Nuxe Reve de Miel Foaming Bath And Shower Gel

It was my mother who introduced me to my first Nuxe love, the dry oil (I'm on my second bottle). She's also responsible for this post, as she's hooked me up with their gentle shower gel, knowing well that I have a sensitive skin and the wrong bath/body product can make me itch for hours and crawl out of my skin (not a pretty sight, I assure you).

Nuxe Reve de Miel is a low-foaming gel that leaves the skin refreshed but never dry, even when used in hard water locations. There's no tight feeling and on several humid summer days I could wait a while before running to the nearest body lotion bottle, and that rarely happens.The scent is very mild: the honey is infused with flowers and herbs, so I doubt anyone would get a Miel de Bois vibe. It doesn't linger on skin at all. I think it disappears even before I'm finished with my primping routine.

Bottom Line: Feels luxurious.

Nuxe Reve de Miel Foaming Bath And Shower Gel ($18, 6.7oz) is available from select drugstores and beauty.com.

Image: burlesons-honey.com

L'Occitane Eau des Baux Stick Deodorant For Men

L'Occitane Eau des Baux Stick Deodorant had two things going for it: it's an alcohol-free formula which I thought would be great for the husband's sensitive skin, and the scent- a blend of cypress and cool incense- is beautiful.

 I picked the deodorant the last time I was at my local L'Occitane store and happily gave it to the Blond. He was delighted with the scent and eager to try it on. The good news is that his armpits have never smelled so good. The bad news is that it only lasted for a few hours before nature took its course. I tried the Eau des Baux Stick myself on a day I was not going to leave the house (a lesson learned from other deodorant testings) and had to agree- it doesn't work unless you're willing and able to reapply every three to four hours.

Bottom Line: Get the shower gel instead.

L'Occitane Eau des Baux Stick Deodorant ($16) is available at every L'Occitane store and online.

Photo: esquire.com

Secret Clinical Strength Advanced Solid Antiperspirant/Deodorant

Yes, I know women don't sweat. They glisten. Whatever you call it, we are all familiar with the good fight against stink and underarm stains. Frankly, there are very few topics more boring than this, which is why I rarely blog about deodorants. I go to Target, scan the shelves to see if there's anything new and usually end up buying a solid or a gel from the men's section. The masculine products are usually quite effective and they tend to smell better than those tropical cucumber orchard things manufactured for women.

But I got curious enough about the idea of Secret's Clinical Strength line which promises to be comparable to prescription strength products. These deodorants/antiperspirants contain a high dosage (20%) of the active ingredient and a supposedly more effective formula. The instructions say to apply the product at night, right before bedtime because during the night the sweating mechanism slows down and the formula was designed to be activated and take advantage of the body’s natural temperature variations and react with the skin for an improved performance.  They claim it  will protect you the whole next day even if you bathe or shower the next morning.

I was a bit wary, but surprisingly they were right. Not that it matters much when I ignore the instructions and apply right after showering, but it's definitely very effective when applied the night before, no matter what you do the next day or how warm the weather gets. Ever since I started using Clinical Strength, I no longer had to think about my deodorant and never experienced wetness, ripeness and all the other joys that come with having underarms.

Bottom Line: If only there was a cure to the white deodorant residue on black camisoles my world be that much more complete.

Secret Clinical Strength Advanced Solid Antiperspirant/Deodorant is available from most drugstores for about $11.50. It might be found online for a little less.

Image: A 1977 ad for Secret deodorant featuring Cheryl Tiegs from pzrservices.typepad.com

Sensai by Kanebo- Cellular Performance Intensive Hand Treatment

It's becoming pretty clear that if one is looking for good anti-aging hand lotions, the place to find them is at companies and brands that specialize in serious skin care and produce the best treatments for your face. it makes sense, after all. While greasy creams and petroleum gel-based products have their place when you need a buffer between harsh conditions and your skin, they don't nourish or restore your hands, and definitely have no anti-aging properties.

