“What is the difference between CITY Lips Original Formula and CITY Lips Advanced Formula?”
Sounds a little overwhelming, doesn’t it? I couldn’t agree more, and I remember asking the same exact question when I was very first introduced to CITY Lips. I’m going to break it all the way down for you.

Now, I know exactly what you’re thinking: “Both products deliver dramatic plumping effects, stimulate collagen, hydrate your lips and diminish lines, hmmm…. so which product is better?” There is no right or wrong answer! The difference between the Original Formula and the Advanced Formula is mostly a matter of personal preference.
CITY Lips Original Formula is packed with collagen building peptides and contains luxurious moisturizers that quickly absorb into the lips to soothe and plump. It is fortified with essential oils that repair and renew your lips revealing a smoother, fuller, hydrated lip. The Original Formula has a very smooth feeling, and is never sticky. It has a mild and sweet taste and adds a healthy subtle shine. The Original Formula is also a favorite of some men who want a “barely there” look with powerful lip plumping, and anyone who likes to keep their lips neutral and healthy.

CITY Lips Advanced Formula contains all of the same collagen building peptides as the Original Formula, but it has one extra *secret* ingredient… Hyaluronic Acid. If you’re new to our blog, you can find all of the information about Hyaluronic Acid in our previous post here. The Hyaluronic Acid in the Advanced Formula causes a more immediate puff and flush of the lips, and in some cases feels a little warm depending on the level of moisture that you already have in your lips. It feels a little more thick and has a beautiful glossy shine that stays put for a few hours. This product is also fantastic for men and women that wear CITY Lips overnight for even more plumping action while you sleep, because of its staying power.

Both products will achieve awesome results when used as directed, especially over time. We all run around aimlessly looking for miracle treatments that provide instant results, but the truth is, it’s not going to happen overnight. CITY Lips is different than any other lip plumper on the market because it not only adds moisture and an instant healthy plump, it has a compounding effect and actually builds and protects collagen in your lips over time.

Our little trick that we rant and rave about here in the office is taking before and after pictures. We mean it! Don’t be shy, take pictures of your lips from every angle and hang on to them! You’ll be amazed at the difference you’ll see when you refer back to them. Now I’ll tell you why I am so adamant about this: because everyone is their own worst critic. You know yourself and your body better than anyone knows you. You look at yourself in the mirror every single day, “looking” for change. Every day even the most subtle changes take place and as you slowly and subtly get used to those changes, of course you’re not going to notice a huge dramatic difference if you’re examining yourself every single day! Give it about 3 weeks and then take a look back. This is our little secret, and we dare you to try it!

Until next time, stay beautiful!

Whether you want to be a seductress, the prettiest girl next door that has ever lived, or an independent fashionista for Valentines day, we have the makeup look for you.  Use the tips in this article to look irresistibly YOU for V day.

GLAMOROUS BOMBSHELL SEXY

Want to get down this Valentines day?  Stay true to classic sex appeal with a sultry and irresistible bombshell make up look.

Cat Eyes

1. Choose liquid eyeliner for the most dramatic effect.

2.Remove any excess liquid by blotting your pen with a tissue. Look down at the mirror, while your head is back to allow your eyes to remain open while you apply eyeliner to the top lid. Rest your elbow on the counter top while applying the eyeliner to increase the steadiness of your hands. Apply the liner on the top lid, moving from the inside toward the outside.

3.Add a wing to the lower or upper lash dine, depending upon your preference. Make a small wing for a sophisticated cat-eye and increase the wing to intensify the drama. Draw an even line along the bottom of the eye, always building up slowly, as it is easier to add more than to edit what is already drawn. Connect the upper and lower lash lines. Remove any excess by wiping it away with a cotton applicator that has been dipped in makeup remover.

Hyper Groomed Eyebrows

For perfectly shaped eyebrows, it is best to see a professional.  If you would prefer to groom your own brows at home, it is best to go for a glamourous thick style.  Always try to follow the natural shape of your brow to some degree, and don;t be afraid to use scissors!  A few snips here and there can make your brows look highly groomed.

ROMANTIC SWEET FRESH

Going on a romantic dinner for Valentines day?  Melt the heart of whoever you are with this  youthful and energetic classic southern peach look.

