Long before I knew I can be a beauty editor, I remember looking within the mirror as an adolescent, puzzled by my chronically-dry lips. Irrespective of what product I applied, they stayed so dry that they flaked and sometimes became painful. I also began to comprehend that their uncomfortable dryness corresponded to a discount in size, with creases and contours that detracted from their plumpness.

Fast forward a number of years, and I used to be dismayed at how lipsticks looked on my lip texture, highlighting every crevice and line. (Do not get me began on the chic matte lip trend.) I attempted lip scrubs, lip peels, and even lip oils, but nothing smoothed and hydrated for long enough to vary the surface texture of my lips. Lip plumpers helped with appearance, but what I needed was heavy-duty hydration with an occlusive component to remain put long enough to treat the underlying issue. For years I searched, but nothing actually helped to treatment my lip woes for longer than it took for them to wear off.

Upon my very first application of Lawless Forget the Filler Overnight Lip-Plumping Mask (on January 11, 2022 — I do know the date from an Instagram post), I knew I had found my holy grail lippie. I even have used it day-after-day since — morning, night, and throughout the day. I even have raved about it to friends, estheticians, makeup artists, and even the brand’s founder, Annie Lawless (speak about preaching to the choir!). I knew it was “the one” because while it immediately imparts and seals hydration into the lips using a delectably soothing formula, I finally noticed that it improved the skin texture of my lips over time — simply put, my lips have been without end transformed.

To know why this product is such a masterpiece, it is useful to know what chronic dryness means from an authority standpoint in lip aesthetics. Double board-certified plastic surgeon Ben TaleiMD, who is predicated in Beverly Hills, California and beloved by celebrities for his deep-plane facelift and world-renowned in lip aesthetics, explains that lip hydration and color are two primary aspects within the youthfulness and sensuality of the lips. “Dry lips portray a lack of health, youth, and vitality, whereas moist, hydrated lips do the alternative,” he tells Allure. “The hydration of the lips internally and under the skin directly affects the colour of the lips externally, and I like helping patients regain each internal and external moisture and hydration.”

The rationale why comes right down to the incontrovertible fact that “the [tissue of the] external red lip doesn’t possess much when it comes to oil or mucous production,” Dr. Taleil explains. This leaves it at risk of dryness, while aspects like allergies, medications, immune imbalances, and mouth respiratory can exacerbate the issue. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) through the skin barrier also increases with age, making overnight dryness an actual phenomenon.