Meaningful Beauty, CellCeuticals & ProActive: Do They Work?

I've used so many different products to prevent aging and there are a few I haven't tried yet.  I got a big boost the other day when I went to the grocery story my daughter works at with her and the cashier and bagger both asked her "is that your older sister?"  Talk about heaven!  It was as if Gerard Butler was before me with a box of Godiva chocolates in the near buff.  Okay ... it wasn't exactly that good but it's as good as it's going to get!

You name it, I've probably tried it.  There is on informercial that intrigues me and it's Cindy Crawford's Meaningfulbeauty.  The infomercial discusses her plight to find the right beauty regiment and how long she's been using the products created by the person behind Meaningfulbeauty.  It all seems logical as she does look AMAZING!

I'm curious if anyone has tried it and the results?

One of my past favorites was CellCeuticals but I have since moved on.  With CellCeuticals, as I was just reminded via a comment on my other blog, it doesn't help at all with acne.  The poster noted how her acne was horrible and quit using it.  The one thing I noted from my experiences with CellCeuticals and to date, any other beauty product, is my continued use of Proactiv. 

    If you have acne, is there another product you prefer?

 
   

CellCeuticals, Lancome & Pond's Beauty Gift Pack Giveaway 12/15: WINNER ANNOUNCED

CONGRATULATIONS TO....

zachsgran1 at yahoo dot com

An e-mail has just been sent and she has 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be chosen by random.org.

Thanks to all those who entered!

I'm spreading the Christmas cheer by giving these away to one of my readers.

The giveaway consists of:

1. Pond's Wet Cleansing Original Clean 15 Towelettes
2. Full size CellCeuticals Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser
3. 2, 1.7 ounce Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Make Up Remover
4. Lancome turquoise and white cosmetic bag.

More items may be added.

To Enter:

Leave a comment and follow my blog.

Extra Entries:

• Follow me on Twitter for 2 comments.
• Subscribe to my blog for 2 comments.
• Leave a comment on any of my other posts and return her for 2 comments.
• Tweet about the giveaway for 2 comments (can be done daily).
• Blog about the giveaway for 2 comments.
• Enter one of my other giveaways and leave 5 comments.
• Vote for me at DivineCaroline (see widget on left side of blog) for 5 comments.

Giveaway ends 12/15/09 at midnight & I will ship out ASAP for a hopeful arrival by Christmas.

Winner will be chosen by random.org.

Good luck!

CellCeuticals Versus Oil of Olay Review

I had used CellCeuticals products for aging for several weeks and wrote about those results at two weeks and again at four weeks (click here to read about the four week results).  I put CellCeuticals aside to try Oil of Olay via my assignment over at Yahoo's Shine (click here for that post).  After reviewing and writing about Oil of Olay, I decided to return to CellCeuticals as so far, it's the best product I have found. 

My favorite is still the NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment due to how it makes me skin feel clean and it's not too abrasive.

I have noticed a visible change in the lines on my forehead and some diminished areas around the crows feet. I feel my face is more vibrant and supple and I wake up with a glow.

I definitely like all the products in the regiment and would recommend them to anyone.

*NOTE:  I was not paid to endorse CellCeuticals nor compensated for this review.

CellCeuticals Four Week Review

It's been four weeks since I started using CellCeuticals products for aging. As I've written in my two week review, I still love it and will not give it up!

My favorite is still the NeoCell Micro-Resurfacing Skin Treatment due to how it makes me skin feel clean and it's not too abrasive.

I have noticed a visible change in the lines on my forehead and some diminished areas around the crows feet. I feel my face is more vibrant and supple and I wake up with a glow.

I definitely like all the products in the regiment and would recommend them to anyone.

If you haven't already signed up, there is a link to the right for your chance to win a free Gentle Cleanser compliments of CellCeuticals but hurry as the drawing will be August 15th!

YouTube has a good CellCeuticals video on what others state about CellCeuticals as well as a demonstration on how to use the program.

