Bare Escentuals Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick

Everyone likes a good multitasking product and Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick from Bare Escentuals promises to line, color and plump your lips. It's an interesting concept and format, since all of the above is packaged as a thick retractable pencil. I had to give it a try.

The pencil is a bit too thick to really work as a liner for other lip products, unless you're using a color that perfectly matches your lips and is basically nude, which can't be said about any of the current Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick shades. Since I bought Barcelona, a very dramatic deep red, I'd rather not risk it. As a lipstick, the pencil is quite impressive in its coverage, pigment and performance. While normally I'd rather apply a dark lipstick using a brush, after minimal practice I managed to get a solid and precise result (very important for dark reds).

The texture is very light and matte. While it doesn't make the lips feel dry, after about an hour there is some tightening and every line (and in my case scar) is enhanced. Topping the Lip Stick with a clear gloss takes care of the problem, though.

My biggest issue is with the plumping. I don't like the minty-tingly sensation which doesn't go away for more than an hour. I feel that lip plumping by causing irritation to a sensitive tissue is not a good idea. High quality glosses show better results by adding moisture and actually making lips feel good, so that alone is reason enough for me not to buy another Buxom Lip Stick crayon. Also, swatching the pencil on my wrist made my skin itch for a while. Take this into consideration if you're sensitive.

Bottom Line: An overambitious product.

Bare Escentuals Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick ($18) is a Sephora exclusive. I ordered it online.

All photos are mine.

LipFusion Color Shine

I never got the LipFusion hype. I've tried several of the products when they first appeared at Sephora and was never moved to buy them. Their Lash Fusion XL mascara is Clump City without any visible benefit, and I deeply dislike lip plumping products that sting. But the LipFusion Color Shine was a gift with purchase, and the color, Sexy, a sheer watermelon red is great, so I started testing it.

The marketing babble about Color Shine talks about "marine collagen microspheres are instantly absorbed by the lips, and seek out the body’s natural moisture. As soon as the spheres become re-hydrated, they plump and hold onto the moisture they’ve collected, creating a mild "swelling" of the lip tissue". I can't talk about microspheres and collagen, but I own enough lip products that hydrate the lip tissue and give similar results without the pseudo-science and the weird numbing feeling. Oh, and none of them costs $38.

As I said above, Sexy is a lovely color. It looks bold in the tube, but it's very sheer and wearable. Together with the plumping action, the "bitten" effect is nice. The gloss doesn't stay on long, but the extra moisture holds on for a while.

Bottom line: If you can deal with the price tag and the way Color Shine feels on your lip, it's a decent lip gloss/plumper.

LipFusion Color Shine ($38) is available from Nordstrom and Sephora.

All photos are mine.

Clinique Full Potential

The lip gloss/plumper with the longest name I came across is Cliniquq Full Potential™ Lips Plump and Shine. It looks like a good idea on paper (or on screen, in this case), and I was ready for some mild tingling and a lot of plumping action, only to be quite disappointed.

Don't get me wrong: As a gloss, this product is adequate. It has a nice shine and despite the very mild tingling it wears almost comfortably. But if there is any plumping, it's very marginal and doesn't go beyond what you'd see from a high quality gloss or moisturizing lipstick. The main problem is the stickiness. I thought most good glosses have gotten over this problem, but Plump & Shine obviously didn't, despite it being a new product. Everything stuck to it: My hair, cat hair and the filling of my favorite Vietnamese spring rolls. The last one was embarrassing. Shredded lettuce and ground brown rice are not a lip accessory, and it took quite an effort to discreetly remove them.

The color swatches on the Clinique web site are a bit off. I tried Blackberry Bloom, which isn't as loud or as purple as it appears here (it's a very pretty sheer wine color), and Glamour-full which far less rosy and a lot more nude (actually about half a shade lighter than my natural color, so it would look better on paler complexions). I actually liked it best when I mixed the two shades together, only by that point my lips were covered with a thick layer of goop and I was worried it would get random objects or small animals stuck. And with this mental image I say goodnight.

Underwhelming

Two things that I tried last night and left me unimpressed:
DuWop Lip Venom
F by Ferragamo

The lip plumper: I'm the last person on the planet to try a plumping product, I know. I just never felt a need (not that I'm any competition for Angelina Jolie, but I've no problem with my average lips), and I have a problem with the idea of applying a potion that's meant to irritate my lips. But I tried in the name of research. The stinging wasn't too bad. It was more annoying than burning. It lasted for about 30 minutes, made my lower lip round and pillowy, but did nothing for my upper one, which is the part that actually could use some help.

I liked the shine and non-goopiness, but not enough to decide that it's a procduct I actually need. You won't be mistaking me for Angelina any time soon (my blond man is nicer and smarter than hers, and I tend to adopt kittens, not little kids).

The fragrance: F got a trashing on many a blog. I can see why. This three note wonder (orange flower, jasmine and rose) is definitely not the most original creation, and jasmine tends to turn weird on many skins (Thierry Mugler's Alien comes to mind). I didn't hate it. The blossom turned quite candied on my skin, and it's a note that always works for me.

If it were some kind of celebrity fragrance I'd be quite happy with it. After all, it doesn't have berries and watermelon notes. But as a designer effort it's boring and just joins the reeking ranks of the fruity-florals.