I've been going through sample tubes of Cellular Performance Intensive Hand Treatment by Kanebo Sensai and have nothing but praise for it. It actually plumps the skin and makes my hand not just feel better but also look smoother. The best part is how the cream sink right in leaving no residue on the surface. It's not greasy at all- I can thoroughly slather my hands and then pet the fluffiest of my cats and no hair would stick to me (I have creative testing methods).

I'm often asked about age spots, but I don't have any on my hands so I can't tell you if this Kanebo cream would make a significant difference. What I definitely see is that it keeps my skin very soft and nicely textured even in this weather. Considering I'm prone to scary parching, I'm very happy with it. Not seeing a dry cuticle in weeks has also been a very nice bonus.

Bottom line: Worth the price.

Sensai by Kanebo Cellular Performance Intensive Hand Treatment ($90 for 3.4 oz) is exclusive to Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. I've received several samples as GWP and from the company's PR team.

Photo by Rene Zuber, 1930

Lancôme Nutrix Royal Body Cream

It's the time of the year the skin on my body and I become estranged and try to crawl out of each other. It ain't pretty. I fight the good fight. I take my vitamins, slather, grease, beg and plead, and for the most part manage to avoid turning into a creepy crawler, but it takes work and products, and come January and February I turn to the big guns. I've already tried some of the most amazing products on the market, those priced in the three digit range and they really work (they'd better). I was considering buying a jar or two when I decided to give Lancome a chance and ordered their Nutrix Royal Body Cream. I can't help it- I hear something contains royal jelly and I must try it. Not sure where this fixation came from.

My one and only issue with Lancome body products has always been the scent. They smell synthetic and fruity, and Nutrix Royal Body Cream isn't different in that regard, though by the time I get dressed it's mostly gone. The important part, though, is performance. Nutrix Royal delivers like a cream that costs three times as much and continuous use has lingering effect. I haven't touched any other body cream in more than three weeks and haven't seen that ugly dry earth pattern on my legs since then.

Bottom line: I don't know if its the royal jelly, but this cream is made of awesome.

Lancôme Nutrix Royal Body Cream ($34) is available from Lancome counters everywhere and the company's website. I ordered it online.

Photo: images.com

Best Of The Best For 2009

For the fourth consecutive year, I'm proud to join forces with a group of excellent bloggers and bring to you my favorite products, scents and little pleasure that helped make my year more beautiful. Organized by Elena from Perfume Shrine, many of the other blogs are scent-centric, while here you will also be subjected to nail polish and lipstick. Enjoy!



Skin Care
Joining my perennial favorites, this year I made two discoveries that improved both my complexion and my general outlook: Boots No. 7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum is a hyped product that really delivers, and might keep the Botox needle away for a while longer. At $22, this is as close to a miracle as it gets.
On the other end of the price spectrum there's Erno Laszlo. I'm on my second full jar of pHormula No. 3-9 cream, and it saves me again and again. During my house move and in this current weather I haven't seen a single flake.

Honorable mentions: Dior Hydraction Serum and anything by Kanebo Sensai.

Body Care
I have several holy grail products from L'Occitane (face cleanser, hair products, shea butter body cream). This year's limited edition Shea Butter collection in Frangipani is wonderful. I can't get enough of the foaming cleanser.
Then there's the best body cream, Kanebo Sensai Collection Premier. For the cost you can either feed a village or buy this product, but I have to mention it because it really is that good.

Nail Polish
StrangeBeautiful, a niche nail polish line with a unique concept and superb quality. The third collection by Jane Schub was launched not long ago and it's as beautiful as you'd expect it to be.If only they'd sell the bottles individually...

Makeup
More than ever before, 2009 was the year limited editions and seasonal collections had sent everyone over the edge. Almost every brand came up with several products that sold out as quickly as they appeared. Of course, Bobbi Brown and Chanel have made this into an art form in previous years, making eye shadow palettes and nail polish in unorthodox shades into an eBay sensation. While this is exciting and probably drives sales even (or especially) in a crappy economy, what happened to the art of a well-thought and carefully edited makeup collection?



