Remedy for Thin Lips: Too Faced Lip Injection Verses Fusion Lip Fusion Lip Plumper

My lips have always been fairly thin which led me on a quest for the best lip plumper. My top lip is also uneven and lipliner does not seem to even it out, so I tried plumpers to even up my lip. Two lip plumpers I tried in the process are Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme and Fusions' Lip Fusion lip plumpers. This did not seem like a cheap process, both of these lip plumpers are expensive but both offer results. Here are my findings.

I had tried Fusion's Lip Fusion first. This is what Sephora says about how Lip Fusion works: "How it works: Tiny, dehydrated, marine collagen micro spheres are instantly absorbed by the lips, and seek out the body's natural moisture. As soon as the spheres become rehydrated, they plump and hold onto the moisture they've collected, creating a mild "swelling" of the lip tissue. The result is fuller, smoother, perfectly plumped lips in seconds. Results can last for up to 48 hours" An early experiment I tried is if my lips were wet would they get bigger since moisture expands the collagen, it appears not. Although better results are attained if your lips are moisturized in advance with a product like Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer.

It does not sting and I have very sensitive lips that crack easily. It does give a nice sheen and my lips look lush and smooth. There is a noticeable plumping as well as light attracting particles in the gloss which draws more attention to the lips without looking like a glitter. The scent is pleasant and generally undetectable, perhaps the slightest hint of peppermint but not in a medicinal way at all. It comes in several shades including some that are to make your teeth look whiter. The shades are more of a subtle wash than appear in the brightly pigmented tube, so no color is really a bad shade, although I did find the bare to be too yellow for my less than white teeth. But on other people, it looked lovely and was nice on me as long as I kept my mouth shut. It is readily available at Sephora, beauty.com, as well as even in a few drugstore chains. It is however pricey at $36 each. Fusion has been running a few specials of buy one item get another free that makes a bit more of a bargain. There is a Lip Fusion XXL that is supposed to be twice the collagen for about $50 it is intended as a nighttime treatment. I tried thinking more of a good thing, but I personally did not see any difference between the $50 XXL version and the regular $36 clear version.

PROS: Nice range of 16 flattering shades including clear, sheer and a few that are more opaque, Lip Fusion can be worn alone or over other lip cosmetics, can be applied multiple times a day, it does not sting. I did see results with multiple applications. The shades of Berry, Smooch, and Dream are pigmented enough to wear as your lip color. A guy or someone not wanting to be known for wearing lip-gloss can use the clear, get the plumping benefits and blot it off without detection or any residual sparkles. Not really Angelina Jolie lips, but a fuller, smoother and more youthful lip looks. My chapped lips are always softer when using Lip Fusion.

CONS: It is $36 and I do not believe the shape of the container is conducive to assessing much of the product; so much of it is wasted. The gloss is a bit sticky, but not the kind that will make your hair stick to your lips. I did not find that it plumped my lips for 48 hours but I did like how my lips looked when I had it on and after the gloss itself wore off.

The Too Faced Lip Injection Lip Plumper does sting in my opinion. For about 10 seconds after I apply it each and every time I say to myself "OUCH! Why did I do that?" but then the sting completely goes away. Only once or twice I have considered the sting bad enough to blot it off, that was in tandem with trying other new products that day. The Too Faced description says this stinging can last for up to 5 minutes, so your experience may vary. The plumping however, is immediate after this sting and it does make my lips actually appear larger, I thought it made my lips actually large enough that it balanced out my features better and made my eyes look larger for some reason. There are clear shades and more sparkly shades, so it is suitable for either older or younger. It is not sticky but it is a wet gloss. The results last after the gloss wears off but I do not find any long term plumping from this product.

Here is how Sephora says Too Faced Lip Injection works: "Lip Injection's patented formula is based on medically-proven blood vessel dilating technology touted to create the sexiest, pout this side of a plastic surgeons office! A celebrity secret weapon against puny, lifeless lips!"

Pros: I prefer the brush applicator of the Lip Injection Lip Plumper to the standard fabric cotton like swab like brush of the Lip Fusion so you can apply with more precision, which I think is important if you are correcting uneven lips. It comes in eight shades including clear, the shade "frostbite" (pearly but not quite sparkly glitter) and various shades of pink and peach to suit various skin tones. The overall appearance of your lip is a ripe reddish tone since it dilates your lips. It is a smaller tube than Lip Fusion (Lip Fusion is .33 ounce whereas Lip Injection is .18 ounces, .24 for super size) The Lip Injection is $18 - $23.50 depending on the shade and size so it is cheaper to try. Lip Injection makes other lip products to enhance the Lip Injection such as a Lip Mask to use before you use the Lip Injection and a Lip Injection Extreme for special events.

Cons: Lip Injection does sting, and may continue to sting for up to 5 minutes. Lip dilation lasts longer but seems to hurt more. If it stings you, remember you do not need to lavish it on, a small amount will do. I do not find this color to be enough without some other lip color but it does create color whereas I do not find that Lip Fusion does create any color other than that which is in the pigments. It is not enough color to be a lip color by itself for me, but a ripe red lip does look very sexy by itself.