The Before And After Game

So, you just heard about a great new skincare product that promises primo results.  Awesome!

Like the smartie you are, you do your homework and run to their website.  The first thing you check out?

The before and after photos!

But are we REALLY getting the 411?  Or are we getting snowed?  I mean, seeing HAS to be believing, right?

Oh the fun begins now...

I've decided to do some researching and give advise on what to look for in a "before and after" photo.  Let's take a look at this first example.

Note:  the names of the products these photos promote have been removed to protect the... well, you get the picture....


EXAMPLE #1:

This one actually makes me laugh out loud.  I enlarged it a bit so it's blurry.....WHY was it posted on the site so SMALL, anyway?????   Hmmmmm......

Notice how forlorn and sad the girl is on the left.  She's obviously wishing SOMEONE would invent that miracle product that will make her look perfect.  Poor girl.   Boo hoo, she's so hideous.  She looks so drab and unhappy, right?  Maybe it's the extra little eyeshadow makeup under her eyes, lol.

But Ooh La La!  Check out the girl on the RIGHT!  Notice how perky and happy she looks. SMILE!  Her hair is darker.  She looks thinner, because the photo is taken at a different angle and from farther away.  Plus, those spiffy advertising people thought she would look better in a brighter color shirt and a blue background.  Guess what?  She does!

You TOO can be THIS HAPPY when you BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!  ACT NOW!  Happiness in a jar :)

And WHAT is that asterisk after the word "BEFORE" mean?  I searched and searched this site, but found no explanation.  Hydro Lies?   What?????  (I SOOOO did not just type that.)  And technically, I still did NOT reveal the name of the product, so..... (actually, that product contains some good ingredients - but even there commercials have the disclaimer "DRAMATIZED RESULTS."

GRADE:  FAIL.   If anybody is throwing facial and body expressions and colors in your face to show you product results, RUN - do NOT pass go and do NOT give them $200....

Next!

EXAMPLE #2:

Man I love this game!

What the HELL is going on HERE?  According to the micro type at the bottom, these photos were taken 2 months apart.  And okay, I can sorta tell it's the same person.  But ????   Look how much bigger the eye is on the right!   Eyes are tricky - she could be smiling and squinting in the left photo and looking straight on for the right one.  The lines just above the cheekbone are softened cuz the light is right up on them and the right photo is taken more "in" and "on" the face.  Come on, she's TOTALLY squinting on the left!!!

GRADE:  FAIL.  I just don't trust this one.  If only the hair on the right was not covering that little mole - it would've be a telltale sign that at least it's the same person....  Nope, not getting my money either.  Nice try, though.  But know:  we are smarter than the average bear.

Anybody else loving this as much as me?

EXAMPLE #3:

Sigh.  Embarrassing.  You CANNOT get information on skincare product results from a before and after photo if the chick is NOT wearing makeup before, then wearing gobs of makeup after!  Notice how the photo on the left is slightly closer and oh so slightly taken from a higher angle.  Right side is more straight on and farther away.   The right side has different lighting.....and an overall even-tone to the face due to makeup.....uhh... that's a nice way of saying she is more tan.... and darker hair.....Is ANYBODY PASSING?

EXAMPLE #4:

Okay.  This one is for facial exercises.  This guy totally changed his appearance, no?  Yes, he removed that nasty double chin, by not having a photo taken of him while his neck was tucked in.  I think he also was able to elongate his ears and make his eyes smaller!  I'm speechless.

EXAMPLE #5:

OK, now for a good one:

I actually wish that this photo was a little bigger, but the angle and lighting seem relatively close and you can actually see how the girl's brown patches are lighter.  I know you are dying to know - okay, this one is Prevage MD.  Hey, whatdaya know?  For every 5 schlocky ones, there's a winner :)  SHOOT!  The copy says this is a 55 year old woman!   Get OUT!   Really?  Go Prevage!  And Oops, the copy does NOT say how long the woman has used the product.  Points off for that, but all in all, a PASSING grade !

EXAMPLE #6:

Come on, we can't stop NOW!!!

Back to good, um, I mean bad....

CURSE you damn PHOTOSHOP!!!  CURSES!!!!

Where can I buy this Photoshop Cream?  Wait, this spoof ad is so genius, it actually includes an asterisk you can't trace to anything.  Like the HydroLies ad above :)   LOVE THIS!!!!!  (Except that the grammar could be improved.)

And yet, this photo makes me oh so sad at the same time :)  Dang, did they actually RAISE her eye on the left too?  