The answer is Edward Bess. Creative, perfectionist and talented Edward Bess has a niche makeup line (a Bergdorf Goodman exclusive) that is all about elegance, glamor and impeccable taste. While I wish there were more lipstick and lipgloss shades so I would be able to own more than one of each (minimalists don't become beauty bloggers), I adore what I have and covet each and every eye shadow.

Another company that offers both a gorgeous regular collection as well as stunning seasonal items is Le Metier de Beaute. While their eye and lip Kaleidoscopes are what grabs a makeup lover's attention, it's the face products that give a smooth, flawless look. And the miniature nail polish bottles are pure genius.

The title of Best Mascara belongs to two products: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill and Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash.

Honorable mentions go to to Bobbi Brown for her Ivy League fall collection, Giorgio Armani for the lipsticks and Christian Dior for the new single eye shadows.


Perfume
Insert heavy sigh here.
These are strange times for the art of perfumery. The writing has been on the wall since 2005 or so, but most of us have been playing ostrich to some degree, mostly because it was so hard to believe that iconic houses that existed for decades (even centuries) and have been a synonym with quality would allow a bunch of bureaucrats to mutilate their classic bestsellers. But IFRA is everywhere and Guerlain, Chanel, Annick Goutal and everyone else have been complying without a fight, thus making No. 5, No. 19, Eau d'Hadrien, Shalimar, Mitsouko and other beloved scents a sad shadow of what they used to be. There's also the issue of cost, of course. Everyone needs to make a profit, and replacing expensive raw materials with cheap ones helps the bottom line. After all, consumers don't care, right? They just want to smell like they've stepped out of the shower.

Not this consumer and not most of you reading this blog.

While even niche houses have been reformulating their perfumes (Chergui, Feminite de Bois, Fleurs d'Oranger) or discontinuing them (JAR Shadow is no more), there are still perfumers who do not create perfumes for focus groups. Mona di Orio has been consistently awesome and her perfumes take you to times and places where Calone doesn't exist. Her line is coming back to NYC (Takashimaya), which is the best news I've heard in ages.

My favorite perfume releases in 2009 come from two small houses. Anya McCoy of Anya's Garden, an all-natural, uncompromising perfumer, has already brought us Kaffir and Pan, two of the most interesting and non-traditional scents I can think of (the first is a lime and leather concoction, the second is all about goat). Her two newest perfumes, MoonDance and StarFlower and stunning in their power, magic and pure sensuality. They are a must-try for any perfume lover.

The perfume that touched my heart more than any other this year (and frankly, probably longer than that) is Andy Tauer's Un Rose Chypree. An emotional, romantic rose on a chypre base that smells of days long gone. It's a masterpiece.

Honorable mentions: L'Artisan Havana Vanille, Uncle Serge's Fille en Aiguilles and last year's Italian Cypress by Tom Ford, which is the most wonderful thing I've smelled on my husband in a while.

And Other stuff...
Green & Black's newest chocolate: Peanut. A 37% milk chocolate, crisply caramelized organic peanuts, a hint of sea salt. Godiva who?

Kajitsu, a vegan Japanese restaurant (414 East 9th Street, New York, NY). It's an amazing experience that doesn't taste like anything else you've had before. The delicate aroma of the food, unique textures and zen atmosphere make it into my favorite restaurant. Get the roasted tea to accompany your meal (and some warm sake). You can also buy it by the pound to take home.

Didier Dumas Patisserie in Nyack, NY (163 Main Street) is a little taste of Paris. Gluttony has never felt so good.

Happy New Year and please visit the other participating bloggers:

Perfume Shrine
Mossy Loomings,
1000fragrances,
Ayala Smelly Blog,
Bittergrace Notes,
Shoes,Cake,Perfume,
Eiderdown Press Journal,
Scent Hive,
Olfactarama,
Roxana's Illuminated Journal,
A Rose Beyond the Thames,
Notes from the Ledge,
I smell therefore I am,
Under the Cupola,
All I am a Redhead,
Perfume In Progress,
Savvy Thinker


Images: myvintagevogue.com, edwardbess.com and Perfume Shrine

L'Occitane Shea Butter Extra-Gentle Lotion for Hands & Body

Normal people wouldn't understand how a 5% shea butter lotion can be not rich enough for one's skin. But if you're like me and share the genetic material of a big lizard you might get it.

