$1,000 cream?

La Prairie, the luxe skincare company that's made addicts of many a wrinkle-averse lady who lunches, has introduced its latest jar of alchemy-promising cream: Cellular Cream Platinum Rare, which retails for $1,000. The cream purportedly adjusts to heat and humidity to maintain perfect moisture levels and will fight aging harder than Muhammad Ali.

The brand is relying on word of mouth instead of traditional advertising to inspire purchase, a marketing ploy which may backfire among those who are loathe to disclose such an extravagance amidst the economic crisis.

Available at all the usual suspects (Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman's, Saks, Holt Renfrew) or at laprairie.com.