A pouty mouth isn’t always a bad thing. The best drugstore lip plumpers will make your lips look fuller. It’s not just an illusion – they actually volumize the lips. Plus, they’re a lot cheaper than injections or fillers.
Which is the most effective lip plumper you can get at a drugstore? Check out the reviews below to find out what we discovered. In the meantime, here are the highlights:
| The best drugstore lip plumpers | Why we love them |
|---|---|
| NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Filler Instinct Plumping Lip Polish |
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| Maybelline Lip Lifter Gloss Hydrating Lip Gloss |
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| Physicians Formula Plump Potion |
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| e.l.f. Lip Plumping Gloss |
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| Milani Keep It Full Nourishing Lip Plumper |
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| L'Oreal Paris Infallible 8HR Plumping Lip Gloss |
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| Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme |
|
Is lip plumper bad for your lips?
We inevitably get this question. It’s certainly valid as some lip plumpers rely on bee venom to puff up a pout. Just imagine what would happen if you had an allergy to bee stings. Sends chills right down the spine, doesn’t it?
Nowadays, lip plumping gloss, especially the discount versions, use two methods to make the lips fuller and smoother. The first is to increase blood circulation with ingredients like cinnamon, menthol, or capsicum from chili peppers. When people tell you that a lip plumper tingles or stings, those are usually the reasons why. (Be extra careful if you have sensitive skin or any allergies related to these active ingredients. Before testing the gloss on your mouth, dab a little on skin that’s out of sight and wait a day to see what happens. Usually, if there’s going to be one, you’ll have a reaction within a few minutes).
The second technique is to add extra moisture with hyaluronic acid, collagen, and other hydrating ingredients. Here the effects are more subtle but may last longer (and they certainly hurt less).
In either case, lip plumper starts to fill out the lips within seconds to minutes, but the effects only last for a couple of hours (in most cases). Still, it only takes a moment to reapply the gloss. And when your lip gloss is this cheap, it’s all good.
Best Drugstore Lip Plumpers in 2024
NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Filler Instinct Plumping Lip Polish, Lip Plumper Gloss
The NYX lip plumper is one of our favorites when we consider the price, the high-gloss finish, and the fact that it comes in five shades or a transparent version. Yes, you can plump your lips with the latter no matter what color lipstick you’ve chosen to wear.
So, what’s the magic ingredient that plumps the lips? For sure, it’s menthol that makes it tingle. But there are several lip conditioners like hyaluronic acid and argan oil, too.
Moreover, each shade has a little sparkle courtesy of synthetic mica and minerals. The extra shine makes the lips look even fuller and smoother. And no, it’s not glittery, but pearlescent, which is just perfect.
Did you know that you can see photos taken by people who measured how much it plumped their lips? It’s a noticeable difference. They say it stings, but not too much.
This is a product from a cruelty-free brand. They’ve gone to the trouble of getting certified by PETA, so rest assured that no animal suffered tingly lips to test your lipstick.
Pros:
- Five pearlescent shades plus a transparent gloss
- Noticeable plumping power with minimal tingle
- Infused with hyaluronic acid and other lip conditioners for extra moisture
- From a certified cruelty-free brand
Cons:
- It’s a small selection of colors, but at this price you can try them all
Maybelline Lip Lifter Gloss Hydrating Lip Gloss
It’s available in fifteen shades including transparent. Each one provides a super glossy pout that goes on with one swipe per lip. It’s smooth and shimmery with a pleasant vanilla fragrance.
Even better, there’s no sting or tingle. This gloss relies on hyaluronic acid, coconut oil, and some proprietary magic to make the lips look plump and kissable. Since there is no temporary tingle, the effects last longer.
What’s nice is that it smooths the lips like a rich moisturizer, making them softer both immediately and cumulatively. The more you use it, the more hydrated your lips will be. Find us another lipstick that does this.
Pros:
- Wide variety of shades with a high-gloss shimmery finish
- Pleasant vanilla fragrance
- Painlessly plumps the lips with hyaluronic acid
- Provides excellent hydration
Cons:
- The ingredients list is mind-bending
Physicians Formula Plump Potion
If you have sensitive skin, you may already be familiar with this brand. They develop hypoallergenic cosmetics that are free from artificial fragrances and other harsh ingredients. Each product is dermatologist-approved.
With that said, check the label. You may recognize some of the ingredients if you’re an experienced tanner. For example, there’s methyl nicotinate that creates the hot sensation in tingle tanning lotions. Oh yeah, you’re going to feel it.
Then, there’s menthol with its well-known cooling sensation maximized by caffeine to increase circulation to the surface of the lips.
After we read that far, we were intrigued. The lip gloss promises to provide instant results with long-term effects.
Indeed, what we found is that the color deepens after a minute or two as the blood rushes to the lips. It definitely tingles. On the bright side, it plumps the lips like nobody’s business for at least an hour or two. You’ll never see your lips smoother or more full without getting filler.
