Does it live up to its title of being ‘The World’s Best Moisturizer’?

Let me start by saying I’m a sucker for a good story. And so, when I heard about how Crème de la Mer was invented, I was sold.

The story goes that it was invented by NASA aerospace scientist Dr Max Huber, who was very badly burnt in an experiment that exploded in his face. He tried many different medicines and products to heal and repair his burns but nothing helped. He decided to help himself and spent 12 years formulating a cream that could rid him of his scars. Crème de la Mer is that cream.

The only thing holding me back from sprinting to the department store was the insane price tag. Really? That much? What’s in it? Gold?!! Nope, just rocket science 😉

Anyways, temptation was strong. I went to the counter and ‘tried’ the Soft Cream (the Original seemed way too thick for my greasy skin). It felt good. A bit too perfumey for my liking, but I could live with that. Hmm…should I get it? The devil was sitting on my shoulder making quite the case. But I just couldn’t get myself to spend so much on it. So I fled.

A few months later, I found myself lingering at the Duty Free counter before boarding a flight. My darling husband bought it for me (I think it was to shut me up, but who cares?). It was finally in my hands. I owned it.

Now there’s a specific way to apply this rich, luxurious cream. You have to warm a small amount between your fingertips to activate its key ingredients, and then pat it on your skin to experience its magical benefits. I patted it on and went to sleep, eagerly waiting for the morning. And the results were (trumpet blowing)… okay. Just okay. Nothing great. I felt let down.

But I was not to be dissuaded. I tried it again and again and again. Same result. No major glow. No wow tightening effect. No overnight skin transformation. Disappointed, I gave it to my husband to use. After all, he burned a hole in his pocket for this cult-favourite that wasn’t working its magic on me.

Then we made a trip to Boston in December. It was freezing (understatement!). I was layering my clothes and my face to beat the winter chill. Essence followed by serum followed by face oil followed by moisturizer followed by sunscreen – now I was ready! My hubby just used La Mer and sunscreen (idiot!)

But when we returned to our hotel room that night, he said, “You know, normally my skin gets crazy dry in winter but this time, it’s as if winter hasn’t touched my skin”. My jaw dropped. He was right. His skin looked pretty darn good!

After that, I was back to using (sharing) it. And it was great! My skin felt soft, smooth, had a glow. What the heck was going on?
On returning home, I continued to use it. The results were far less dramatic than they were in cold Boston. Also, my skin is in pretty good shape to begin with (please don’t hate me), so maybe there wasn’t that much room for improvement.

MY VERDICT: It’s a great product if you have dry skin or live in a cold country. But if you don’t, you can skip it. By the way, my husband just bought himself another jar. What can I say? He’s hooked!

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DELARA has spent over 10 years making beauty commercials for many renowned beauty brands (while gleefully trying out all those awesome products on herself). When she is not busy punching the keyboard, she is either in front of a mirror, lounging by the pool or changing her baby’s dirty diapers – all while chugging down cups and cups of Earl Grey tea.