Leave it to Shu Uemura to have a gift with purchase that I actually wanted! I went to replenish my basic needs, the Fresh balancing cleansing oil for the summer and more brushes (never can have enough), and I was given a nice package of their Beta Glucan products–and big samples in real jars and bottles, not those tiny foil packages. I love the gel cream. It is made of depsea water for ultimate hydration and gives the skin a supple elasticity. The beta-glucan prevents aging, and you know what we always say: prevent to avoid plastic surgery ‘cuz there is no “reversing.” I am so into lightweight gels right now, and not only because it is summer, and I’m starting to sweat, but gels are much, much better for your skin. It absorbs better, so it penetrates your skin. The heavy creams sometimes just sit on top of your skin and clog everything up. Unfortunately, that means I have to give up La Mer, but my new aesthetician, who I listen to religiously, told me it was actually making my skin dehydrated. What? That thing is like a jar of heaven, I thought! Oh well, it’s not for me. This Shu Uemura gel cream has a creamy consistency, even though it is called a gel — I don’t want you to think that it’s clear and watery. It is still luxuriously creamy and smooths on the skin easily. I can feel my skin slurp it up, and I am left with skin that feels like a pool of water! At Shu Uemura for $70.