Lovely Eyes

1. Pick your pink eyeshadow based on your skin’s undertones for the most flattering effect. Cool undertones are suited to a silvery or bluish pink, while warm undertones look stunning with a peach or golden pink.

2. Apply an eye primer on clean lids from lash line to brow bone. After the primer absorbs, blend an eyeshadow base on, also from lash line to brow bone. Primer and base will help your pink eyeshadow blend smoothly on your eyelids, as well as last longer and appear more vibrant than if you neglected to prep your eyes.

Pink Cheeks

Choose a color that is similar to tyour pinky peach eyeshadow color.  since your look is romantic, do not worry so much about contorting.  Brush your blush on the balls of your cheeks and quickly across your nose as well to create a natural sun kissed look.

Irresistible Lips

There is nothing lovelier than a pretty pink mouth.  Choose something that works with your natural lip color instead of covering.  A slight sheen can work well to add volume to your lips.  Try City Lips Advanced Formula Lip Plumper in Los AngeLips.

FIERCE FEISTY CHIC

Don’t believe in Valentines day?  Show the world you don’t need any Hallmark holiday to tell you it is time to wear pink and red and look pretty for the boys.  Show off your prowess with a make up look that screams style, independence, and pride.

Contoured Cheeks

Give yourself an edge with properly contoured cheekbones.  Proper contouring is hard to get right, but you should take the extra time for Valentines day to perfect the technique.

1.The trick to determining where to contour your cheek is to place the tip of your index finger on a part of your ear called the tragus. Then rest your finger on your cheek and use it to locate your cheekbone (keeping the top of your finger on your tragus). When you find your cheekbone, place your finger just underneath your cheekbone (not on top of it).
If you’re having a hard time locating your cheekbone, make a fish face (suck in your cheeks) and try again. If you still can’t find it, just make a 45 degree angle like in the picture on the left.

2. Choose a taupe color with grey undertone to contour. You can use powder blush or even eye shadow. Take an angle powder brush, and lightly swipe it a couple times across your contour color.

3. Place the angle powder brush on the highest part of your cheek where your finger was positioned.

Following the line you made with your finger, move the brush downwards. Lessen the pressure of the brush on your cheek as you move downwards. Stop when your brush is below the end of your eye brow.  The reason for lessening the pressure as you move downwards is because you want the darkest part of the color near your ear.  The color should then fade out.

4.  Now Blend the color upwards to create your perfectly contoured cheek bones!

Intense Eyes

To get the most intense eyes, you will have to have long, thick eyelashes.  If you don’t have them naturally, you can get them using a high quality eyelash enhancer for a more permanent look or by using fake eyelashes.

Use nude, black and gey colors on your eyes.  A smokey eye look would be appropriate.  While under eye makeup is usually not recommended-it can work really well for a fierce look.  If you want to look younger you use white liner on your bottom lashes, so is natural that to look older and mysterious you should apply black liner to your bottom lid.  Imagine a hot British girl leaving the night club.  Or just imagine Kim Kardashian.  Make sure the shadow under your eyes is never thicker than what you have going on above.

Bright Lips

Choose a bold lip color.  Orange, hot pink or even yellow if you are really confident.  Since the color will already pack a lot of punch, avoid glosses.  Use a matte color that doesn’t wear off easily.  There is nothing worse than a statement that wears off to become an understatement.

The secret to getting your loved one the best gift for Valentines day and for every occasion is very simple: Use your empathy muscles!  Imagine yourself as the person you love and then dream of what would make your life better.  If you don’t have time or energy to meditate on the subject-here are some great gift ideas that keep on giving:

Valentines Day Gifts for Her-Your Wife, Your Girl, Your Mom, Your Sister

Flowers

Skip the cut flowers this year and buy the woman you love a house plant.  It will give her something to care for and if everything goes right-it can last a lifetime.  Traditional cut flowers are great but they only last a week or so and end up a sad and stinky mess.  Choose a hearty plant (a bleeding heart is more than appropriate for the occasion) and put it in a pretty pot to see her smile.

