The DuWop tale takes us back to 1998 on set of a hit T.V. show where makeup artist Cristina Bartolucci found herself desperate for a way to combat the dark circles and puffy eyes that were plaguing the actors (Eighteen-hour days will take its toll on anyone). After gauze pads and ice water proved to be too messy and, well, too darn cold she and her colleagues dreamt up a more effective solution: Cool gel compresses filled with soothing botanicals and essential oils. And so IGels, the very first DuWop product, was born.

The following year, after observing the incredibly full and pouty lips the actors had following long, passionate kissing scenes, Cristina once again became inspired to create a product that would mimic that same beautiful, bee-stung effect. Creative and curious by nature (she has a fine arts degree from UC Berkeley), Bartolucci and her team started cooking up everything and anything from cayenne pepper to crushed mustard seed—that could possibly super-size the pout. The end result, a brilliant, cinnamon-spiked blend of essential oils, went on to become DuWop's breakthrough product: the cult favorite lip gloss, Lip Venom. After a little publicity and a lot of word of mouth (the actors on the show became obsessed), the hot little lip gloss went on to make makeup history, earning DuWop bragging rights for the first-ever lip plumper.