Bloomin'

Wet n Wild Bloomin’ Plumping Lip Gloss [1114729E - Baby Bloomer] Review

By Maychiri's Thoughts - June 02, 2023

Now, after the makeup sponge and eyeshadow palette, let’s take a look at the final product (in two different colours!) from this LE! This is the Wet n Wild Bloomin’ Plumping Lip Gloss, shade Baby Bloomer!

This limited edition was too pretty to pass up! The Bloomin’ limited edition came out in Spring 2022, and once I saw what was part of that collection, I knew I had to have most of it! It was so beautiful with its cherry blossom theme! When BIPA got the collection I went straight there and bought, among other things, this lip gloss. I couldn’t decide whether to buy this one or the other shade, so I went for the pinky, girly shade, because of course. I ended up buying most of the LE in the end, all with a 30% off coupon! However, as soon as I bought both of the lip glosses, I regretted it. I didn’t do my research, I thought these plumping lip glosses worked by using peptides and HA, but it turns out they are classic plumping lip glosses with chili and menthol. Which my lips hate. I felt like such a dunce when I actually read the ingredients list; I should’ve done that in the shop, before deciding to buy them. Had I known this, I most likely wouldn’t have bought either of the two lip glosses. I cursed myself for buying them impulsively. But was that warranted? Could they actually not be damaging to my lips? And could be actually be great, in the end? Let’s see with the pinky Baby Bloomer shade first!
 

 
Packaging: a clear plastic tube. The whole design is so gentle and calming. The soft pale pink is so soothing! And it matches the colour of the lip gloss inside! The cap is very pale pink and it closes very tightly. There is some odd rattling inside the cap sometimes. I wonder what that is is? To finish off the cherry inspired design, there is a beautiful cherry blossom branch illustration! It truly elevates this packaging from simple to elegant and beautiful! The white text is the perfect choice for such a gentle design! Everything is so calming and gently pink, perfect for spring! 
 
 
 

Ingredients: soy (Glycine soja) oil, vitamin E, Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, Yoshino cherry (Prunus yedoensis) flower extract, peptides (Palmitoyl oligopeptide) for nourishment. No parabens. Take note of a few ingredients present: methyl nicotinate (ester of niacin and menthol), Tabasco chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens) fruit extract, ginger (Zingiber officinale) root oil, peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil. I am isolating these ingredients because they all serve one common function: to cause irritations or inflammation. That’s how basic plumping lip glosses work, by causing swelling of the lips due to inflammation caused by irritants such as chili pepper. Chili pepper alone would be enough, but it is made worse by the addition of peppermint and ginger, which only further irritate the lips. The figurative cherry on top is menthyl nicotinate (spelled methyl here), which is a rubefacient, meaning that it specifically induces redness. That’s why the skin becomes so red, well, that, and the fact that it’s literally suffering chemical burns! However, menthyl nicotinate has shown some skin barrier improving and antipollution qualities, so it may not be all that bad, despite causing redness. The nourishing ingredients, especially aloe vera and peptides, are crucial to try and suppress the damage the irritants might cause. This damage us exactly why I avoid plumping lip products like the plague usually! I already have sensitive lips that are prone to flaking, no need to intentionally chemically burn them as well. Ah well. Let’s move on to something more pleasant; say, the smell is quite nice! In fact, it’s amazing! It is very intense, like really, really intense, so much that it has the exact same flavour if it gets inside your mouth! What does it smell like? Well, given the theme of this limited edition, it’s only natural for it to smell like cherry blossoms! And does it smell like them! It’s like the most fragrant, stunning cherry blossom bouquet you could imagine! Simply breath-taking! And it doesn’t smell at all artificial! They managed to make it smell just like real cherry blossoms! Although I do see how it might be overpowering to some people, it really is freakishly intense! The expiration date is 24 months after opening.
 

So, this lip gloss isn’t actually very pigmented. It’s sheer enough to be used as a lip topper. Indeed, it is totally sheer, with only a hint of a milky pale pink colour. The multicoloured shimmer adds a bit of fun to the otherwise basic appearance. Don’t take this as me bashing the fact that it’s not bright fuchsia or whatever, I actually adore the way my lips look like their natural selves, only improved! That’s exactly the effect you get, this sheer, slightly pinkish colour will enhance your lip colour and shape greatly! Although it does look thick, milky pink in the tube, which is a stark difference to how it actually looks on the lips. I love it nonetheless!
 
 
 
The formula of this lip gloss is quite gelly, even creamy, at times. It’s not greasy, but it does feel a bit oily; it manages to avoid feeling heavy, as well. It is very thick, though. It’s not tacky when fresh, that will change over time, but I will get to that in a minute. I actually love how creamy and nourishing and comfortable it feels, it’s luxurious!
 

You know what isn’t luxurious? The stinging that I feel about two minutes after applying the lip gloss! It’s stinging from within the lips, and it can get bad. Most often it is intense but manageable, but sometimes it becomes literally painful. So much that it actually starts to feel like my lips are burning from within. Which of the two I will get seems to be random. I still haven’t pieced together what exactly causes the worse reaction, perhaps if the lips are even slightly damaged they will react more poorly? I don’t know. It’s a horrible feeling if you aren't used to it, but later, as you get used to it, it is still annoying but manageable. Like, it never stops stinging/burning, you just learn to partially ignore it. In any case, the stinging doesn’t last too long, as it subsides within 10 minutes, at most. It’s usually gone after 5 minutes. Still, I kinda hate it! 
 
