I’ve been reviewing La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream quite a lot lately. Well, when an anti-aging cream sells for up to $900 USD/$1125 CDN a jar … it’s worth talking about.

Another reason that compelled me to talk about La Prairie Caviar Skin Luxe Cream is the fact that Angelina Jolie (aka the sexiest actress alive (according to numerous publications) and Mrs. Brad Pitt) is a devotee of not only the cream, but she also likes to indulge in a £200-a-time treatment (a little shy of $450 US) extracted from the eggs of Baerii sturgeon.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream has taken anti-aging skincare to new heights by launching a new limited edition blinged-up version (aka jewelled to the max) that includes a little jar case that is covered with about 2400 Swarovski Crystals!

Now, you might have to break your beauty-piggy-bank to get your hands on this deluxe anti-aging cream because the Swiss skincare creators of La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream are retailing their jewelled cream for $2,000 USD/$2250 CDN (this is just for the Swarovski Crystals case and does NOT include the cream which you still have to buy separately)!

Don’t worry, La Prairie wanted to make sure that each client who forks out the money for their cream is assured they are getting the real thing and that’s why they are including a certificate of authenticity (for the Swarovski Crystals) for each deluxe jar AND each jar is individually numbered.

So will I be running to my nearest La Prairie retailer with my credit card on fire begging to buy that $2,000 USD/$2250 CDN Swarovski edition? Not likely. At this point, this deluxe anti-aging cream is not part of my “caviar wishes and Champagne dreams” budget. That said, I did do a little digging at my nearest La Prairie retailer and did find out that the case had been sold out, but they’d gladly place an order for me.

If any of my readers does buy one of these La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe creams, please do drop us a line!

Just in case you were wondering what the big difference is between the two types of skin care products, in general, serums are more potent and concentrated than creams.

If money is not an object or a deterrent in your beauty choices and purchases, this list will surely fit the bill. You’ll find these products at higher-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman and Holt Renfrew. Guerlain products can also be purchased at their namesake spas. For the most parts, these serums range from $150-$675:
Guerlain Orchidée Impériale Fluid: We’ve reviewed this product. This is another serum that comes at a high price $305 CDN/$250 USD, but that is flying out the Guerlain door. Clients cannot get enough of this fluid and we’ve highlighted the reason why this product was sold at such a high price.

Dior L’Or de Vie L’Extrait: This serum has been one of Dior’s most popular and talked-about products since it was launched earlier this year. Dior counters around the world can barely keep the product in stock although it retails for over $420 CDN/$350 USD.

Sisley’s Sisleÿa Elixir: This is not a simple serum in a bottle. The Sisleÿa Elixir is a 30-day skin renewal program that you should follow twice a year to repair damage to your skin and fight off environmental stress. The weekly vial kit will cost you $499 CDN/$410 USD.

Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lifting Serum: This luxurious serum is a concoction of three anti-aging proteins that are said to tighten, tone and repair collagen lost over time for a mere $275 CDN/$200 USD.

La Mer ‘Lifting Face Serum’ & La Mer ‘Lifting Intensifier’ combo: The key ingredient in this combo is the blue algae lift ferment which lifts the skin’s appearance. The combo retails for $390 CDN/$315 USD.

La Mer ‘The Concentrate’ serum: This serum is one of the most popular skin-care repair products for women who have undergone cosmetic surgery and cosmetic rejuvenation. That said, you don’t need to have gone under the knife or had a little work done to take advantage of the hydrating properties of this serum which retails for $450 CDN/$350 USD.

Cellcosmet UltraCell Intensive 12-day vial cellular treatment: This intensive serum contains a high concentration of active stabilized bio-integral cells to rejuvenate stressed skin. The 12-day treatment retails for $410 CDN/$370 USD.

Darphin Stimulus Plus Intensive Face Lifting Complex serum: This serum is formulated with anti-oxidants and repairing ingredients such as vitamin E, horsetail, vegetal filatov extract, rose, ginseng, hyaluronic acid and collagen to repair tired looking skin. It retails for $520 CDN/$350 USD.

