The Interview

Styleforfree:  How & When did CITY Cosmetics get started?

Marie:  I always had really thin lips and frankly felt self conscious about my mouth. With the industry I was currently working in it made it that much harder to feel confident about this insecurity. With past experience with makeup and currently working as a makeup artist the idea began to surface in earlier part of 2002. I wanted to fix my problem and began to research what my options were. I knew I didn't want something too invasive, and was terrified of the thought of injections—OUCH! At that point I realized I was searching for a product that didn't exist and my only thought was why not? I felt with the knowledge and experience I had in this industry and knowing how horrible it felt to be embarrassed about my lips I was determined and set to find a product that could remedy that and also help other women struggling with insecurities. With a drawer full of products that did not live up to their promises, I knew I wanted to create something that I was truly proud of and believed in. With help from the best chemists and research teams, we began the R&D. Let's just say I am a bit picky and demand perfection from our products, so after over 80 revisions and more than a year later, CITY Lips was born. We launched June 2003 and within 8 months we were being sold into over 80 countries! We have distribution in France, Poland, Japan, Turkey, Italy, United States, Germany, Canada, Portugal, and are growing as we speak!

Styleforfree:  What is your best selling product?

Marie:  Our CITY Lips clear original night-time treatment.

SFF:  What sets your products apart from the others?

Marie:   We do not use any animal/fish products—we use ingredients that are natural or synthetic and work to stimulate collagen naturally. It is not only important to CITY as a company but to me personally that our products are safe, work naturally and deliver results that we are proud of. All of our treatments use over double and triple the peptides of other treatments to ensure effectiveness. And we never test on animals!

SFF: Any new CITY product releases in the near future we can look forward to?

Marie:  Absolutely! This will be an amazing year for us. We have several new things in the works right now— so stay tuned for remarkable, innovative, and fresh products from CITY this year!

SFF:  Any tips for girls who want to start their own business?

Marie:  Work hard, make sacrifices, and take the time to have fun and relax…most importantly never, never give up! With every 20 doors that slam in your face there is bound to be one that is wide open.

SFF:  Which CITY Cosmetic item is your personal favorite?

Marie:  Oh that is hard, I love them all! I know that is bias, but the work that has gone into them and the results they create make it hard to choose just one. Although, I will say I can't live without our clear treatment, I adore the color Los AngeLIPS and my skin would suffer without our Skin Remodeler…it is amazing!

SFF:  What's your favorite beauty tip?

Marie:  Drink lots of water, and don't forget to exfoliate your face to clear away dead skin that causes dullness, absolutely nothing is more beautiful that a healthy radiant face. Even if your skin is dry, exfoliating is so important…obviously my recommendation is our heated Skin Refinisher. It clears away dead skin and makes your skin glow after only one use, trust me your skin will thank us!!!.

SFF:  Where do you get inspiration for your products?

Marie:  As mentioned the original motivation came from preventing an insecurity and frustration for other women that I had felt for many years. Our continued efforts and goals in the products that followed and future products are always inspired by our consumers, our friends and by the many men and women around us that just want to feel beautiful. We recognize our ability to make unique products and want to create the products that people want and need but don't currently have available.

SFF:  Who are some celebrities that currently use CITY Cosmetics?

Marie:  Well we have quite a few but of few of our favorites and biggest supporters include Teri Hatcher, Vivica A. Fox, Lacey Chabert, Carolina Bacardi, Virginia Madsen… and we can't forget the men, yes men… James Brown loves our Skin Refinisher!

SFF:  What is your all-time favorite beauty product and why?

Marie:  Again I hate to show favoritism but I LOVE our clear treatment! I have more than doubled my lip size using it and I never have dry, chapped lips, plus I am not getting any younger and I love the fact CITY Lips fills in the wrinkles above my lips.

SFF:  May we offer Styleforfree shoppers an exclusive CITY Cosmetics promotion?

Marie: CITY Cosmetics is delighted to offer the first 50 Styleforfree visitors a free mini when you register here starting on Friday, 5/19 at NOON EST.