The Gift Of Beauty

All women love cosmetics, especially the ones that actually do what they claim.  If you want to get her a beauty set that she will actually use this year and that won’t end up in the cosmetics cemetery, get her the City Cosmetics Beauty Restored Set.  It has everything she needs to feel as attractive as possible this holiday from lip plumper to lash growth serum and ant aging cream. It is the perfect set because lips have always been a symbol of sensuality, and they create an impact at first glance. Long, thick lashes are classic frames for smoky, sensual eyes. I wish someone would get this for me!!!

Art Work

Buy her a painting of a professional photograph of the town she grew up in or a place you share a special memory from.  The great thing about buying someones artwork is that it is always one of a kind and very thoughtful. Don’t be afraid she won’t like the style of what you pick out.  Just make sure the subject relates to her in some way so she knows you are listening and that you care for her.

Valentines Day Gifts For Him-Your Husband, Your Man, Your Dad, Your Brother

Magazine Subscription

Get him a magazine subscription for the ol’ v-day.  If the men in your life are anything like the men I know, they are dedicated to some hobby or interest and like to be in the know about that subject.  They have magazines for every subject these days, from dirt biking to sub temperature camping to painting model cars.  If you can’t find the magazine you are looking for at Barnes and Noble, browse the net for international subscriptions.

Underwear

Men just don’t buy themselves underwear.  They either wait for the women in their life to buy them or they get them issued from the military. They might pick up some they see on sale when they are buying their socks, but that doesn’t happen very often either.  I highly recommend J Crew boxers, or any pair without the elastic exposed on the inside.

Decanter

Every man needs a nice decanter and they are not likely to buy one or themselves.  Make him feel like he is worth a bazillion dollars, is a spy, or is just plain classy.  Decanters are sold at every price range, and you can frequently find them on sale in the homes good section at your favorite department store.  Sweeten up the gift by adding a bottle of his favorite scotch this Valentines Day.

Men don’t always like to admit it but we feel the pressure to look good as much as anyone else. We don’t even ask “What has he got that I don’t?” when we see Zac Efron.
We know exactly what it is. There is a certain type of respect and envy that we get when guys like that pop up on the screen. Let’s take a short moment to get motivated here and see if we can’t just close the gap a tiny bit between ourselves and this “specimen”.

Now, without turning into one of those psychos that turns to a….surgical means to accomplish our goal, there are a few key things that we can try out.

First thing, it’s time to admit that hitting a gym a few times a week couldn’t hurt, right? I mean – I’m not about to start counting calories. Do you even know how many calories is in a Heineken? Me neither. Now that we have that settled we need to decide on a routine here. Did you know that doing cardio AFTER your weight set will actually burn fat more efficiently? The weights will burn the energy and then then cardio will start to burn into your fat cells to provide you with the energy to keep running. Remember, cardio doesn’t really count unless you are going for 30 minutes or more. When it comes to packing on muscle, you need to make sure you are lifting more weight and doing less reps. If you can do 12 reps in a row; you’re not lifting enough. You should be able to get about 6-8 reps in before you take a short 1 minute break.

Next, do you remember Zac in High School Musical? Me neither. Partly because I didn’t see it (or wouldn’t admit if I had) and partly because he looked like every other 15 year old skate boarder with that hair don’t. Shaggy hair just doesn’t command the same sort of respect in real life as it did outside of a Walgreens in 2004. What am I getting at here? Get a hair cut! Barber Shops are popping up everywhere these days and they can give you a grown up cut that gets you the well groomed manly persona that Zac is going for these days.

 Update your style. There is a well defined line between stylish and sloppy BUT you get to dance in between them if you do it right. I’ll admit I’m one of the biggest offenders here. I’ve learned, if there is a stain, tear, or anything else on your clothes that wasn’t there when I bought it – it’s time to toss it (or at least save it mowing the lawn in). There is a place for tanks, t-shirts, and hoodies if they are in condition and they are matched up with new shoes, decent pants, and some good sunglasses. We want people to think “casual” not “hungover”. Hmmm on second thought maybe hold off on the sunglasses and go for some accessories like bracelets or something. See? I’m still learning too.

The other thing you will notice about this guy (and anyone else that ladies “swoon” over) is that he seriously takes care of his face. Luckily for me, I have CITY Face and CITY Lips (Original Formula) to take care of that for me. I slap both of them on when I wake up and right before bed. They help to keep me look 22ish again. You’ll thank me when you’re asked for your ID at the bar. That’s something you don’t think you want to happen until it stops. There is something slightly satisfying about having someone ask for your ID, especially when last month the same person just waved you through their line like you were some washed up hack. Okay… maybe that’s just my experience. Trust me though. When you start to see glimpses of your 22 year old self in the mirror, well… you tell me how you feel. Comments below!

