Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Beauty Bit: Battle of the Hand Creams


This winter has been harsh. And the worst is when you are outside when it is biting cold. Your face stings, and your hands hurt even when they are gloved and tucked into your pockets.

With that, comes dry, flaky, peeling skin on my paws, especially around the nails and fingertips. When I was clearing out my linen closet, I came across a number of different hand creams and salves that I have (some which I've forgotten about) and I figured I'll test them to see which will provide the most relieve to my unsightly digits.

Soap & Glory Hand Food, $5 - This smells lovely. It's sweet and light, and the product sinks in easily. It does make hands feel a little slippy for awhile. Unfortunately, it's probably best suited for hands that are not as dry as mine were, because they started looking like they needed another application after a few minutes

L'occitane Shea Butter Dry Skin Hand Cream, $28 - This is definitely a pricey brand. The one I was using is part of those gift sets that they have. The texture of the cream is quite thick, and that makes the cream a bit harder to sink in. I don't particularly care for the scent -- it smells like baby powder, which isn't terrible, but not something that I would pick over others. However, it doesn't have a slippy finish like the Soap & Glory, and it does relieve my hands a bit better as well. Reapplication is still needed on a frequent basis though.

MOR Emporium Black Collection Hand Cream in Snow Gardenia, $20 - This product wins the luxury award, hands down. Just looking at it makes me feel pampered. The scent is gorgeously seductive -- it's not the most subtle, so you'll either love it or hate it. The texture of the cream is similar to the L'occitane - it is thick and one has to work it into the hands. It is not slippy, but unfortunately, it doesn't do much for my horribly chapped hands. Probably best for a night-time application right before bed to pamper oneself. It will probably fine during the warmer months as well

Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Therapy, $8 - The only reason why I have it is because I got it as a gift from a friend. I would not have picked it for myself since this scent is NOT pleasant at all to me. The cream is a bit liquidy and one wouldn't expect much out of it. This is where I'm wrong...unpleasant scent or not, this does work. It sinks in to the skin fast, and it literally made my hands look and feel like normal again. Reapplication happens less frequently as the product seems to keep my skin hydrated and moisturized longer. 

Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, $2 - When all else fails, and nothing is keeping the moisture in, there's nothing like good ol' (and cheap!) VPJ to the rescue. Wash your hands, and put it on. Or you can even put on your hand cream first, then use this to seal in the moisture.


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