Whether you were or not, Ageless Beauty is here to help you move forward – starting today – to a healthier younger feeling and younger looking you! Enjoy the journey.

I’ve enjoyed my journey in building Ageless Beauty over the past three years. It has been very exciting to research anti-aging developments and personally test many of them. One reader recently asked if I really follow my own advice.

Yes, absolutely! Well, most of the time.

Lately, I find myself struggling to make time for working out. But, other than that temporary lapse, I follow the diet and supplement advice, the makeup tips and the product recommendations found on Ageless Beauty.

I’ve even had a couple of the procedures which I researched for all of us. I think 2008 may be the year to try one of the new wrinkle fillers!

There is such a wealth of information on Ageless Beauty that I realize some people have difficulty finding what they’re looking for. To them, I say “Please write and ask.” I answer every reader question.

We do all this with a firm commitment to be fair and unbiased. We tell you the pros and cons of products and treatments.

We don’t limit our research and reviews to the most expensive products on the market. That’s why we were a bit disturbed to receive the reader letter in our Letter of the Month column below. What is it Abraham Lincoln said? “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.”

If you would like to see what’s going on at Ageless Beauty more frequently than this monthly newsletter allows, please visit the Ageless Beauty blog and mark it as one of your favorites.

Paying the Bills

In order to allow us to bring you the Ageless Beauty website, blog and newsletter without charge, we have always carried advertising and our advertisers thank you for your patronage.

Over the next few months you will notice new and different kinds of ads on the site and in the blog. If you have any comments, positive or negative, about these ads, please send us your opinions.

We would also appreciate it if you would take this brief demographic survey to help us serve you better in the future.

Thanks.

Also thank you for subscribing to “What’s New in Ageless Beauty”. As always, your comments, suggestions and questions are welcome.

Jean

2007 at Ageless Beauty: the Year in Review

Broader Market Reach: From reader letters, we’ve observed a significant broadening of our market reach. Our initial target market was people reaching middle age and beyond, but we’re receiving more and more input from people in their twenties and thirties who realize it’s never too early to take good care of themselves in order to retain their youth and vigor as long as possible.

Broader Topic Coverage: We’ve always searched for new ways to keep you feeling young – from diet to exercise to topical products and treatments. Over time we realized that looking young is another way of helping one feel young. So in 2007, we launched a new section on anti-aging makeup products and tips.

The Best Anti-aging Developments of the Year: Finally we just published our review of the best anti-aging developments of 2007.

What Else is New on Ageless Beauty This Month

What to Do at the First Sign of Wrinkles

The Scoop on Mineral Powder Foundation

Jean’s New Antioxidant, Vitamin-rich, Moisturizing Makeup Base

Putting on My Face – Jean Tells All

Shirley was looking for an all-in-one anti-aging cream and asked if Athena 7-Minute Lift or Rejuvinol fit the bill.

Even Paula Says IPL Photofacials Work

I receive Paula Begoun’s newsletter and was quite surprised to see what she had to say about IPL photofacials.

Paula is known as the Cosmetics Cop for the great information she provides consumers on cosmetic ingredients. Her very popular book, Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me is in its 5th edition.

Paula is more of a skeptic than I regarding new anti-aging treatments and ingredients, but here’s part of what she had to say about IPL in response to a woman’s question about a Jessner’s peel recommended by her esthetician.

“I'd suggest trying a series of IPL treatments (also known as PhotoFacials) or a series of AHA or BHA peels. Both are less problematic than Jessner's and, over time, can produce comparable results with less initial irritation.

Your esthetician may not offer such procedures or services, which would explain why she suggested a Jessner’s peel. In general, it is best to have IPL treatments or peels done by a physician or at an accredited facility with a doctor on staff.

The IPL treatments will also address the superficial redness you noted, as well as stimulate collagen production to make your fine lines less noticeable.”

I love the convenience and cost-effectiveness of being able to do my own IPL treatments with the Quasar Baby LED IPL photofacial wand.

Reader Letter of the Month: Is Ageless Beauty Only for The Well-To-Do?

Recently a subscriber to this newsletter wrote that she was canceling her subscription because I only write about expensive products that she can’t afford.

I replied with a brief note saying I was sorry to lose her and asking if she had ever read my Top Ten Affordable Skin Care picks.

However, after sending out that message, I came to the conclusion that her complaint was misguided. Ageless Beauty has many articles about very affordable skin care products made by companies such as Avon, Olay, Neutrogena, Derma-E, Reviva Labs, Dove and Almay.

The latest thing in anti-aging skin care is peptides. The products that tend to have the highest concentrations and/or combinations of the most effective peptides also tend to be in the higher price range. But as "early adopters" of any technology know, they pay the highest prices to get their hands on the latest and best products as soon as they are available.

As economies of scale kick in, these advances become less costly and find their way into more reasonably priced products. Bargain shoppers already know that discount chains are selling knock-offs of popular skin care products, such as StriVectin-SD, at a fraction of the cost of the genuine article.

So, even though some of the products I write about may be unattainable for many, I don't write about them to make you envious of something that you can never afford. Rather it is to give you the insight into what to look for. When you see one of those knock-offs in the drugstore, that insight can help you determine if it really has the "stuff" to compete with the high priced competition.