So, you've got cellulite. Who doesn't? Even if you're thin and totally fit, it's entirely possible to have a bit of orange peel skin on your booty and thighs, especially as you age. And it's not easy to get rid of, that's for sure.

But, short of lipo, what's a girl to do if she wants to ditch the cottage cheese butt? Can any of the products out there actually get rid of cellulite, or are they essentially just pricey lotions?

I had a chance to try out Elemis Body Sculpting Lip-Refining Serum and Elemis Body Sculpting Firming Cream, which are designed to work together to reduce cellulite. In fact, Elemis boasts that, in 2006, independent clinical trials showed that 96 percent of women experienced positive slimming results, and 92 percent of women found that the appearance of "orange peel" skin was reduced by up to six percent. And while that's all fine and good, what I really wanted to know was whether or not it would work for me!

Before I got started, I reached out to Dr. Leslie Baumann (who is both a professor and the Director of Cosmetic Dermatology at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami) to find out what I could rightfully expect from the Elemis products.

She said, "The first one (Body Sculpting Lipo-Refining Serum) has Theophylline which has been shown to dehydrate fat cells and give temporary (24 hours) improvement of cellulite but no permanent effects. The second one does not have it -- at least I did not see that it did. The other ingredients mentioned don't have any good data to back them up. Massage is the best treatment for cellulite."

The products had very specific instructions. Apply the serum, then the lotion. After that, pinch the skin, then pat it using a cupped hand, finishing with a closed fist massage. It's a process, I'll tell you, and it was to be repeated morning and night. I won't lie -- it didn't always happen, but most days, I used the products and did the Elemis Body Sculpting Self Massage Treatment at least once a day.

And it worked.

I didn't start with a ton of cellulite, but my butt and thighs had definitely seen smoother days. After four weeks of using the Elemis Body Sculpting Lip-Refining Serum and Elemis Body Sculpting Firming Cream, there's a definite difference. The lumpy areas aren't completely gone, but my thighs are smoother than they were (I took pictures for my own reference, and while I'm not going to share them here, I can promise you that I could tell the difference).

I didn't notice as much difference in the butt cheeks, where there was definitely more cellulite to start with (most noticable when the cheeks are clenched -- ladies, you know what I'm talking about), which made me wonder how effective it would be on major cellulite. But, then again, had I actually followed the instructions perfectly, maybe my booty would've been smooth, too.

The Elemis Body Sculpting Lip-Refining Serum and Elemis Body Sculpting Firming Cream are $75 a piece -- far cheaper than lipo, for sure, but still not exactly a drop in the bucket. If you're serious about diminishing your cellulite for summer, I think it would be a good place to start, but there's one other thing you might want to try.

Dr. Baumann said that the act of rubbing these products into the skin probably helped, so massaging a good quality lotion isn't going to hurt you one bit. But also, she suggested yoga, because "the deep breathing helps increase lymph flow."

Have you ever tried a cellulite treatment? Did you notice a difference? Tell us about it in the comments!