Behind The Scenes

So I’ve finally lost my almost 80 pounds of pregnancy weight. It’s embarrassing enough that it’s taken me a year to lose it. But even worse, I’m now left with sagging skin that makes my body look like a deflated balloon!

I can’t believe it! My nails and toes are manicured, my brows are done, I got a facial, and I did yoga this weekend - all because I said NO.

It might seem like a simple concept, but saying no can be a very powerful tool in maintaining your beauty - and your sanity. It’s about taking care of yourself first so you can take care of others. You know, like putting on your oxygen mask in a plane so you can then help your child.

I politely said no to organizing yet another charity event, no to hosting a birthday party, and no to last-minute requests that would have sent my schedule into overdrive.

Ahh, Mother’s Day. A day to sleep in, get pampered, and let the hubby watch the kids, right? Not so much.

My husband was out of town. I played Supermom all week. And I had to buy Mother’s Day presents for my mom, my sister, my mother-in-law, and both my sister’s husband’s mother and his stepmother.

As Sunday approached, all I really wanted was to get some sleep and relax. I soon realized that my 5-year-old daughter, Kira, had other plans. She kept asking me how many days were left until Mother’s Day, because she was planning a special surprise. So I prepared myself for whatever a 5-year-old could dream up.

Wow, 10 hours of focus groups over 2 late nights!  This is just one of the many things we do when we’re getting ready to launch a brand. We want to know everything about women’s beauty habits, needs, and expectations, so we invite them to come talk to us.

What do we ask our focus groups? We find out which promises and claims women look for in their ideal beauty products, and if the claims we present really resonate with them. We even show them a preview of the packaging of the product and the containers to see what they think. These discussions help us present the brand in an easy-to-understand manner.

We are so excited that our two new product lines are both in the running for the highly respected CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) Beauty Award! That means that 4,000 beauty industry executives, including manufactures, suppliers, retailers and media get a chance to try hundreds of products, including our breakthrough innovations, and vote on their favorites in each category.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that Timeless Secret and Derm Exclusive will rise to the top as winners of this prestigious award!

I’m bursting with excitement to let you in on the breakthrough we’ve discovered. Just as we search far and wide for the ideal man partner who can meet our every need, we are always on the lookout as well for skincare that meets our requirements. We sought and successfully found anti-aging skincare that truly fulfills our desire for younger-looking skin.

After months of clinical testing and tracking user group results, we can finally reveal the amazing anti-aging skincare line we’ve been nurturing. It’s called Derm Exclusive and it’s instantly smoothing wrinkles, one woman at a time.

If I could, I would bathe in the Timeless Secret products, especially the Accelerating Booster. But it’s important for me to also get feedback on what the customers think about the products and how they use them. We strive to make sure our beauty product development and marketing teams are up close and personal with our customers to truly understand their likes and dislikes, find out what works vs. what doesn’t work, and clear up any confusion about the products.

The start of the New Year is a wonderful time to take stock of our past and establish resolutions to improve the year to come.  At Breakthrough in Beauty, we have resolutions as a team, as well as our own personal beauty resolutions to live beautifully ever after.

At Breakthrough in Beauty we resolve to help women cut through the confusion of finding innovative beauty products that actually work.  Women want to be beautiful - with less fuss, fewer frills, and products that really work.  Our expert team of leading dermatologists, cosmetic chemists and scientists, and beauty consumer experts rigorously researches and evaluates thousands of products - so you don’t have to.  We conduct comprehensive consumer use tests and independent clinical trials to ensure products are safe and effective before granting our seal of approval and recommending them to you.

What’s going on behind the scenes, you ask?  Exciting stuff!

We’d like to give you a sneak peak at the results of the new skincare line we’re testing.  The women who are participating in our user group clinical trials for our new anti-aging skincare discovery have just reached their 30-day mark.  This week, they came into the office for their 30-day follow-up so we could evaluate their results and take their “after” pictures.  Their results were truly amazing, and they were just raving about the products.

The holidays are finally here.  After our last meeting, our team here at Breakthrough in Beauty indulged in a little chat about our holiday gift-giving experiences.  Since we’ve let you in on our favorite holiday shopping tips, I thought it would be fun to share some of our personal gift-giving experiences with you as well, so you can get to know us a little better.  And maybe you’ll get some gift-giving ideas of your own.

Daily, there are things that make me smile.  But every Thanksgiving, like clockwork, I’m reminded of the significant things in my life that I’m grateful for.  I’d like to share some with you.