Beautyholics Anonymous » Hands

Fancy-Schmancy Hand Sanitisers I Fancy

Tine — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:46:01 +0000

I remembered my first waterless hand sanitiser. It was a small green bottle from Dettol, smells like a hospital and dehydrated my skin everytime I used it. But it’s a convenient item to have with me in my purse, especially when I’m in public loos that *gasp* do not have liquid soap.

We sure have come quite a way from harsh hand sanitisers though. Brands like Crabtree & Evelyn, Jurlique and L’occitane have come up with their versions of hand sanitisers that smell amazing and do not feel as though you’ve just dipped your hands in a pool of alcohol.

Here are some of my favourites:

Jurlique Moisturising Hand Sanitiser Natural Antibacterial (AU$10, 50ml)

This was the first fancy hand sanitiser I purchased. It smells very typical of Jurlique products; it’s very, err, herbal-y (I’m stuck for a better word mmkay?). It contains Australian Bush Mint, a known natural antibacterial and antimicrobial ingredient and Safflower Oleosomes to enhance the skin’s protective barrier. It doesn’t leave my hands dry at all after application, and smells great. It comes in a small bottle (smallest of the three, as you can see in the picture), and is very travel-friendly.

It also comes in a larger bottle that comes with a pump at 175ml.

Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Antibacterial Moisturising Hand Gel (AU$5.95, 50ml)

I bought this on sale many months ago, and in hindsight, I think I should have gotten a few more in different scents because of the sale price . If you like their handcreams in the Gardeners collection, you will love the hand sanitiser too because they smell the same. Unfortunately it also smells quite strong, not of alcohol, but of the Gardeners fragrance, which Tim finds a tad heavy (especially when I use it in the car). I’ve also used this on the train and have a few heads turned at my direction. I hope it was in a good way, and not “geez louise, where on earth did that stink come from?” Gulp. Time to get another scent

It’s the most moisturising sanitiser of the three, and the one that does not leave the hands feeling tingly from the alcohol, unlike the other two.

It comes in 4 more scents – Citron, Lavender, Rosewater and La Source.

L’occitane Lavande Hand Purifying Gel (AU$9.95, 50ml)

I received a tube of this for review a few weeks ago. It’s the only hand sanitiser I’ve seen that does not come in a bottle, but in a squeezy tube. If you love the soothing scent of lavender, you’ll like this one. It’s enriched with lavender essential and aloe vera. It’s not as moisturising as the one from Crabtree & Evelyn, but I think it smells better

Unlike hospital-grade sanitisers, these fancier versions don’t leave the hands feeling dry and tight. It also leaves your hands smelling good. Still, with all hand sanitisers, they do contain a lot of alcohol to eliminate germs, so please use them sparingly and only when needed. As good as they smell, these do not replace hand creams.

Are you a fan of waterless hand sanitisers? What’s your favourite?

Beauty Tip – Wear Sunscreen On Your Hands

Tine — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

You know what they say, you can have the smoothest, youngest-looking skin on your face. But one look at your hands, and I’d know how old you really are. Gulp.

Hand creams aren’t enough to keep your mitts looking young. To keep them soft, yes, but if you want to prevent crepey, wrinkly hands, you need sunscreen on them too, especially on the back of your hands. It doesn’t matter if you’re indoors either. If your desk is by a window, sunscreen is a must. UVA rays are a b***h.

Here’s a suggestion. The next time you slap sunscreen on your face and body, rub them on the back of your hands too, just as you would hand creams. I use Neutrogena’s Healthy Defence Daily Moisturiser SPF30. If they’re oil-free and good enough for my face, they’re good enough for my hands.

Here’s to younger-looking hands and a younger-looking you!

Soap and Glory Hand Food – Sweet Marshmallowy Goodness

Tine — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve seen Soap & Glory products around for several years now, first in Boots at Bangkok and then in Australia. The package is oh-so-cute, with amusing names like Sexy Motherpucker *giggle*. For some reason, the scent of the products never did appeal to me, and that’s why I didn’t bother to pick any items up till about a month ago.

This hand cream came highly recommended by LeGeeque. She uses this religiously and asked me to try hers. I didn’t expect to like the hand cream. I’m not a fan of very sweet scents, and I certainly do not like products that states ‘marshmallow’ as a scent. They often smell cloyingly sweet, which gives me a headache.

