“Sparkle, shine and pink? Oh my!”

(read to the sing song-y tune of Lions, Tigers and Bears? Oh my!)

City Lips cosmetics was reviewed by ABC and Good Housekeeping as a lip plumping alternative to botox.

Now, it will be reviewed on Clearing Preppy’s Name as a great pre-lipstick layer.

I’ve never been in the market for Angelina Jolie-esque lips, but I was curious about the glossy glittery lip treatment when I first glanced at the company’s website.

I was more than happy to try it out, after all what prep can resist a pink tint to pull a look together?

As I’ve matured, I’ve learned what qualities I appreciate most in lip cosmetics.

Traditionally, I prefer lipsticks to gloss because of their consistency and coverage.

I have also always preferred bold pigments to sheer translucence.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this product.

*****I must disclose I have been endorsed for this post. Also, I only had access to the City Lips advanced formula in Orchid and Los Angelips tints for one week. I cannot speak to the effectiveness of this product as a lip plumper, but I do condone it for its lovely glistening appearance.*****

After inspecting the back of the box, I learned one of the uses of this gloss is as a base for lipsticks, after setting for 2-3 minutes!

This addressed my distaste for sticky glosses and translucence.

The first day I wore my light pink Orchid lip treatment, I wore it under my NYC “Forever Fuschia” lipstick.

My lipstick lasted without flaking all morning.

It gave the matte lipstick shine, which I loved.

I have always layered Chapstick under lipstick -especially if I was wearing a matte shade.

This gives me another option!

For lip plumping, you can use your chosen shade of gloss before bed each night, according to the lip treatment pacakging.

There is a stickiness and slightly fuzzy sensation that can be easily avoided during sleep.

Warning- this can be result in residue on bedding/cute pajamas. 😦

The second day I wore my Los  AngelLIPS shade of lip treatment alone.

Of the two shades, I liked Orchid gloss alone best.

I did not last more than an hour wearing the gloss alone though, per usual the consistency bothered me.

I layered another, more iridescent NYC lipstick “Fuschia with Blue Pearl” on top.

My conclusions:

On a scale of 1-10, I would rate these City Lips lip products a 6.5 -based only on external appearance and my experience wearing the glosses.

I really enjoy driving with the windows down (in a mini-van or Chevy Equinox, I’m a force to be reckoned with), gloss just makes that a messy experience. And my hair is very unforgiving with lipgloss in it.

The glosses serve their purpose, but with a $35 price tag, I could not reason with the purchasing them to layer my drugstore $20< lipsticks.

Want to try the advanced formula with my exclusive coupon code?  Comment below! Out of the shades I viewed but did not try, I think Tinsel Town would be another great option for layering with lipstick.

All in all, I think it is a nice summer alternative to lipstick, but it was not necessarily the right lip treatment for me.