Crème de la Mer lip balm and holiday ’09 gifts

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Ok, we’ll admit it-we’ve got a thing for Crème de la Mer. But I doubt anyone who’s tried the line doesn’t…

All the holiday gift talk we’ve been doing lately got me thinking, what are my dream gifts? The gifts that if money were no object, I would happily write upon my list. Preceded only by a Louis Vuitton Mahina and Fendi Armadillo Boots would be one of the new la Mer holiday collections.

photo: we heart this

As expected, the collections are awe-worthy; their legendary and fabulous skin care treatments packaged in limited edition keepsake boxes. My personal favorite? The Connoisseur Collection. The lucky recipient of this will get the original Crème de la Mer (full size, 2 oz), their incredible Eye Concentrate (full size, .5 oz) and Lifting Face Serum (just less than half of full size, .3 oz). It’s pricey at $395, but a virtual steal compared to the other two items on my list!

Dream lists aside, I personally can’t afford this collection. Sadly, I don’t think too many people buying for me this year can either. If you can afford this; bless you, you should buy it, you lucky person! (And are you by any chance interested in adopting a blogger in her late 30’s?)

Want to give a gift of la Mer that you can afford? The Lip Balm is the answer. This InStyle “Best of Beauty” award-winning balm is everything you’d expect from la Mer. Get a potent concentration of the same Miracle Broth that is in their much pricier skin treatments, plus marine extracts, botanicals and vitamins for a mere $45! Now, I know $45 for a lip balm might seem like a lot. It is, but let me just tell you about this lip balm, which is hands down, the best lip balm I ever tried…

Here’s the low down:
The formula – My lips felt instantly moisturized, dry skin banished. And not a surface fix either. Even after it wore off, my lips still felt smoother.
The texture – They call it an emulsion, and that feels accurate. You can feel it on your lips, like some kind of cushiony, lush veil.
The scent – To me, this smells like peppermint hot chocolate. It’s absolutely delicious! But not too sweet or overpowering.
The packaging – It’s in a wide, yet shallow pot, 1.75″ wide by only .5″ high. What does this mean? Well, germ-a-phobes won’t be happy because fingers are involved. Me personally, I don’t mind it. And because the pot is shallow, you’re not digging into it, all the product is right on the surface.

The final verdict? I absolutely love this and I think anyone would. I also think it’s a fabulous way to give someone a taste of the high life with a price tag that won’t break the bank. Can you imagine her face when she sees that la Mer box? And I can tell you, every time I pull this out of my purse and apply it, I feel pretty fancy. And isn’t that what you want a gift to do?

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also contains an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.