Description:
Hand Food is a silky soft non-greasy hand cream with shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow. Mend a hand? Apply Hand Food Hand Cream as often as you want to soften, smooth and soothe dry, chapped or otherwise hampered hands. Soft, smooth and hydrated hands. The most astonishing hand cream ever? You decide!

So how is it that I like this hand cream so much that after using LeGeeque’s stash a few times, I just had to get myself one?

It smells pretty darn awesome, that’s why. It doesn’t have that cloying sweet scent, but delicious enough to still go mmmmm when you give your hands a whiff.

Best of all, it doesn’t leave any greasiness on your skin after application. I’m very particular about this when choosing hand creams; a hand cream must be absorbed quick enough that I don’t have to wait more than a minute to use the keyboard, phone, etc.

It doesn’t stay on the skin long enough to keep it hydrated all day though, so multiple applications are needed. But hey, I’m not complaining because it smells oh so good. This tube is now sitting proudly next to my digital radio on my bedside table, ready to be used before bed. Love it!

Soap & Glory Hand Food retails at AU$11.95 for 125ml and is available at Kit Cosmetics. Cheap as!

What I like about it: Absorbs very quickly, leaves no icky, oily residue after application, smells yummy. Affordable too.

What I do not like about it: Nothing

Endota Spa Organic Lavender & Alpine Pepper Hand Cream

Tine — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:11:27 +0000

I’ve been wanting to get this for ages, but sadly, couldn’t decide if I wanted to splurge 30-over bucks for a handcream. So when I saw a smaller version of it in my Primped’s Look Book event goodie bag, I squealed with delight.

Description:

A luxurious, lap-it-up hand cream just wonderful to have and to hold. Lush lavender has the power to heal injury and the succulence to soak love into dry spots. It generates new skin, seals old scars, and has the good scents to calm minds. Alpine pepper adds pep to your clap by increasing circulation. Licorice naturally helps to lighten, brighten and even skin tone. Hands will help themselves with this heavenly finger food. Plump palms. Pert pinkies. And a thoroughly-nourished thumbs-up.

I’ve been using this for daily for a couple of weeks, and my hands are in sweet, lavender heaven. It smells absolutely amazing. The cream’s light and doesn’t leave any greasy residue after application. It absorbs into the skin well, and I’m left with hydrated hands for hours. I have this on my desk, and when I’m out, I chuck it in my purse.

Is it weird that I love the smell so much, I couldn’t stop smelling my hands? Yeah? Okay.

That’s it. My mind’s made up. Once I finish this 20ml tube, I am SO getting the 90ml one.

Endota Spa Organic Lavender and Alpine Pepper Hand Cream retails at AU$34 for 90ml and is available at all Endota Spas and David Jones stores.

What I like about it: Love, love LOVE the scent. Non-greasy. Hydrates skin well.

What I do not like about it: Nothing.

SIMOS: The Lot Of Hand Creams

Tine — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:33:23 +0000

Note: The AliceWonders.com bag giveaway closes by the end of the day, so if you haven’t participated in it yet, you’ve got 12 more hours to go!

I don’t know what it is with me and hand creams. They seem to attract me so easily. I mean, I’ve only got two hands but tubes and tubes of creams which I’ll never be able to finish (simply because I know I’ll keep buying more). As I was wiping down the dresser, and doing a bit of spring-cleaning, I came across these hand creams (most of them unused). Seriously, it’s telling me to stop buying any more.

Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm Tube – some restaurants in Melbourne stock this, together with its handwash, in their restrooms. I tried this out at one, and absolutely love it. This has a permanent spot on my nightstand.
Yuva Intensive Hand and Nail Cream – a free gift from a facial I had at Pure Indulgence.
L’occitane Cherry Blossom Petal-soft Hand Cream
Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream

Crabtree & Evelyn’s Hand Therapy in Lavendar (x2), Rosewater, La Source and Gardeners. The small tubes were gifts. I really like the Gardeners Hand Therapy; it’s even great on cracked heels.

Burt’s Bees Hand Creme in Beeswax and Banana
L’occitane hand creams in Shea and Cherry Blossom

Are you a hand cream junkie too? What’s your favourite?