Whether you are getting married in the spring of 2013, are in a bridal party, or just attending a wedding in a matter of months, it is important you look your best.  It seems early to start preparing for a wedding, but for your skin, hair and body to have a chance to transform into perfection, you should start preparing now.

If you are on top of things to already be thinking about how you plan to look fabulous at your wedding, you have a good head start.  Beginning the journey to marital bliss by starting it with  perfect wedding day is always easier for those who plan ahead.  Follow these simple tips to feel like the princess you are!

1.  Follow a healthy diet. Start several months before the wedding. Fresh fruit and vegetables and lean meat will make you look and feel good. Be cautious about big weight fluctuations or you may need to get a new dress. Looking perfect is easy when you get enough sleep. Avoid stress, learn how to relax and try sleep at least 8 hours a day.  Take your vitamins and drink more water than seems sane.

2.  Prepare your skin.  If you aren’t already preparing your skin with an anti wrinkle and line cream, you should start now.  It is essentially you have glowing skin and many creams take months to really start showing results.  The good thing is, you will probably start seeing some results right away which can boost confidence and motivation in the time leading up to the big day.

The world of face creams is daunting and it can be hard to choose the right one.  They are expensive and no one wants to waste their time or money on something that doesn;t work, especially on the precious months before your wedding! If you want something that REALLY WORKS, smells great and can double as a primer to save you some money, try City Face Skin Remodeler.  It reduces wrinkles by as much as 40% in less than 60 days!

3. Care for your hair.  The main thing to remember when considering haircare is that not all your body hair is on your head.  You have eyebrows, eyelashes and body hair to consider.

Make sure you make the time to do a deep conditioning treatment on your hair every two weeks leading up to the wedding.  Wash your hair well but not often.  If you have any problems with scalp dryness, now is the time to go see your doctor for treatment. Get your hair cut ahead of time in case your hair dresser botches it up, you will still have a few weeks to get the color or cut corrected if necessary.

Since there is nothing that can transform your eyes like your eyebrows and eyelashes, it s important they are looking their best.  To get the best looking brows and lashes for your wedding day, it is important they are both thick and healthy.  You can improve the health and appearance of your eyebrows and eyelashes with City Lash.  Use the treatment everyday leading up to your wedding and rest assured your eyelashes will be longer and thicker than ever, and your eyebrows will be full for perfect shaping.

If you are considering waxing for your wedding night and it isn’t something you normally have done, make sure you start seeing an esthetician now.  You need to make sure to find someone good and that your skin won’t get irritated by the process.  The last thing you would want is red blotchy skin or scabbing on our wedding night.

4. Exercise.  You need to do more than cardio before your wdding.  Of course you are trying to lose that last 5 pounds or possibly more and cardio seems like the answer.  You should do cardio but dont forget to lift weights.  The tone and definition of your body will look better if it is slightly muscular-especially your arms in your wedding dress.

In addition, weight training helps to keep your metabolism up even while you aren’t working out.  It doesn’t make you as hungry as a cardio workout either, preventing you from eating all the wedding cake samples the moment you get home from the gym.

5.  Perfect your pucker.  On the day when you will be hugging and kissing more people than you probably will ever hug and kiss on any other day in your life, you will want to have a healthy mouth to do it with.

Stop drinking coffee, tea, soda, wine, and anything with tannins right now.  Your teeth will stay whiter and if you have them bleached a few times before the big day, they will look gorgeous!

Care for your lips.  Your lips are one of the biggest indicators of age and beauty.  If you want to look perfect on your wedding day, you need to start smoothing lines and increasing collagen in your lips now.  Use a lip plumping treatment (notice I said treatment, not just a gloss or moisturizer- you’re going to want something with long term benefits).  The best we have tried is City Lips Advanced formula.  Make sure you put it on every night before bed to have soft and line free lips before the wedding.

6.  Keep healthy relationships.  The time that leads up to your wedding can be one of the most exciting and stressful times in your life.  You are probably relying on friends, family members and especially your partner to help prepare everything.  It is great to delegate responsibilities and get help, but make sure you show thankfulness and respect in return.

