do you need a gladiator-strength face cream?

Fresh Crème Ancienne is a $135/oz facial cream that was originally developed in the 2nd century to help heal gladiator wounds. Let’s see. I don’t have much disposable income.

I wasn’t stabbed by a sword, attacked by a tiger and I’m not experiencing chaffing from a metal vest.  Do I really need this cream?

I’ve heard good things about it and it’s the only skincare product, that has such a complex back-story that I’m surprised Hollywood hasn’t tried to turn it into a movie.

Besides being derived from the recipe for the world’s first emulsion-based cream and helping gladiators, it's presently produced by monks (in small batches, by hand) in a European monastery. 

Fresh says they did this because “monasteries have been the keepers and protectors of knowledge throughout history” and “without them, the original recipe for this balm would not exist today”.

This is like "The Da Vinci Code" of skincare products. 

Yes, I do think this is just a big marketing ploy, but damn it’s an entertaining one.

So, does this cream (sorry crème) live up to all the brouhaha?

I applied the crème at night. This stuff is the consistency of lip balm, not exactly a luxurious feeling (but I suppose gladiators didn’t care about that). When I woke up in the AM, my skin did look good.  It appeared to be more plump, nicely hydrated, smooth, and my complexion looked clear and milky. 

I applied it again the next morning. It was a cold, dry day. By the time I got back to my apartment, a couple of hours later, my skin felt dry and my makeup looked a bit flakey. 

This cream reminds me of BeeCeutical's Queen for a Day Cream (except I actually liked BeeCeutical's a lot better and it was a lot cheaper).

So if you have some disposable income and want a facial cream that works nicely, most of the time, and has all the elements of an exciting Dan Brown novel, you can get a free “deluxe” sample (and by "deluxe", they mean by Lilliputians standards) at a Fresh store, while they last.

From the looks of it, they don’t give the monks spatulas and they have to smear the crème in there with their fingers.

Comments

[amanda]

I hate it when cosmetic companies use the word "creme" instead of the word "cream". Yeah, I know that they're using French in the title, but it makes me think of Oreo's. I like Oreo's, but I don't want to slather them on my face.

[jenny]

Hey Amanda,
I know and Fresh has a recipe from Roman times, made in a Czech monastery with a French name. A little something for everyone:)
jenny

[paula q]

I recently switched to only using organic and natural face creams that contain real plants, fruits and/or juices. No more chemicals for me! Chemicals in skincare products will cause your skin to sag in the long run. That’s because those chemicals don’t belong there and impact your skins elasticity.

So far the only real good product I can recommend is the 3 Berry Face Serum, from the Made from Earth product line. I found them in a Whole Foods Store and tried out a bottle and I love it. Its thick enough to moisturize deeply, but my skin really just absorbs all of it once applied, so it doesn’t have that heavy feeling. There website is www.madefromearth.com. Definitely recommend it…the website says it contains real blueberries, raspberries and cranberries – I guess that makes the “3” in three berry serum….

[maria m]

hi everyone,

I would just like to recommend a site here to all readers which helped me make my decision for choosing the best anti-aging products for my face.

The site:
http://www.bestantiagingcreamreview.com/

It reviewed about 300 anti-aging creams independently and provides the results and recommendations for all the best anti-aging creams that had the best effect.

The good part is the split out categories, so you can find what you are looking for - like they rated the best anti-aging cleansers, best anti-aging moisturizers etc. .

i found them helpful - plus they are in partnership with AMAZON.com which is where i purchase all my skin care products because they are so reliable.

Good luck everyone!!

[beauty products philippines]

I must say that i agree to "amanda",i think its not good for some companies use the word "creme" instead of the word "cream".
vee