What Makes a Woman Beautiful?

When I started my business years ago I simply sought to offer women something I had been in search of myself…painless aging! I could not have imagined at the time the doors that would be opened to me by hundreds of women willing to open their hearts and share their stories. Stories of tragedy, triumph, joy, sorrow… all the things that weave our lives into the complex and beautiful stories of who we each are.  In the hundreds of emails I have received, I have witnessed “beauty” in so many forms, and it has been both heartwarming and inspiring. It got me to thinking, what is it that makes a woman beautiful? As I talk to all of these women I am instantly captivated by their beauty, and yet most I have never seen!

I recently had a wonderful lunch with a childhood friend who I have known for over 50 years. We do not see each other as often as we wish, but when we do it’s as if it was yesterday. We chat about the things that most women our age do, and it is space in time that is filled with laughter and memories. After lunch, I was telling my daughter that my friend has not changed in all these years. She wanted to know how that was possible?! And it dawned on me… that while physically she is as beautiful to me now as she was when we were children, her smile, warmth, and elegance have truly remained timeless.

I was curious about what other people thought on the topic so I posed the question on Facebook. Dozens of people, men and women, responded. The replies were both honest and encouraging. Of course there were some of the usual remarks from the guys you might expect. Hey, I knew I had opened the door! J But many were surprising and said they looked for “genuine smiles” and “warmth” as measures of beauty.

This particular response by a friend, Deborah, was very representative of what most said. "For the physical trait I like to see people with "smiley eyes". The inner characteristic that I find beautiful is warmth. These are the people that just make you feel happy being around them. They make you feel as if you matter to them. Funny, I immediately liked you when we emailed because of that...”

Her response summed up what I have found in my childhood friend – really beautiful women are those that make you feel joy, simply by being around them. They make you feel as if you matter.

I have been blessed with so many lovely people in my life, those that I can honestly confide in and who I love deeply. Friends and family who let me know I am as important in their life, as they are in mine, even if time or distance keeps us apart. When I look into their eyes, I see and feel something that goes beyond physical beauty.

While make-up can do magical things, genuine “Beauty” is not about physical appearances. It is how we live and who we have become, from our greatest challenges, to our most joyful moments. And it is in the confidence, strength, and warmth that we bestow upon others that makes us GORGEOUS!

Now go be beautiful!

Beauty or Health?

If you had to make a choice between the two, would you choose beauty or health?

The old saying, "nothing is more important than your health" rings so true these days! And while I hope 100% of us would answer in favor of health over beauty, unfortunately what we say and do are sometimes two different things! In our quest for beauty, we often do things that are definitely not in the best interest of our health.

We pick up weight and go on crash diets, we seek out chemical or surgical fixes, in the hopes of "perfection". Even when we know what's best for us, we don't always follow that path. As much as I try to be healthy, I can honestly say I know there are things I do that aren't good for me-like eating too much candy. I should probably give up coffee too, but I love it! And while I should exercise, I hate it with a passion. 

In recognizing my downfalls, however, I attempt to compromise. The key I have found is no extremes! Most of us cannot keep up with such a strict, perfect lifestyle and need some day to day exceptions. So aside from eating candy, I try to eat well - lots of fruits and vegetables, with very few carbs. With this I'm able to keep a steady weight and eliminate crash dieting. I limit my morning coffee intake to 2 cups (okay maybe 3 on some days!), but ditch the cream and sugar that I'd really prefer ;) Knowing I will never, ever, go to a gym, my "exercise" consists of running, dancing, and playing with my Grandchildren- hula hoops, jump ropes, it all counts! And in the beauty department, I try to stay as natural as possible.  Is it sometimes tempting to look at all the ads in magazines for the latest "fix", yes. Is it worth it, I don't think so.

I also try to remember that so many things are also out of our control-family history, childhood environments (talk about second hand smoke!), etc. At almost 59, I do my best to stay healthy and feeling young. In this regard, Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy has been my personal life changer. Yet not everyone wants, or is a candidate, for it. Recently one of our customers shared that after battling Breast Cancer, and as a result of the estrogen risks, she could no longer take HRT and it led her to us, as she now needed a natural way to add fullness to her lips, (as estrogen loss can cause lip thinning).

I'd been thinking for awhile that I wanted our business to be able to give back in some way, and this customer gave me the inspiration that our little beauty product could do something positive-even if just in a small way. We are hoping we can offer our Fullips lip enhancers to the very strong and beautiful women that have battled Breast Cancer and find themselves in this situation. While we clearly recognize that thin lips are the least of anyone's concerns after facing cancer, we hope that, if in some small way, it could be helpful to those that would like to add it to their daily beauty routine, then we are happy to provide it!

We are putting aside 100 sets to distribute over the next three months to women who have faced breast cancer and feel like they would like to try these to avoid more chemicals, or because they are no longer HRT candidates. If you, or someone you know, is in this position please email me at info@fullips.com to my attention (Linda Gomez) and we will arrange to get a set out! www.fullips.com 

Lips are our Business!