Do not put any stress on your relationships because that can ruin your wedding.  Stay yourself through the process so that your don’t drive away your loved ones or cause any tension which can lead to cold feet.  Send thank you notes to those who help you and make sure you make time for normal fun activities with your future spouse!

Have you ever picked the wrong shade of makeup? Maybe it was a blush or an eye shadow that just made you look a little sallow? You might have picked a lip color that just seemed to clash with the rest of your face? Sometimes it isn’t apparent until you leave the warm glow of the bathroom lights and step out into the blaring daylight. Maybe a few co-workers start to act all sly while they give you a wink and say ” Was somebody out past their bedtime last night?”. If you work at a car dealership, they might even go the distance and chug imaginary bottles of wine. The motherly figures at work might say something like “Are you feeling okay today?” 

By lunchtime your head is spinning with questions. “Why is everyone asking me if I was up late? Why did Nancy think I have the flu? What is wrong with my face?!?!”

Don’t worry my friend. This kind of thing happens from time to time. You simply picked the wrong color of something and it has sucked the life out of your face. There is something that can be done to salvage your dignity and it’s very simple.

Warm it up.

Whether it’s blush, eye shadow, or your lip color: the most common beauty blunder committed is choosing a color that is too cool for your natural color palette. You see, contrary to popular belief, 98% of people are flattered by warm tones. The only exception that easily springs to mind is red heads with pink undertones that burn easily in the sun. Most of us look much more natural wearing warmer shades. The right colors will bring a glow to your face and make you look healthy and well rested.

You can easily warm up your makeup by putting a little gold shimmer over the top of cool tones. This will balance them out so they don’t overpower the rest of your face. The trick is to use it sparingly and make sure you are using a very finely ground gold dust – not glitter. As a makeup artist with 5 years of experience, I can say that is one tip that has saved face more often than almost any other. When ever a color seems to fight for control of the face, a little gold shimmer dust is the perfect way to help it harmonize with the rest of the look. This is why I have decided to tell you about SIN City.

SIN City is exactly what you get when you mix Advanced Formula in Clear with a little bit of 24 Karat gold shimmer and a bit of pink bronze pigment. It blends perfectly with every color I have ever mixed it with. It adds that subtle warmth and dimension to every color I’ve blended it with. It even looks amazing all by itself if you want to achieve that light natural glossy nude look. I highly recommend trying SIN City to any of you that are wanting to warm up your color palette. It just might be the thing to transform that “sick day” color into your go to shade. I’ve seen it happen!

1. Get a Brightly Colored Pedicure

Nothing says summer like bright and fun toenail polish.  Since your tootsies are normally covered up in the winter months anyway, your summery pedicure won’t distract from you winter style.  It will be there just to cheer you and your closest loved ones up!

Get your pedicure done professionally to really make you feel special.  Try somersetting new beyond bright colors like a baby blue and hot pink french style pedicure, metallic polish, or painting each toenail a different color pastel.

2. Get Yourself a Super Shiny Lip Treatment

Trends for lip color and texture go in and out of season as fast as your wardrobe.  The key to appropriately summering up you winter lips is to keep them healthy.  You want to start with very soft, plump lips characteristic of spending time in the sun.  You know how after a day at the beach your lips are especially plump from the time in the sun?

You can replicate this effect with the proper lip care routine and a lip plumper with collagen and other healthy ingredients.  We recommend something glossy to help brighten up your winter looks.

City Lips is the best lip plumper to keep lips healthy.  It comes in a variety of shades, or put it over your favorite red lipstick to update your look.  Get the look to the right by applying Tinsel town over a berry shade of red.  It lasts for hours so you don’t have to worry about reapplying all day.

3. Go to the Tanner

Get yourself a tan!  The real way to fight winter trauma is to make sure you stay healthy, and a little sun can do just that.  If you don’t have time or can’t afford to go on a vacation to a sunny spot, go to the fake -n- bake.

You need the rays to help you metabolize vitamin D which is one of the vitamins that helps in hormone regulation.  If you feel yourself getting cranky, remember it might just be because your hormones are in distress from lack of proper nutrition.  Even if you take a multi-vitamin each day, you need things like adequate water and sunlight to put those vitamins to work.

