Creme de la Mer, Revisited

I use Creme de la Mer. Yes, it costs $130 per ounce, but it's worth it. I initially tried it because I was looking for a great new moisturizer to achieve that "dewy" complexion, and was told by friends and family that after using this product I would never look back.

After using La Mer for a few months, I was in love. It did in fact give me that dewy glow I was looking for, and completely changed my skin for the better. I received more compliments on my skin (I'm talking serious compliments: "you're skin is flawless", "you have perfect skin") than I had ever received in my entire life. Ok, mission accomplished. My skin looked great, making this product well worth the price tag.

Then, I read somewhere that a very inexpensive product from the UK was proven (based on years of independent research) to reduce the amount of lines and improve the overall appearance of your skin. The company is called Boots, and the product is The No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum. It is sold at, wait for it....Target. The entire one ounce bottle retails for just under $20. It had become so popular in the UK that it was actually sold out for months. How could I not at least make an attempt to switch to this very popular and very inexpensive moisturizer?

Could this be? Is there a product out there that might be better (gasp) than my beloved Creme de la Mer, and it costs pennies? Well, not pennies, but relatively speaking......

The answer is....NO. And thank the good Lord because I had already fallen in love. To be clear, I used the Boots No. 7 Protect and Perfect Intense Beauty Serum for about two months, and did not see the same results that I saw with La Mer. It did nothing to improve my overall complexion. For the record, I really have no "lines" that need erasing, so maybe an older woman would have been a better judge. This product is very popular for a reason, so if you're in the market for a new moisturizer, go ahead and try it. I will stick with what works for me.

To all of you that have put yourselves through the same experiment because you felt silly or guilty for using a moisturizer that costs more per ounce than caviar, fear not my friends. There are simply no comparable options out there for us, and there is nothing more important than our skin. That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

L'Oréal USA Doesn't Care About My Eyelashes

The Shu Uemura eyelash curler. For a mere $19, you can go from regular girl to Bambi. It is considered an icon in the cosmetics industry, widely regarded as the only eyelash curler that can achieve the perfect curl.

Going forward, its going to take a bit more than $19 to achieve that curl. L'Oréal USA, which took a 20 percent stake in the company in 2000, has decided to pull the luxury brand's product from US shelves. Carol Hamilton, president of L'Oréal USA's Luxury Division explained: "We love the brand, but it is a very small part of our portfolio." "It's a simple decision after a very complex analysis: we have a very large portfolio, and we want to focus on growing the brands which have a larger presence in the U.S. market."

There is a bit of good news. The products will continue to be available via the brand's website, http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/. Nevertheless, I might have to hit Sephora tomorrow to stock up. You never know.