A Letter to Father Christmas

Dear Father Christmas,

I've been such a good girl this year, really I have and you know I never ask for much *cough*. Well, I know that even you can't grant my true wish for a lie-in, so instead here is a list of a few things that will keep me looking semi-human for another year. I've thrown in a couple of items to save my sanity too.

1. A pot of Oil of Olay Total Effects moisturiser (£17) please. This used to be my go to moisturiser but I've been cheating on it for a while now. The bow is drawing me back in!

2. I'd love a relaxing candle. Either a medium Josephine's Rose (£20) candle from Jonathan Ward or Neom Relax & Complete Bliss Travel Candles (£21) would be perfect.

3. In a bid to see if I can restore my love for a nice soak, I would really like a bottle of Elemis Quiet Mind Relaxing Bath Elixir. Quiet and relaxing sound so inviting! It's normally £19 but you can get 20% off using the code XMASTREAT this week on the timetospa website. Of course, I'm thinking of your budget here FC.

4. I seem to spend all day washing my hands so it would be lovely to use something a little more luxurious than the supermarket own brand. I have my eye on Molton Brown fine liquid hand wash in Myrrh Muske and Cypress (£15) as it sounds rather festive!

5. I would really like a beautiful shower gel. The L'Occitane Almond Shower oil (£16) seemed very popular when I asked around for recommendation. I've never used an oil for cleansing the body before but I love the scent of almonds so I'm keen to give it a try.

6. I know I'm pushing my luck a bit with this last request Father Christmas but you know I do like a bit of expensive makeup. Weeeellll, that Tom Ford chap extended his cosmetics line this year. I'll forgo the quads but if you could see your way to stuffing a blusher or eyeliner in my stocking I would be most grateful. The Espresso eyeliner in particular would be grand. Would a fancy mince pie from Waitrose sway you at all?

That's it for now Father Christmas. I hope this reaches you ok, do you have decent broadband in the North Pole?

Yours ever hopeful,
Miss M Brown x

Winter Series: Hand Creams

 

It's around this time of year that my hands start to take a turn for the worse. I seem to be washing my hands constantly and I'm terrible at remembering to pop gloves on before doing the washing up, that combined with the cold and windy weather is a recipe for drying my hands out. I'm already nursing a patch of very dry skin between my little finger and ring finger on both hands. Over the past few years I've been on the hunt for the best hand cream to keep the chapped hands at bay. This is an overview of some of the ones I have at the moment and what I think of them.

Aveeno Hand Cream
This is my absolute favourite hand cream and I have re-purchased this several times. My current tube is just about finished and I'm not sure whether to buy another or try something different. I particularly like this one as stays on your hands through several washings. The washing is the biggest culprit for drying my hands out so this really stops them getting worse. It's also one of the few hand creams that will tackle the extra dry patches round my knuckles. It's also been a success for my husband who suffers with work related dermatitis on his hands. It's sinks in easily and doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy which is a big thumbs up for me.

Eve Lom Hand Cream
I have a trial size tube of this hand cream. It's useful for popping in my bag but I will that say that I don't love this one. It's ok but I find it doesn't hydrate as much as I'd like. It has a slightly odd smell to it too. At £20 for a full size tube I'm unlikely to re-purchase. It's been useful to have the trial size to try as I'm surprised by the fact that I didn't like it.

L'Occitane Fleur Cherie
I got this as a free gift with In Style Magazine. This is a new scent for L'Occitane and I have to say it is lovely. It is quite a strong scent but I don't find that the effectiveness of the cream has suffered for the scent. This spreads and sinks in nicely and leaves my hands feeling nice and soft. However, it's not rich enough to tackle the really dry patches on my knuckles. This is better for maintenance for my hands. After learning how much I like the scent, I will be investigating the rest of the range which I discovered from A Model Recommends also includes a range of cosmetics. I'm still interested to try the L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream which receives rave reviews.

Dove Beauty Hand Cream
This is another hand cream that I've had more than once. I find it quite pleasant to use, it has a nice fragrance and it's often on offer. It's another that is good for maintenance but not repair. It can actually go a bit watery as you rub it in which is an odd sensation. It's nice but not my favourite.

Neutrogena Concentrate Norwegian Formula
I cannot get my head around why this is so popular. For me this is a barrier cream with no hydrating properties. I accept that this would protect your hands from getting chapped whilst out in harsh conditions but I need cure rather than protection most of the time. I just find this sits on my hands and never penetrates the skin.


Some of the other hand creams I'm keen to try are: The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector, Aveda Hand Relief (possibly because the name raises a wry smile!), L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream and Olivina Hand Cream. The Olivina Cream come recommended by Beauty Mouth and Beauty Maze so I know it must be good! Do you have any recommendations? Which is your favourite hand cream?