Darphin Prédermine Serum: Ingredients like isoflavones, rose extract and horsetail are used to restructure the skin and re-tighten collagen. The series of 10 x 3 ml vials retails for $490 CDN/$310 USD.

Yves Saint Laurent Temps Majeur Serum: This serum from the prestigious house of Yves Saint Laurent is as popular in Europe as it is in North America. Temps Majeur’s main focus is to strengthen the skin all the while fighting against wrinkles and external free-radical damage. Although extremely rich, the line is non-greasy and will work well for dry, mature and sensitive skins. Yves Saint Laurent Temps Majeur Serum retails for $402 CDN/$300 USD.

Chanel Concentré Nº 1 Skin Recovery Concentrate: Coco Chanel was the one who famously declared that: “Nature gives you the face you have at 20; it is up to you to merit the face you have at 50!” Perhaps, this might be the philosophy behind Chanel’s Concentré Nº 1 Skin Recovery Concentrate. This 28-day treatment will reduce the appearance of wrinkles and restore skin to its optimal state. You can purchase 14 ampoules x 2ml of the Chanel Concentré Nº 1 Skin Recovery Concentrate for $345CND/$275US.

La Prairie Pure Gold Serum: You only get 30ml/1oz of this serum so you need to use it wisely. La Prairie Pure Gold Serum contains a micro-emulsion of 24K gold micro-particles that is said to lift, firm, resurface and brighten the skin. The bottle contains just 30 ml/1 oz, so it shouldn’t take much to see results. Price: $675CDN/$525USD.

***Best Beauty Gifts***
It might seem surreal for some people to spend $100 on one single jar of anti-aging cream or serum, but for some people $100 is a real bargain. Others wouldn’t even consider putting anything on their face that wasn’t way north of $500.

If you fall in the first two categories, you might have to brace yourself because I’m so about to burst your beauty bubble.

I’ve recently talked about the limited edition of La Prairie’s 150 ml/5 oz jars of Skin Caviar Luxe Cream that retailed for about $900 USD. If that was shocking or unbelievable to you, your jaw is about to drop open.

Now, it’s true that most of these products are purchased by celebrities and very wealthy women, but it’s still fun to look at how the other half lives.

Three of the most expensive skin care products on the market:
1. Kate Somerville’s $2,500 miracle cream: No doubt this is a Hollywood celebrity favourite. Kate Somerville’s Melrose skin care clinic is a like a revolving door for women lining up to buy what has been called “Kate’s glow in a jar”. Since Ms. Somerville realized that the masses (aka the rest of us) might never be able to afford her über high priced anti-wrinkle cream, she’s come up with a more affordable version via her “Kate in a Jar” brand. So do what the celebs do (well, almost) and get your hands on Kate’s cream for a mere $85 for the 1.7 oz/50 ml jar!

2. La Mer Essence 21-day treatment (made from sea algae, narcissus bulbs and rosemary) which retails at $2,100. It’s said that cast members from both ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2006 hit movie starring Meryl Streep)’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’ are all hooked on this La Mer cream.

3. ReVive by Dr. Gregory Brown: This is a combination treatment where you use one vial a week of the Peau Magnifique (magnificent skin) Serum — which retails for $1,500/bottle (for a 28-day enzyme treatment) and then switch to their Intensité (intensive) Volumizing Serum which retails for $600.

Most ReVive products are already quite expensive, but their new Peau Magnifique takes skin care decadence to a whole new stratosphere. The four-week system promises an increased glow, reduction of redness and firmer skin with less wrinkles. It contains something called “telomerase” which apparently activates dormant adult stem cells and supposedly repairs DNA fragmentation (I’m still not sure what that means in plain English). Notorious beauty seekers like Madonna, Naomi Campbell and Drea de Matteo (who plays the character of Adriana La Cerva on the HBO TV hit series The Sopranos) swear by Dr. Gregory Brown’s ReVive line.

