J. Paul eye for the Houston guy

With J. Paul Skin Care, the H-Town metrosexual can go local for man grooming

Some men take grooming more seriously than others, but it's a universal truth that when it comes to shaving, saving face is the first priority. Recent years have seen an eruption of men's products, transforming a formerly bland shelf at the pharmacy into a mess of overly fragranced, testosterone-oozing salves — clearly overcompensating for the fact that they're the products of beauty companies that specialize in female bath things.

Overwhelming? Yes.

Unavoidable? No.

Introduce yourself to J. Paul Skin Care, a new high-end line of advanced skin care products designed exclusively for men. They're the inaugural line of men's toiletries from J. Paul Industries of Houston, meaning the product is conceived, produced and packaged in our hometown. The line has been under development for 18 months, with each product designed to be multi-functional, resolving many skin care needs at once.

The line's leading man is Glide, a shaving cream that calls upon the natural goodness of aloe vera and jojoba oils to create a barrier between your skin and the razor — saving face, and your wallet, as Glide is supposed to allow your razor to last three times as long.

"We went into the developing and manufacturing process with the idea that Glide shave cream had to be the best shaving cream available on the market and superior to all of the leading brands," company co-founder and CEO Paul Looney says. "The only way to do that was to ensure that our shave cream product truly addressed the ever so-common problems of razor burn, skin irritation, dryness and it had to work on the toughest beards."

Glide works alone or in conjunction with Scrub pre-shave and Ice aftershave to simplify the daily shaving ritual.

Before you head out the door, add a touch of Guard, an SPF 20 lotion that works for both the face and body. It's an essential for those of us who don't want to look 50 when we're 30.

Proud Houstonians will love J. Paul, which believes that Houston makes an ideal test-market for its line.

"Houston is fast becoming the New York of the South and it truly is a cosmopolitan city," company co-founder and president, Paul Strong explains. "Last year, the city added 141,000 new residents, many of which were from foreign countries. This is at a rate comparable with that of New York City and 50 percent higher than that of Boston or Chicago."

What's more, Houston has a network of manufacturing resources that are unique to the skincare and fashion industries — many of which the public is not yet privy to — and a wealth of investment capital.

"Coupled with the city's lower taxes, cheaper real estate and access to affordable credit and operating capital," Strong says. "Houston is a natural fit for growing a skin care company such as J. Paul. Today, you no longer need to go to New York to launch a skin care business. Houston has all of the necessary ingredients to become successful."

J. Paul's new line will soon be available at local retailers.

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Texas tragedy

Camp Mystic halts reopening plan after outrage by families, lawmakers

Memorial Service Held For Young Camper Killed In Hill Country Floods

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Pink and green bows signifying a young camper who was lost in the Hill Country floods.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Camp Mystic on Thursday, April 30 halted reopening plans on the Texas river where floodwaters killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors, backing down in the face of outraged families and investigations that accused the all-girls Christian camp of dangerous safety and operational deficiencies.

The decision, a striking reversal of the camp owners' determination to reopen, follows weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations. Those hearings laid bare the camp’s lack of detailed planning for a flood emergency, reliance on poorly trained staff, and missed chances for an evacuation that came too late as floodwaters ripped through the camp over the July 4 weekend last year.

“We never imagined a world without our daughters, and no decision made now can change that," Matthew Childress, father of 18-year-old counselor Chloe Childress who died, said in a statement.

The camp’s owner, Dick Eastland, also died in the flooding.

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” Camp Mystic said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed Thursday that the camp has withdrawn its application.

The decision was praised by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who opposed the camp's reopening while investigations were ongoing.

“I am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application,” Patrick said in a statement. “Given the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed.”

The families of the victims packed the court and legislative hearings, often wearing “Heaven’s 27” pins with photographs of their daughters. They listened to the details of missed flood warning signs, the descriptions of the flood and the decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. The testimony included video of the raging floodwaters as a girl repeatedly screamed for “help!” somewhere in the distance.

Edward Eastland, one of the camp directors and a member of the Eastland family that owns and operates the 100-year-old camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, offered a tearful public apology to the victims’ families on Tuesday.

“We tried our hardest that night. It wasn’t enough to save your daughters,” Eastland said, with the victims' families sitting behind him. “I’m so sorry.”

All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.

Texas health regulators have said they are investigating hundreds of complaints against the camp's owners. The Texas Rangers are also looking into allegations of neglect, according to the Texas Department of Safety, although the scope of the state’s elite investigations unit was not immediately clear.

The camp, established in 1926, did not evacuate as the storm rolled in and was hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9 meters) within 60 minutes.

summer camp politics texas weather texas flood