In light of the recent media attention Fullips has received, I decided we are long overdue for a post on the Fullips team's favorite topic- LIPS!

When I first started developing the enhancers for adding fullness to my own lips, I had just turned 50. And because of the normal aging process, I noticed my lips were thinning. While lack of estrogen is often a cause for older women, many women, of all ages, have naturally thin lips or simply want a little added fullness. Fullips enhancers can certainly help with this, but here are some additional tips that can help as well!

1) Stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause lips to lose some of their natural fullness. So being well hydrated is beneficial, not to mention to your overall health too!

2) Moisture. Keeping your lips well moisturized, just like you would the rest of your face, not only keeps them fuller looking, but their overall appearance is better. I personally love the Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment, but there are many great ones on the market.

3)Exfoliate your lips. Yes, while we often think about exfoliating our skin, we often forget that our lips can also benefit. Use a very soft brush, gently. In fact, Fullips packages include small exfoliation brushes with every order as a gift, I think it's that important! Remember, nothing is nicer and more kissable than soft lips!

4)Consider using a Plumping Gloss. There are several good ones on the market already, and we will soon be adding our own as well. Even if you prefer more color than you can get with just a gloss, or have your favorite lipstick, you can use a plumping gloss underneath your favorite color, still giving you the benefit of the plumping effect. With any new plumping gloss, remember to always check the ingredients first to make sure you do not have any allergies.

5) Hormones. If your lips seem to have thinned due to age, and possible hormone changes, you might talk to your doctor about checking your hormone levels as a lack of estrogen can add to this problem. (I use Bio-Identical pellets and love them!) If you are not a candidate for hormone replacement, however, then using alternative, natural options may be best in these situations.

6) Liner. When applying your lipstick, consider using a lip liner. If you use a neutral lip color then you can take it just outside the edge of your lip line and it will still look natural. Additionally, using the liner as a barrier, your lipstick is less likely to bleed.

7) Find a Moisturizing Lipstick. While I personally like the look of matt finish lipsticks, they can be more drying and your lips will not look as full. If you have a special matt color you prefer, however, you could still try a plumping gloss under it.

8) Lip Liner Illusions. For a fuller looking lip, using a liner, add a thicker line, under your bottom lip in the center of your mouth, it creates the illusion of more depth and fullness.


Bonus Fullips Enhancer Tips:

*For those that have a Fullips enhancer, here are some extra tips. For those coming straight to our blog, the Fullips product was created to offer a natural and less expensive alternative for those wanting fuller lips, without the use of chemicals or invasive procedures. Our enhancers come in 3 sizes and shapes for a variety of uses.

The Small Oval is my personal favorite! It was developed to be used vertically, to target the middle of the mouth. In doing this, it takes the focus off the outside area where many older women, like myself, have more noticeable laugh lines and often get a turned down mouth look. By drawing attention to the center of my mouth, and focusing on a smaller area, the fullness is more pronounced and distracts from the areas that I do not like. It is kind of a smoke and mirrors thing, but it works :)

The Medium oval can focus both on the whole mouth area, and be turned vertically, for targeting certain areas. It can be used to do one lip at a time, and while that takes a little more practice to perfect, it is very useful if you have one lip that is smaller than the other. If you are looking at just targeting smaller areas, like the center of your mouth, the small one is still the best. But the medium oval tool provides options for both overall fullness and targeting.

The Large Round is our most popular seller for those looking to achieve an overall, fuller look. It is best for doing the whole mouth area, but not as useful for targeting specific areas. While some customers use it for one lip at a time, the size is best used for encompassing the whole mouth. Generally, those with an overall larger mouth shape, and younger people, prefer this one. Though my 26 year old daughter in our demo, uses the medium oval. It's such a personal choice really.

Many people like to combine 2, like a Large for overall fullness and an Oval for targeting. Or a Medium for overall and a Small for targeting. It would be rare for anyone to really need all 3, but some prefer using all 3 for different effects.

There are many techniques for using your fullips enhancers. I use the tool for a longer period of time but using a gentle suction, while my daughter (as seen in the demo), prefers short quick suction "puffs". It does take time to perfect the techniques, but the longer you use it the easier it becomes, and the better the results! After you find what works best for you, you can incorporate it into your daily routine just like any other product,  or you can use it just for special occasions, as it is temporary. The key is to go slow at first, and then find what works best for you. Hope these tips are useful! :)

Here is a demo with one technique-and the medium oval http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoeDyo0iDdc

Cosmopolitan Magazine Video Review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVmTosU5Tdk

Right This Minute television show Demo and Review- http://www.rightthisminute.com/video/device-allows-you-create-full-lips-ease

Basic demo for general use-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkG2IZ-bNk8

Demo for a second technique and the large round and small oval fullips enhancers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8YbfYL5H3w

And of course, you can always find more information on our website @ http://www.fullips.com/