Welcome.
 
By the time you finish reading this page, I guarantee you will be a much more educated on how to choose a quality skin care product that gives you the results you so earnestly desire.
 
Even though I don't know you, I'll bet that if you're like me, you're sick and tired of skin care products that don't do what they claim to.
 
Ironically the most expensive skin care products are the least effective.
 
That's not to say, there aren't some good products on the market that can genuinely help make your skin look smoother, more radiant, and youthful. But, not only should a quality skin product help reduce bags under your eyes, and fine lines around, your eyes, but it should also even out coloration inconsistencies caused by age spots and other unwanted pigment concentrations.
 
There are so many different products to choose form, how do you find the best one, without having to become a skincare expert. 

That's what this site is here for - to give you the information you need, to help you find the few products that actually produce real results, eliminating years of aging from your face and body.
 
Industry insiders know people will spend any amount of money to make themselves look better or younger. Cosmetic surgery is a multi-billion dollar industry, as is the topical skin care industry. 
 

It's simply a law of economics that the more the demand for such products skyrockets, the more product that manufacturers will flood onto the marketplace to capitalize on this demand. Unfortunately, a lot of these products are rushed to market to meet demand without any real consideration to research and development. All of the money goes into the marketing of the product.

On the surface everything looks great. The bottles and jars that the creams come in look appealing. The magazine advertisements are glossy, and are complete with a youthful looking model or a well known celebrity who doesn't even really use the products.
 
You can't really blame these companies. When you are spending a fortune paying for marketing, whether it is on the product containers, magazines, radio and TV advertising, and royalties paid to celebrities and models, they must charge a lot of money for their products or they'll lose money.
 
On the other hand, this doesn't mean we, the consumers, have to fall for these types of marketing schemes. After all, these companies aren't going to encounter any shortage of people who will open their wallets and purses to purchase their products anytime soon. The reality is most people simply won't take any time to research products and understand what ingredients work and what ingredients are actually bad for your skin!
 
That's why I created this website. So, let's get to it.

Ingredients to Avoid
 
It seems incredible, but many skin care products are loaded with ingredients that actually harm your skin over time. In this section, we will talk about some of these.

Mineral oil: This oil is used in literally hundreds of products. Mineral oil may also be known as liquid paraffin, paraffin wax, and petrolatum on the product label. Mineral oil is used so pervasively in skin care products for one simple reason: it's dirt cheap!
 
However, once mineral oil is applied to your skin, it prevents your skin from "breathing." It essentially clogs pores, interferring with your skin's natural ability to eliminate toxins, and can lead to acne flare ups. If used for a period of time, your skin can actually become dependent on it, causing chapping and dryness.

Oh, and let's not forget, use of this on your skin can lead to premature aging of your skin! No, that's not a misprint. Can you believe this substance is even permitted to be used in so-called "skin care" products?!
 
Dioxane: (a synthetic derivative of coconut).  This substance is widely used in skincare products. It often contains high concentrations of 1,4-dioxane, which is readily absorbed through the skin. I know this sounds crazy, but 1,4-dioxane is considered a chemical "known to the State of California to cause cancer." 

Again, I can't believe people are actually paying money to put this stuff on their skin not knowing it could be dangerous to them.
 
Fragrances: Who doesn't like to smell nice? Well, I'm here to tell you that if you want to smell nice, use a little bit of perfume or cologne....or some bodyspray. Your skin care products should not contain fragrances. Many fragrances are produced from ingredients that are known to be toxic or carcinogenic.
 
Remember your skin is the largest organ of your body. Anything you put on it can easily be absorbed through its pores, finding it's way to your blood stream.

Now, why would I recommend you use perfume or cologne as a fragrance but to choose a skin care product without them?  I'm glad you picked up on that!
 
Well, here's the deal...  When you use skin care products, they are applied all your face, neck, and body. This covers a lot of surface area and, therefore, allows for a great deal of chemical absorption occurs.
 
Obviously, many colognes and perfumes contain less than desirable substances too, but I'm enough of a realist to know that people aren't going to stop using these products to smell nice. However, with perfumes and colognes, you can achieve the desired results with a dab here and a spritz there, as apposed to rubbing it all over and into your skin..
 
Parabens: Methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl paraben. Many skin care and moisterizing products use parabens as preservatives to enhance the shelf life of their products. The reason is purely economical. However, studies suggest that parabens may cause cancer and interfere with the body's endocrine system, as well as causing allergic reactions and skin rashes.
 
Alcohols:  Ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol, isopropyl  alcohol and SD alcohol. Not all alcohols have the same properties, but these, which are commonly found in skin care products, tend to dry and irritate the skin. Alcohols such as these strip away the skin's natural acid mantle, making you more vulnerable to bacteria, molds and viruses.
 
Now that we've looked at some of the bad, let's examine some of the good ingredients and even some ingredients that sound good but in fact aren't.
 

Ingredients to Look For
 
Before we get into a discussion of specific ingredients, it's important to educate ourselves a bit more on the skin itself and what makes a product good or poor.
 
The biggest reason our skin develops lines and/or starts to sag, is that the collagen and elastin in our skin begins to break down over time. This is the most technical this page is going to get, so bear with me for just a sentence or two.
 
Collagen is a protein that is fibrous in nature. What makes collagen different from other types of protein is that it possesses great tensile strength, which means, among other things, it provides firmness to the skin.
 
