Mirror Mirror - "Face It"

"Age is an issue of mind over matter.  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

            ~Mark Twain

 

Not to get too booga-booga on ya, but.... let's face it:  It's as plain as the cute little nose on your face that our culture and media have a scorching, blinding, dysfunctional love affair with youth and beauty. 

We all know we are of more value than our looks -- after all, we are intelligent, accomplished and giving women -- so WHAT if we get a gray hair or start to sag?

I mean, it's only gravity, right?

So, in my asking myself "why do so many women flip out at the first sign of aging?" I came across an interesting-looking book called :

"Face it:  What Women Really Feel as Their Looks Change."

The authors - Vivian Diller, Ph.D.,  a psychologist, and Jill Muir-Sukenick, Ph.D.,  a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, are both former models, so they've been knee-deep in the trenches of the "beauty equals value" mine-field.  Former models can offer some interesting insight, as models have some insane pressure to be youthful and beautiful and STAY that way.  They can even "age out" and be too old to model at around 20...and honey, they KNOW that day is a comin'!

The book addresses the emotional changes women go through as we age and how our changing appearance actually...well, messes with our heads.  AND it addresses what to DO about it.

In this interview from "Today's Women,"  the authors talk about the complicated set of emotions underlying an "identity shift" that comes with the aging process.

Did you know we are all going thru all this mumbjo jumbo?

Watch the Today's Women interview from MSNBC

Remember the "Britain's Got Talent" show where Susan Boyle walked on stage and Simon Cowell asked menacingly  "How old are you?"  Susan confidently stated she was 47.  Then she added:

"and that's just one side of me!"

Go Susan Boyle!

And I'm also reminded here again of Carol Maggio's words:  that the mind is the most powerful tool you possess as a human being.  She says to "Use this tremendous tool to improve your face and your life."  Sage words.  It's all about confidence, peeps!  Knowing when to "let" looks be important, and knowing that looks do NOT define you or create your value.  BEAUTY is NOT a currency!

In the end, looks are nothing to OBSESS over -- that doesn't mean you need to give up the maintenance or improvement plan entirely :) and there's nothing wrong with wanting to improve your looks - as long as it's done without FEAR or obsession or the whole "I have to get Botox cuz no one is going to love me if I have these lines on my face."   That's NOT healthy thinking!

It's all about scoring a healthy balance and accepting your changing appearance -- nothin' really stops  Mother Nature's Hour Glass....that sand keeps a sifting down... and down....and down....hell, that hour glass has a @*&#-load of sand ! :)

Be you, stay cool and stay balanced to accept yourself and your looks at any age! 

If you are interested in picking up what sounds like an interesting read in "Face It," you can find it on Amazon.com -- link below.

And please give a shout out to share how YOU feel about getting older and wiser .... let's share and learn from each other and grow!  That's what this blog is all about!!

PS:  That Mirror Mirror On The Wall thinks you are sexy -- JUST the way you are !!

Skin Actives Scientific - Product Reviews: Dream Cream, Anti-Aging Cream with Reservatrol, Lip Trio

If there is one word (other than "yum") to describe the products from Skin Actives Scientific, that word would be:

Addicting !

STOP right there, Miss "Department Store Diva"!   I know what you are thinking:

a)  MY moisturizer (yours) is the cream of the crop because it costs over $100 an ounce.

b) MY moisturizer is better because it comes in a pretty blue jar and a box.

c)  MY moisturizer is customized  because I can choose from daytime or nighttime formulas.

P O P !

What was that noise?  Oh, that was me bursting your bubble.

Tons of coin spent on marketing and packaging does NOT mean you are getting a primo product.

It takes guts to say no to bling.  But Skin Actives Scientific chooses substance over style.  No fancy bottles or labels - they put top dollar into research and top-of-the-line ingredients, not packaging.  Zero fancy schmancies means lower cost.  And shoot - these scientists have concocted formulas in their lab to put most - if not all - department store skin creams to shame!

Do you know of any other company out there that has a team of "protein engineers?" 

HERE'S AN AMAZING BEAUTY "SECRET" the big brands DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW:

Skin Active Scientific, SELLS the actual active ingredients - or "actives" - which you can add to a base cream, or your fave lotion, thereby MAKING YOUR OWN "ACTIVE" SKINCARE PRODUCTS!

Girl, this means you can save HUNDREDS !!!!

Spending your pennies on the hefty-priced Prevage MD?  SAS sells idebenone, the active ingredient in Prevage.  1.5 gm =  $7.50

Four ounces of the base cream - to add the actives to - costs only $6.50 !!

Hello?  You just pulled a D.I.Y. (do it yourself) version of Prevage, with the same active ingredients for the cost of lunch.   Savings = WHOPPING! At that cost, you can make some gifties for your friends.

Major brand name companies often add color additives and other nasties.  You won't get that when you cook up your own!

