I never had better proof that lip plumpers work, until I stopped using them. Once I ran out of Lip Fusion, Lip Fusion XL, and forgot about my stash of MAC Plushglass and other plumping glosses, I just sort of moved on from the plumper genre.

And after a while I looked at my lips and realized they were looking rather unimpressive and thin. Guess those plumpers really do work better over time...and then wear off.

Not to mention my wretched little lip picking habit, which was contributing to their decidedly Wicked Witch appearance of late.

So it was with much anticipation that I started testing Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Lip ($30), a peptide product that promises to plump, smooth and hydrate. From the description:

"Anti-aging, hydrating lip treatment with an exclusive, patent pending blend of eight powerful, 100% active anti-aging peptides and neuropeptides visibly reduces the appearance of lines on the lip and around the lip area. MAXILIP™ helps to enhance lip moisture, increase lip volume and improve the definition of the lip line from the first application. Lips will appear fuller, smoother and more youthful."

This definitely sounded like something that would remedy my prematurely aging (at least in my mind) lips. I applied in the morning before lipstick or gloss, and at night right before bed. In a few days' time they started to lose their shrivelly shape; they were less dry and there were fewer cracks for me to pick at. By the end of the week they were definitely plumper and softer. The little lines caused by dryness and picking were starting to fill out, and the picking habit was at bay (for now).

I've now been using it for two weeks and my lips are back to the shape they were in when I was using Lip Fusion and its friends on a regular basis.

Un-Wrinkle Lip comes in a wee little .25 oz pump bottle, but you really only need the tiniest amount to coat your lips twice a day, so it should last quite a while. The price is about on par with Lip Fusion, and it's cheaper than Lip Fusion XL, so, a nice alternative to these two.