On the Fourth of July, the citizens of the United States of America celebrate Independence Day, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.  Though many people celebrate with bottle rockets and barbecues, virtually every American takes at least a moment to reflect on the strength of our nation and to honor the sacrifices of those who work to make our country great.

For many of us, a sense of pride in our country is not something that should be exhibited only once each year.  During a time when American values are under attack and our nation is often divided by partisan politics, it is important to show a sense of unity and support for our country.  This election year, you are able to show support for our country despite divisive politics with We Are We the People apparel.

We Are We the People t-shirts, visors, and hats are nonpartisan American apparel commemorating the United States Constitution–the document that details the rights and liberties of the American people.  Available in patriotic red, white, and blue, the shirts and hats reflect the first words of the Constitution, “We the people,” indicating the power of democracy.

We Are We the People American apparel does more than just show your pride in the United States of America; it helps support those who have sacrificed to protect our liberties and our ideals.  A portion of each sale goes to The Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that helps wounded soldiers and their families after they return from conflict.

This Independence Day, SeenOnTV Express encourages you to celebrate responsibly and to remember the reason for our celebration.  Happy Fourth of July!

Two events converged to inspire today’s post about amazing, drool-worthy abs and how to get them.

The first event?  The upcoming release of Magic Mike, featuring Matthew McConaughey, Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Alex Pettyfer and Matt Bomer . . . shirtless:

Sweet fancy Moses. Someone get mama a fan.

The second event was the arrival of this little gem in my email inbox:

Oh, honey, no.

After thoroughly rinsing my eyes with battery acid to clear the second image from my retinas, I did a little research and determined that the Ab-hancer is not, in fact, a real As Seen On TV product, but rather a spoof.  Even though it is a fake, the idea of trying to look like you have great abs without actually working for great abs is nothing new.  I have even heard of using sunless tanning lotion to create “shadows” that give the illusion of six-pack abs on an otherwise toneless belly.  Unfortunately, not everyone is going to have abs like Matthew McConaughey and Channing Tatum–seriously, it is unfortunate.   While some people have the dedication and stamina to work hard to get those gleaming, chiseled, glorious abs (I’m sorry–did I get carried away?), not everyone has the time or the desire to put in that kind of effort.

Because I want every man to have the opportunity to look like Magic Mike–oh, believe me, I do–today’s Seen On TV Express blog post is going to bring you three different types of As Seen On TV ab sculpting products.  You select your level of intensity from zero to P90X and choose the infomercial product that best works for you.

Intensity Level:  ”Can someone bring me a doughnut and a beer?”

• Slim T
• IAS Instaslim Garments

Instaslim and Slim Ts are body shaping garments that can make  you look up to two sizes smaller without diet or exercise.  While the results are temporary, and you certainly can’t whip off your shirt, wave it around your head, and slide down a fireman pole into the waiting arms of hundreds of screaming women vying for the opportunity to tuck dollar bills in your waistband, Slim T or Instaslim can give you the confidence that comes from looking better in your clothes.

Intensity Level:  Not Quite Shocking

• Flex Belt
• Contour Abs
• Sport Elec Ab Belt

Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is FDA-cleared and shown to be effective in helping to strengthen and build muscles without a lot of concerted effort on your part.  Electronic ab belts work by contracting the abdominal muscles through electronic impulses, allowing your to flex and contract each muscle numerous times in a single session.  Some of these devices are discreet enough to wear under clothing so you can firm and tighten your abdominals as you go about your daily routine.

Intensity Level:  ”Work All Day.  Work It All Night.”

• Ab Rocket Twister
• Ab Glider
• Insanity
• P90X
• P90X2

If you want the moves like Jagger . . . or in this case, like Magic Mike and his glistening, sculpted cohorts . . . you are going to have to work it.  Intense fat burning moves and a clean diet are critical in creating a lean, chiseled core featuring rock hard abs.  Abdominal exercise equipment like the AbRocket and the Ab Glider can give you targeted moves for tightening the abs, but the aggressive, high-intensity training available from Beachbody’s Insanity, P90X, and P90X2 allow for total body fat burning and muscle sculpting that can transform your physique.

Whether you want to show up at your reunion with the confidence that comes from looking better in your clothes, or whether you want to show up with a physique that makes your class homecoming queen fall over in a dead faint, As Seen On TV products offer your perfect ab solution.

Today’s fashions change so quickly, it is almost impossible to keep up.  Some styles seem to last only about as long as a Kardashian marriage.  Trying to keep up with the trends can be extremely expensive.  Luckily, As Seen On TV clothing and accessories take the hottest styles and make them affordable and offer easy solutions for updating your wardrobe without having to replace it.

One of my favorite new infomercial products for fashion is Covfurs.  Covfurs are faux fur slipcovers for boots.  These faux fur boot wraps can instantly update your existing boots at just a fraction of the cost of a new pair of boots.  Let’s say you have a pair of last year’s plain black leather boots, but you really want to sport that trendy fur boot look.  One leading online shoe retailer lists a pair of name brand “Mongolian Hair Boots” for $175.   You could pay that for a single pair of boots, or you could buy a pair of Covfurs boot covers for less than $40.  Wear them with high-heeled boots or flat boots; wear them tall or slouched.  That’s four looks about the quarter of the price of one pair of boots.  At such a great value, you could even buy all three colors of Covfurs:  Elegant Black, Brown Chinchilla, and Wild Leopard.  For less than the cost of one pair of fur boots, you could get up to twelve great looks from Covfurs.