Aveeno Active Naturals Intense Relief Hand Cream

Tine — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:16:08 +0000

Description:

This unique, non-greasy hand cream is specially formulated with natural oatmeal and rich emollients to help heal dry skin and form a protective glove against the elements. Unlike ordinary hand creams, AVEENO® Intense Relief Hand Cream protects and moisturizes skin for 24 hours and even lasts through hand washing. This fast-absorbing formula is fragrance free and gentle enough for even sensitive skin. It’s also great for use on elbows, knees and feet – anywhere your dry skin needs extra help.

Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl Alcohol, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Dimethicone, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour (oat), Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride.

Of all the hand creams I’ve used, in terms of long-term hydration, this is pretty much one of the best. When they say that it lasts through hand washing, they’re not kidding. Of course, if you were to use a handwash and thoroughly soap your hands, that’s a different story. But with light washing, this cream stays on the skin.

I love how non-greasy it is. You know those hand creams which leave an oily film on your hands after application, and you’d have to wait a while before it dissipates? This doesn’t. It’s fast-absorbent, and leaves your hands free to do whatever you like without the waiting time.

I leave this tube of hand cream in the living room, near the kitchen. After doing the dishes, cleaning up the house, or simply just lounging on the couch, I’d easily reach for this and apply it on my hands. It keeps the hands well hydrated for hours.

This hand cream is fragrance-free, but there’s just a wee hint of an oatmeal scent if you really sniff at it. It’s quite pleasant really.

If you’re looking for a good, non-greasy hand cream, I highly recommend this one.

Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream is available at leading pharmacies at around AU$11 (Chemist Warehouse is currently selling it for AU$9).

What I like about it: Inexpensive, non-greasy, quick absorbent, and keeps my fingers peel-free.

What I do not like about it: Nothing.

Review: : L’occitane Cherry Blossom Petal-Soft Hand Cream

Tine — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:16:00 +0000

I simply love L’occitane’s Cherry Blossom range. Short of the body lotion, I have all the products in the range. In fact, I loved it so much, I made it my wedding scent. Whenever I use any of the Cherry Blossom items, it just brought me back to my big day. So when I saw the new petal-soft hand cream in the L’occitane store in Chadstone, I knew I had to get it.

Description:

Enriched with Shea Butter and vitamin E, this lightly textured and non-greasy cream nourishes and protects hands from daily aggressions. They are soft, moisturized and delicately perfumed with Cherry Blossom’s enveloping flowery scent. Contains a cherry extract from Luberon, France.

A thing I love about the L’occitane stores here is that you always get free samples with your purchase, no matter how small. Even if you don’t buy anything, if you’re polite and friendly to the sales assistants and request for samples on a certain product you’d like to try, they’d be more than happy to oblige.

I love how good the hand cream smells. It’s soft, flowery and sweet, but not over-the-top, sickly sweet. It’s not greasy, and light as a hand cream, but hydrating enough to keep my hands soft and smelling good. As the weather is getting drier and more chilly, my cuticles started to give me problems, and the skin around the area started to peel. A few applications of the hand cream cleared ‘em right up.

I have to say that I’m pretty impressed with how the cream is dispensed. Instead of having a snap-on or screw-on detachable cap, the cover is screwed on to the tube. To dispense the cream, unscrew the top, and the cream comes out of the tiny nozzle at the top. No mess at all.

Err I hope this does not remind you of poo. Or something else

This hand cream has earned a valuable spot in my bag. I use it all the time, when I’m in the car, in the train, watching TV, etc. After application, I’d give my hands a good sniff. I swear, I think it has become my crack.

L’occitane’s Cherry Blossom Petal-Soft Hand Cream is available at all L’occitane stores and counters for AUD26.95. When I was in Malaysia, they had a similar hand cream in the small metal tubes, like the shea hand creams. Unfortunately, those were only available in limited editions, and when I went back to the stores after a few weeks, they were all snapped up. I’m not sure if the petal-soft hand creams are sold in Malaysia though. Do update me if they are, yeah?

What I like about it: Love the scent, just love it. It’s not greasy, and keeps my hands soft and hydrated.

What I did not like about it: Nothing. I even made it my wedding scent

Update: According to Syen of So Loverly, the hand cream is available in Malaysia, and retails at RM63. Thanks Syen!