Still not convinced? Check out their Facebook page that has over 180 followers with their comments!

Lifestyle Lift

I saw an advertisement in this month’s Martha Stewart’s magazine and then searched for other recent reviews on WordPress for this procedure. The claim to his is in “about one hour” a person “can look years younger.” According to their website, they have over 80 doctors working on this procedure across the US and have served over 100,000 people to date.
They also claim, “in order to offer the very best outcome, Lifestyle Lift® is committed to working only with the very best board-certified doctors, including those from renowned institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Vanderbilt, Duke, Emory and Cornell.”
They do add this to add “credibility to their claims and procedure:”
The Lifestyle Lift Code of Internet Conduct and Assurance
Lifestyle Lift® pledges that all Internet communications accompanied by the trademarked Lifestyle Lift® logo are fair and accurately represent the latest in medical information about facial firming procedures. The comments and photographs are from actual patients and fairly represent the results and opinions of thousands of our patients. Lifestyle Lift® is proud to take a leadership role in establishing new standards of Internet conduct and communications. We promise that any Internet communication accompanied by our logo can be relied upon as true and accurate; and all communications originating from our practice will be clearly identified with the Lifestyle Lift® logo. If you have any questions or concerns about the authenticity of any internet content or postings, please contact Lifestyle Lift®.
I did find some reviews at http://www.realself.com/Lifestyle-lift/reviews. The final tally from this site was:
33% said it was worth it
67% said it wasn’t worth it (pretty bad actual reviews actually)
Average cost $5407
This positive review good but then when you keep reading near the bottom, it’s owned by Lifestyle Lift: http://www.mylifestylelift.com/lifestylelift.html
To top it off, this person blogged about how Lifestyle Lift was fined in NY for providing false reviews on realself.com <— note this is the same website I noted above!. http://www.localseoguide.com/fake-reviews-will-cost-you-real-just-ask-lifestyle-lift/
LifeStyle Lift – Fake Reviews Will Cost You Real $
July 15th, 2009
Just caught this article in the NYTimesabout how Attorney General Andrew Cuomo had fined Lifestyle Lift, a cosmetic surgery company, $300,000 for ordering its employees to write fake reviews of its face-lift procedure on sites like RealSelf.
Let’s put aside the ethics of faking reviews for a minute and reflect on how effective a strategy this was for Lifestyle Lift:
Pros:They probably didn’t factor this in, but because they got caught, their site is now generating a lot of links. Variations of “facelift” or “cosmetic surgery” are not hugely expensive to buy ($5-$10 CPC), but I guess if they could translate those links into some page one rankings it could easily be worth $300K.
Cons:Page one of Google for “lifestyle lift”is already littered with results about this story. My bet is unless they do some reputation management SEO these aren’t going away anytime soon. So even if they do rank on page one for some great terms, sooner or later a prospective patient is going to Google them, see this story and likely bail. Hmm, something like this could tank their whole business pretty quickly. Maybe it wasn’t worth the page one rankings?
It’s too bad Lifestyle Lift went down this route, but it’s understandable. There probably was a lot of negative word of mouth about them already in the cosmetic surgery communities. Here’s the first thing I saw after I clicked on the third SERP result for “lifestyle lift” – “Lifestyle lift for jowls, turkey neck – unsure if it was worth it”
While it’s hard to overcome a bad product or service, perhaps if they had consulted with a knowledgable SEO/Reputation Management pro at least they could have come up with an alternate strategy that would not have cost so much, or if it had, at least it would have had a better ROI. Some tips for Lifestyle Lift in the future:
1. SEO your site! At least update your title tags with some good keywords. Hell update your whole site. It’s a bit of a tired, hard-to-read thing as is. If you can’t control what people are saying about you online at least try to get some traffic for valuable keywords and bypass them.
2. Participate in social media without faking it. If Ms. Turkey Neck is not saying nice things address her concerns. Maybe you need to redo her turkey neck. I guarantee if you turn her turkey neck into a swan neck, she will be your loudest supporter in these communities. And what would that cost you? My guess is the margins on turkey necks, among other things, are pretty fat.
3. Work with a reputation management pro who can help you move a lot of those pesky little negative links off of page one.
4. Better yet, give your customers reasons to say nice things about you online.
Even if you don’t have a problem with the ethics of fake reviews, they do often violate the terms of service of the reviews website. And as Lifestyle Lift discovered, that little fact can cost you. So next time you are thinking it might be a good idea to post some fake reviews of your business on the Web, remember you might be blowing all the cash you saved up to fix your damn turkey neck.
I think I’ll pass on this procedure ….