Even as the swelling goes down, the lips stay moisturized because of the hyaluronic acid and peptides. But there’s a downside. The applicator is a little awkward when you need to be precise with where you put the gloss. Also, the texture is a bit thick and sticky, so be careful with that long hair.
Pros:
- Massive plumping power and a definite tingling sensation
- Results in sixty seconds
- Fortified with hyaluronic acid and peptides to smooth and soften the skin
Cons:
- Awkward applicator
- Plumping effect starts to diminish after a couple of hours
e.l.f. Lip Plumping Gloss
Don’t you hate sticky lip gloss? This shiny lip lacquer isn’t tacky in any sense of the word. It’s available in five shimmery shades that will make your pout pop. Choose from peach, champagne, mocha, pink, and rose. The only thing missing is transparent gloss.
Yes, it tingles because it uses menthol to volumize. But it doesn’t hurt any worse than sore muscle cream and it smells a whole lot more wonderful. Fans find that it plumps just as well as more expensive brands. It doesn’t hurt that the tube is a decent size and affordably priced.
We’re also happy that it’s cruelty-free and does not contain phthalates, parabens, or animal ingredients.
Pros:
- Available in five shimmery shades for warm, neutral, and cool undertones
- Features menthol to stimulate circulation and volumize the lips
- Pleasing aroma and pleasant tingle
- Certified cruelty free, vegan, and contains no parabens or phthalates
Cons:
- We only wish it came in a transparent version
Milani Keep It Full Nourishing Lip Plumper
Here’s a brand from East LA. It makes cosmetics for the full range of human skin tones, so it’s not surprising it offers sixteen shades of lip plumper. If you can’t find a color here, you’re doing it wrong.
The promotional material calls it, “America’s favorite lip plumper”. This is based on a Nielsen survey done in 2018 before we all had to cover our faces during a pandemic. Now that we’re getting out and about again, it’s a perfect time to test the claim. Will it be your favorite lip gloss, too?
To get the most from it, we recommend you exfoliate your lips. It will perform best on moisturized, smooth skin. It tingles mildly, which some users compared to putting peppermint on their lips. At the same time it volumizes, it hydrates with hyaluronic acid.
There’s also a neat trick for putting it on. Press the applicator in a crisscross over the lips then start at the middle and apply along the edges to the corners.
Like other smart brands, this one is cruelty-free. Of course, the lip gloss is vegan as well.
Pros:
- Available in sixteen glossy shades
- Mild tingle with extra hydration from hyaluronic acid
- Rated as America’s favorite lip plumper in 2018
- Cruelty-free and vegan
Cons:
- It’s hard to decide which shade to start with as there are so many to choose from
L’Oreal Paris Infallible 8HR Plumping Lip Gloss
Okay, let’s be honest. L’Oreal promises eight hours of color and shine plus plumper lips. But please don’t purchase this thinking that your lips will stay plump for that long. In fact, we saw lots of semi-disappointed reviews where someone was satisfied with the shade but didn’t find their lips looking fuller.
On the bright side, it has a subtle sweet scent and taste that fades within a few minutes. It tingles slightly as well, but only in the beginning. Consider it a good investment if you’re uncertain how you’ll react to lip plumpers. Think of it as taking baby steps.
Also good, you shouldn’t have to touch up for three or four hours. The texture is a little sticky, but pretty resistant to transferring.
Pros:
- Long-lasting color and shine with minimal tingling
- Softly scented and subtly flavored
- Resistant to transferring
Cons:
- Not as effective a plumper as the competition
Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme
What’s creamy and feels cool on the lips? No, we’re not thinking of ice cream. We are testing Revlon’s lip plumper. It comes in ten shades, so the first challenge is deciding which color we like best.
Next, it smells like cocoa butter, which makes it tempting to lick. This could be why we had to retouch after about an hour.
Fortunately, it features honest-to-goodness volumizing technology called Volulip. It works best if you exfoliate the lips first. What’s nice is it doesn’t hurt, but feels like diluted peppermint oil on the lips.
You can go the extra mile by contouring with lip liner first and then applying the cream. The contour helps because all the shades are rather sheer, kind of like Bobbi Brown brand lip gloss.
At any rate, this is an enjoyable way to plump and moisturize the lips.
Pros:
- Features patented technology for plumping lips
- Provides a cooling sensation and a sweet dose of moisture
- Pleasant taste and scent
- Available in ten sheer shades
- Works well with lip liner
Cons:
- Not transfer-resistant and not very long-lasting
Conclusion
Get voluptuous lips the cheap and easy way. The best drugstore lip plumpers moisturize and volumize for maximum pout without the need for needles. Plus, the affordable prices and wide selection of colors will tempt you to find the perfect match for every mood.
We hope our reviews helped you find your new favorite lip gloss today. If so, we’d love to hear about your experience with it. Please feel free to leave us a comment below.