WWW Deep Reviews: We Tested the 10 Best Lip Plumpers So You Don’t Have To

Each installment of Deep Reviews is weeks—and sometimes months—in the making. Once we land on a subject or category to test, we’ll consult our very own staffers and editors (because we happen to think we have damn fine taste when it comes to all things beauty) to come up with our own “best” list.

The Research: For this Deep Review, we looked to other publications—Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Allure, InStyle, Byrdie—and made a list of the products each site recommended above all others. Next, we cross-examined the results from each publication while profiling every last review and rating across major online beauty retailers to see which formulas showed up the most and seemed to be the most satisfactorily rated among beauty shoppers as well. 

The Experts: Since our editors also have access to the best makeup artists in the business, we added an additional expert component to the review process and asked three artists to share the one lip plumper they’d crown the absolute best. They try hundreds of products, so this is a biggie!

In the end, we came up with 10 lip plumpers that beauty lovers, editors, and makeup artists categorize as the best. Of course, we could serve you that top 10 list and end the process there, but we know that still isn’t narrow enough. Instead, we wanted to land on three completely unbeatable formulas you can invest in and love.

The Overall Favorite: We took everything into account—plumping intensity, smell, comfort level, shine, stickiness, longevity, price point, packaging, finish… Literally anything that you can think of, we analyzed it to the nth degree. And since we looked at the full picture, that meant the lip plumper that had the most noticeable results wouldn’t necessarily take the cake if it was sticky, smelled bad, or stung the hell out of our lips. 

The Most Extreme Results: We solely based our decision on the noticeable plumping effects, awarding the formula that resulted in the most dramatic volume change in our lips.

The Best Budget Buy: We decided which of the more affordably priced options was a standout lip plumper that still held its own against the more expensive numbers in the bunch.