Speaking of getting multiple looks from one great piece, Shamina bills itself as the “Shawl that Does it All.”  This unique shawl features snaps to help it stay put, unlike traditional shawls and wraps that slip off your shoulders.  Because of Shamina’s innovative design, this one beautiful accessory can be worn several different ways:

• Shawl
• Pashmina
• Wrap
• Scarf
• Sarong

Update a simple black dress, or create a sophisticated look from a casual outfit.  Because it is lightweight and wrinkle-free, you can easily take Shamina with you wherever you go–it even fits in your purse.

Shamina and Covfurs let you update your style with an easy accessory, but other As Seen On TV accessories can help you change your look discreetly.  I don’t know about you, but I get easily frustrated when I have to buy forty gazillion pairs of pants to wear with my forty gazillion pairs of shoes.  I don’t want to have to wear stilettos just because a particular pair of pants is long, and I don’t want to have to wear flats just because another pair of pants is shorter.  I love the inventor of Style Snaps, who solved this problem once and for all.  Style Snaps allow you to instantly hem your pants without ironing, without gluing, and without sewing.  These removable adhesive snaps let you quickly and easily shorten any hem–then let it out again when you need the length.  Great for pants and skirts, Style Snaps keep your hemlines appropriate for the occasion and for the shoes with no commitment.

No commitment?  Sounds perfect for Kim Kardashian.

When making any purchasing decision, it is important to remember the wise ol’ Latin words caveat emptor–or, as we say in non-dead languages, “Let the buyer beware.”  As Seen On TV products can do amazing things, solving life’s most frustrating problems.  But whenever buying a product–whether from an infomercial, online vendor, or brick-and-mortar store–savvy shoppers evaluate the claims made by that product and keep in mind the adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”  This is often especially true of supplements making bold weight loss claims.

Celebrity endorsers for one such product are now under the gun through a $5 million class action lawsuit alleging they made “false, misleading, and unsubstantiated claims” regarding the product’s effectiveness.  Three of the famous Kardashian sisters, Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe, have been named in a suit alleging that they mislead consumers about QuickTrim diet pills.  Kim Kardashian, one of the spokesmodels for QuickTrim claimed that she lost fifteen pounds using the weight loss pills and that she was using them to get in shape for her short-lived wedding.

The lawsuit, however, claims that Kardashian’s statements are false.  The lawsuit reports that the key ingredient in QuickTrim, caffeine, is not an effective weight loss drug.  The suit cites the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in saying that caffeine is neither safe nor effective for weight loss.  Plaintiffs say that they bought the popular As Seen On TV weight loss aid based solely on the Kardashians’ claims that they were able to lose weight and maintain their celebrity physiques with QuickTrim.

Perhaps these emptors would have been wise to caveat.  Before buying the product on the word of a celebrity, they could have also checked the active ingredients in the product and evaluated the effectiveness based on clinical research and FDA guidelines.

For many people, the lure of quick results is just too great to resist.

However, people looking for real, sustained weight loss and body transformation can find healthy solutions through As Seen On TV fitness products like P90X , P90X2, and Shaun T’s Insanity.  These and many other Beachbody products combine rigorous, effective workout programs with healthy, balanced diet plans.  Whether we like it or not, the only real way to achieve real results is through a healthy diet and exercise.

Of course, those looking for instant gratification aren’t left entirely in the cold.  If you do not care whether you actually are slimmer, and you just want to look slimmer, or if you have a big event coming up and don’t have time to physically achieve the results you want, As Seen On TV shapewear comes to the rescue.  Slim T and the Slim Away belt are designed to help men hold in that spare tire, while the Kymaro Body Shaper smooths women’s back bulges and muffin tops.  You may not have time to lose ten pounds before your reunion/wedding/insert-dramtic-event-here, but with infomercial shaping garments, you can look like you did.

And you can do it in less time than it takes a Kardashian to file for divorce.

As an As Seen On TV products blogger, I’m constantly introduced to the amazing new inventions brought to us through direct response television marketing.  I generally think most of these infomercial products are pretty good ideas, but every so often, a product emerges that I am pretty sure I just absolutely cannot live without–I may have mentioned my affinity for my Instyler or my desire for a Forever Lazy.  A new product available through SeenOnTVExpress.com has just climbed to the top of my infomercial wish list:  the Trendy Top.

Low-rise pants long ago replaced the high-waisted jeans preferred by Steve Urkel and your mom in the eighties.  Though some people make it a point of pride to have their underwear hanging out several inches (or feet) above the belt line, not everyone appreciates showing off their skivvies in public.  You may remember General Larry Platt’s scathing musical criticism on low-hanging pants on the hit series American Idol:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMwhl4IrPNc

Now, not all of us have our “Pants on the Ground,” but with short, form fitting shirts that ride up and low-rise jeans that slide down, some of us end up showing more than we intended when we wear our favorite fashions.  That’s where Trendy Top comes in.

Trendy Top is billed as “the top that’s not.”  Trendy Top is a fabric tube that fits over your hips to provide coverage when movement creates a gap between your top and bottom.  When you’re not in the mood to moon the entire office staff, Trendy Top keeps your back side covered.  It prevents the unsightly display of your muffin top when you reach overheard.  Because it is made of a soft, natural cotton blend fabric that provides multi-directional stretch, Trendy Top stays put even when your clothes don’t.  Trendy Top provides the layered look that is so popular right now without the heat and bunching that come with wearing two shirts.

When you’d rather look like this . . .

. . . than this . . .

Trendy Top is the perfect solution.

Keep it covered, girls.