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Plump it up: Plumping beauty products
Plump up the volume with the latest high-tech products for skin, lips and hair.
By Yuki Hayashi
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Big mouth
Despite some hi-viz cautionary tales (Nicole Kidman, anyone?), full lips remain popular. For the needle-phobe, a new ingredient called Hilurlip is showing promising results. Designed as a commercial additive for lipgloss and lip balm products, Hilurlip contains hyaluronic acid, which attracts and binds moisture, thereby filling in lines and increasing volume. Hilurlip is expected to be available in Canada later this year, and preliminary tests by Lipotec-the Spanish company that created it-found that it increased lip fullness by almost 20 percent.
There are many over-the-counter lip-plumping products that contain hyaluronic acid or collagen-boosting ingredients. While they won't give the same results as injectables, “topically applied products are a great strategy for keeping lips looking smooth and hydrated,” says Anderson. DuWop, the California-based company that first started the pout-enhancing craze in 1999 with the cult favourite Lip Venom, also counts the newer Prime Venom among its plumping stable. It contains the same wintergreen and cinnamon formula (which irritates the lips, causing a temporary plumping reaction) but has a matte finish.
Fat chance
Thanks to the current emphasis on bodacious locks, there's a run on volume-boosting hair products. “We're taking skin-care technology to hair care,” says Miami-based hairstylist Samy, whose Fat Hair line uses wheat and soy proteins, which help to increase the diameter of each strand of hair. “We're treating fine hair as a dermatologist would treat a wrinkle.” Closer to home, Toronto-based celebrity hairstylist Marc Anthony has an Instantly Thick line that includes Phytokeratin, a protein that mimics natural keratin, the building block of hair and nails. “It acts as a secondary protective layer on hair strands,” says Anthony. “Keratin strengthens the bonds within hair strands, so by adding more [in the form of Phytokeratin], you're thickening the hair.”
New York-based hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai weighs in with All-Day Hair Plump, which combines botanical extracts with hyaluronic acid. “I believe that women should take care of their hair like they take care of their skin,” he says. “All-Day Hair Plump contains humectants derived from hyaluronic acid that plump up the [hair] cuticle and help it retain moisture. If the hair is really damaged and porous, the humectants will also fill in the damaged sections for stronger, healthier hair. They also form a protective coating on the hair and continuously hydrate the cuticles to keep them plump.”
So, what's the future of plumping? While the injectables craze isn't showing any signs of slowing down, neither is the demand for non-invasive alternatives-which means that there will be more and more alternatives to get the volume you want, whether it's for skin, lips or hair. Rest assured: Bigger is definitely better.
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