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Perfect Skin: The Kardashian Sisters Make a “Reality” Infomercial

Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian on the Perfect Skin infomercialAfter promoting products Idol White and QuickTrim, the Kardashian sisters have now made their first full-length infomercial, selling a skin care product named Perfect Skin. Exciting news, to be sure, but with so many endorsements the Kardashians might be jeopardizing their hard-won reputation for integrity.

The ad for Perfect Skin is not just any old infomercial, but a “reality” infomercial that lets the viewer “go behind the scenes” as Kim, Kourtney and Khloe develop their very own skin care line. (And, yes, this infomercial actually wants us to believe that the Kardashians came up with this product themselves.)

But before they get to the “reality” scenes, this infomercial spends time gushing about the “cultural phenomenon” that is the Kardashians. We are told what successful businesswomen and gorgeous ladies each of them are. (Although the description of Khloe as having “accessible beauty” seems like a backhanded compliment.) The narrator isn’t the only one who gets to praise them either; on the street interviews show people—okay, girls—trying to impress us with how much they adore the Kardashians. One customer fawns, “I was so excited to try a product that the Kardashians use because I feel like they have flawless skin every day, every time you ever see them anywhere.” No one could disagree with that. Everyone who has seen Kim’s sex tape with Ray J is most impressed with how clear her skin looks.

At their DASH store, Kim and Kourtney brainstorm for namesIn the first “reality” segment, Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe lounge in their hotel room at the Hilton Bentley in Miami and discuss how often they receive questions from their admiring fans about what skin care product they use. They lament that they have no good recommendations for the little people, because the Kardashians use a proprietary formula designed especially for them. They conclude that the public can be deprived of their secret no longer. Kim enthuses, “We can even have our own commercial” and then gives their “skin care guru”, Dr. Ron DiSalvo, a call.

The remarkable thing about the “reality” scenes in this infomercial is how very similar they seem to what is seen on their TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami—with the exception of the burnt-out shell of a bewildered Bruce Jenner shuffling through.

The next scene has Kim and Kourtney folding clothes at their DASH clothing store as they brainstorm names for their new skin care product. After knocking around several suggestions, they decide to name their product…Perfect Skin. Only the fertile minds of the Kardashians could ever conceive of such an original, unique, and completely non-generic name as that!

Kim Kardashian's Before and After Pefect Skin picturesIn between these “reality” bits, we are shown some of the least persuasive “before and after” photos in infomercial history. This is mainly because in the “after” images the use of makeup and professional lighting is obvious, whereas the “before” pictures are the ugliest snapshots they could find (which aren’t really that ugly).

The third “reality” scene consists of Kim in her hotel room opening a package she received in the mail containing the Perfect Skin products. By any measure, watching someone open up a cardboard box is engaging television.

We then get a scene of Mario Lopez on the Extra set reporting on the “rumor” that the Kardashians are working on a “top secret” project in Miami. Allowing their set to be used to film a faux “Extra Exclusive” for an infomercial will finally get that brain-dead gossip-fest TV show the respect it deserves.

Mario Lopez in a fake Extra segment for the Pefect Skin infomercialThe next scene has all three Kardashians in the make-up room as they get ready to shoot the Perfect Skin commercial. The make-up man compliments them for having “great genes.” They protest that their beautiful skin comes not from genes but because their mother constantly nagged them growing up to not touch their face and other such advice. Uhhh…so is their secret their mom’s advice or the Perfect Skin product? Anyway, the fact that Kris Jenner constantly nagged the girls about their beauty growing up is one bit of reality in this infomercial I can actually believe.

The final “reality” segment is kind of confusing. Supposedly, Khloe and Kourtney get tired of waiting for Kim so they decide to shoot the infomercial without her. The two walk on to the set—which has no crew at all—and Kourtney starts working the camera. It is not clear if they are supposed to be actually filming the infomercial or just goofing off before that real shoot. Anyone working on a doctoral thesis on postmodern literary theory ought to consider deconstructing the multiple narrative frames the Perfect Skin infomercial gives us. Anyway, Khloe gets in front of the camera and asks, “How do I look?” to which Kourt replies, “You look gorge”—which may be yet another backhanded compliment. Khloe begins an over-the-top impression of an infomercial host, when Kim enters and gets “upset” that they are taping the infomercial without her. The Kardashians then attempt to impersonate one another. From their impressions I gather that Kim is demure and vain, Khloe is an angry foul-mouth, and Kourtney needs anti-depressants. Great, now we don’t have to bother watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

The Kardashians taping the Perfect Skin infomercialWhen they finally get around to discussing Perfect Skin, Khloe Kardashian…excuse me Khloe Kardashian-Odom…tells us, “My husband Lamar, he’s the sweetest guy. The amount of compliments I get from him. You’re like, uhhh, come on. But I never would have thought that someone was really being genuine a year-and-a-half ago…but now I know he’s telling me the truth because I see it if I look in the mirror.” Either that or Lamar is just hoping Khloe will pencil him in for a sex appointment.

The Perfect Skin infomercial ends there, but when it dawns on 14-year-old girls that the “reality” scenes in this obviously scripted infomercial play out in the exact same way as the scenes on the Kardashian “reality” shows, they will encounter a sad but necessary loss of innocence in their maturing into adulthood.

If you’re still not sick of the Kardashians, watch the Perfect Skin infomercial for yourself:

Comments

  • 7 Responses to “Perfect Skin: The Kardashian Sisters Make a “Reality” Infomercial”

  • Perfect skin – now even you can look flawless in your own sex tape, no help for Khloe though, it can’t help her.

    Comment by Kaitlyn Fultz on August 18, 2010 at 5:17 pm

  • OK.

    Forget 2012.

    Forget Global Climate Warming Change.

    Forget Revelations.

    The End is Officially Here.

    Comment by NosferatusCoffin on August 19, 2010 at 2:37 pm

  • Unfortunately for Khloé, Perfect Skin doesn’t sell a “de-beast” product. Skincare can only go so far to improve that mess…

    Comment by Sam Krysiak on August 20, 2010 at 9:40 am

  • As soon as you think the Kardashians can’t get any more overexposed or annoying, they pull an infomercial out of their collective huge asses. Anyone who buys anything these twits hawk deserve to be ripped off.

    Oh, and Khole is a beastly looking dude in drag.

    Comment by Andrea on August 22, 2010 at 2:23 am

  • “Perfect Skin” with the aid of botox, skin rejuvenation, comestic surgery, lifts, implants, makeup artistry, personal trainers, hair extensions, contact lenses- flattering lights, camera angles, backdrops, wardrobe and of course, a perfect script.

    And gazillion other tricks of the trade we are unaware of.

    Earth to their preceived minions:
    Believe nothing of what you hear and half of what you think you see.

    Comment by Pam on August 29, 2010 at 5:44 pm

  • The “before” and “After” pictures don’t look different at all! One face is just less shiny than the other, which can be done with MAKE-UP. I wish they’d share what they REALLY used on their skin…because it surely isn’t this CRAP.

    Comment by Ali on July 26, 2011 at 5:27 pm

  • These bitches are so Sexy
    i wish they would walk barefioot on my flat hairy butt cheeks

    Comment by Duncan on November 9, 2015 at 6:55 pm