How much are you willing to spend on an anti-aging cream or serum? Would you say $50, $100, $200 or $500?

How about US$900/C$1125?

Everything about this Swiss skin care brand screams luxury … even their prices.

La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream has been a favourite among many women since it was first introduced two decades ago. It’s never been a low-price product. La Prairie’s Skin Caviar Luxe Cream is normally available in 50 ml/1.7 oz (US$350/C$450) and 100 ml/3.4 oz (US$650/this size is not available in Canada).

To kick off the ultimate indulgence season, La Prairie has recently introduced a luxury size at a super luxurious price — 150 ml/5 oz jars of Skin Caviar Luxe Cream for $900 USD/$1125 CDN (a limited edition).

It’s safe to say that caviar doesn’t come cheap … even when it comes in the form of skin care.
Just in case you thought the “caviar” part was another marketing ploy, you’ll be happy to know that each jar of La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream contains generous levels of concentrated caviar extracts that have been bioengineered to firm and lift dull skin. This intensive cream will also help stimulate collagen production, while alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) found in the formula will smooth and retexturize the surface of the skin.

The luxurious size is only here for a season, so if La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Cream is your anti-aging secret and you are a hardcore addict of the skin care line, you might want to stock up!

Did you know that some orchids live up to 100 years? I’ll be honest, I didn’t know that either.

This seemingly delicate flower can withstand very harsh environmental conditions and still continue to “look pretty”. In the flower kingdom, only orchids have this property of longevity, growth and beauty. That’s exactly why the orchid is the symbol of eternal youth.

Guerlain figured that out. They also figured out a way of taking advantage of that flower’s longevity in their new anti-aging line. Leave it to the French to come up with something this ingenious!

Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale is a line that took seven years of research. The Guerlain research team looked at over 30,000 different types of orchids and only four types made the cut. That’s right, only four orchid varieties out of 30,000 were up to Guerlain’s standards.
Guerlain’s deluxe skincare line uses extracts from the roots of orchids to create a line that is specifically design to replenish the skin and give it back its youthful appearance.

There are three key products in the Orchidée Impériale line:

* Orchidée Impériale cream: this highly concentrated cream is ideal for more mature skin and dry skin.

* Orchidée Impériale fluide/serum: this concentrated fluid is ideal for oily and combination skin.

* Orchidée Impériale eye gel: this gel replenishes the delicate skin around the eyes.

You can purchase the Orchidée Impériale at Guerlain’s Institutes in Canada.

In America, you’ll find this line at spas that offer signature Guerlain treatments.

You’ll also find the Orchidée Impériale line at high-end department stores in North America that carry the Guerlain makeup and skincare lines.

If you are not familiar with the Sisley Cosmetic Laboratories line of anti-aging and skin care products, then you might not fully understand why women are dishing out so much money for their gels, creams and serums.

A beauty and skincare Mecca like France produces what seems to be a zillion different beauty products every year, but the quality of a skin care product is very much determined by the concentration of active ingredients…and this comes at a price.

So what makes a product like Global Anti-Age so expensive?

Like every product under the luxury Sisley Cosmetic Laboratories brand, the Global Anti-Age cream is created with a carefully selected assortment of plant extracts and botanical aromatic essential oils. The plants and oils are very rich in active properties that are in harmony with the skin.

The Sisleÿa Global Anti-Age cream launched in Paris in 1999 and it’s been a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic since day one. In 2004, Sisley launched Sisleÿa Global Anti-Age Extra Rich for dry and mature skin.
Tammy, who is a product educator for Sisley, explained that the Sisleÿa Global Anti-Age Extra Rich contains super-regenerating apple seeds extracts, Retinol, Vitamin F, Zinc essential oil of lavender, shiitake extract, phyto-stimulines and much-much more.

