The other day I was waiting in line at the grocery store and was horribly embarrassed at how dry, and scaly my hands looked. I quickly paid and shoved my hands back into my coat pockets. Lesson learned: never leave home without your hand cream! For soft, youthful looking hands try out some of these hand and feet skin savers!
1. Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve ($12.50 US): Heavy duty creams usually mean greasy and sticky. Kiehl's version is anything but! You can expect all day care and protection with this hand cream. It absorbs quickly into the skin so you won't have to wipe the excess off onto your pants (yes, I've done that before!). It creates a "glove-like" protective barrier against moisture loss and can stand up to even the harshest conditions.
2. Green by Nature Hand Cream ($8.99 US): It just makes sense to go all natural. Green by Nature is an all natural bath and body care line, created with you and the environment in mind. All their products are over 95% natural, and free of parabens, sulfates, DEA, petroleum, propylene glycol, sacchrine, dioxin, and phthalate. I've fallen in love with this line and the price point! The hand cream in Almond Cocoa is just delicious and quickly soothes and moisturizes your skin. Enriched with vitamin e and and aloe with a luxurious blend of jojoba, almond and avocado oils your hands will be looking beautiful in no time!
3. Kiehl's Intensive Treatment and Moisturizer For Dry Or Callused Areas ($22.50 US): On the most driest and coldest days your hands and feet will need a little more TLC. During the holidays, I did a lot of dishwashing (darn large pots that don't fit into the dishwasher!) which as a result cracked and dried my hands to the core. As someone that doesn't frequent the spas for pedicures, you don't even want to know what state my feet were in! Kiehl's Intensive Treatment and Moisturizer is exactly the product you need for areas that require special attention, a.k.a crusty elbows or callused feet! On some nights I've slathered the cream on my hands and feet followed by gloves and some warm socks. My skin just soaked it up. The next morning I awoke to super soft skin! Do this for a few nights and you'll for sure see a difference. Works great as a cuticle cream too!
Beauty Feature: Winter Skin Savers - Hands & Feet
Makeup Junkie Holiday Gift Guide 2008: The Gift of Sophisticated Elegance
I'm a sucker for packaging especially around the holiday season when beauty brands go all out in the most exquisite packaging. These scented lovelies are for the friend, mother, co-worker, who enjoy sophisticated elegance.
1. Tocca Florence Bagno Da Viaggio Bath & Body Gift Set ($48 USD): A perfect gift for the woman who loves to travel. Included in this cream coloured box set inspired by old Italian candy boxes are travel-sized Florence shower gel, body lotion, and candelina. The luxurious lotion is very moisturizing and will help sooth dry, sensitive skin. The shower gel gently cleanses the skin while leaving the skin soft and smooth. The popular Tocca Candelinas will fill your room with a beautiful aroma. She'll be able to enjoy the fragrance of the orris rose scent of Florence wherever she goes. The boxed set makes gift giving easy especially for those last minute gifts!
2. Jo Malone Tasting Kit ($110 USD): Want to introduce a fragrance junkie to Jo Malone colognes? The Tasting Kit is a fabulous introduction set for the Art of Fragrance Combining. Jo Malone designed her scents to be layered with one another or worn individually. This kit comes with Pomegranate Noir Cologne (30 ml), and a tasting of three of its notes: Raspberry (9 ml), Casablanca Lily (9 ml), and Guaiacwood (9 ml). Pomegranate Noir is a sophisticated sensual scent that is spicy, woodsy, yet fruity. I usually love a combination of spicy fruity scents, but I'm on the fence with this one. It's a rather strong scent (the husband is not a fan) that sometimes makes me sneeze, but I'm still giving it a chance. The upside is that you have the option of mixing with the other 3 fragrances. Raspberry is just lovely on its own and my fave out of the set. Fragrance lovers will love creating their own signature scent. The leather boxed case alone makes a fantastic gift!
3. Bath & Body Works Signature Collection Radiant Powder Spray in Vanilla Noir ($12.25 USD sale price): Vanilla lovers will love spritzing this on before an evening out. The Radiant Powder Spray will give your skin a kiss of golden shimmer and a sweet hint of Madagascar vanilla. It also leaves your skin velvety soft. My favourite part is the glamourous vintage bottle! How luxe would this look on your vanity?? Love!