I was setting out the bathrooms in the new house and realized that: a) I still can't find the box with most of my full-size heavy duty hand creams, and b)I needed something with cat proof packaging. Since I was already on my way to the L'Occitane store, I picked what looked like the obvious choice, Shea Butter Extra-Gentle Lotion for Hands & Body in the pump bottle.

I'm a huge fan of L'Occitane shea butter products, but usually go for the big guns- the 15% to 25% thick creams. It makes a big difference, because while the Extra Gentle Lotion gives a quick relief right after I wash my hands, it only takes fifteen minutes before they feel tight and dry again and I need another fix.

Bottom line: I'm a freak.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Extra-Gentle Lotion for Hands & Body ($20) is available online and from L'Occitane stores. I bought it at my local mall.

Photo: ucsd.org

Fresh Brown Sugar Body Cream

The 1 oz tube of Fresh Brown Sugar Body Cream was a Sephora Beauty Insider GWP, and I must say I'm glad I didn't pay for it. I used to have several favorite products from Fresh and I still remember the wonderful scent of the Bulgarian Rose line. But that was before the company was sold to LVMH and lost its soul.

Kristen, The Beauty Addict, has already touched on the silliness of naming a product Brown Sugar while making it smell of lemon. The very synthetic citrus has nothing of the dark molasses-like aroma you'd expect from the name, and there's nothing rich or comforting in the cream's texture or performance. Maybe someone whose skin is dry and doesn't require deep nourishment from body creams would find it acceptable, but I don't. I kept testing the Brown Sugar cream under several circumstances (day, night, exposed skin, covered skin, cold day and balmy weather), but the result was always the same: within an hour of application I had to reach for another cream or lotion, because my skin was showing signs of dryness.

Bottom line: No.

Fresh Brown Sugar Body Cream ($35, 6.8 oz) is available from Sephora and Fresh boutiques. As I said above, the 1oz tube I have was a GWP.

Image: ehow.com

L'Occitane Shea Butter Limited Edition Collection

I stopped at the mall to stock up on my regular L'Occitane hair products (somehow I ran out. The horror!), and check out the new Limited Edition Shea Butter Collection. I'm a huge fan of L'Occitane's regular shea butter products- during the winter I want nothing other than live in one of those jars. I try to apply the body cream three times a day to combat my skin blahs and maintain the illusion I'm human and not an upright walking, lipstick wearing lizard.

The limited edition products come in four new scents, Ylang Ylang, Acacia, Frangipani and Rosebud. The Ultra Rich Cream also comes in a fifth scent, another limited edition, Vanilla, which was created in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Shea. Surprisingly, I didn't fall for that one. Not sure why, it just wasn't the most amazing vanilla ever and I passed in favor of the Frangipani.

The SA said that Rosebud and Frangipani seem to be the most popular scents, and I certainly see why- they are the most distinct one and have the best blend of top notes with the basic shea butter scent that's typical to these products (it's creamy, nutty, somewhat musky). I got all three Frangipani items- the body cream, mini hand cream and the Hand & Body Cleansing Mousse. I love L'Occitane's foaming face cleanser, and this body mousse didn't disappoint. It's an excellent cold weather treat for the body.

Bottom Line: Why did they make it a limited edition?

The Shea Butter Limited Edition Collection (prices from $10 for the hand cream to $21 for the 3.5 oz Ultra Rich body cream) is available from L'Occitane stores and online.

Photos by me. Model: Lizzy.

Kanebo Sensai Collection Premier the Body Cream

This is one of the very few occasions in my life I'm quite happy to be short and not have neverending limbs. It makes my sample of body cream from Kanebo Sensai Collection Premier last just a bit longer.

This cream is beyond fabulous (and for $400 per 8.5 oz it better be). I've slathered my share of creams, lotions, butters and oils. Some were better than others, but I think it's the first time I could see the product's effect lasting on the skin for 24 hours. What I mean is that while this is definitely not the first super hydrating cream I've tried and loved, by the next day (and usually sooner) my skin is already demanding more. With Kanebo Sensai Premier, the newly found softness is still noticeably there. Considering my cuir de crocodile, this is quite impressive.

