good diet, drinking PLENTY of water, taking appropriate supplements like vitamin C (for collagen production even within the lips) , taking lots of fruit and vege and getting enough of exercise. NO smoking and NO alcohol. I know it sounds tough but, it's for everyone's good.

God bless you all!