Plus, a little tan can go a long way to making you feel prettier in your winter white sweater.  Seeing yourself with a healthy glow is bound to make you feel good!

4. Get Highlights

Winter is known for dark hair trends, and you are probably used to lightening your hair in the spring, but getting yourself some cheery highlights in the winter can help you remember the beach days to come in a few short months.

Celebrities are the rocking blond highlights year round, so you will be in good company.  In addition, your investment will last longer in the winter months.  The summer sun can fade your highlights or distress your hair even more.  In the winter, your toner will last longer, and you will have to go in less frequently for touch ups.

5. Make a Fruit Salad

Being healthy is the best way to stay happy year round.  When you are in good health you are proud of your body image, your hormones are in balance so you can think clearly, and you are proud of yourself for taking care of your temple.

A great way to stay healthy and reminisce over summer is to make yourself a colorful fruit salad.  Or even better, order a fruity edible arrangement for your best friend to brighten her day, and then go partake in eating it with her (you wouldn’t want it to go bad!).

You know, I really thought we were going to get a pass on this Winter season. As luck would have it, we have very quickly paid for our lengthy Fall season with mounds of snow and unusually freezing dry weather. This is why we have decided to focus on giving you the best skin and lip tips in our arsenal. If we can save even one soul from dry cracked lips or rough scaly skin, our work will not be in vain. Okay. Enough of the melodramatics. Here are your 5 Winter Skin Saving Tips!

• Liquefy- Now is the time for even the most die hard powder makeup fans to switch to cream or liquid foundations. Some of you might normally prefer mineral powders because they absorb excess oils but that shiny skin of yours is one of the best ways to keep your skin protected from the cold dry air. Switching to creamy foundations and blushes will add extra protection, won’t dry you out, and may even put active ingredients to your skin. If you find that your skin is still excessively oily (think mid-day oil slick on your t-zone) then blot with tissue paper. It will help to mattify but won’t strip the oil completely out of the skin.

• Increase Circulation- Cold weather will constrict blood vessels in order to keep your internal temperatures up. When you combine this with the lack of sunshine, your skin loses that healthy glow and starts to look ashy and sallow. Every blotch, blemish, or hyper pigmentation will stick out like a coffee stain on a white cashmere sweater. You can combat this effect by making sure your skin is still getting enough blood flow.   A good healthy glow will make you look more alert, refreshed, and radiant. Look for skin products that have Black Tea Concentrate like CITY Face which is shown to dilate the blood vessels and increase micro circulation.

• Wash with cool water- This one may seem to contradict the tip above but it’s a very good way to keep the moisture in your skin. Skip cleansing your face every day and instead splash a little cool water on your face to keep it fresh. If you need to remove makeup, you can use Sunflower Seed oil and some lukewarm water. Sunflower oil is so great because it will pull the makeup off your face and the excess oils absorb easily. You end up cleansing and moisturizing your face without disturbing the balance of your skin. Cold water, cool water, lukewarm water are all fine. Just make sure you’re avoiding HOT water!

• Eat essential fatty acids- A good diet will transform your skin from the inside out. Essential fatty acids are magic when it comes to maintaining the health and appearance of your skin. It will also benefit your hair, nails, organs, and may even help shed a few unwanted pounds! Add a small serving of Greek Yogurt into your morning. Put Olive Oil on your salad. Replace margarine with Coconut Oil on toast.   Do whatever you can to incorporate BENEFICIAL fats into your diet! Studies show that beneficial fats have positive effects for every part of your body and can even boost your mood!

• Sunscreen Tinted Moisturizer- We often forget we still need sunscreen during the Winter. All this snow bounces UV rays right up into your face. Any Skier/Boarder can tell you about the nasty winter sunburns they get after a few hours on the mountain. You can get sunscreen and a tinted moisturizer in one product to give you UV protection and even out your skin tone. I personally love the Dermalogica tinted moisturizers because they actually do a great job of providing some moisture (I find most other tinted moisturizers are too dry or too greasy) and they have an excellent neutral color which lets me use a slightly darker tone without looking orange. The lavender scent is another plus that I don’t mind raving about.