Seriously, if this is REAL.... i.e., if this is a real BEFORE, and then AFTER.....well, .... that sounds like an entirely different post...entirely....

What about THIS???????

Sheesh!!!!.....I'm not sure where this one came from.  But...I'm scared.   So, Madonna is 52, and we, as a cumulative society of women, are expected to look like the RIGHT hand side of the photo, but not the left?????    *&#$%@@$#?    Wha? 

But no worries .... no cosmetic company would actually PHOTOSHOP their "after" pictures........

....would they?

Nawh....that would be crazy...


Welcome to The Jungle,


~The Anti-Aging Analyst


Got a comment on any of the above?  DO share!!

Buy The Galvanic Home Spa - Special Offer!

I am pleased to announce a special offer on The Galvanic Home Spa package!

Anti-Age-Arsenal blog readers will remember I was blown away at a product demonstration for The Galvanic Home Spa.  If you missed the review, you can read it from the archives listed on the right.

I tried it on one side of my face and immediately saw a difference, so in typical "analyst" fashion - I hurried home and did my research, then purchased the spa package about a week later.

For me, it was like CHRISTMAS receiving my spa and gels set.  I've officially hit week # 6 of using the spa and gels twice a week, along with another NuSkin product called Future Serum.

Overall, I've noticed a tightening in muscle tone, lightening of brown patches, smaller pores and best of all reduced lines!  I.e., those forehead lines are NOT the first thing I notice in the mirror anymore.

So, in the spirit of sharing anti-aging, here's a link to receive $75.00 off the The Galvanic Home Spa package:

Limited-time Discounted Pricing on Galvanic Home Spa

 Enjoy!

Anti-Aging Foods

Your  #1 anti-aging tool?  Diet!

It goes without saying that what you put in your mouth shows up on your skin.   High sugar and high starch foods are "pro-inflammatory."  They cause a spike in blood sugar and can accelerate the aging process - not only in our skin - but in all the organs of our body,  leading to nasty age-related diseases  like diabetes, heart disease and loss of muscle mass to name only a few.

Pro-inflammatory foods include processed foods, dairy, bread, cookies, corn syrup, cake, pasta, etc. OK, that pretty much includes everything you WANT to eat when you are feeling lousy... then, let's face it:  eating those foods makes you want to eat MORE and you end up feeling worse than you started.  Then hey, you crave those sugary foods again.  Warning:  Dangerous Endless Cycle.

There are many things that contribute to aging (like hormonal changes, stress, environment, etc.).  But, the good news is that one of the easiest things to control is what we eat!   Ah yes, easier said than done sometimes - but it does makes sense to reduce or avoid foods that increase inflammation and go with the ones that are high in anti-oxidants.  (If you are just starting out, switching to whole grain breads and pasta can help.)

According to the free-radical theory of aging, foods high in anti-oxidants will help slow the oxidative processes in your body, and slow free radical damage in your cells that can contribute to age-related degeneration and disease.

Well, now, with the info below, choosing anti-oxidant rich foods is EASY....and guess what?  Blueberries are great, but they are NOT #1.

Enter the "rating system" for antioxidant-rich foods... 

It's called ORAC - NOT to be confused with the vacuum cleaner brand it sounds like  -----  ORAC is a unit of measurement short for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.   ORAC was developed by the National Institute on Aging in the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

You want to shoot for 3,000 ORAC units per day - ORAC units are based on per 100 grams (about 3½ ounces).

So, knowing that the goal is 3,000 a day, why not choose a few foods that you like from the ORAC list and help to start fighting aging and disease now ?  You might see some foods on here you'd never expect to see - like cloves.  And you'll see, it's EASY to get to 3,000 with all of the crazy-anti-oxidant-rich super-foods out there.

Anti-oxidant rich "Superfoods" include:

Ground cloves                    314,446 ORAC
Acai berry, freeze-dried     102,700 ORAC
Goji berries                          25,300 ORAC
Raw cranberries                     9,584 ORAC
Red table wine                       3,873 ORAC
Almonds                                4,454 ORAC

The above is just a sampling from the list.  Here's a link to the list of ALL foods:

Click here to view all foods and their ORAC ratings
Just adding a few of these high ORAC rated foods into your diet will DEFINITELY help with your overall health and anti-aging.  Check it out!

Here's to your health and to anti-aging! And that milk chocolate is 7,528 ORAC per 3 1/2 ounces !