CellCeuticals® Biomedical Skin Treatments

I woke up this morning after leaving the TV on to see another infomercial on another anti-aging product. I became one of those people who surfed the cable channel for any “paid programming” to see the latest and greatest product on anything. After trying a few anti-aging and a round of Billy Mays products (yes, I actually am admitting this), I quit spending money on these and am looking at more natural products or products with Vitamin C or retina in them. It’s a toss up with one product with the Vitamin C and olive oil. I thought olive oil would make my skin break out but I think I see an improvement and notice a more youthful look and it appears some wrinkles are smaller or it’s just nature diminishing my eyesight a little quicker.

With no surprise here, the anti-aging industy is the fastest growing industry. Plastic surgery is picking up speed and again, no surprise there. Some people can’t afford plastic surgery, some can’t tolerate the procedure or the pain and some just opt to utilize basic over the counter products for whatever reason. I must admit that I’d probably get some procedures done if I had the money to blow as I think after time, you spend just as much on some of these crazy lotions, creams and whatever else there is out there. I tried botox twice and it left a severe droop in my eyes as it was wearing off the second time. I looked at least 10 years older until it all wore out. I’m hesitant to use it again as I don’t think there are enough long term studies of the adverse events in spite of their claims this products has been used for years and years. Yes, the product has for other medicinal uses but not years and years on large population segments for the facial beauty.
I was curious if anyone has tried CellCeuticals® and actually liked the results. It was yet another infomercial of a panel of women who didn’t really need it or already looked like they had some plastic surgery discuss why they love this product.

I read a few articles all stating the same thing under “reviews of CellCeuticals®” and the claim to effectiveness was because some “celebrities” attended a launch party so that’s suppose to mean they actually use it AND they claim it works. I saw one person review their make up remover and admitted he/she has no bad wrinkles so can’t comment on that effect. On another site, ONE person provided reviews on their anti-aging products and gave them 9 out of 10. I think I’ll stick to olive oil for now.

From this website, http://www.dermproducts.com/news/cellceuticals-biomedical-skin-treatments-announces-a-new-approach-anti-aging, here is what the CEO stated:

With years of work in the beauty industry, I know first hand that savvy customers expect more than a ‘glorified miracle in a bottle’ and ‘empty promises,’” says Paul Scott Premo, CEO of CellCeuticals® Skin Care, Inc. “They’re frustrated with unrealistic claims. They want products that deliver their promised results. With this in mind, Dr. Fisher and I developed a new generation of bio-treatments that apply the latest advancements in cellular science, which help counteract the visible effects of skin aging.”

The Science: Proprietary & Patent Pending Technology: The CellCeuticals Growth Factor Peptide (GFP) Cellular Complex is a groundbreaking technology combining next generation lipopeptides, retinol and antioxidants in a proprietary nanoemulsion delivery system that targets cellular skin aging. The GFP Cellular Complex was designed to facilitate a “proliferation response” and eliminate the “inflammatory response” common with other anti-aging ingredients and procedures.

