Proactiv has become the go-to acne treatment for today’s young adults. Guthy Renker, the company that markets Proactiv and Proactiv+, spends $200 million a year to run TV commercials convincing pimply youth that Proactiv is more effective than drugstore products like Clearasil or Stridex. Instead, they’re shelling out big bucks for Proactiv’s three-part “system” that sure seems to work for the acne-free celebs who shill for the product. Continue reading →
Reader’s Digest staff members recently did a hands-on test of 10 As Seen on TV products, and delivered their honest critiques. For “As Seen on TV: What Not to Buy,” writer Perri O. Blumberg enlisted colleagues at the magazine to help “separate the scams from the saviors” of 10 “products we all secretly want.”
The magazine recommends buying six of the 10 products, with the NutriBullet receiving a score of 4 out of 4 (“Order overnight!!”). The lowest-ranking products were Lint Lizard, with a zero out of 4 (“Need we say more?”), and the Twist n Clip, with a 0.5 out of 4 (“Practically a gag gift”).
Here are all 10 products Reader’s Digest reviewed, with their score, recommendation and retail price in quotes.
Big-box retailers and grocery stores have better deals
MarketWatch offers a handy guide for what not to buy at the corner Walgreens and other convenient ripoff shops. Chain drugstores’ ever-surging revenues—estimated to have reached $160 billion in 2013—are buoyed by huge markups on common items. Here are a few things you should be buying at big-box and grocery stores, whose prices are almost always lower.
Drugs
Consumer Reports found that both prescription and over-the-counter drugs are cheaper at stores like Wal-Mart and Target, reports MarketWatch.
Food
A pint of Ben & Jerry’s is priced at an average $5.52 at drugstores, but just $4.42 at grocery stores, a 25 percent difference. “Every item we looked at was more expensive at the drugstore,” MarketWatch quoted consumer lawyer Edgar Dworsky, who founded ConsumerWorld.org.
Makeup
Many popular makeup products have been found to cost $1 to $4 more at drugstores than other retailers.
Cleaning products
Drugstores generally charge more for laundry and dishwashing detergent, spray cleaners and other cleaning products than other retailers.
Office and gift supplies
Head to a dollar store to save up to 70 percent on gift-wrap, greeting cards and office stuff. Office supply stores also offer better deals than drugstores.
Every week, product prognosticator Jordan Pine of SciMark Corp. posts his predictions for how new products will do in the marketplace.
So how does this seasoned Caesar of direct-response TV products see the latest batch of As Seen on TV contenders?
In his latest Weekly Roundup, Pine gives a thumbs up or thumbs down to five products that you may or may not see on store shelves in the coming months, depending on how they test. Continue reading →
I see what you did there, Temptu Airbrush Makeup System. You’re the new home airbrush makeup system on the market. So, when you say that Temptu delivers a luminous healthy glow, you just might be making a reference to your well-established competitor, Luminess Air.
Can Temptu, with its Silkspheres and Airpods and Shade Match Guarantee, succeed against the long-established infomercial airbrush makeup champ?
Threading is an ancient hair removal method practiced for centuries in countries like Egypt and India, and now popular in the U.S and Canada. A cotton thread is used to remove hair in a twisting motion. Threading doesn’t require any chemicals, waxes or electricity. Unlike waxing, it only removes the hair, not the top layer of your skin. It’s quick, because it removes an entire row of hair at a time, and it lasts up to six weeks. But threading is a difficult technique to learn, so it’s been strictly a spa or salon treatment. But not anymore.
Everyone has heard about the unique properties of stem cells, which have shown the potential to revolutionize how doctors treat any number of diseases and medical conditions. Now there’s Stem Cell Therapy, a topical skin care treatment that claims to use your own stem cells to make wrinkles seem to disappear. It may seem far-fetched, but Stem Cell Therapy Skin Care is endorsed by leading board-certified cosmetic surgeon Dr. Lewis Feder. In the words of Dr. Feder:
Wow, Joan Rivers is on a roll – not satisfied with just making our legs look perfect, she’s launched Joan Rivers Great Hair Day fill-in powder to give us instantly thicker, fuller hair. Waterproof, sweat-proof, but easy to shampoo out, you can also use it to cover roots between salon visits. It’s available in 5 different shades to match anyone’s color and the professional-quality 2-in-1 Applicator is a no-brainer to use. Great Hair Day works for men as well as women – bald spots, be gone!
It seems Joan Rivers Beauty is on a mission to restore, renew and rebuild every area of the body. Next, Joan’s working on a foot cream so she can say she’s got you covered, head to toe. Wonder how she found the time to star in a new documentary film? The Chinese say this is the Year of the Tiger, but Joan’s making it the Year of the Cougar – rawr!!!
The response to Joan Rivers’ Right to Bare Legs has been nothing short of amazing. In just a week, this revolutionary leg makeup has become the hottest product on As Seen On TV Video. I guess women everywhere want to feel sexy and confident showing off their legs this summer in shorts, dresses, skirts, bathing suits, culottes, skorts, or nothing at all. They want to easily and inexpensively achieve the smooth, sexy, airbrushed look they see on celebrities and supermodels, without spending big bucks at spas or salons. They want to flawlessly cover bruises, spider veins, even tattoos. Plus, they trust that Joan Rivers would not endorse a beauty product unless it really worked as described.