You don't need to be a scientist to understand that as collagen breaks down due to aging, the firmness of our skin becomes...well, less firm. Wrinkles appear and our skin begins to sag.
 
Elastin, too, is a protein that helps skin stay "flexible" and firm. If your skin is stretched, elastin is the protein that helps it return to its original position.
 
What all of this means to you is, you do not want to purchase a skin care product that is nothing more than a cream that acts as a filler and fills in fine lines and wrinkles, giving the appearance of nicer skin. 

These products simply provide a temporary illusion,  which quickly faeds when the products are washed off.

You want to buy and use products that contains ingredients that actually stimulate new collagen and elastin production in your skin. If you achieve this, you will, in reality, begin to turn back the clock.
 
Now, listen up here because this is very extremely important. Manufacturers of some of the more expensive products try to trick the public by including some really good, active ingredients in their products.

Well, that's good, right?!  Not so much... 

You see what they're doing is providing just enough of these high quality, active ingredients to satisfy legal requirements enabling them to list the ingredients on their packaging. That way, if a potential buyer scans the ingredient list and sees good ingredients, they'll buy the product.

But here's the rub -  because these quality ingredients are expensive, these name brand manufacturers are not putting enough of these 'active ingredients' to have any real benefit for your skin.
 
So, it's not enough to look for these ingredients, but you must also try to determine the amount that is in the skin care product.  It's all about choosing a product with a high concentration of these good ingredients.
 
Collagen
 
After my brief discussion about the importance of collagen, you would think that buying a product with collagen in it would be a great thing. And the marketers who sell products that contain collagen know this. But, again there's deceptive practices in play. As an ingredient, collagen molecules are too large and won't penetrate into your skin when applied topically.
 
Here's the key - to be of any benefit, you must purchase a product with ingredients that have been shown to stimulate your body's own collagen production.
 
Phytessence Wakame
 
Phytessence Wakame is an exotic kelp, native to the Japanese Sea. It works by blocking a harmful enzyme in your body called hyaluronidase. Hyaluronidase breaks down hyaluronic acid in your skin. And why does this matter?

Without hyaluronic acid, the elastin and collagen fibers lose their "glue," which leads to a loss of youthful appearance and dark eye circles.
 
If you research this on wikipedia, you will read, for example, "Hyaluronan is also a major component of skin, where it is involved in tissue repair."

Cynergy TK
 
This is a new exciting, cutting edge substance. Cynergy TK actually stimulates your own collagen to grow again. In fact, it is proven in clinical trials to stimulate not only the regrowth of collagen but also elastin, thereby promoting firmness and elasticity. In short, fewer wrinkles, and a more youthful, healthier looking skin. It may also help improve your skin's ability to retain its needed natural moisture.
 
In fact studies have shown a sustained 14% improvement in skin moisture retention over an 18 day period with the introduction of Cynergy TK.. Studies on Cynergy TK also show a sustained improvement in skin elasticity of 42% over the same 18 day time frame.  That's significant!
 
CoQ10

If you look at the ingredient list for some of the better skin care products, you'll often see CoQ10 listed. CoQ10 is short for Coenzyme Q10, so you may see it listed either way. CoQ10 is a vitamin like substance that is found in all of our body's cells and is very important for healthy skin.
 
CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant. A lot of skin damage and aging results from free radicals wreaking havoc in our body's cells. CoQ10's antioxidant ability serves as a counter balance to these free radicals, preventing the damage from occurring..
 
Unfortunately, like many other vital substances, as we age, the amount of CoQ10 in our bodies becomes depleted.
 
Although CoQ10 is a great ingredient, not all forms are equal. One in particular stands head and shoulders above the rest. This version of CoQ10 is called Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10.
 
Don't let the name scare you off, though. Here's why it's different. Most of the CoQ10 you buy in a typical skin care product is not readily usable when applied topically to the skin.
 

Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10, Cynergy TK & Phytessence Wakame, are three of the most powerful anti-aging skin compounds available.

Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10, on the other hand, is a special nano-emulsion form of CoQ10, which penetrates far down into our skin, providing much greater benefits for skin health. In fact, Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10 can penetrate 7 layers deep into our skin.
 
Because this version of CoQ10 can penetrate so deeply, it is extremely effective at absorbing free radicals in your skin. The result is a powerful anti-wrinkle effect. Nano-Lipobelle can also promote collagen and elastin production.

Together, these three main active ingredients are some of the most powerful anti-aging skin care compounds available, and can significantly improve the look and feel of your skin. Where can you find all three of these ingredients in one product line?

The Xtend-Life Natural Products company, that's where. This company is located in New Zealand but ships products world-wide. I use their products daily.
 
The company is not a household name. It doesn't have big hollywood celebrities endorsing their products for even bigger royalties. They don't advertise all over the radio, in magazines, and on TV.
 
They're one of the few companies that focuses on spending the bulk of their money on research, development and production of the absolute best products available, not the best marketing hype.
 
You can think of them as your "secret weapon" the big companies don't want you to know about.
 
So, if you truly want to achieve younger looking more vibrant skin, I suggest you visit their site and read about their skin care philosophy. I think you'll be as impressed. At the very least, you'll learn more about what to look for and what to avoid when it comes to taking care of your precious skin.