JET-SET BEAUTY | La Mer The Concentrate

CREME DE LA MER, the equally lauded and vilified anti-ageing brand of choice among beauty slaves of a certain age and socioeconomic bracket, did not register on my personal beauty radar until early 2010. Yes, yes, I was aware of noise and ado about it all, whether it was worth the stratospheric asking price, whether it worked, blah, blah, blah. I was just not all that interested. That was until I tried The Concentrate and now, dear ladies, I sheepishly admit to you that I am hooked. Yes, that's right. Hooked. 

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LUST-HAVE | Ziana

YOU PROBABLY don't need this but you'll certainly lust after it. The double whammy of acne and ageing that I (and over 50% of other women) am facing almost demands I buy Ziana. Almost.

This stuff is almost immoral it's priced so high (several hundred $ a tube). I can't rationalise buying it. When I'm in the states I – of course – have American health insurance, which does not actually do all that much for me (maybe after I pay my $5,000 deductible it does something?), including pay for prescriptions.

So even with the discount card the Dermatologist gave me, I can't buy it (surprise! – my insurance only covers 30g tubes and the offer is only for 60g tubes. Did you really think they'd let me have it for $20 instead of the $187 (that's with my coverage) they're asking?).

Some might grumble that, well, insurance shouldn't pay for cosmetic prescriptions anyway. BUT this stuff is pretty unique in that it's for acne (a REAL medical condition. Wait until you have it and then see who's sniggering) AND helps with fine lines at the same time. The combo of Tretinoin (a Vitamin A derivative (or topical Retinoid)) and Clindamycin Phosphate (anti-bacterial) simultaneously nips acne and ageing in the bud.

One work around? Get an OTC with Clindamycin Phosphate and apply it nightly with some sort of generic (or medical-grade like Skinceuticals) Vitamin A cream/gel (of at least .01% concentration. Ziana is .025%).

In the meantime, I'll be calling the Dermo and get myself a satchel full of samples (take that Medicis).

An un-conventional lust-have but emotions (especially about material things) rarely are (nor are they always rational).

EYE FOR DESIGN | Six skincare at Marionnaud

There are few, if any words, I can add to the bit that The Die Line wrote on Six, this new range of skincare being launched at Marionnaud chemist in France. One of the commenters does point out that there was a similar egg-like design with L'eggs pantyhose (I do remember these), but I don't think it's a co-opt of the design, epsecially after reading why they chose such a shape (to '[symbolize] the cell, rebirth and perfection') to encapsulate a range of skincare products. 

The Die Line says "The concept of this new french line of cosmetic products is based on the idea that beauty has six vital needs: Quench, Nourish, Breathe, Laugh, Dream and Love, so for each need there is a product: a moisturizing cream to Quench, an oxygenating gel to Breathe, a serum eyes and lips to Laugh and so on..."

This is in the same vein as some other amazingly innovative beauty products that have been launched in the last twelve months, completely re-inventing the idea of how we see and use our daily products. Ellis Faas, Fred Farrugia, Le Metier de Beaute are brands of the same innovative ilk.

We hope to see more of this imaginative and out-of-the-box thinking in beauty.

See a gallery of the six adverts for Six skincare.