Does Lip Gloss with Hoodia Help You Diet?

Whenever anyone reaches for dessert at a family get-together, my great-aunt sings out, "Sweet on the lips, fat on the hips!" Not surprisingly, it really puts a damper on things (although I concede that she has a point). There's no question she would love these new Purple Lab Huge Lips Skinny Hips glosses ($20 each; SpaceNK.com). The creator, Karen Robinovitz—who dreamed them up when she was at a cocktail party and couldn't stop eating the hors d'oeuvres—developed a formula she claims will plump your lips with vitamin B3 and suppress your appetite with hoodia gordonii extract, derived from a cactuslike African plant. I decided to try the gloss before walking into a party. I couldn't resist the appetizers the waiters floated past me, but I did appreciate the gloss's high-shine, nonsticky color. Unfortunately for me and my hips, "manufacturers recommend taking 500 milligrams of hoodia gordonii before a meal not to feel hungry," says New York City–based nutritionist Keri Glassman. I'd have to ingest most of one tube of gloss to get that amount. Glassman suggests there could be a placebo effect (if I believe it helps, then I won't eat), but I think I'd better keep working on my self-control.