• BONUS TIP- Lavender essential oils will calm the skin, increase circulation and cellular turnover rate, and smells nice. It’s one of the few oils that you can use neat (which means undiluted on the skin right out of the bottle).

Get our award-winning CITY Lips Original Formula in a deluxe Mini size with your $50 purchase! Just use code ORIGINAL at checkout.

Start shopping to get this FREE Mini>

Our potent peptide blend is the gold standard in natural lip plumping because it actually works! CITY Lips Original is lightweight and super moisturizing, perfect on its own or under other lip color for plump, smooth, soft lips! Combat the signs of aging and winter dryness with CITY Lips in a mini size, perfect for your pocket. Apply often and be amazed at the results!

What are your beauty resolutions for 2013?
Well, we’re over 2 weeks into the new year. Have any of your new year’s resolutions survived intact? I had the best intentions to stick with a no-sweets diet, but I couldn’t resist the siren song of the huge carton of Jelly Bellys that my sister got me for Christmas from Costco. (Serious question: does anyone actually like those Buttered Popcorn Jelly Bellys?!) Whether you’re still going strong with your resolutions or you need to recalibrate… read more

As much as I don’t want any pity (that’s a lie) I need to paint you a picture of my life the last few months. Partly because I feel like I’ve made some personal progress which I’d like to gloat about, but also because I think there are more men in my position and I would feel like a jerk if I didn’t offer my tips. If you feel like an Abominable Snowman, read on. If you KNOW an Abominable Snowman (husband, brother, friend, son, etc) then please pass this collection of tips along. Here is my story;

Over the last few months, I have been surrounded by beautiful women. It’s not all that new for me since a lot of my working life has been working in salons or doing makeup. In addition I have a beautiful mother and beautiful friends. This has never been a problem for me since I have always tried my best to take care of myself but something funny seems to happen every year around this time. Mother Nature decides she has had enough of my carefree existence as a man and she takes revenge by drying out every square inch of my skin. Even my beard decides to turn against me. A trusted ally of mine has transformed into a brittle scratchy Brillo Pad, mocking me with it’s unruly and rebellious way.
That’s right. Winter has come again and robbed me of my summer glow. I look and feel like an Abominable Snowman and I’m ready to hide away in a cave. It doesn’t help that all the women in my life seem so prepared for this. They have gotten their beauty routine down to a science and make me look like a major slacker. This year things are a little different. I took the time to do a little research and try a few new things. Let’s just say I have gotten my act together and I’m feeling much more human than monster. I’m feeling confident enough about my new routine that I decided to share it.

• Cut back on the showers as much as you can! This might seem counter intuitive if you are trying to look your best but let me explain. In the winter we don’t sweat as much. All those beneficial oils that your body produces to protect your skin and keep it soft are in short supply. Every time you shower, you are stripping those oils out of your skin and your body has to work twice as hard to replace them. This translates to dry itchy skin. I always notice it first on my back which is one of the worst places to itch unless you have a good friend or one of those back scratcher claw thingys.

• Layer your clothes. Imagine someone holding a blow dryer at your face all day. A heater essentially has the same effect on your skin. It will suck all the moisture out of your skin. Make sure you point your heater vents in your car AWAY from your face too! Anyone with contacts has probably already figured that out.

• Protect the sensitive areas of your skin with moisturizers. Make sure to put extra moisturizer around your eyes and on your lips. I use the CITY Lips Original formula on my lips during the day and then use some of the Advanced Formula in Clear at night.

• Beard Oil! I used to work at a barber shop that sold a pricey beard oil. The oils keep your facial hair moisturized and soft. The great herbal smell and skin protection was another benefit that I just couldn’t say no to. I figured out how to make my own for a fraction of the price and now it’s a staple in my morning regimen. You need about 2 oz. of sunflower oil, some Rosemary, and Lavender essential oils. Put 8 drops of Lavender and 5 drops of Rosemary into your Sunflower oil. Shake it together and Presto! Beard oil that is safe to use on your skin.

Those simple tips should help keep you the well groomed and polished gentleman you want to be this winter. Now instead of hibernating, you can go out into the world with a smile on your face knowing that once again, you showed Mother Nature whose boss. You might even get more attention from all those snow angels now that you don’t look like an Abominable Snowman. 

Okay, maybe we haven’t quite reached this status yet but hey, we’re working on it.