|| 15 March 2018

Kat: Crème de la Mer

Our Chic & Clim Special Correspondent Kat comments on her experince using Crème de la Mer products. Makes other recommendations.

I have just returned from Normandy and seeing you are dealing with skincare in your new book, and mention Crème de la Mer in your penultimate Nouvelle, thought you might appreciate input from someone who has actually used that skincare range. Here goes:

1. First and foremost, you use what you can afford. For years, I had to make do with cheap and cheerful, often stuff from my local health food shop. I was young, moisturiser and sunscreen were all I needed. When I hit my 30’s, and had a bit more spending power, I hit the Clarins counter. Good, mid priced range, lovely bath stuff!  It carried me into my 40’s and 50’s.

2. When I hit 60, I had to rethink. Seriously. Rethink everything, clothes, hair, exercise, skincare. I tried this and that, nothing made very much difference, so I thought, what the hell, and tried Crème de la Mer. Guess what? It didn’t make very much difference either!

OK, it is a lovely product, feels great, but for that price it should take off 20 years!

The range includes a great oil-based cleanser which is best used with warm water and a washcloth and takes off everything including mascara (my daughter loves it, and thinks it worth the price) and also THE BEST factor 50 facial sunscreen which, unlike most, works beautifully under foundation, and a factor 30 body sunscreen which feels beautiful on the skin (most sunscreens feel horrid, which puts one off using any!) it is fantastic to use in town (on the beach, high factor Neutrogena or La Roche-Posay and lots of it, is the way to go!). But the actual Crème de la Mer? Certain Age women can do better for much less. Which is . . .

3. Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream and matching eye cream. I was skeptical, given the hype surrounding this one, but it works. Fine lines around eyes have disappeared . Not cheap, but less than half the price of Crème. Don’t like the night cream (too gooey). And it may not suit everybody. Allergies happen. Any cream can cause a reaction. Most companies give free samples.

AnneNote: Previously Kat had kindly, and at some expense (international postage being what it is), sent me samples of Charlotte Tilbury’s night cream and eye cream to try. I had saved them to try immediately before writing about them. So I have been using them these past few days. I will write about my experience with Charlotte Tilbury in the Sunday Nouvelles.

Merci to our Chic & Slim Special Correspondent Kat for her comments on skincare. Her effort to share this information with us is especially appreciated since she did so even though she has recently suffered a great sadness in the loss of her beloved and aged cat. We who have lost beloved pets know how difficult this can be.

Related: article about La Crème de la Mer on Elle

be chic, stay slim — Anne Barone

Image : Jar Crème de la Mer