Not up to speed on your ingredients?  Their website tells you what actives are best for the problem you have!

Acne?   Try the actives Green Tea EGCG and Liquorice Extract for oil control (also great for skin lightening).

Got Puffy Eyes?  They have a "dePuff for Eyes Concentrate"

Icky scar from that nasty rollerblading fall?  Try rosehip oil.

Easy Peezy.  If you can whip up a cake, you can whip up your own moisturizer with the help of the Skin Actives website.

They even have a FORUM, where you can share, get tips and GET ACTIVE on your actives!

Not into following recipes?

No prob. That's where the Skin Actives "Ready to Use" Products come in.  And these are the crème de la crème formulas straight from the biochemists' laboratory.

SKIN ACTIVES PRODUCT REVIEWS:

The smarties at Skin Actives Scientific sent me some samples of their "Ready To Use" products to review (lucky duck!).  Here's what I was able to try so far:

Dream Cream

Key ingredients: sea kelp bioferment, shea butter, SAS antiOx booster

View Dream Cream's full ingredient list here.






Fluffy and delicate.  Creamy when you put it on, and skin soaks it up in a snap!  Imagine a whipped airy souflee DE-light that's super-duper soothing and nourishing.  A match made in heaven for dry skin and eczema.

Made for face, body and hands - altho, no jumping right onto the keyboard and mouse right after applying since it left my fingertips a little slippery for a bit.

Fragrance is light and pleasant - is it the rosehip oil?  SNIFF.....Ahhhhh.

This dream of a cream was formulated by Hannah Sivak, Ph.D., former Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University and founder of Skin Actives Scientific.

Dream Cream goes for a very reasonable  $30.00 for FOUR ounces.  Apply to clean, dry skin.

Anti-Aging Cream with Resveratrol

 View Anti-Aging Cream with Resveratrol full ingredient list here.






Announcing The New HeavyWeight Champion of Moisturers!

This ingredient list is a veritable "who's who" of the biggest and best age-fighters guaranteed to pack a Power Punch to knock out wrinkles !  Get this:

Coenzyme Q10
Hyaluronic Acid
Sea Kelp Bioferment
Resveratrol
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Epidermal Growth Factor - elsewhere, this active is in products priced at $200-600 per ounce ! 

This heavy-hitter anti-aging cream is chock -full of antioxidants.  It glides on.  Throw in the towel,  wrinkles, you're down for the count.

This cream left my skin "silky-velvet" to the touch.  And it seems to have a nice tightening effect. Heard of crepey neck?  It started to creep up on me...and this cream is the only product I've tried that helped to iron out the crepe!  And that's no rope a dope.

$32.00 for 1 fluid ounce.


Lip Trio










A trifecta set for dry, chapped lips.  The smarties at Skin Actives designed this trio for maximum lip nourishment and health, so use it even if you don't have a case of the chappies.

Lip Collagen Serum (10 ml) - Wow, a serum that builds and maintains collagen for lips! 
 
Lightly shake, then brush on this light, brown serum and feel it's nourishment soak right into lips.  Made to be topped off with Liquid Rainbow or Lip Balm.

Contains goodies like cherry juice, sea kelp  bioferment, hyaluronic acid, liquorice, resveratrol, lycopene, and epidermal growth factor.

Liquid Rainbow (10 ml) - This is some serious lip lube!  Minty moisture-to-the-max courtesy of the Liquid Crystal Base.   Contains Skin Actives' Anti-Oxidant Booster with natural vitamin E and Alpha Lipoic Acid,  and Peppermint Essential Oil.  Lips feels uuuuultra soft with this long-lasting, light-reflecting, shiny gloss.  And stickies?  Forgetta bout it!  Oh, and you can add a touch of color with your fave lipliner - blends right in.

Lip Balm (1 unit) - Great alone or over the Lip Collagen Serum.   A soft, minty balm that's glidy, not waxy.   Sooth up those gossip gabbers with anti-oxidants, petrolatum, safflower seed oil, honey, pemogranate seed oil and peppermint essential oil.  Way to go that is also has an anti-viral component....you never know when you might accidentally kiss a frog!

Lot's more ready-to-use products from Skin Actives.... so check 'em out!  And if you make your own product or try one of their many ready-mades, let me know!

Skin Actives is like having a friendly anti-aging scientist in your pocket.

GENIUS!

Next up for review?  A few of their serums...

Good heavens Miss Sakamoto, you're bee-YOU-tee ful!


She Blinded Me With Science,


The Anti-Aging Analyst

The Tyra Show - “I’m 9 and I Hate My Face"

What do you see when you look in the mirror? 

       “A monster... I think I look ugly.”

       “When people see my face, I think they see a pig.”

      “I think my face is really disgusting.”

      “I feel like I’m ugly now but I have to wait till I’m    

       older to get plastic surgery.”

