Inner and Outer Beauty

by francine Hardaway on April 4, 2008

Beauty products are a big market. I can tell this because I am sent
huge color press kits with every sample I get to try in my role as
beauty blogger for RealSelf.com, a site on
which consumers and experts talk about (and rate) beauty products and
treatments.

The reason I love doing this is that the whole premise of the site is
“Is it worth it?” Obviously, some products and treatments work better
than others, although I have yet to try a real fraud. I try to stay away
from things that I’ve read can be harmful, too.

In case you want to know, 83% of our readers think the Accent laser is
worth it ,
while 78% said Botox was worth it. Accent is the new laser that’s being
used for skin tightening and firming.It’s like Thermage
, only
better. Only 38% of our critics thought Thermage was worth it.

So yesterday I got a big package from my Editor, Nancy, who writes on
the site as Skintoxicated

It had about five different products that I am slated to try in the
coming week.

Guys, look the other way as I tell you that I tried the lip enhancer
last night. It is called C-Lipoic Lip Enhancer, by Dermaquest.
It is
supposed to give my lips volume. And, interestingly enough, it does. Why
I need volumized lips before going to bed I don’t know, but it was the
simplest time to try the product.

My lips DID plump right up, after the tingling stopped. When you put
the stuff on, which is the same process as applying a lip gloss, it
feels like your lips are on fire for a moment. And that’s because the
enhancer is made with Alpha Lipoic Acid by a mad chemist named Sam Dhatt
, who has formulated the products for over
700 products. Before he started Dermaquest, he also owned a company that
formulated and manufactured many of these products.

So he’s no dummy. And when he formulates a product, it works. The lip
enhancer worked. It’s the alpha-lipoic acid, stupid. From the University
of Maryland:

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant that is manufactured in the human
body. Antioxidants are substances that work by attacking “free
radicals,” waste products created when the body turns food into energy.
There are also many sources of free radicals in the environment such as
ultraviolet rays, radiation, and toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke, car
exhaust, and pesticides. Free radicals cause harmful chemical reactions
that can damage cells in the body, making it harder for the body to
fight off infections.

Okay, we are now not only putting these products on our skin, but you
probably already know the skin is a way things can be delivered into the
body, so all skin products might wind up inside, where they can also do
some good. After all, we already take anti-oxidant supplements to
prevent aging. Maybe if I just use enough lip enhancer…

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