Productopia | Jargon Buster

Every year when October rolls around, commercial outposts are pink-washed with breast cancer awareness products. While we love retailers' enthusiasm to support a worthy cause, many are jumping on the bandwagon more to see higher profit margins than to fight against breast cancer. (We documented this phenomenon last year, too.)

Several blogs have cropped up around the subject of pink ribbon abuse, and Think Before You Pink recommends asking some questions before reaching for a ribbon-clad beauty product - among them: how much money actually goes to a charity, which charity, and does my purchase affect that number? We asked just those questions, and these are the products we found that benefit both the charity and consumer (plus one that doesn't). Read more

There is no proverbial fountain of youth -- or at least it hasn't been discovered. Thankfully we have our makeup, creams and potions to help us look like we've found it. (See our reports on eye cream and wrinkle cream for recommended products.) The question presents itself: Where should we turn when these over-the-counter remedies no longer create the youthful appearance we desire?

Luckily there are a lot of choices so the real challenge isn't ridding the signs of aging, but deciding which options is right for you. This guide, along with in-depth counseling from your physician, will help you navigate through injectables like Botox, dermal fillers and laser resurfacing. Read more

October means pink ribbons galore, but it can be a headache to hunt through the grocery store aisles for the products that truly make a difference. That's why we dug into the dollars and cents of breast cancer awareness products to find the most beneficial grocery store buys.

Products that bear a pink ribbon or labeling don't benefit breast cancer causes in the same way. Some companies, for example, make a set donation to a cancer charity no matter how many pink-labeled products they sell. Others will donate a portion of the purchase price of the specific item to a charity, but there may be limits; some companies will only donate proceeds during a specific time period while others cap their donation. So depending on how the company structures its donation, your purchase may or may not have an impact on the actual amount donated.  For the "pink" products below, we looked for items that listed specific donation figures and the charity that would receive the donation. Finally, we factored in any caps the company has on its donations, including the number of units it would take to reach that cap. Read more

On November 21st, nationally-syndicated radio host and consumer advocate Clark Howard posted a screaming deal on his Facebook page: a website he'd come across was selling six-foot HDMI cables for $1 apiece. No, that's not a typo -- one dollar. Mind you, I didn't even have a TV with HDMI inputs yet (a problem I rectified during Black Friday weekend).

I knew that $1 per cable was too good to pass on, though; this made the $6 cables on Amazon seem extravagant. So I pounced and placed my order. Shipping was free, making the already great deal even better -- or so it seemed. On November 26, I got an email telling me my package had shipped via UPS Basic, a service I'd never heard of until that moment. Read more