I haven't been using the cream long enough (it is a sample, after all) to comment on any long term anti-aging effect. The marketing materials talk about 20 active ingredients and name things such as Bukuryo extract, Chinese mulberry, seaweed extract and others. All I can say is that it feels great and makes my arms and legs look normal. The delicate white flower (quite a bit of orange blossom) scent is lovely and luxurious, as it ought to be.

My friend Tom mentioned a couple of weeks ago that at a certain price level he'd rather have stuff prescribed and not bought at Bergdorf, and I know exactly what he means. If my skin requires such heavy duty treatments (and it does. I've been prune prone since early childhood, even when I lived in a hot and humid climate), isn't it better to have my health insurance fork over?

Probably so, but it wouldn't feel as fabulous as the Kanebo Sensai Premier.

Bottom line: I'm doomed.

Kanebo Sensai Collection Premier the Body Cream ($400, 8.5 oz. Cringe) is available from Bergdorf Goodman, online and in store. The sample I received was a PR freebie.

Image: sensai-cosmetics.com

Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel- Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums

I have all these girly, feminine shower gels and creams- vanilla, lavender-vanilla, citrus-vanilla, cinnamon-vanilla...You get the picture. Then there are the figs, roses and honey. But the one I find myself loving the most lately is the husband's Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel from Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums, based on the Dominique Ropion perfume by the same name.

It's sharp, bitter, has no frilly notes and yet feels utterly luxurious. There's a moment the peppery opening blooms in the hot shower air and transforms it into a spa (if spas had a cat or two perching between the shower curtain and liner, and another one keeping your towels warm). The ozonic note is perfect here, contributing to that clean, airy feeling and probably keeping the earthiness of vetiver at bay- this is a shower gel, after all.

While only a whiff is left on skin 10 minutes after toweling off, the best part of this Frederic Malle product is how it makes my skin feel: normal. No tightness or dryness at all, which as far as I'm concerned is pure magic. The husband (let's not forget the rightful owner of the bottle) is perfectly happy with the cleaning performance (antiperspirant removal), so everyone is happy.

Bottom line: I wish they sold it in gallons. I need to try the one in Bigarade Concentree.

Vetiver Extraordinaire Shower Gel by Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums ($75, 200 ml) is available from Barneys and Freceric Malle boutiques. Speaking of Barneys, they have a typo on their web site "Vetiver Extraodinaire"- an R is missing there. The funny thing is that other websites (shopping aggregators, mostly) have picked this typo and copied it all over the net.

shower gel mage: editionsdeparfums.com
screen captures: Barneys

Clinica Ivo Pitanguy- Body Care Hands Beauty Formula

Some twentysomethings might have a hard time relating to the anti-aging obsession. I remember 15 years ago not being very religious about my SPF usage and not really caring about antioxidants and vitamin C in my skin care products. But between beauty blogging and pushing 40, things have changed significantly.

I spend a scary chunk of my waking hours with my hands right in front of me typing or touchpading, so I get to look at them quite a bit. I've been doing a good job using sun blocks, premium hand creams, shielding lotions and any rejected face cream and serum I have. And it pays off. I can't recommend strongly enough upgrading your hand cream to something with active anti aging and brightening ingredients and heavy duty moisturizing effect.

But how "up" should this upgrade be? Is there any justification for the $105 hand cream from Clinica Ivo Pitanguy? Even when you realize that this price is for a 3.4 oz tube, while the wonderful Chanel Body Excellence Creme Jeunesse et Confort is $48 for 2.5 oz, it's still about $30 per 1oz while Chanel is $19.6 pr 1oz.

The Ivo Pitanguy tube I have was a PR freebie. I love this cream and have been very happy with the way my hands look and feel. But is it better than Chanel or Erno Laszlo? I can't say. While I'm pretty sure the two scars I have on my right hand have somewhat faded (an old one from an accident 21 years ago, and one that involved my cat Thomas using my hand as a springboard with the claws on his hind leg), I can't say how much of that is the Ivo Pitanguy and how much is everything else, including several Lancome Absolute GWP products.

