Ok, ladies - so we all know this is one of the most expensive line of skincare available.  And we probably know the legend too - NASA scientist got burned, came up with creme de la mer after years of testing to get rid of his scars and improve his skin - it is chock full of sea minerals, anti-oxidents, and magnetically charged particles (?!).  Anyway, Estee Lauder bought the "super secret" recipe when the NASA guy died.  Their scientists had trouble replicating it to get the same amount of active ingredients- then  - after realizing you could only collect the kelp two times a year when the minerals were highest, and that you had to fermet it for months on end with weird sonic chemistry, they finally got it right.(Time.com has a GREAT article on this by the way -go to their site and search for La Mer to see it) This is the line that oprah loves, linda liu loves, uma thurman loves, supermodels swear by it, etc. etc. Well - they can all probably afford it too.  Having the budget of a mere mortal but still addicted to great skincare - I bought a slew of sample sized products on ebay before taking the big plunge.  I have been using them now for almost a month and here is the lowdown . . .

La Mer nettoyant (cleansing gel):  
This stuff is great - feels good on, just the right amount of foam, takes off all makeup without leaving skin tight or a greasy residue. Problem is - this is also EXACTLY the same feel and effect as Origin's mint wash.  It smells a little better than mint wash - but basically, this is mint wash - at 4x the price ($65 vs. $15).  Get thee to an Origins counter instead.

La Mer eyebalm:
 This stuff, on the other hand - is the real deal.  I have tried ALOT of eye creams, this one is easily the best of them.  It is on Harper's "Best 100 products of the year" and I can completely see why.  I have used it for almost a month - my sample tube actually lasted that long (a little goes a loooong way) and guess what?  Those fine lines I had?  GONE. Completely.  This stuff is amazing! (they say it has 3x the potency of the original creme de la mer - whatever it has - it works!)  Yes, it is incredibly expensive - but the way I see it, why repeatedly pay a lesser amount of money for stuff that DOESN'T work? (the cost of all the creams I have languishing in my 'tried and failed'  drawer easily add up to the cost of La Mer - over $100 but worth it).

Creme de la mer
This is the stuff that started it all.  You have to break it down between your fingers and warm it before it will spread on your face (it is that thick).  I can't judge this one.  I have normal/oily skin and this stuff was just way too thick and rich for me.  Maybe someone who had dry skin would love it, but  for me - it was just too rich.  I ended up using it as the world's most expensive lip balm - quite nice for that, but at $85/oz.. don't think my (admittedly silky smooth after using it overnight) lips are worth it.  :)  BUT - like I said, I don't have dry skin - maybe its good for that.

Serum de la mer
This is the pale green stuff that apparantly gives the cream and lotion its kick.  WOW!  Let me say that again. WOW!  You wipe about 6 drops of this stuff all over your face - it absorbs instantly.  After a month of using this every day - my normally big-pored and oily blotchy skin is even-toned, glowing, and my pores (I know this is impossible, but at least visually it appears to be true) seem much smaller.  My skin is also velvet soft - like a babies.  It seems to even out the oil production so that its just right - not oily, not dry.  And - it never made me break out.  I LOVE this stuff.  This and the eyebalm are amazing. Warning - this is also $175 - OUCH! But given you only use 6 drops a day, it'll last basically forever.

La Mer oil controlling tonic
Much ado about nothing.  Its like an alcohol free astringent, it feels nice and smells good.  Once again though - it reminded me of an Origin's product (you know, Estee Lauder does own both lines).  This is a LOT like Origin's fine tuning tonic.  I'm not a big fan of that one either, to tell you the truth.

La Mer body lotion
Ok if you really really care about having great skin on places besides your facce - this product is for you.  It definitely does all the same things as La Mer for the face, just on your body.  It does make you velvet soft, and evens out skin tone.  Oprah has it on her 'favorites' list.   On the other hand - it is REALLY expensive.  I don't know of a substitute or knock-off for this - I just can't justify spending so much money on my body skin.  Then again - this is lighter than the creme, and I don't know why you
couldn't use it on your face if the creme was too much for you. Hmmmm. . .