I have now tried the ultimate body wrap.
Actually, its formal name is the Ultimate Body Applicator, a body wrap that serves as the headliner for a firm called It Works!
Begun in 2001, It Works! is a multilevel marketing company that brings “the world’s first naturally based body contouring line that delivers maximum results in minimal time,” according to its website. The Ultimate Body Applicator is a piece of cloth infused with a natural, plant-based formula designed to tighten, tone and firm skin after being left in place at least 45 minutes. (The product is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and makes no weight-loss claims.)
I was introduced to It Works! by Angela Donahue, a Little Rock independent distributor for the product. Donahue says she started out as a customer who was impressed with the wrap and the company’s other products.
I tried the wrap on three occasions, three to four days apart. Donahue applied it to my midriff area, securing the cloth by cocooning it in several revolutions of clear plastic wrap. Once the wrap has been applied and secured to the body area of one’s choice, its formula begins to enter the skin through the pores. The user is encouraged to relax for 45 minutes but Donahue recommends using the applicator during the evening, then sleeping in it overnight. Although we didn’t take measurements, I was noticeably smaller after each wrap.
The wrap can be used in other areas, including upper arms, thighs, back - even the chin and neck. Users are encouraged to drink at least eight glasses of water every 24 hours for best results.
A $99 Ultimate Body Applicator pack includes four wraps. The applicators also come in multi-product packs: The Wrap Pack ($115), the Fit Pack ($179) and the Skinny Pack ($189). Donahue recommends using three wraps in 72-hour intervals on a given area, then using a wrap once a week for maintenance.
Those wanting to try the Ultimate Body Applicator can host or attend a wrap party.
For more information or to become an independent consultant for $99, contact Donahue at (501) 346-7065 or visit FastWrapItAway.myitworks.
com. Loyal Customer memberships, which allow purchases at wholesale pricing, are available at Discounted-Wraps.com (members agree to try at least one product a month for three consecutive months). For general information, visit Itwraps.com.
JOCKEYING FOR POSITION
Speaking of direct-sold merchandise, there’s a snazzy new women’s apparel line called Jockey Person to Person. (Yes, this is the same Jockey company that started with socks in 1876, expanded to underwear in 1900, came up with Jockey shorts, the world’s first men’s brief in 1934, and followed with Jockey for Her underwear in 1982.) The Person to Person line, which includes sizes 0-24, made its debut in 2005. I got to view the line firsthand at an open house held by Pam Powell of Little Rock, a “comfort stylist” for the company as well as a trainer and coach, and was impressed by the Travel Collection. This washable set of fine-gauge, coordinating matte-jersey travel separates includes cardigan ($82-$92), long-sleeve scoop-neck top ($52-$58), short sleeve mock-neck top ($62-$72), pant ($64-$74) and skirt ($54-$60). These can be worn in 15-20 looks. Powell’s favorite piece is the cardigan, which she calls “the magic jacket” for its 20 incarnations. The “skirt that’s more than just a skirt” can be worn as a strapless top. A customer’s reward for buying five items from the travel kit is a travel scarf that serves as a reminder: Its design includes images of models demonstrating ways to wear the pieces.
The other Jockey Person to Person garments are also quite comely. Fall collection standouts included a wool-blend cable cardigan in a cutaway style, a cotton-blend burnout cardigan that also could be worn multiple ways, jeans in straight and boot-cut styles, several ponte-knit coordinates and some of the sleekest, smartest-looking activewear pieces I’ve seen.
“We show you how to dress for your body type, and how to save time with outfits,” Powell says.
Much of the fall collection is now on sale for 60 percent to 75 percent off; the spring clothing will debut Feb. 1. To schedule an in-home viewing of the line, or for more information about becoming a comfort stylist via a $299 starter kit, contact Powell at (888) 907-2626 or visit My-Jockeyp2p.com/pamco.
WINTERIZE YOUR SKIN Find yourself itching a lot lately? Even the simple act of dressing and undressing can spark an itch-fest that doesn’t seem to want to stop. Yes, it’s that time of the year. Which means it’s time for Dressing Room to throw out a few winter-skin-care product suggestions. Such as: Out of Africa Pure Shea Butter Hand Creams. Offered in Vanilla, Olive with Aloe, or Lemon Verbena, these 1-ounce ($6.99) and 2.5-ounce ($10.99) tubes of cream are made with 20 percent pure and unrefined shea butter. The cream is said to help prevent premature aging and other skin ailments like blemishes, wrinkles, eczema, sunburn and stretch marks.
As it promises, it moisturizes and leaves a supple - not greasy - finish. Fifteen cents of each purchase goes to help provide education to women and children in west Africa.
Visit outofafricashea.com.
Love Nature NYC. The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based company offers natural products that are “eco-consciously” packaged. Bath products include the Bar Soaps ($10), available in such scents as Oatmeal & Honey, Lavender and Rosemary Peppermint;
Hand & Body Wash ($24);
Body Scrub ($22); and Bath Soak ($26). Body products ($8-$24) include Naturally Nourishing Body Oil and White Grapefruit Hand and Body Lotion, of which I tried a small sample. Love Nature can be found at The Mustache in Bentonville and Fayetteville, or at LoveNatureNYC.com.
Darphin’s lush, fabric-invoking moisturizing duo: Nourishing Satin Oil ($45), a concentrate of botanical oils and antioxidant essential oils; and Moisturizing Silky Lotion, $42, which feels light but packs quite the punch.
Using the two together is even better. Sources include Feinstein’s, 5600 Kavanaugh Blvd. in Little Rock, and Darphin.com.
OOPS My original story about acrylic nails - featuring the work of North Little Rock nail technician Tony Le - ran Sept. 22, 1995. In my Dec. 22 Dressing Room column, the year was omitted.
Dressing Room is published biweekly. Got fashion and beauty news? Contact Helaine R. Williams, Dressing Room, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or email: hwilliams@arkansasonline.com
High Profile, Pages 31 on 01/12/2014