Recently in Hands Category

One of my favorite things to do in NYC is to spa with my girlfriends.  We love to treat ourselves at the Cowshed spa at SoHo House (private manicure rooms where you're reclined on a large and cushy chair!). It's serious urban heaven and you need to go if you live in NYC or are in the city to visit!  They also have an amazing line of products I've recently become addicted to (my son loves the baby line, too!).  Especially the Sandalwood Intensive Hand & Foot Treatment-- it saves me over fashion week (you don't want to know what stomping around the city in dangerously high heels for hours each day do to my feet) as it transforms my dry hands and hard heels and makes them soft and supple (instantly!). It also smells yummy with sandalwood essential oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E (to deeply hydrate the skin.) At Cowshed spas (they have many locations worldwide but I've only been to the NYC one) and SoHo House website here.

These last few years come the period between November and March I pretty much turned to a tub of L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream every hour to relieve me of my dry hands. Unfortunately they must have changed something in their formulation because lately when I applied it to my hands, it irritated and actually burned my skin a little bit (albeit this only happened when my skin was already dry and a bit red). I asked my dermatologist about it and she said that it's possible that I bought an old tub or that some random ingredient in the formulation changed that my skin might not respond well to. As an alternative I've been using La Mer 'The Hand Treatment' ($70) which is lighter and more greasy than the one from L'Occitane (and therefore requires less cream -- thankfully since the tube is a lot smaller than L'Occitane's!). It's super delicate -- literally barely has a smell and moisturizes for more than an hour at a time (though I still find myself applying it 3-4 times a day). They've also got a Lip Balm ($45) which I've been using in combination with Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment (ultimate high-low pairing!), to keep my lips moist (chapped lips might actually be even more unattractive than red, dry hands!).

How do you keep your lips and hands moisturized during these harsh dry months?

I'm at that age now where most of my friends are moving into their first "adult" apartments. Gone are the roommates, the messy couches with potato chips stuck between the cushions, and the funky smells that come with not cleaning on a regular basis  -- and thank goodness for that! With this however my schedule is filled with more housewarming parties than I can count and when it comes to close friends you don't want to bring your run-of-the-mill gift; you want something personal, tailored to their taste, but also useful for their new home. Ladies and gents feast your eyes on Valsey and Me! For $73 you get a treasure chest (three colors to choose from: Natural, White, and Black), topped with a grosgrain ribbon and filled with 40 personal-sized single-use guest soaps each of which have been individually hand-wrapped in fine tissue paper, and customized with what you wish (up to 15 characters). You even get to pick the scent for the soaps -- Lavender Oatmeal, Lemon Ginger, White Grapefruit, Cinnamon Orange, Milk, Almost & Honey or a mix of all five. The white box also comes in a mini box size which is perfect if you're looking for something to complete a gift basket or for a smaller splurge (it's $25 for 10 soaps).

I just got the Black Deco box filled with Lavender Oatmeal soap each of which says "Mwah!"...how cute!!

Have you come across any great housewarming gifts lately?

Sporty Snob

My surfing girlfriends will love Bobbi's Beach set-- even when they are away from the beach they can carry the scent of the ocean with them.  I'm addicted to the scent and am hoping they'll come out with a shampoo/conditioner soon.  Bobbi Brown Beach Set here $75

Is she forgoing surf for ski this season?  You must get her this gift set.  The lip balm is one of my favorites in dry winter months-- it's ultra moisturizing without being sticky.  I have not tried the non-freez face cream yet but if we head out to Vail this winter I'll be picking this up for myself!   Kiehl's Winter Sport Set $37.50-- free shipping at Kiehls this month.

For the Sporty snobs who don't like too much fuss-- the voyager pack from Trish McEvoy will keep them looking gorgeous with just a few swipes of the neutral quad face powder and shadows.  The short handle brushes are neatly tucked away in the case and will take the guess work out of application. Trish McEvoy 'The Voyager' Beauty Emergency Card $65

I promised to post a list of my favorite hand saving creams, I have many-- priced from $5.99 and up.  I keep handcreams all over the house, in the car, and in my bag.  But since this is Beauty Snob-- I'll start with the big daddy of handcreams, from Chantecaille.$68 Chantecaille Retinol Handcream- it sucks that Chantecaille is so expensive (we have never received a free sample from them, so you know I love it if I'm paying this kind of money for handcream when I have handcreams sent to me from PR firms whenever I want!) but in this case you really get what you pay for.  This handcream is serious stuff, it has retinol so do not use if you are pregnant!  I like using it at bedtime so it doesn't get wasted or washed off with my frequent handwashing.  You'll wake up with buttah soft hands!
  Eucerin wins for best bargain at $5.99. This is Kelly's favorite-- I gave it a try recently and have to say, not bad for the price.  It's a little sticky and heavy though and I do not like creams with mineral oil but it does fix my dry heel issue.  If you're a snob on a budget, give this a whirl.
I received a tube of this from Clinique last month and it's currently on my desk.  I like it because it has no fragrance and is not too heavy but does keep the hands moisturized.  I use it when I'm blogging on the computer but I do not keep this in my car!  It's a bit slippery which would make it dangerous to use and lose control of my steering wheel you know what I mean?  $17.50 for the CLINIQUE Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream or you can get a large jar of Clinique Deep Comfort Body Cream to save a few pennies and use it all over, including your hands.  (Jump for complete list!)