The key booster here is the phyto-stimulines, which in combination with the other ingredients, can improve fine lines and wrinkles and help them appear smoothed and minimized. According to Sisley the Sisleÿa Global Anti-Age Extra Rich can show up to 24% improvement in one month!

The Sisleÿa Global Anti-Age Extra Rich is truly a powerful quench that will intensely moisturize very dry skin while improving resilience and texture of your skin. This cream is ideal for over-forty complexions.

If you like to keep your beauty regime super-simple, you’ll be happy to know that you can use the Sisleÿa Global Anti-Age Extra Rich as a daytime moisturizer or a night time treatment.

In America, Sisley Laboratories is sold via Sisley Cosmetic USA Inc (914-251-0032). Contact them directly to find out where you can buy the Sisley products. In Canada, you can find Sisley cosmetics at Holt Renfrew stores.

The 50ml/1.6 oz. jar will cost your $365US/$440CDN. If you are visiting Paris or any city in France, you might consider stocking up because the same jar will only cost you 107€ (Euros), which is much cheaper … even when you’ve included the conversion.

L’Or de Vie is a fairly expensive line. Like most expensive lines it’s always reassuring to know that the product can deliver results. When you’re spending $420 on 15 ml/0.5oz of liquid, you want to ensure that each drop holds up to your expectations. Independent dermatologists have tested L’Or de Vie and have scientifically measured the change in the skin’s appearance. The following results are found in L’Or de Vie marketing brochure:

Fifty-six women tried both L’Extrait and La Crème (twice a day) for 30 days and 95 per cent of them found the quality of their skin enhanced.

In a clinical evaluation by a dermatologist on 30 women over a four-week period, 66 per cent found a reduction in wrinkles and fine lines, 43 per cent found an increase in skin firmness and 41 per cent found skin texture to be more refined. These 30 women also applied both L’Extrait and La Crème twice a day.

In another clinical evaluation of 32 women, over a four-week period, 62 per cent reported improvement in skin radiance. Again, these women applied both L’Extrait and La Crème twice a day.

Dior’s new “Golden Skincare” line (L’Or de Vie translates to gold of life) was launched earlier this year. The reaction was immediate: stores on both sides of the Atlantic could barely keep the product in stock. With L’Or de Vie, Dior has taken anti-aging skin care to royal standards. The line is a partnership with Château d’Yquem (creators of the most mythical wine in the world) to create a wine-inspired line of pure luxury.

Dubbed “a skin care miracle”, the secret behind this wonder skin care line resides in Dior’s well-guarded formula. L’Or de Vie is the result of the extraction and transformation of vital ingredients found in certain types of vines that have the power to regenerate and improve year after year. Dior has captured these regenerative properties and has packaged them into skin care technology.
L’Or de Vie rejuvenates, re-stimulates, re-hydrates the skin and protects skin against external free-radicals. You’ll feel the difference from the first application of the skin care duo.

L’Or de Vie can be part of your regime as early as in your 30s as a prevention and rejuvenation treatment. More mature skin types will see the benefits of L’Or de Vie for its ability to re-stimulate the cells.
L’Or de Vie is a two-part treatment – L’Extrait Serum is followed by La Crème (intensive cream). L’Extrait is a pure antioxidant concentrate that acts like a veil on the skin, providing it with radiance, suppleness and elasticity. La Crème is an intensive formula that combines the antioxidant power of L’Or de Vie with Dior’s age-defying know-how. Although La Crème is very intensive, it can also be used by combination skin types. When you purchase the product, a Dior cosmetician will show you the best way to apply the product on your skin depending on your skin type.

L’Or de Vie is one of the most potent antioxidants in a bottle on the retail market today.

In Paris, you’ll find L’Or de Vie at Paris’ beauty embassies.

In America, you’ll find L’Or de Vie at most luxury retail department stores in America

L’Extrait sells for $420 for the 15-ml/0.5 oz. bottle and La Crème retails for $380 for the 50-ml jar. You’ll find this golden line at Holt Renfrew stores across Canada.