Saturday, October 25, 2008

Confession: I Love Infomercials (but Not Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty)

If you know me very well, you probably know I'm a fan of the infomercial. Truth be told I cannot flip past one without stopping to watch. Proactive Solution makes me cry. Total Gym get me fired up for my next workout. That lady with the hand blender thingy who make fat free whipped cream in a plastic cup in seconds--well she amuses me greatly. And don't get me started on the force of nature that is Ron Popeil.

Although I love to watch infomercials, it's rare that I actually make a purchase. I did get the Jack Lalanne Power Juicer when I was pregnant and fruit-and-vegetable-juiced my way through 41 weeks of healthy pregnancy. (I still use it and I still like it.) Recently Cheapy bought a razor blade sharpener from TV. You know, because razor blades are expensive. Every morning I hear him using the cheap plastic battery operated device (which was $14.99 plus S&H), and he's getting a clean close shave--no nicks--and I haven't bought a $20 package of Mach III Turbo blades since.

When I was stuck in a beach house with my in-laws for a week this summer, I often headed back to my bedroom after making my oatmeal to escape the cacophony and enjoy some morning TV--talk shows, Lifetime movies and infomercials. And there I discovered Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty. Ah, what the hell, though I. I'm not getting any younger. I'll give it a try. I grabbed my cell phone and ordered the whole enchilada of face goodies (including bonus gifts!).


Apparently Cindy developed these products along with her French dermatologist using an enzyme from a melon that never seems to rot. It took me almost one month to get my shipment of products. I followed the directions exactly. I used them morning and night. I thought maybe my skin was feeling a little softer. Maybe. I wanted to give them some time--it can take a bit for your face to adjust to new products.

So here's my verdict: they are on their way back and I'm expecting a full refund per their 90-day money back guarantee. The first week my face felt a little dry. The second week, flaky. My makeup was not going on very well. I broke out around my mouth. Week three I had a rash on my neck and chest. It itched. (I suspect the decollete cream may be to blame.)

Cindy, it seems, has skin that has not aged a day since the early '80s. She may drink the blood of virgins, or perhaps she sold her soul to the devil, or maybe she's a cyborg of some sort. But I suspect she's simply got some damn good genes. And while her Meaningful Beauty products purport to do wonders for her and Mariel Hemingway, these products are definitely not for me.


After three days back on my old regimen of Burt's Bees, Yes to Carrots, Sonya Dakar 365, and Arbonne, I'm feeling much much better, and so is my face.





11 comments:

Urban Elements said...

oh i use arbonne myself. great stuff.

Nancy said...

Hmmm, Say Yes to Carrots? I think I'll give it a try! Thanks for the info. P.S. I love Arbonne, too!

MATERIAL GIRL said...

I love the Arbonne serum and the eye cream. After this run with the Cindy Crawford stuff, I'll be sticking with the Arbonne products for a while. Sometimes I guess it's good to try something different to realize how good your products really are.

Melissa said...

It is a shame that Cindy Crawford endorsed such a poor and harmful product. Not that I thought my skin would change to "Cindy's skin" which has been greatly improved due to plastic surgery, but I thought it might be a good skin care system because a TOP SUPERMODEL is standing by it. So I tried it because I wanted a good system that is good for my skin and will keep my skin healthy. Not only did some of the products(mainly eye cream) BURN when applied, but after using it for 4 days I noticed DRYNESS and a few blisters forming. I DO NOT have sensitive skin at all. I do not even have problem skin. I just wanted a system that was healthy for my skin. I foolishly believed this FRENCH MELON would be a healthy thing. Silly me! THis product is far from natural! It is harsh and abrasive and made my skin worse off then before! I have never had dry skin. I can not even wear foundation or makeup because of all the dryness and blistering. I am so upset how I got scammed. And from what I am reading....many others too. I just hope my refund comes to me sooner then later. My brother works for BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU so I will open a case against Meaningful Beauty regardless if I get my refund. Stay away from this HORRIBLE product.

My House and Home said...

Stay away from this product. I had rashes all over and my eyes was puffy and red for weeks. It took almost a month for my skin to get back to normal. I feel really scammed because they never refunded my initial $29 that I paid and they had the gall to send me the bill for the 90 days supply. When i told them that I had cancelled the order, they sent mhy bill for collection and so now i have a bad credit rating.
When I call them, they always try to sell me more products instead of resolving my account.
I just cannot deal with Guthy Renker company anymore. I think they are just a bunch of crooks. I hope Cindy reads some of the blogs about her products. But then again, she's getting rich from the licensing of her name that she does not care.

I hope that anyone who is contemplating buying this product will read these blogs and have second thoughts.

praisesinger said...

With the Arbonne, which you said you loved,I had similar reactions to the ones you said you had with "Meaningful Beauty". It could be that different skin types are involved both with the Cindy Crawford and the ARbonne. However, the difficult refund process would be a major deterrent to keep me from trying it. My sister raves about a product she found at Sally's Beauty Supply: Corrections. My sister is 54 and has tried just about everything on the market and very expensive stuff. I bought four of the products of Corrections for fifty dollars and after three days, I am impressed. I'll keep you posted as time goes by. Incidentally, I am 51. Genetically, I do have good skin, but time does take its toll.

Mika said...

Cindy Crawford Meaningful Beauty Cindy Crawford demonstrates how to put on a “basic” face simply andeffectively

Anonymous said...

Well, what works for one person doesn't always work for everyone. I use the night cream, day cream and eye lifting cream on my face. No issues with those three products from the meaningful beauty collection. As a face wash I use the Garnier Expert Daily Exfoliator Gel. Makes your face feel good too. If I happen to get a blemish, which is rare. i use Witch hazel. Those are the only three products I will purchase. They keep my skin from drying out and gives me the right amount of moisture. Like I said..it doesn't work for everyone. Sorry,
Kris

Anonymous said...
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Urfune said...

Wow. I thought I was the only one who had a terrible reaction to the Meaningful Beauty products. I was a mess after 3 days and called to cancel the next auto-shipment. My face broke out in pustules, swelled up and 2 weeks later is still red and pealing. Have an appt with the doctor this week.

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