Can you guess these celebs hands?

Have you heard?  Injections for the hands are all the rage right now-- what will they think of next?  Spas and clinics around the world are offering hand rejuvenation treatments-- IPLs, fillers, etc!  I've seen hands that have been pumped with injections and they do not look younger!  They just look bloated, distorted and grotesque-- how is that better than a few wrinkles?   I don't know about you but I think this is so lame and I think I'd rather wear gloves and buy really good hand creams (I'm working on a list of my favorites for you this week!).  What about you? 

Answer the above correctly and win a Beauty Snob T shirt!  Winner will be chosen randomly via computer drawing on Friday, 11/6 at midnight.

Swimming, beaching, hiking, biking-- great fun summer activities that wreak havoc on your manicures and pedicures! If you can't get to the nail salon weekly don't fret, there are many ways to keep your fingers and toes fresh and pretty. You don't have to invest in expensive scrubs or lotions either. I rely on a mixture of olive oil/sugar/lemon juice and a tube of Aquaphor-- it is a miracle balm for both hands and feet and will keep your cuticles hydrated until you can get to the nail salon.

Directions: Mix 1 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of sugar (enough for hands and feet) and a few drops of lemon juice in a bowl (if you squeeze fresh lemon, use the remaining lemon rind on your elbows, knees and heel to exfoliate the rough skin patches there).  Step into tub and scrub feet and legs first.  Apply the balance of scrub to hands, scrubbing gently around cuticles.  Rinse well with water.  Your hands and feet should be silky smooth and oh so soft!

Optional: Rinse nails off with a little soap and water to remove oily residue.  Apply clear coat of polish and voila, insta mani/pedi! 

* Beauty Tip:  Apply Aquaphor daily to hands and feet-- even while traveling and especially before diving into pool to protect the cuticles from drying out and the polish from yellowing.

Aquaphor $5.99 here

Kelly found a way to protect her hands with the Peter Thomas Roth spf powder but I still find that a bit messy.  I've been using Hand Perfection Glovettes daily and love how easy it is to pull on everytime I get in the car!  In the summer months I used to use white cotton gloves (similar to those used by cab drivers in Tokyo) but found that they were slippery (hard to steer with them!) not to mention super hot to use in 100 degree weather.  My hands would get sweaty and I had to wash them almost daily.  I got the Hand Perfection Glovettes last month and never drive without it!  Sure my four year old made fun of me and called me a Cheetah but hey, I'll have baby soft line free hands forever!  The gloves have an open spot where your palm is so you can hold your steering wheel without slipping (so you won't crash your car for the sake of beauty) and the fingers are open so your hands can get air.  Brilliant!  Our fingers curl around the steering wheel anyway, it's the back of them that get the most damage.  Get yourself a pair today, it will be the best summer accessory!   It's designed from opaque spandex which offers your precious paws 100% protection from the sun. $35 at Hand Perfection website!

Driving, the sun, uneven farmer's tan. I am about to pull the typical Asian-lady glove trick while driving. You know, the above the elbow prom dress glove. Or to look slightly less stupid, there is an arm compression sleeve athletes use, but then the hands are exposed. OK, so as you can tell, I've thought a lot about this and have been trying to find an easy, fuss free solution. I have a tube of Natura Bisse Hand Silk Cream with SFP 15 in the car but honestly, I can't be bothered to apply this every time I get in the car. And besides, I don't like having slippery hands when I drive (I have 2 kids in the car, so safety first!). If there were only something I can quickly brush on that won't leave greasy hands! Well, I have found the perfect thing. This Peter Thomas Roth mineral powder is transparent. Unlike other brush on powders, this is not a bronzer or a foundation. It also will not dry out, separate or get so hot and explode in your car. One quick stroke up and down your entire arm and hand - takes literally 5 seconds! A must have for the summer! $30 at Sephora.

Who better than the most successful hand model in the world to develop a system to help us protect our precious paws!?!?  Hand model Ellen Sirot developed a hand saving system so we can achieve model hands daily.  I got her Hand Perfection lotion and moisturizing cleanser in time for the multiple hand washing I've been practicing due to the swine flu scare (I must have washed my hands 30 times today!).  My hands have not suffered from any over dryness at all because Ellen's cleanser leaves them feeling hydrated and conditioned after washing.   And if you want true perfection, apply the Hand Perfection complete day cream($50) and watch your hands reverse time in front of your eyes-- I swear mine looked 10 years younger immediately!  

Specially formulated to protect and preserve the delicate skin of the hands, which all too often look years old than one's chronological age, ELLEN SIROT HAND PERFECTION combines dynamic skincare technology with a bounty of problem-solving ingredients like skin-friendly omega-3 fatty acids, protective antioxidants, uber-moisturizers and amino acids, all painstakingly researched and developed by Ellen herself for her own prized possessions.

ELLEN SIROT HAND PERFECTION includes a Moisturizing (sulfate-free) Cleanser($30), Complete Day Cream(purse size- $30), Nail and Cuticle Oil and Night Solution. ($22) There's also a box of reusable nitrile (latex free) Multi-Task Gloves (to shield hands from enemy #1, water) and an inherently sun protective Glovette in a racy leopard print $35 (to protect them from enemy #2, sun- I need a pair!). The collection arrived at www.handperfection.com this March, you must try these products!  Jump to see a photo of my hand after using the cream.