I can't find a full ingredient list for the CIP Hands Beauty Formula. They're talking about amino acids and Brazilian maracuja oil, which apparently is passion fruit (passiflora edulis) and has calming, soothing and analgesic properties. But Ivo Pitanguy products are not the only ones on the market using that. On the other hand there's Dr. Pitanguy's himself, one of the greatest plastic surgeons of all times, whose creams and ointments had a legendary reputation (have a look at this article). But since this is a commercial product I have a hard time there's something rare and unique in the formula.

However, if you compare Clinica Ivo Pitanguy to the other top tier brands like Sisley, Natura Bisse or Kanebo Sensai, prices are about the same. I'm just not convinced they are that much better than the equivalent body products from La Mer ($70 for the same size tube of hand cream), Lancome, Lauder or Guerlain.

Bottom line: Awesome hand cream, jaw-dropping price. I'd go with La Mer first.

Clinica Ivo Pitanguy products are available from Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.

Photos of the Ivo Pitanguy clinic in Brazil: pitanguy.com

Diptyque Tam Dao Shower Gel

The Blond has discovered the joy of luxury bath products. It started when I got him the Guerlain Vetiver body wash (I think I bought every tube I could find before they disappeared from the market), the upgraded for the Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire shower gel (dreamy. Review coming soon). Now I got a bottle of Diptyque Tam Dao shower gel which he believes is his, but just like the perfume- I beg to differ.

Tam Dao is a wonderful sandalwood in any form, and the creaminess of the scent works beautifully in a bathing product. It feels and smells luxurious, lathers lightly and is gentle on my sensitive skin. The Blond approves the cleansing level and likes the way it feels.

I find that the scent lingers on my skin longer than on his, though you can't skip the perfume. Speaking of which, the shower gel has a drier scent than the EDT and is less spicy. Next on my list to explore are the Diptyque Philosykos body products. It's fig, after all, and there's a rich body cream. Stay tuned.

Diptyque Tam Dao Shower Gel ($44, 6.8 oz) is available from Barneys, Aedes, BeautyHabit and most other stores that sell the Diptyque range.

Photo of sandalwood elephants (there's an elephant on the pretty Tam Dao box) by RottieLover♥ on Flickr.

Erno Laszlo Hydra-Therapy Bodyskin Cream

My poor limbs! This summer has been short and plagued with crazy weather, which means I didn't get the short reprieve from slathering my legs with heavy-duty body creams and oils. The press sample of Erno Laszlo Hydra-Therapy Bodyskin Cream I received was a welcome addition to my goop rotation. My skin on my legs and arms is very dry and extremely sensitive. When I call it Cuir de Crocodile I'm not being funny. I'm being truthful (and desperate).

Hydra-Therapy Bodyskin Cream performs well so far. It's as fast absorbing as it can get and leaves no filmy residue that could make crossing one's legs a sticky situation. The cream feels great and leaves the skin soft and supple for 6-8 hours. I also like the way it feels on my hand after application.

What I don't get is a long-term effect, which makes me suspect Hydra-Therapy Bodyskin Cream might not become my winter staple. But for now it is a very good product and normal people who are not related to lizards would probably find it very effective year-round.

Erno Laszlo Hydra-Therapy Bodyskin Cream ($60 for 8 oz) is available from Nordstro, Neiman Marcus, Dillard's and ernolaszlo.com. My sample was a PR freebie.

Lancome Absolue Hand vs. Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Hand Cream

A hand cream face-off

Last week when I talked about using unloved high end face creams and serums on hands, my friend Tom commented on how important it is to keep the paws from showing signs of aging. Crepey skin, brown spots... not pretty. The thing is that most regular hand creams are good for providing a protective layer from drying environment, but they do little (read: diddly squat) in the anti-aging department. We're lucky if they have an SPF, but mostly they're either overpriced Vaseline or some version of body butter. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but we need more.

Enter the high-end creams.

