Products blog posts and news

No! No! Hair Removal System Was Not! Not! For Me

QUICK TAKE:  For me, the no! no! is not a quick enough leave-your-legs-smooth solution. I do not have much body hair, so it may work better for someone else. The no! no! worked well on light facial hair with minimal irritation.

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Sally Hansen Line Freeze For Lips Leaves Mine A Bit....freeze-dried!

I'm a pretty big fan of all things GABA. Anything that touts "instant" reduction of visible lines on my face--and actually works!--gets my wallet out. So there I was face-to-face with that orange Sally Hansen shelf display of targeted skin treatments when one in particular stuck out to me. Sally Hansen Line Freeze for Lips.

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Can Dove Keep It Real?

Unilever's Dove ad campaigns appear in web, TV, print, and even theater to hammer home their  "real" brand positioning for Pro-Age and other Dove skin care products. This foots with Uniliver's core belief that brands must create meaning. Because "if there is no meaning then it won't be important and we will ultimately piss away our marketing dollars. Life is about ROI," stated Geoff Craig, Unilever's vice-president and general manager, brand building (in December's Marketing magazine).

Case in point: in Toronto the Dove ad team has commissioned a play called "Body and Soul" to spread a message that there is beauty in aging. The play's cast features a dozen women that were selected from 2000 interested women.  These are everyday people, not professional actresses. 

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Is Meladerm Naturally Good For Skin Lightening?

Skin lighteners which include hydroquinone occasionally have some negative reports about their long term effects, but Meladerm claims to be safer way to address a wide array of skin damage:

• Hyperpigmentation / Dark discolorations
• Age / Liver spots / Sun spots
• Freckles
• Tans / Sun damage
• Melasma / Chloasma
• Acne marks
• Old scars
• Birthmarks
• Dark elbows, knees, underarms, knuckles
• Uneven skin tones

Meladerm represents it's active ingredients of kojic acid and alpha-arbutin as a more natural means of addressing these skin conditions.  But before you run out and buy a year's supply of Meladerm, note that Meladerm usage is not necessary over the long-term as a skin lightener. The company states that Meladerm efficacy "plateaus" after 3 or 4 months. Meladerm manufacturer Civant Skin Care stated in a note to RealSelf.com that "Rather than ‘milking’ customers as some companies will do, we are honest in stating that the product does not have to be purchased indefinitely."

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Skin Lightening: Is Meladerm Safe?

Interesting post over on The Beauty Brain today about Meladerm, a skin lightener. The question is whether Meladerm is safe for long-term use. The interesting thing about the response quoted below is how the company that makes the product admits that use should be discontinued after three or four months because effects tend to "plateau."

First about the ingredients:

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Earthworks Products Are An Experience

It is becoming increasingly rare, in the ever-expanding beauty market, to find products that truly take your breath away, put the wind in your sails, literally make you say “Ahhhh!” out loud…
 
All of the above happened to me when I experienced Earthworks Pur-Essence products, specifically, the Limone Collection which, with one whiff, transported me to a happier place.

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"Meaningful Beauty" Lacks True Meaning

Cindy Crawford has associated her beauty, name, and reputation to the “Meaningful Beauty” anti-aging skin care product line. Since Crawford is a natural beauty (who absolutely denies ever getting Botox injections) we have to wonder: does Meaningful Beauty have true meaning?

Meaningful Beauty is based on a formulation developed by French skin care expert, Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh. What is the secret ingredient unearthed by Dr. Sebagh? Rare French melon. Sebagh believes some melons can defend our skin from the breakdown of collagen, which happens with age. Meaningful Beauty describes this ingredient as

“a rare French melon that stayed fresh and firm much longer than similar varieties. This melon contained a powerful “first generation” antioxidant (superoxide dismutase), which preliminary studies suggest, prevents the formation of new free radical species. By utilizing this first generation antioxidant, Meaningful Beauty's formulas are designed to help protect your skin against the visible signs of aging in a remarkable way.”

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A Miracle Kit From Patricia Wexler, MD?

Purchasing skin care can be daunting and overwhelming, especially at the high prices for purchasing individual items.

Bath & Body Works offers Patricia Wexler's Universal Anti-Aging Solution Starter Kit, usually priced at $65.00, but is now selling for $45.00. A miracle kit if it can help with facial lines and early signs of wrinkles.

The anti-aging skin care kit is marketed as being the complete answer to skin care needs with a 30 day supply for a range of skin products.

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A Diamond Is Not A Girl's Best Wrinkle Cream

Prestige skin care brands want you to push it. Push the "I believe" button that the more exotic or expensive the ingredient, the better the skin care and your anti-aging results.

After reading about Diamonta I decided I couldn't possibly believe. As the name suggests, Diamonta contains actual diamonds. According to the company founder and inventor of the Diamonta product, Dr Nitasha Buldeo,

"Diamonds are great in skincare as they can be ground down to incredibly fine particles that make a wonderful exfoliant that doesn’t graze the skin. They also have light reflective particles that smooth fine lines and wrinkles by bouncing light away from them." [Daily Mail] Diamonta arrives to market in time for Christmas at a price well over $400.

Name any precious metal, stone, mineral, luxury ingredient and you'll find a skin care product containing it.

Gold: Guerlain Divinora Pure Radiance ($67) [Sephora]

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Revlon Kills Vital Radiance

The death was inevitable. The Revlon Vital Radiance cosmetic brand--marketed as a product line for women 45+--is getting pulled from the market.

Revlon Vital Radiance failure was blamed on distribution, but more importantly it was a case study in bad marketing.

Not too long ago I gave my reasons for the incredible failure of Vital Radiance. I remain convinced that consumers like me respond to marketing messages based on our attitude and high level product benefits, not our age.

Investors are mad as hell as Revlon shares are hovering around a dollar. The Company is responding by cutting 250 jobs. Consumers response to the end of Vital Radiance: Can you hear the crickets?

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