If you’re a bit of an Instagram fan – I know a lot of us tend to be on Insta more than Facebook these days – you’ve probably seen City Lips advertised. They are everywhere!

If you’re unfamiliar with it though City Lips is a lip plumper and gloss that promises fuller lips and fewer lip lines.

Eventually, because they kept popping up I bought some to see if it delivered all it promised. For the record, that’s saying a lot for someone who has been sent so many beauty products over my lifetime. Isn’t advertising powerful?

My Lip Story

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

I was born with thin lips and it’s always been a bugbear of mine – I always hankered after Angelina Jolie-like lips!

Now that I’m growing older they’re getting thinner. This is a by-product of age because we produce less collagen and elastin as the years go by – proteins that give our skin elasticity and plumpness. I’ve also noticed that for the first time in my life my lips are a lot drier probably due to declining estrogen.

Injectable Lip Fillers

I’ve had all of the injectable fillers – as a beauty editor it was part of my job. But they hurt and they’re expensive and I don’t like the look that so many younger girls are sporting – the injected lip look! It’s almost like it’s become the norm but, call me old fashioned, I don’t think it’s a good norm.

Most of the filling agents these days are based on hyaluronic acid which is a skin plumper/hydrator that’s naturally present in our bodies. Restylane is a common hyaluronic acid injectable lip filler that’s been around for a very long time. It wears off gradually over about nine to 12 months and costs around $600-$800 in New Zealand.

If you’re in the market for lip injectables I recommend (for Aucklanders) Clinic 42 as they’re not fans of that overdone look either. I’ll give you the link below in references.

City Lips

City Lips Pink Nude

I ordered Pink Nude which is a gorgeous muted pink/nude (funny that!). It comes in a lovely box and the packaging states: “This lip plumper instantly promotes a look of fullness and hydration while reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.”

Ingredients

Let’s look at the top five ingredients on the list:

Hydrogenated Polyisbutene – a synthetic moisturising oil that prevents water loss

Ethylhexyl Palmitate – a fatty ester which is a nice emollient

Caprylyl Methicone – a smoothing agent that provides easy spreadability and reduces greasiness

VP/Hexadecene Copolymer – a good pigment (colour) distributor

Silica – a thickening agent and pigment disperser when used in cosmetics.

I just looked at the top five as that what the product contains the most of and there is a ton of other ingredients on the list. From what I can see (it’s very fine print on the box) Sodium Hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid) comes in at around number 30. That said, the company is very transparent as the ingredients list is freely available on the website.

Thoughts

Honestly? I didn’t get a whole lot of lip plumping (so far) but it’s a lovely smooth, shiny lip gloss and the Pink Nude is a lovely shade. There are about 20 others – shimmery, opaque and clear. The company recommends keeping going with application for 28 days and I’m only about five down so I will definitely do that (and report back).

I’m not a fan of some of the ingredients simply because I don’t want to be ingesting them.

There are nearly 700 rave reviews on the website, but at $35 USD for a tube (they do deals when purchasing two or more and you receive a 15% discount card with your first order) it’s a bit steep for me especially when I can make my own. With that said, there’s a money-back guarantee which is always a good thing (minus shipping).

Products are always, always, always subjective, but for fuller lips, I’m still going to have to save my coins for Restylane.

• Click here for Clinic 42.
• www.citylips.com

UPDATE MAY 21, 2020

Hi guys, well I promised to give my thoughts 28 days on and it’s a bit longer than that. But City Lips, while hydrating and a lovely gloss hasn’t plumped my lips to any great degree so it will probably only get 3 stars from us. ⭐⭐⭐

Thanks for stopping by! 

Yours in health & happiness 😀

Main Photo by Cesar La Rosa on Unsplash