CellCeuticals’ patent-pending, bioengineered lipopeptides are developed and tested using state-of-the-art DNA Microarrays and represent the next generation of peptides. Many first-generation peptides not only increase expression of genes that code for elastin and collagen but also increase the expression of genes that code for Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs), enzymes that breakdown the extracellular matrix of the skin. In addition, some of these peptides increase expression of the interleukin genes involved in the inflammatory cascade.

The CellCeuticals patent pending lipopeptides are targeted to increase expression of certain genes (elastin, collagen) and to decrease others (MMPs and interleukins.) An additional, unexpected and surprising property of the lipopeptides is their broad-spectrum anti-microbial properties, making them ideal candidates for anti-acne products.
The GFP Cellular Complex triggers cellular stimulation to encourage the regeneration of vital proteins responsible for firmer, thicker and youthful looking skin.

Stephens & Associates conducted the extensive eight-week, independent clinical study under the direction of Chief Science Investigator Dr. Thomas Stephens. The results of the clinical study concluded the CellCeuticals® Skin Treatments System with GFP Cellular Complex was proven to:

• Diminish visible wrinkles by 36%
• Decrease the appearance of the deepest wrinkle depth by 45%
• Renew skin smoothness by 64%
• Refine skin texture by 31%
• Reveal skin radiance by 33%
• Revitalize skin tone by 24%
• Restore skin firmness by 20%
• Replenish skin moisture by 48%
• Reduce skin redness by 87%

In addition, the CellCeuticals® Skin Treatment System has been carefully formulated and undergone rigorous testing to substantiate both product performance and safety.

• Clinically & Efficacy Tested
• Dermatologist Tested
• Ophthalmologist Tested
• Irritancy Tested
• Fragrance-Free*
• Paraben-Free
• Phthalate-Free
• Non-Comedogenic
• No Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• No Artificial Color
• No Animal Ingredients
• No Animal Testing

Beauty Products Reviewed

Skinn Cosmetics by Dimitri James Cosmetic Review

Pravana Shampoo and Conditioner for Blonde/Gray Hair

Skinfood Skincare

Skin2Skin Natural Anti-Aging Skin Care

Covergirl Shineblast Lip Gloss Review

More reviews below and to read about other topics such as bioceuticals and more, search my site for "beauty."

Pure and True

Click here for the full post:  Glow Intensive  C Rejuvenating Serum

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Head Organics

I posted earlier about Head Organics because I found that this was an innovating business due to the organic mission long before it became popular.  If you ever looked at the ingredients of your favorite hair care products, you would be quite surprised.  I would venture to guess that there are some things in there that you have no idea what they are let alone be able to pronounce them. 

Since Head Organics have been in business for over 40 years, I can trust that their products are safe and trusted.  It was 1969 that Head Organics launched its first pH-balanced, FD&C color free shampoos and conditioners. 

Here are some other interesting facts about Head Organics:

• Natural Biodegradable Ingredients
• Sulfate Free
• Paraben Preservative Free
• FD&C Colorant Free
• Gluten Free
• 1,4-dioxane Free
• Carcinogen Free
• Glycol Free
• Unique Fragrance Containing Essential Oils
• No Animal Testing
• Packaged in Recyclable Clear PETE Containers

The First Review:

This is a weightless treatment that also nourishes and detangles.  It helps to calm static, smooth flyaways and treats stubborn and damaged ends.  The infused hydrolyzed soy protein and plant based glycerin can be used in between for touch ups.  It can also be used daily. 

The top is a cool flip one that stays attached which is great for me because I'm always losing the caps or too lazy to put them back on.  It has a great botanical aroma that is light and not overpowering like some products can be.

After I washed my hair, I sprayed the Leave-In Conditioning Spray all over my hair and combed it through to ensure all parts of my hair received the treatment.

I was hesitant to use too much as in the past, the products would weigh my hair down and give it a greasy look that wouldn't respond to the flat iron.  This was not like that.  My hair felt softer and had more volume.  My hair usually has the frizzies since it's naturally curly but this lasted until the next morning.  I have used it for five days now and I am not disappointed (see pic to the right).  I will update this after a couple of weeks to see if I notice a change in my split ends.