While sometimes it seems crazy to pay so much for a tube of cream that sits next to the sink or in the remote control basket, many of these products actually make a difference in the way one's hands look, and that can be priceless. The two creams I've been testing lately, Lancome Absolue Hand and Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Smoothing Hand Cream, are serious players in this field, and both give my beloved Chanel a run for its money.

Lauder Re-Nutriv feels thicker and takes longer to fully absorb. But the soft and smooth feeling lasts longer. On the other hand (ha! I actually did some of the testing simultaneously, one on each hand), Lancome Absolue offers SPF 15, which is a huge advantage.

Both creams perform well and keep my skin texture nice and smooth. Since sun protection is the number one step in keeping hands in great shape, if pressed to choose one I'd go with Lancome, but perhaps I'd feel differently in cold and dry weather.

In any case, don't forget to apply sun block before getting in your car. It's easy to overlook, but one gets seriously exposed to those evil rays while driving.

Lancome Absolue Hand ($42 for 3.4 oz) and Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Smoothing Hand Cream ($45 for 3.4 oz) are available from decent department stores and directly from the companies online stores. I got several travel size tubes of both with various purchases at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

Image: amykagawacom

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (Multipurpose Dry Oil)

Or: My Mother Knows Best

Last year in Paris I saw the ads for Nuxe products all over the city. I had every intention to check the dry oil which seemed to be in every drugstore/pharmacy (there are two things I envy most about living in France: baked goods and drugstores), but somehow never got to it. I was happy to learn that unlike decent croissants, Nuxe is actually available on our shores from several online retailers. I kept meaning to order the famous Huile but, again, somehow never got around to do it, until my mother, who apparently has been using it for ages, sent me a bottle and a firm order to use it.

And she was right, as always.

While I'm not adventurous enough these days to attempt using the dry oil on my face or hair, as recommended on the bottle, when it comes to my limbs and other body parts this is a fabulous product. Easy to spread and fast absorbing, it's never greasy and won't give you the Gwyneth Paltrow finish. It softens, moisturizers and makes even my cuir de crocodile look and feel normal with no sticky residue, which is especially appreciated in the summer.

The scent is this faint beachy-white floral thing with a hint of clean musk in the drydown. It doesn't project and won't interfere with perfume, as it disappears within 20 minutes or so.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multipurpose Dry Oil ($44 for 100 ml that last a very long time, and be aware that there's also a gold shimmer version, but I'm utterly not responsible if you get that one) is available online from beautyhabit, apothica and beauty.com. Or if you're in France, just about on every street corner (but you probably already own a bottle and don't need me to tell you about it).

Discontinued: The Thymes Fig Leaf And Cassis

I try my best to keep an "out with the old, in with the new" attitude when it comes to discontinued beauty products and only throw tantrums (followed by weeks of eBay activity) when beloved perfumes disappear. But Fig Leaf & Cassis from The Thymes has been my favorite bath and body line for nearly ten years, and I kept hoping they will bring back the environmental oil in this scent, not to mention expand the range of products. Instead, it's being discontinued.

The leftover products are now in the "Last Chance" section (together with the Gardener and Green Tea lines). The body lotion is already gone, but everything else is still there.

I'm terribly disappointed. I didn't like any of the scents The Thymes have released in recent years. They're too thin, too flowery or horribly fruity. Something from the Red Cherie line that arrived here as a PR freebie, ended up being used in feline waste management, and I gave thumbs down to each and every of the scents I've tested in their focus groups. I guess we'll have to move on to Jo Malone's Fig Leaf & Cassis, but I'm going to dearly miss The Thymes. The scent was the perfect combination of lush and crisp, green with only a hint of honeyed fruit. It layered well with my favorite fig perfumes (Heeley and L'Artisan), and never failed to satisfy. If you have suggestions for other fig products, please comment. I'm sure I'm not the only FL&C fan who will need them.

Burt's Bees Natural Body Wash For Men

The man of the house was in the market for a new body wash. This statement is somewhat amusing, given how our bathroom looks like a mini Sephora, only with cats instead of sale assistants. But he just finished a bottle of something or another and the existing inventory looked to him suspiciously girly, so I got him a bottle of Burt's Bees Natural Body Wash For Men.

