Beauty Dish

Review: Avon Re-Fine Stretch Mark Smoother

I can't believe I'm going to discuss my stretch marks. Let's face it. I'm pushing forty years. I'm a mother to five children. Five! My stomach skin ain't the smooth supple canvas of my youth. I know I'm limiting my dating options here, but in all honesty, my abdomen looks like a Detroit road map, complete with construction zones and toll booths detailed in four colors. I wear a one-piece bathing suit at the beach, and I've been known to dab a bit of concealer on some of the redder striations when I slip on my low-rise jeans. Most of my female friends with children have similar marks and like them about as much as I do.

So! The very first thing I ordered from Avon when I received my rep's kit was the Avon Re-Fine Stretch Mark Smoother. This product appears in every brochure, rain or shine, summer or fall. See results in just two weeks! 50% of women tested said their stretch marks appeared less visible! Like all Avon literature, the ads lay down that red carpet of authority complete with figures and testimonials and sure, strong language. The standard non-sale price of Re-Fine is twelve dollars, fifty cents.

The lotion comes in an opaque purple tube, filled with 6.7 ounces of product. The tube matches the darker purple of the Cellu-Sculpt Anti-Cellulite Slimming Treatment as well as the newer Bust-Sculpt cream. You flip open the plastic top and squeeze out a generous dollop, massaging the cream into any problem areas. The supplemental literature recommends using Re-Fine on thighs, abdomen, breasts - wherever those hideous marks appear. None of the advertising shows before and after shots.

I began using this product the second it arrived. I'm not kidding. I tore through my first boxes looking for the Re-Fine, ready to smooth those stretcheroos into permanent submission. The lotions smells lightly fresh and dainty with an after-hint of something clinical, chemical. It rubs in easily and doesn't leave a greasy feel or film on your hands. As a straight and simple body lotion, it's quite nice. My abdomen is much softer after eight months of product use. But in all and complete honesty, I see no difference in the actual visual presentation of my road map. I'm as criss-crossed as ever. Softer, yes. Less visible? No. I must be in the 50% camp who sees no difference.

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