Click HERE for my other review on the 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner post.

Click HERE for my initial Head Organic post.

Click HERE for my Head Organics Extra Hold Hair Gel post.

Want to purchase Head Organics now? Amazon has a sale right now:

Head Organics

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Rose Plus Marine Collagen Complex by The Organic Pharmacy

Everyone wants to look younger and if you are still young enough to not worry, you should!  There is no better time to fight aging.  I have tried product after product and am quickly becoming a fan of The Organic Pharmacy.  I'm still using the Carrot Butter Cleanser that I tried and reviewed earlier.  My face glows with the gentle cleansing, softening ingredients of carrots with shea & cocoa butter.  This is a definite favorite of mine and I've barely made a dent in the jar.  I feel it's well worth the costs as this will last a long time.  It was even awarded the Best Organic Skincare CEW award.

Megan Brown from Light Year's Ahead provided a bottle of The Organic Pharmacy's Rose Plus Marine Collagen Complex.  The bottle is slender enough to take on trips if you are a traveler and is very easy to apply.  The product information states this is "an intensive treatment aimed to make skin 10 years younger by targeting the collagen and eslastin in the skin."  The best part is it is suitable for any skin type so you don't have to worry about choosing the right type for your skin.  I am prone to acne and most products will increase my acne but this did not.

It's very light, goes on without a heavy residue and has a fantastic scent.  Most facial creams and serums are either heavy or greasy and require your hands to be washed after application.  This is not like that.  I just applied after my nightly cleansing and my face feels cool and wonderful. 

Four unique ingredients were isolated due to their novel and effective action thanks to extensive research.  Rose Plus Marine Collagen Complex's four unique ingredients were combined with other organic extracts known for their antioxidant and healing activities. 

Overall, I really like this due to the fact it is made of 100% natural and 81% organic ingredients.  The picture on the top was taken two weeks ago when I first received the Rose Plus Marine Collagen Complex.  Granted the lighting is different, I can see a subtle change in the fine lines around the corner of my eyes.  My skin is softer and looks better in my opinion.  I didn't expect a miracle but it's enough to keep me using it.  The scent is wonderful, the feeling is light and with the two products to date, The Organic Pharmacy is becoming my favorite place!

Here are the ingredients and intended results:

• Hibiscus Abelmoschus extracts helps to stimulate growth factor & cell growth collagen boosting as skin is regenerated and the skin's texture, elasticity and density are maximized. 
• The unique dill extract stimulates LOXL, protecting Elastin degradation and stimulating Elastin production. As we age, LOXYL decreases but with this dill extract, elasticity is increased, wrinkles are reduced and facial architecture is restored.
• Milk protein provides bio active peptides that increase cell renewal, collagen and fibroblasts.  This assists in reducing deep and fine wrinkles leaving a radiant youthful appearance.  I noticed my skin was smoother and definitely softer.  I thought the texture looked much better and I saw a slight reduction in the fine lines but keep in mind, I only used this for two weeks.
• Marine collagen, chondroitin, sodium hyaluronate and ursolic acid derived organically increases elasticity and the reduction of wrinkles.
• The special combination of Kigelia Africana, Calendula Officinalis, Rose Hop, New Zealand Fern and Goji Berries help the skin to heal and protect from free radicals, helps to firm while giving skin a radiant appearance that is firm and hydrated. 

To read my full post The Organic Pharmacy's Carrot Butter, click HERE.


To read April's post on The Organic Pharmacy's Glam Eye Make Up Review, click HERE.
I highly recommend this to men and women of all ages to stop premature aging and provide better looking, firmer skin.  I will post an update in two weeks.


The bottle is 35 ml and sells for $185.96.


This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The product in this review was provided to me free of cost by the representing PR agency for review only. Opinions in this review are mine and are in NO way influenced by monetary compensation.

