Lip plumpers have always been a controversial topic in the beauty world. In one camp are those who crave glosses that set their skin on fire with an intense tingling sensation for instantly plump lips. In the other camp are those who don't quite understand the appeal of the sensation.

I usually fall into the latter category. And Charlotte Tilbury has updated her Big Lip Plump Gasme Gloss with two variations of her fan-favorite Pillow Talk color range. And Tilbury herself promised me that this version has a "pleasant" rather than "scary" effect. I was intrigued. Skeptical, but intrigued.

Big Lip Plumpgasm promises an immediate 93 percent plumping and 77 percent smoothing improvement. More importantly, it is defined as a hyaluronic acid lip treatment and retexturizer, not an irritating, lip-swelling gloss. Tilbury tells me exclusively through Zoom, "This feels very comfortable and fresh, like a gorgeous breeze going across your lips," removing and reapplying the entire left side of her lips to accentuate the dramatic before-and-after effect.

"See, it's like someone took patent leather or vinyl, removed the lip texture, and exaggerated it almost twice as much," she says.

Even though I had a front row seat to Tilbury's demonstration, I needed to know for myself what it felt like. With a bag full of Big Lip Plumpgasm in hand, I headed out with three other editors from the Marie Claire team to see just how "innovative" this newly launched plumper is. Read on for our honest review.

I am a rule follower, so I followed Charlotte's instructions word for word. I started by lining my lips with Fair's new Pillow Talk Lip Cheat, which, according to the makeup artist, "accommodates Plumpgasm perfectly." Then, with the plumped tips covered in product, I layered it on the center of my lips and applied it "all the way to the corners" with a wide doe-foot applicator. As promised, the texture was thick, and despite my skepticism, the tingling sensation was invigorating. I felt a faint menthol breeze, but never any pain, discomfort, or soreness in my eyes. I would give myself a score of 0 out of 10 on the burn scale.

My lips looked fuller, but the smoothing effect was more impressive than the volumizing effect. I went into the use of the product with chapped and raw dry lips. I even took pictures to prove it. The gloss floated in layers on my lips and looked like patent leather, as promised. The gloss floated in layers over my lips and looked like patent leather, as promised.

Would this replace my Pillow Talk Fair Mat Revolution? But from now on, I will be applying Big Lip Plumpgasm over the top. This may be one of my favorite Charlotte Tilbury products of all time.

Yeah, she's spicy, but in a good way. This lip product not only plumps, but ultimately moisturizes. Being a woman with larger lips, I didn't think the art of plumping would work, but this product proved me wrong.

I love the formula, which glides on seamlessly with a slightly tingly feel and lots of shine. I also appreciate the pigmentation of this product. Usually glosses don't have deep pigmentation on the lips, but the medium/deep shades are the perfect everyday pink for brown skin.

By all accounts, my lips are not plump: I'm probably a textbook candidate for a lip lift. Even though I still have metaphorical scars from trying Lip Venom in middle school, I pay attention when makeup brands claim that a tube of tingly lip gloss is all that's needed to create volume. When Sam Slack tried Charlotte Tilbury's lip gloss, I was first in line.

The fair/medium shade looks a bit like a clear gloss to me. On the medium/deep end, I get the mauve effect of the original Pillow Talk lipstick. I alternated between the two versions for five consecutive days, wearing the fair shade on weekdays and saving the medium shade for a few events and dinners.

Both formulas glide on with a cool, prickly feel. It is shiny and sticky like a donut: when I wore it alone, it transferred to most straws and cups it came in contact with. When I applied a layer of gloss over the standard pillow talk lipstick, it stayed in place more easily. I didn't mind the reapplication: I honestly liked the feeling of the Big Lip Plump Gasme formula going on.

I'm not sure if I got the full "plumpgasm" promised by the name, but I think my lips looked rounder after a few days of use. In a few years, you can talk to me about whether you really want to take the plunge into lip enhancement.

This is the ultimate "starter" lip plumper. In terms of feel, it is more cool minty than Cinnamon Spice (the tingling sensation of other plumpers is often described this way), requires only a thin swipe, and does not feel sticky, tacky, or dehydrated.

The plumping effect is noticeable but not extreme, so don't worry about plumping up the surrounding skin if you apply it a bit clumsily. The best part, in my opinion, is that it just evaporates over time, unlike blotchy or dry, without taking away the natural moisture in my lips.