Have you tried any of these products? Love 'em? Hate 'em?
Think Pink: Aveda Hand Relief
My hands definitely need some hand relief! I am a huge fan of Aveda Hand Relief ($21 USD) moisturizer. I love slathering on this ultra-rich moisturizer. It never leaves my hands greasy, just softer and noticeably smoother. Hydrating plant emollients, humectants, exfoliating fruit acids and anti-oxidants—including vitamins A and E—help diminish signs of aging and provide optimal relief. With continued use, moisture levels and elasticity increase. The mix of citrus and cinnamon scent is also delicious!
Aveda will donate $4 from each sale of the Breast Cancer Awareness Hand Relief to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation to fund environmental research to help find a cure, with a maximum donation of $300,000.
Have you tried Aveda Hand Relief? Love it? Hate it?
www.aveda.com
http://beautyblognetwork.com/
Beauty Review: Persian Cold Wax
There are so many hair removal products on the market and I have tried most of them yet I keep coming back to Persian Cold Wax ($13.99 at most drugstores).
In a perfect world, women would have been born hairless but since the world isn’t perfect I’m loving Persian Cold Wax.
What’s your fave hair removal product?
Makeup Obsession: C.O. Bigelow's Lip Tints
It's no secret that I have a healthy addiction to lip balms especially if they've got a lil' colour. I'm really excited because the mecca for yummy scented bath and body products, Bath and Body Works, has made its way to Canada (stay tuned for details on the grand opening event)! No longer do us Canadians have to go across the border or have relatives send care packages with our favourite BBW products.
One of my must-have products from BBW are C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tints ($7.50 USD). Cinnamint Mentha Lip Shine is one of my favourite clear glosses to swipe on. The flavours are so intense and irresistible! I got to try the lip tints and I'm in love! I adore how it feels like a balm but gives you the high shine of a gloss. Infused with Peppermint Oil, your breath feels fresh. These squeezable tubes are portable and small enough to fit the whole collection into your purse! The slanted applicator makes a no-look-no-mirror application easy.
Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint, Bare Mint: This soft shimmery pinky-beige gloss is lovely for every day or paired with Fall's dramatic eyes. I haven't worn a nude gloss in a long time but this has become my new fave!
Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint, Coral Mint: When I squeezed this out I was pleasantly surprised. I expected a flat coral but instead got a pretty peachy-coral with a pearly finish. Seriously, so gorgeous!
Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint, Plum Mint: Plum can brighten and flatter just about most skin tones. Plum Mint gives your lips enough colour yet is still neutral enough to compliment any look.
Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint, Violet Mint: This gorgeous violet with a pearl finish is just so pretty on. Looks lovely against luminous skin.
www.bathandbodyworks.com
Available at Bath and Body Works and now in select locations across Canada: Erin Mills Town Center, Mississauga, ON, Stone Road Mall, Guelph, ON, White Oaks Mall, London, ON, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta, Yorkdale, Toronto, ON. Opening October 2008: Fairview Mall, Willowdale, ON.
Beauty Review: Feel Pretty With Thymes Red Cherie Collection!
I am a sucker for bath and body products especially ones that smell heavenly and have beautiful packaging. My latest love right now is Thymes Red Cherie collection! The scent is a mix of sweet and flirty scents of sparkling pomegranate, ripe red cherries, passion flower and jasmine with a twist of Asian lychee and a tease of fruity musk.
The Exfoliating Body Scrub ($30) slathers on rich and gently sloughs away dead skin leaving your skin glowing and healthy looking. Body scrubs are a must especially now that warmer weather is approaching and we're showing more skin. I little trick I like to do before I shave or wax my legs is apply the scrub on dry skin and then use a small towel and polish it up and down. This technique really exfoliates the skin and gets rid of in-grown hairs.
I love the light texture of Red Cherie AHA Body Lotion ($6). It's perfect for warmer weather when richer lotions can be heavy on the skin. It absorbs quickly and doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy. My skin feels so soft after. The scent is sweet but not overwhelming. The light, fresh scent is perfect for summer. It's one of my new favourite scents! The 2 ounce bottle is perfect for traveling as well.
Happy shopping!
To see the complete Thymes Red Cherie Collection or to buy visit www.thymes.com.
