I appreciate all your comments about my “How Do You Really Erase Wrinkles” blog . Thank you. They helped me frame my thoughts which were just all over the place. Mostly I just find this issue completely frustrating and I have for years.

I’ve been struggling against cosmetic advertising my entire career and I know this regulation from England is going to be completely worthless and ineffective. It can’t and won’t change a thing. It’s very much like all the other useless and meaningless cosmetic regulations Europe has been spewing about over the past several years (PAO symbols, anyone?) that hasn’t helped one consumer anywhere.

Here’s what it boils down to: every single beauty ad or infomercial we see is nothing more than mirages, but we willingly drink from the sand thinking it tastes like sweet wine. It is our own foolishness and gullibility that drives us to a trough filled with nothing more then lies and deceit. Even when we think we know better we just end up looking for a different mirage or a more enticing trough to drink from. If the lie is packaged to meet our sensibility and beliefs (think natural or organic products) then we believe it as a child believes in Santa Claus.

As maddening as our faith in cosmetic mirages is, where would we be without the smoke and mirrors the beauty industry crafts for us? Very few of us want to see the world as it really exists and most every woman wants to believe she can achieve some amount of the unachievable. Who wants that taken away?

When you think about it, we don’t even want to see ourselves as we really exist or why would we dye our hair, use nail polish, wear makeup, care about the clothes we put on, worry about breaking out, and on and on. If we can’t tolerate our own reality why would we want to see someone else’s?

Each of us, to one degree or another, has our own personal level of misrepresentation so why shouldn’t the cosmetic industry? (I certainly don’t leave the house looking like I do when I get out of bed, that’s for sure! And I wouldn’t want that flashed about on television or magazines). Most of us create a false facade of some kind and while it may not be Photoshop, it can often come damn close. (Do you want someone regulating how you show up looking on a date?)

Don’t misunderstand, I am thrilled Olay got caught. Their flagrant, gross alteration of Twiggy’s face was almost a bad joke. But what about the other countless companies that didn’t get caught who are getting away with murdering reality? Olay is hardly the only one or even the worst offender. Twiggy’s smoothed-over, digitally induced face reconstruction does not take the prize, Olay is just the company that got caught and had to deal with unfavorable publicity.

As for the claims, don’t get me started. Digitally altered pictures pale in comparison to the lies about a products potential performance when it is actually being used by consumers swayed by such duplicitous advertising.

Now that this story has made headlines and a new European regulation is most likely going to be instituted, I’ve been asking myself, what happens next? Is England or other European countries going to stop all misleading cosmetic or fashion advertising pictures? Would fashion magazines be empty? Would we go back to 16-year-old girls appearing in ads for wrinkle creams as they did in the past or would Europe make that illegal too (an age appropriate law for ads)? What amount of lighting, makeup, or skilled photography is going to be controlled? Should Twiggy have just gotten up in the morning, not brushed her teeth or hair and had her picture taken?

What about the covers of magazines? Those images sell the magazines and they are Photoshopped to the hilt. Should that be illegal as well? I can’t imagine what model or celebrity could fit the expectation of a fashion magazine cover.

One comment to my blog post about the Twiggy fiasco mentioned using some sort of disclosure on the ads but who would notice the fine print that says this is merely an enhanced picture, the real Twiggy doesn’t look anything like this? We would still want the fantasy.

From my perspective, trying to regulate cosmetic advertising in this manner is just a waste of time. Cosmetic companies will simply find a way around it and the result in this regard will be a detriment to older (meaning over 40) actresses and models who will find themselves out of jobs. Trying to regulate images of beauty doesn’t get women what they need or what they want. What does? Ignoring the glossy photos and unsupported claims and learning what really works and what doesn’t when it comes to looking one’s best. That’s where I hope my work has made some small dent in the almost impenetrable shroud of lies most of the cosmetic industry feeds women month after month.

F rom the time I was a teen I have found it hard to believe the marketing claims that cosmetics companies make about their products. With all the outlandish claims about making your pores disappear, wrinkles vanish, blemishes be gone, lift this, plump that, it’s difficult to discern fact from fiction. So my solution before I began working for Paula was to take the easy route and not believe any of it. That doesn’t mean I never purchased any of these products- I still did, but did I truly think they would live up to their claims? Not really. Still I had to try.

And try I did! Of course there were times that I was pleasantly surprised by a great cosmetic product that lived up to its claims or was at least well formulated no matter what the claim. But most of the time, I was left with an empty wallet and heart filled with disappointment because of another blasé mascara, foundation, lipstick, or acne treatment.

Eventually I decided to quit playing cosmetic Russian roulette and actually put some effort into finding good products ahead of time. I know for many women like myself, it’s easy to think that we don’t have time for the research process or it is altogether overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you arm yourself with the right tools and lay down a little ground work in the beginning you can save yourself tons of time, heart ache, and money.

 Here’s how I did it:

Step One: Brush Up on the Latest Research
Find out what ingredients and treatments really work. For instance, I used to think that antioxidants applied topically to the skin were little more than another marketing gimmick. Boy how wrong was I? Paula’s The Original Beauty Bible is a great one-stop shop to read up on the latest and greatest and with the internet at your fingertips the resources are endless. (Just make sure you’re getting them from a reliable source.) If you really want to get in depth information you can also subscribe to a peer reviewed cosmetic journal.

Step Two: Get Familiar with Your Skin
It seems pretty self explanatory, but take a moment to identify whether your skin is normal, oily, dry, combination, acne-prone, sensitive, etc. From there you can make an educated decision on factors best suited for your skin like what textures work best on your skin, how emollient a product should be, and what ingredients will target your skin type concerns. For example, I have oily, blemish prone skin and prefer liquid and gel textures when it comes to my skin care. With foundations I look for something light weight with a matte finish, and I avoid cream blushes and shadows as they tend to not work well with my skin.

Step Three: Make a Game Plan
If you have a particular product in mind, why not look into what Paula’s team has to say about it. Beautypedia.com and Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, 8th Edition are an unparalleled resources as they offer an extensive database of candid and objective cosmetic reviews, as well as alerts on overpriced items. This step can help you save yourself from throwing money down the drain on ineffective, poorly formulated products.

Step Four: Play with Samples
If you are shopping in a department store with testers, try before you buy.* This is the best way to see how a particular shade looks on your skin and how it feels. Pay attention to how long it takes for the product to set, how intense the color is, how well it blends, if it flakes or smudges, the list goes on and on. It never hurts to ask if the salesperson can provide an individual sample in which case you can safely take it home and try it out. The same applies if you are shopping online. Look for samples on the company’s website or contact customer service to see if they can offer a complimentary trial product.

 *For hygiene purposes, do not apply the product on the actual areas you will be using it (eyelids, lips, face). Instead test it on the back of your hand, and when possible wipe the top layer of the product with a clean tissue before applying. Never user a tester product over broken or infected skin. Use a hand sanitizer when finished.

Now you’re on the road to becoming a savvy cosmetic consumer. Happy shopping!