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MAIN IMAGE: Sonicare
Élitespending $139·99 now might save money at
the dentist. TOP: M. K. Johnson
was able to replace her favourite fragrance, Annick Goutal Eau du
Sud, with (second row) Clarins Eau Dynamissante. THIRD
ROW: Still testing by Johnson, Avon Cellu-Sculpt Anti-Cellulite
Treatment (left). Neutrogena Anti-Cellulite Treatment (right).
ABOVE: Rubis tweezers—deserves
a splurge at $35–45.
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Budget Beauty battles cellulite
THE WAR is heating up over who has
the best firming treatments and in the battle for customers and
credibility, companies are backing their gimmicks with numbers.
Every company's advertisement quotes studies and measurements in
a frenzied effort to get their products flying off shelves. The
really good news is that you needn't spend $50100-plus for
effective (albeit somewhat temporary) cellulite treatments.
Avon's Cellu-Sculpt Anti-Cellulite Treatment promises
up to an inch off each thigh in one month. Who could resist that?
It gives skin a hydrated toned feel instantly. (I'll have to let
you know in a month
The really good news
is that you needn't spend $50100-plus for effective (albeit
somewhat temporary) cellulite treatments |
how the measurements turned out.) Only $15 from your local Avon representative
or from Avon.com.
It's all about inches at CCB-Paris
(ccb-paris.com) as well. This low-cost
luxury beauty catalogue offers its own range of slimming, tightening
products. Their Cosmence Skin Care line boasts ¼" to 1¼"
reduction in thigh circumference with their product, Toning and Firming
Gel Immediate Smoothing Effect, for $24. Cosmence also offers 14-day
Toning Concentrate with Seaweed and other botanicals that may reduce
thigh circumference 1¼" in 14 days, and even up to 2"
in 28 days. Fourteen vials (two applications per vial) are $24.
Another favourite, for those looking for refining
as well as tightening treatments, is Neutrogena's Anti-Cellulite Treatment
with Retinol. My local grocer had it for $17·50a steal compared
to similar products from the department store. (Remember, whenever
you use a retinol treatment, protect your skin from the sun with an
SPF 15 or higher.)
When you just have to splurge …
WELL, you can't scrimp on everything.
Some things are worth the price! Here are some resources for when
there is simply no substitute, (particularly if your skin is highly
sensitive). Here are a few of my favourite web sites for finding
fab deals on department store goodies.
Strawberrynet.com (www.strawberrynet.com):
a Hong Kong duty-free online boutique with a huge selection and
great prices. They've initiated a loyalty programme that really
adds up to great savings.
NeoBeauty.com (www.neobeauty.com)
specializes in Asian lines and is a great place to get Shiseido,
Pola, and hard-to-find Korean products.
Beauty.com (www.beauty.com),
a partner site to Drugstore.com: not a discounter per se, but they
very frequently have free gifts and great deals on seasonal and
discontinued products.
Vitacost.com (www.vitacost.com):
for great deals on Jason and other natural skin care lines, as well
as supplements, this site offers wholesale prices that can't be
beat.
Two beauty products that are frequently scrimped
on, I highly recommend splurging on:
tweezers by Rubis. Yes, they're expensive at between $35 and $45,
depending on where you get them. (I found a fabulous deal at Sally
Beauty Supply at about $33 for the dual slant-point tip pictured.)
They are worth every penny!;
the Sonicare Oral Care System. Dental hygienists everywhere recommend
this for keeping teeth clean and polishedand cutting down
the length of cleaning time in the dentist's chair. Now that is
a beautiful thing! (The new Sonicare Élite, pictured, is
available at most drugstores and at Drugstore.com
for $139·99.) •
M. K. Johnson is director of beautyspecial
projects for Lucire.
All prices are in US dollars.
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