He hated it.

While my main expectation from a body wash is that it doesn't turn my skin into a crispy dry mess, he actually wants the stuff to get him clean. I suspect that the lack of foaming (it's an SLS-free product) plays a part here, but he also feels the body wash doesn't get rid of antiperspirant debris, which is a legitimate complain. Seriously, eww.

Since I absolutely loved the scent (lemon herbal honey with more than a touch of patchouli), I tried to adopt the bottle. Funny enough, I found it too detergent-like. It's supposed to be very mild (I googled each and every ingredient and there's nothing alarming there. It's all coconut-derived and sensitive skin-friendly), but I found it too drying, especially for winter.

A few words regarding the ingredients: I was half ready to poke some fun at the brand and its fans, considering Burt's Bees is now part of the decidedly non-crunchy Clorox company. But a little research shows all the ingredients, including the ones with the alarming chemical names are natural (at least in the sense that they are produced from natural materials and not synthetic). It doesn't say much, of course, but at least there's nothing scary in there. There are no parabens in the formula. The preservative is Glucose Oxidase is found in honey and there's also Lactoperoxidase, an enzyme that comes from cow's milk and acts as an antimicrobial and antioxidant. The latter makes it non-vegan, but at least, like all Burt's Bees products, it was not animal tested.

Bottom line: Great smell, questionable performance. I use it from time to time, just because, and make sure to marinate myself in jojoba oil afterwards.

Burt's Bees Natural Body Wash For Men ( $8 for 12 oz) is available just about everywhere, from Macy's and Whole Foods market to drugstores. I bought it at my local Target.

Lush Dream Cream

It's not exactly a secret I have issues with the scent of many (most?) Lush products. Dream Cream isn't different in this regard and is probably one of the worst, scent-wise, but it performs so wonderfully I must talk about it.

Dream Cream is more of a lotion than a cream in the texture department, and absorbs quickly enough. It moisturizers with the best of them- just as good as my favorite L'Occitane shea butter cream, only much lighter. I didn't expect it to have a lingering effect, but it does and keeps skin calm and soft all day. It even helps tremendously with the horrible winter itch.

The scent, however, is horrible. It smells like a household detergent, and not an expensive one. I don't know which of the many essential oils in the ingredient list is responsible for the stench, but I can only describe this as a demented lavender. And it's strong enough that I have to wait at least 20-30 minutes before I can wear perfume. And even then, I'd recommend going with a green or herbal fragrance, preferably a masculine (Coriolan is a good choice here). I don't want to think about Dream Cream mixing with anything vanilla.

I've been using Dream Cream since last summer and lately have been finding myself reaching for it several times a week. I'll have to replenish soon, but the Lush website says it's out of stock at the moment. If you've seen the cream at your local Lush store please say so in a comment.

Lush Dream Cream ($22.55) should be available at Lush boutiques and normally it's online. Mine was a gift from my sister who shares my opinions about the high performance and stinkiness.

Erno Laszlo Intensive Hand Cream

While my personal holy grail hand cream is still my beloved Chanel (because of the amazingly light texture and the noticeable long-time effect), Erno Laszlo Intensive Hand Cream is becoming another favorite.

It's thicker and takes a couple of extra seconds to fully absorb and also leaves what I can only call "an aftertaste" - a fuzzy feeling similar to what you get after wearing kitchen gloves- on my palms-which disappears after about 15 minutes. The greatness is in the immediate hydration and comfort my skin gets, even under dire circumstances, as I discovered after an unfortunate encounter with a very harsh detergent. The Erno Laszlo cream fixed the situation immediately.

Add to that the SPF 25 and a fairly large tube (4 oz), and this is a very good product, as long as you don't have issues with the texture.

Erno Laszlo Intensive Hand Cream ($55) is available from Nordstrom, Saks, Dillards (and I'm pretty sure I remember a Laszlo counter at Bergdorf), as well as from the company's web site. I got my tube as a PR freebie.

Photo: Life.com