Ok.......to set the record striaght from the start, I am a guy!!! However, I still have skin and just like all you ladies out there, I would like to stay young and healthy looking.

I will tell all about creme de la mer, but first I would like to explain to you all how I arrived there.

Actually my obcession started when I was much younger and had spots. Like many teenagers, Clearasil was my first line of choice. At the age of 17, someone kindly informed me that most spots are caused by bacteria transferred from fingers to the skin on your face. So, I stopped touching my face after that except to wash it, and Voila, slightly clearer skin.

At the age of 23, I was no longer getting the spots all over my face like I used to but just in the T-zone area, mainly on my forhead. Clearasil, was obviously useless and so I opted to indulge in Clinque, based on hype and all. I bought thier 3-step products for oily skin. Not only did I continue to get spots but now my skin had dry patches and looked awful.

Next I went to the Clarins counter and after some explanation was convinced to buy the night serum and the daily oil free moisturiser from thier oily skin range.

Three months later(when bottles ran out), not a spot in site. In addition, my skin looked positively clearer and healthier. I went and bought the same stuff again but found that my skin no longer needed them and therfore I gave them to my sister but continued buying Clarins products because they obviously worked.

I am a doctor. Everyone knows there is nothing to age the skin better, after a lot of sun, than lack of sleep and erratic sleeping pattern. So after a while, the Clarins seemed to loose its Magic. I was getting dark circles under my eyes and lines on my forhead (common side effect from frowning so much when working in the NHS!!!)as well as the fact that I was nearing 30-Arrrgh!!

I have always been intrigued by La Prairi and so bought t
he eye cream, eye gel and moisturiser(ended up in overdraft!!). I noticed a little improvement at first but that soon went away. i thought maybe if I use it a little longer and when I ran out I bought somemore but NO! Not a thing...someone please explain to me what all the fuss is about with La Prairi products.

I have read some articles about Creme de la Mer and one particular consumer article gave it 10 out of 10!!! Apparently Britney, bless her, uses it as well. So, the Hype-victim that I am, I thought might as well give it a try. Could not find it anywhere. Eventually was told that it is sold at John Lewis and Harrods only in London. I roughly knew it was about £75.

In John Lewis, I spoke to the nice lady behind the counter. She explained that it comes as a cream or a lotion. The cream is in a jar and is £75. I tried it. It was quite thick and having normal skin, I could not for the life of me see how it would absorb. The lotion comes in a little pump and is quite light and fresh. It has a very mild smell. The way to use it, I was informed, is two pumps of the stuff, warm between the fingers to release the ingredients(yeah right!!), and then press into the skin of the face and the neck. Later, on your face, the creame forms two seperate layers, which I think is quite true. She also said that it should last for 3 months. The catch was the price. Are you sitting comfortably? £115. No not a typo, I'll write it in case you think you misread- one hundered and fifteen pounds (sterling!!!). The good side is, that you can use it morning and night and under your eyes as well. Therefore, you don't need to buy anything else. So in a way, if you normally bought night and day moisturiseres and eye creams at £30 a pop, you would have spent even more. Having just finished some major exams, I thought a treat, gave the nice lady my visa card and left clutching the tiny John lewis bag.

The packaging I thought was rathe
r tacky. Hell, for that price you think they could have forked out a little more on designe and better plastic. The leaflet basicly repeated what the woman told me. All else it said was your bog standard stuff about what a miracle the cream really is.

I must say, that after only a few days of use, the dark circles under my eyes have disappeared, the lines on my forhead have disentegrated into nothing. I had quite large pores on my nose. These have shrunk and are no longer visible. I had a few lines by my eyes, and they are almost gone now. Also, my skin is smooth to the touch and visibly younger. I have had so many remarks about how I looked so much younger recently, my secret unrevealed.

I have been using it for about 4 months and it is still not finished. I went and bought another one however, just in case I ran out, again on my visa!

I have read a couple of reviews about the cream in here but not about the lotion, so I hope this is of help. I can see the cream did not recieve as much rave butt it is rather heavy and I remember the lady saying that you need the smallest amount.

One last thing. I read a review yesterday, elswhere, from a lady who raved about it and said that she applies it virtually everywhere, even on her corns, which aparrently drop off and disappear a day later. Now I don't know about you, but I savour mine. Silly cow must be rolling in it!

Finally, as this is my first opinion, would you guys kindly tell me what you think. Because Im a shopaholic and would like to share my views with the rest of the world...I wanna know if you are happy with my method of contribution. Thanx.