 
 
This is a plumping lip gloss, right? Well, my lips do appear to be plumper. It’s not as plumpy as with lip fillers, of course, but they are bigger. Especially the upper lip! Just try not to get this lip gloss anywhere else besides the lips as any skin that comes into contact with the lip gloss will turn red! I experimented and put a tiny amount on my nose tip and I became Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for the remainder of the night. That also happens regularly to my philtrum (cupid’s bow). It becomes visibly red and swollen after the lip gloss touches it. 
 

 
This lip gloss is super easy to apply thanks to the smooth, oily, almost creamy formula. It glides across lips, no tugging at all! And it is easy to apply it precisely where you want to with the excellent applicator, but I will discuss the applicator in greater detail a bit later. This lip gloss never fully sets, but its formula changes after about an hour, indicating that it is starting to dry.
 
 
 
 
 
I love the texture of this lip gloss! It’s very glossy, and almost gelly-looking. Very juicy, even more so when combined with the plumpy lips this lip gloss creates! It’s also subtly glittery, which is much more visible up-close. It really looks gorgeous!
 

Now, as with most lip glosses, don’t expect extreme durability. This one is pretty long-lasting as far as lip glosses go, but it’s not great longevity in general. 2 hours later it already feels like it is partially gone, and it completely disappears by hour 5. The longer you wear it, the more gelly and creamy it becomes, instead of oily and creamy. It becomes thicker, is what I am trying to say. It also becomes slightly tacky, especially after more than 2 hours. I actually like the richness it develops with time, it feels even more luxurious and nourishing. After about an hour or two the swelling of the lips is reduced, so all that plumping effect is lessened as well. The highly glossy texture remains, however, so your lips will still look beautiful even if they aren’t quite as plump anymore.
 
 
But don’t expect this lip gloss to survive meals or drinking. It will fade quickly if you eat or drink anything. So you’ll absolutely have to reapply it after meals or drinks. This is super common for lip glosses, so I am neither surprised nor disappointed.
 
 
If you didn’t reapply the lip gloss, there’s a fairly high chance that there won’t be any left by the time you go remove the rest of the makeup you were wearing. If there is, it is extremely easy to remove with whatever you normally use to remove makeup. It doesn’t leave any stains, although the shimmer may decide to go places. That happened even when I used a gel cleanser. It’s not really annoying, though, because it’s tiny shimmer. There is one unfortunate side effect of the plumping: my lips always feel slightly damaged and flaky after I remove the lip gloss. It is clear that the irritants inside this lip gloss irritated my lips to the point where they became damaged, also drying them out a tiny bit in the process. This lip gloss isn’t drying by itself, but the irritants can wreck your lips if you have sensitive lips like I do! 
 

 
 
And finally, the applicator. This lip gloss comes with a flat applicator that is extremely soft, like plush! It picks up the perfect amount of lip gloss, just enough for both the upper and lower lip. It deposits lip gloss evenly and richly, and, because it is flat and thin, that makes it super precise! It’s incredibly easy to line the lips precisely, even the cupid’s bow! It makes the application fun and easy!
 
 
 
 

 
All in all, I cannot believe I am going to say this. I actually really like this lip gloss! I adore the way my lips look plumpy and healthy and nourished and so juicy and kissable! It’s a phenomenal effect! The subtle pink colour along with the tiny shimmer enhances the natural colour of the lips, and the plumping ingredients enhance the shape of the lips, making them visibly plumper and fuller. It’s not a spectacular plumping effect but it is visible, which is more than enough for me. I love the cherry blossom scent, it’s the best smell I have ever smelled in a lip gloss! It’s so aromatic and intense, like real cherry blossom tea! The formula! Oh the formula is incredible! It’s not heavy, but it feels thick and creamy and oily (at first). It’s got a really luxurious feel to it, especially an hour or two in, when it changes into a thicker, more creamy formula. Like a nourishing lip balm! That’s all fantastic; however, there are quite a few things I dislike about this lip gloss. Chief among them is the stinging, sometimes even burning, sensation that is the product of the three known irritants (chili pepper, ginger, peppermint) causing inflammation within the skin. At times it feels painful, like, truly unbearable in how it stings inside my lips. Thankfully, those times are rare. Mostly, it’s an annoyingly, only slightly painful stinging that isn’t too difficult to endure. It disappears within 10 minutes, so you don’t have to suffer long. This also leaves my lips damaged, slightly cracked and chapped and flaky, which is especially noticeable after removing the lipgloss. Its longevity is also nothing to write home about. Like most lip glosses, it disappears gradually over the course of only a few hours. By hour 2 it will have already been mostly gone, and by hour 6 it’s definitely completely gone. If you don’t reapply it, of course. No surprise, then, that food and drinks destroy it. But then again, most lip glosses are like this. Look, when I saw that this plumping lip gloss had chili pepper I immediately regretted buying it. I knew I had messed up and that I should’ve read the ingredients more carefully. But what’s done is done. Nevertheless, this lip gloss is excellent, if you ignore the stinging and burning and irritation that it causes, which I absolutely despise. Whether it’s a case of Stockholm syndrome that made me love this lip gloss, I cannot say. But I do love it! Just be aware of how irritating it is to the skin of the lips and that you really shouldn’t use it if you have naturally sensitive lips. If you love plumping lip glosses, go for it, it’s very good! But if you, like me, prefer to avoid chili, ginger, and peppermint in your lip products, don’t buy this lip gloss. I made a mistake. It’s pure happenstance that that mistake turned out great in the end. It could’ve ended much worse for the health of my already very sensitive lips. So would I recommend it? Hmm. Yes, but only if you already use plumping lip products.
 
 
 
Rating: 6/10
 
 
Would buy again? NO (my lips hate chilli plumping products)



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