I've been covering beauty events for almost a decade, and I've reached the point where I'm not easily fazed. Cyndi Lauper drops by a MAC event? No big deal. Acrobats dangle over my dinner table? I keep eating. (Disclaimer: I realize this isn't normal, and I feel incredibly lucky to call it work.)
This morning, however, I was listening to a presentation about the Kanebo Sensai Ultimate Collection, and I almost choked on my tea.
It wasn't the rare silk -- sourced from the Koishimaru silkworm cocoon -- in this skin care line that did it (although it
is slightly creepy), nor was it the five-step regimen with two cleansers and three hydration products. It was the $740 price tag on the Sensai Ultimate The Cream that stopped me mid-swallow.
After the Kanebo representative said it (and trust me, she said it quickly and moved on), I asked her how long the 1.4-ounce jar should last. (I figured if it lasts for a year, the cost is almost reasonable.) Sadly, her answer was 30 days. That's right,
30 days! So for roughly 25 dollars a day, you can slather yourself in silk, cherry blossom extract, rice bran oil, and iris.
While I've covered expensive face creams before (
and found out what makes them so spendy), this breaks the record in the cost-per-use category. That said, the cream is pretty fantastic: It comes in a hefty glass jar, and it's packaged in a beautiful box. Plus, you can dip into your $25-a-day moisturizer with the nifty little gold serving spoon that comes with it. (Maybe it's real gold?) And the hand I tested it on this morning is still silky to the touch hours later -- you can bet I'll be slathering the sample I received all over my face tonight.
So if you're in the mood to spend an entire paycheck (or dip into your trust fund), it's available at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. Just ask them for the priciest cream they've got.