The Organic Pharmacy Organic Glam Eye Make Up

I previously posted an entry on The Organic Pharmacy and a wonderful facial cleanser called Carrot Butter which you can click here to read. If you aren't familar with The Organic Pharmacy, various media outlets have picked them over and over again for their high quality, organic products and they have a page dedicated to these featured articles at The Organic Pharmacy.
For example:
Harpers Bazaar - Nov 09

In our essential annual round-up, Newby Hands selects all the best products and treatments you need right now. Best Natural Facial. The Organic Pharmacy's facials. From the creams to the massage to the wonderfully scented masks, these treatments are pure and unadulterated joy.


Founded by Margo and Francesco Marrone, The Organic Pharmacy shop in Kings Road, London opened in 2002. Their passion and dedication for all things truly organic means that their very high standards have not changed since that very first day. They have a team of homeopaths, beauty therapists and consultants that share their passion and expertise to offer you solutions for all your health and beauty needs.

For this review, my daughter received three products:
Organic Glam Liquid Shimmer Highlighter


As the description for this product states, "the secret weapon in illumination, these liquid shimmers can be used to illuminate the cheek bones, eye lids, inside the corners of the eyes or on the bridge of the nose for a fresh dewy look."


For the full post, please click here.

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The Organic Pharmacy: Carrot Butter Cleanser

The more I learn about the chemicals and preservatives in all products we consume, the more I worry. These ingredients are in our food, our drinks, our our beauty products and I'm sure the list goes on.

With my continuous battle of the bulge, I started reading more and more about these products that are added into everything and became concerned. I never really thought about them being added to our beauty products and baby products until recently.

The Organic Pharmacy has interesting and informative content on this very issue. It states that on average, we use between 5 to 15 products a day that are full of toxins. If you think about it, at least from a woman's perspective, it's very true. Shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, facial lotion/moisturizer, acne medication, deodorant, foundation, blush, powder and so forth. By the time we get ready to eat more toxic products, we are already toxic.

For the full post on The Organic Pharmacy and Carrot Butter Cleanser Review, click HERE.

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CellCeuticals Versus Oil of Olay

I had used CellCeuticals products for aging for several weeks and wrote about those results at two weeks and again at four weeks (click here to read about the four week results). I put CellCeuticals aside to try Oil of Olay via my assignment over at Yahoo's Shine. After reviewing and writing about Oil of Olay, I decided to return to CellCeuticals as so far, it's the best product I have found.

Click here for the full post.

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Oil of Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller Review

I'm in a race. A race against time and wrinkles.

Okay, that's not me and I'm not literally racing but I am doing whatever I can to ease the effects of year's of abuse by laying out as it was cool in the 80's and 90's to look tan. I also am trying to combat new wrinkles so I try whatever is new to see if it will help. I've tried Botox which scared me too much as I watched it wear off and saw my upper lids droop. I've tried just about every cream, lotion, solvent that you can think of so although I'm not deemed an expert, I can provide a fairly good opinion!

For more on this beauty review, click HERE.

Watch for more reviews and giveaways to come!

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Organic Beauty Products

Do you worry about the chemicals and other ingredients in your make up?  Are you looking for organic products that give you the results you want without the worry of chemicals or other dangerous products you are putting on your skin?

Join me in sharing what great products you have found that are organic and/or never tested on animals.  I've brought my 21 year old on board to help with this blogging feature since she's into all the trendy, latest products.

Have a product you love and can't say enough about?  Leave a comment or better yet, be a guest blogger!

Do you know what qualifies a make up line to be considered organic?

• Free of synthetics
• Free of parabens
• Not tested on animals
• May or may not be certified

You probably know that the skin is the largest organ we have.  Most everything you put on your skin is absorbed so why add to the toxic level of our bodies with harmful chemicals and other products?

The other benefit of using organic make up products is the manufacturer usually uses organic oriented containers so that means less waste.

Stay tuned for more!