Young Frankenstein convention?

Nope.

I sat shocked and horrified as I watched these little pretty girls answer the question.  Little girls as young as 9 years old, confessing that they HATE their looks and want plastic surgery to change them.

That was the day The Tyra Show made me cry.  Tyra got a little choked up as well.

Picture a 10 year old wanting Botox for her “eye bags and laugh lines.”   Hand her a marker and she circles imperfections on a self-photo with surgical precision.  With commentary.

Note to Tyra:  if a 10 year old hates her face, way to go by putting her in the same room with a giant photo of….her face.  Not too traumatizing :)

In any case:

An eye-opening show about a disturbing epidemic of lack of self-esteem in young girls, and how “the media” defines beauty and influences all of us on who or what WE believe to be beautiful.

Hey wait, I'm "the media" !  So here's a pic of lovely Tyra sans the glamour look.  She would want you to see it.  She bravely,  came out with no makeup on her talk show.  Kudos. 

Save the date –

THIS WEDNESDAY, September 8^th on the CW network.

Tyra Show

Not Tuesday – that’s the show about Stoner Soccer Moms (for realz). WEDNESDAY - not Monday - that’s the sex addict show.  Haha, also NOT a joke.  YES, the Tyra Show is gone Daddy gone, but THIS one on Wednesday is a must see!
 




Spoiler Alert !   

 From The Tyra Show “I’m 9 and I Hate My Face” --

7 out of 10 girls feel they do not “measure up” in some way.

The 41-year-old mother of one of the kids said she’s disturbed to hear her young daughter – not even a teen – talk about getting surgery.  I quote her:

 “…when I say it, [when she talks of getting surgery or Botox] it’s because I really need to."

Whoah.

Many of the moms of these kids complained about their own looks in front of their daughters. 

Things that make you go:

“Hmmmmmm.”

One little-one confesses that she doesn’t like her looks.  She also confesses she is embarrassed of her mother’s looks because her mom’s teeth are damaged! 

One young girl said she didn’t feel she was pretty because she felt her cheeks were too big.

Tyra had a brilliant answer.  I paraphrase.

“You are beautiful.  Big cheeks, small cheeks, dark cheeks, light cheeks, freckled cheeks, long cheeks, short cheeks, no cheeks =  it’s ALL beautiful.”

After hearing another little girl say she felt ugly and wished she had lighter skin, Tyra’s voice cracked but she determinedly said, “It is my MISSION in life to expand what beautiful IS for young girls.”

She goes on:

“There is not one cookie cutter [definition] of beauty.

Beauty comes in so many different shapes and sizes, and cheeks and skin tones and hair lengths and textures…and eye colors and lip shapes …”

I got your back, Tyra.

Looks like we have bigger battles ahead of us than just the war against wrinkles.  Let’s show them youngins by being proud and shiny examples of confidence and think about expanding our own ideals of what beauty is.

Essentially, it’s up to US…I mean, Tyra and the Dove Campaign ain’t really gonna do it alone.

Find out more and watch the re-run of “I’m 9 And I Hate My Face” on The Tyra Show Wednesday, September 8^th.

Then go hug your kid and tell them they are smart, beautiful and perfect just the way they are.  And remember, so are you!

For realz.

Facercise - Results!

So, your saggs have you draggin'....  

...and you are about to go under the knife and write that pesky check for 15 Large.....

when your very own personal "Face Transformation Coach" arrives on the scene in the knick of time.  She exclaims:

"WAIT !!!  I know a way you can transform your face in 5-7 days with no injections and no surgery!  You will only need a DVD player, a few minutes a day and around $40 bucks!"

Why not give it whirl?

Carole Maggio can save you from the knife.  Her method?  Hit the gym.  The FACE gym.

I mean, we go to the gym when our bodies sag, right?  (Well, in theory, anyway.)  Shouldn't it be the same theory for the face?

A few weeks ago, I investigated facial exercises.  I found the Undisputed Queen of Facial Exercises is a beautiful woman named Carole Maggio.  Her regimen is called Facercise - a series of exercises designed to give the following unbelievable Crazy Fantastic results:

Eyebrows lifted
More open eyes
Diminished under eye puffiness
A shorter or more narrow nose
Fuller, more sexy lips
Turned up mouth corners
Toned and defined jaw line
Complexion color change
Smoother neck line

You don't need a thing - no gloves, no fancy stimulators, or wierd plastic things to squeeze back and forth in your mouth.  Actually, you don't even need a DVD player because there's an original book penned by Carole.   You can do them without a mirror!  All you need is the routine, the commitment and the power of your MIND....

SO let's review:  $40 versus $15,000.  Worth having a looksee...and isn't it Rebecca Romaine who also said she did facial exercises?  Oh, and did I mention Facercise is one of the Top 100 Beauty Products from Harper's Mag?

