cuticle crimes February 22, 2007

Its nearly impossible in HK to keep your manicurist from cutting your cuticles. But try you must! Sure it looks great when you leave the salon, but a week later you are left with hard bits of skin on either side of your nails and, even more tragic, split cuticles. Then you have no choice but to go back again and again to keep them trimmed.

I swore it wouldn’t happen to me. But a couple of years ago I let my manicurist talk me into trimming them “just a little”. I’ve been sorry ever since.

But in the past few months, I have tried to break my habit. I imposed a ‘manicurist withdrawal’. I have instead been rubbing FACE Stockholm’s AHA cuticle cream into my cuticles every night, and gently pushing them back with an orange stick after every shower.

It’s been a battle. And to be honest, not pretty. But I think I’ve kicked it finally. My nail beds look better than ever.

I think I’m ready for a manicure now. I’m pretty sure I won’t succumb to the temptation of the trimmer.

I’ve been through too much, I’ve worked too hard. But I’m bringing my orange stick just in case my manicurist doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

creme de corps body cleanser – solution for dry skin February 22, 2007

Do you have dry skin? The kind that itches immediately after coming out of the shower? Is it so itchy you think twice about lathering up? Well then I suggest you march straight over to Kiehl’s and pick up their Creme de Corps Cleanser.

I was a big fan of Kiehl’s even before it arrived in HK. But I had gone off it the last couple of years. I never could get past the non-lathering shampoos (yes I know that the lack of lather means no sulfates, but still), and I became wooed away by other skincare products.

But while I was there the other day buying a tinted lip balm for a friend who is on her way to climb Mt Kilimingaro (she may be roughing it but a little colour in the lip balm never hurt), I decided to try the body wash.

I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, it lathers up really well. And being Kiehl’s, it doesn’t have any annoying scents. But most importantly, my skin felt great after the shower and not even the slightest bit itchy.

I haven’t tried teaming it up with the body cream, which I have tried before and did like. At the time I thought it was a bit too rich, but given the lower humidity in HK right now, it may be worth a second try.