Here's a look at how Carole Maggio - the inventor of Facercise - transformed her own face.  Note the ages at the bottom!

Carole's not a newbie.  She's been at this for decades and is considered to be THE world's foremost authority on facial exercises.  Her book - Carole Maggio Facercise - has been on the national best seller's list for years.  She told me via email that she has had a nose job once, but her overall transformation is a direct result of these facial exercises!  In FACT,  Carole stated her surgery was very poorly done and that The Nose Transformer exercise in the Ultimate Facercise DVD corrected her nose.  Go, girl!

Skeptical?  In the spirit of experimentation, I pulled a Nancy Drew to find out if any of her exercises are on-line.  After a bit of sleuthing, I found a few - I decided to focus on two areas:  1) neck and 2) mouth corners.

I followed her examples in her tv news interviews and did the exercises for 5 days total.

Let's just say on Day 2, you definitely feel the burn!  Since Carole's exercises are about a "mind/muscle" connection, I began to get more conscious overall about the muscles in my face throughout the day  - like Oops!  I'm crinkling my brow right now...

Checking my trusty mirror daily, I was seeing results unfold before my eyes!  My neck was not a turkey neck to begin with, but I noticed an overall improvement in tone.  I can tell you that the muscles around my mouth feel as if they've been strengthened and I can consciously control these muscles - great for close-ups!

That's just after a humble 5 days of just 2 exercises!  Can you imagine the results of the entire full line of exercises over the course of 1 month?  Or 6 months?

These exercises are designed to work SYNERGISTICALLY, so you should definitely pick up the
DVD for maximum benefits.  I would recommend the DVD versus the book, so you can get a sense of the timing of the exercises.  Carol will definitely motivate you with her "go-get-em" energy and style.  The Ultimate Facercise DVD is a series of improved and new exercises designed to give you faster results versus the beginner DVD.

Importantly, Carole's techniques have even been proven effective for people with broken facial bones and medical conditions like TMJ, Bell's Palsy and even facial paralysis.

Here are some words from an article Carol Maggio wrote:

"Facercise will counteract the gravity's pull on your face.  You are in control.  Each day you will be able to see how you are making great strides in holding back the aging process.  You can turn back the clock and slow down the hands of time.....I can tell you without reservation that if you do the Facercise exercises properly, you will see and feel tremendous changes in your face as well as your self-esteem.  Remember that the mind is the most powerful tool you possess as a human being.  Use this tremendous tool to improve your face and your life."

Buy Carole Maggio's Ultimate Facercise Here

This analyst says that Facercise is a fantastic holistic alternative to toxic injections and risky surgeries.  Carole Maggio, we salute you!  We Scrrrrrunch up our faces!  We "Lift Lift Lift" and "Scoop Scoop Scoop" up our necks and...

feel the burn...(and NOT from surgery bills) !
 

More Anti-Aging Foods

When it's time to get your grub on, why not be hip and reach for the anti-aging buffet?

Here are a few more tips on how to graze "anti-aging" style!

Phytessence Wakame

Admire the seemingly flawless skin of Japanese women?  They get immense skin-enriching benefits by eating lots of fish in their diet, of course, and also  this seaweed called Phytessence Wakame.  The seaweed blocks a harmful enzyme in your body called hyaluronidase, which breaks down hyaluronic acid,  a major component of skin.  It's also full of B vitamins:  B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12, which are anti-inflammatory, plus this stuff's got 15 times more calcium than milk!



Where to buy it?  Try your local health food store or Asian market.  It usually comes dried, in sheets.  You can soak it in water and eat it, or use it to wrap some salmon in and bake it for triple the health and anti-aging benefits.

Goji Juice  (Aliases:  Wolfberry, Lycium Barbarum)

This berry of many aliases - the Goji berry - is a powerful antioxidant-rich berry found in the Himalayas.  It provides nineteen amino acids and has 11 mg of iron per 100 gm of fruit.  Studies say Goji extracts may prevent the growth of cancer cells, and reduce blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

One-liter of Goji juice is like the nutritional equivalent of two pounds of fresh Goji berries.  Check out your local heath store.  TIP:  Trader Joe's sells a goji berry trail mix.

For a Super-Duper Dose of Omega-3's, most people opt for fish.  But did you know that just a quarter cup of WALNUTS will do the job?  You'll get  95% of the omega-3s that are currently recommended in such a small amount of walnuts, plus you won't be stressing about any mercury.  Omega-3's help in brain function and can also reduce bad cholesterol levels.  So, pass the crackers!  The walnut crackers, that is.... Note the pic on the left.  Walnuts grow on trees and the hard brown shell is actually inside a green outer layer!  Who knew?




So many choices! ! 

If you want to discuss anything anti-aging, please visit Facebook and join my Facebook group "Anti-Aging Enthusiasts."

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!