.:: CybeleSays ::.

How often do you think about the skin on the backs of your hands? I mean, they can totally show your age too. I’ve made it a habit in the past … well, quite a few years, that when I’m applying sunscreen to my face, I wipe some on the back of my hands too. Just food for thought, which ties into this next product for the hands …

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We are in the thick of things when it comes to winter and even though it doesn’t feel too cold, the air is super dry. Glad I’ve had PHILIP B. Lovin’ Hand & Body Crème ($8/2oz, $27/6oz, $90/32oz @ philipb.com) on hand (no pun intended). It’s surprisingly super moisturizing and not greasy at all for being so lightweight. And I don’t hate greasy lotions (I think I’m in my own category on this one!). It contains ingredients that will help the skin on hands look and feel better like coconut oil, shea butter and vitamins E and B5. And it has a really delicate scent to it that me likey.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

I’ve been pretty lucky lately when it comes to hand creams by finding ones that really work! The latest one I am touting is VOTRE VU’s Duette Luxe Lip Balm & Hand Crème. Yup a two-in-one hand cream in the tube and lip balm in the cap. I’m all about having multi-taskers in the car and this one is perfect for that.

The hand crème has Shea Butter, oils from coconut, jojoba, and grape seed, to name a few and the scent is a cross between biscotti and supermarket frosting (I had one friend tell me this), which they call Almond Pie. I must say that I am not always in the mood for the scent so I wish they’d stuck with a more neutral fragrance with this one or maybe had an option with it.

As far as the lip balm, there is an option for a straight up balm or a tinted balm but the tinted balm didn’t seem to leave any tint to my lips. It’s a great idea but would have been nice to get some color in the tinted one! However, it does soften lips with Shea Butter, coconut oil and beeswax, which is what matters most. $38/1.35oz @ votrevu.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

If you’re serious about hand cream or are in need of a good one, then this next one is for you. UK’s  PAI SKINCARE Fragonia & Sea Buckthorn Instant Hand Therapy Cream ($25/1.7oz @ paiskincare.com) contains some pretty skin nutritious ingredients like the aforementioned frangonia (an oil derived from a shrub that helps with anti-inflammation) and sea buckthorn (another shrub known for its anti-oxidant properties) as their main ingredients. And they also throw some oils we all know work well – rosehip, avocado, macadamia and grapefruit among others. Surprisingly, it sinks into skin rather quickly and there is absolutely no greasy feeling or look to the skin afterward; you would think with a high oil content, it woud have to be. I mean, I can turn the knob on my computer speakers up and down with no problem!

And since this product is from the UK, it has gone through their system of approval to be certified organic by the Soil Association. Now I’m curious about how the other products in this line are and will let you know if I try any. And they have a pretty interesting story behind them if you feel like reading a little more about them.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

As I get older, I notice that my hands get a little drier each fall/winter. Oh aging, what fun! I’ve been switching off between these next two all December and can’t really pick a definite winner so I’m running both.

DAVINES Hammam Ritual Hand Treatment in Bergamot Black Pepper - at first it was hard to weigh the cost against the size of this duo. Each glass jar is only 1oz but after I used the Hammam Hand Scrub and then the Hammam Hand Cream, did I realize this was a case of quality = price. Wow. And since you really only use it once a week, you can really make it last. $28 @ davines.com.

THYMES Moonflower Hand Cream – this scent seems made for right now! It’s a blend of gilded cinnamon, clove and dark amber with cognac. Oh and the cream is really good too and doesn’t contain any parabens, which I love. $16/2.5oz @ thymes.com. 

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

I’m on a roll with these foaming hand soaps lately! This is the second one I’ve found that works well and is not full of nasty chemicals. It’s from the KISS MY FACE line, which on the whole I’ve never been a big fan of but this single product has my attention and now I want to know what else they are putting out now. They call it Peace Soap and the ingredients are really straight forward: Water, Coconut Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Xanthan Gum, Natural Fragrance Blend.

And these also do good. Not only are the bottles the soap is packaged in made of 50% post consumer recycled materials but 10% of the proceeds benefit Seeds of Peace. So, what does your hand soap stand for??

Available in 4 scents and shown here in Pomagranate Acai. Yum!

$7.99/8oz @ kissmyface.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

I’ve discovered a great new line! VERMONT SOAP ORGANICS hails from you guessed it and is based on the Vermont way of life. The line started with the creation of a bar of soap in 1992 and has morphed into products for bath, foot fungus, baby and even a horse shampoo. The one I tried was their Foaming Hand Soap in Lemongrass Zen. It’s the first USDA approved, certified organic soap former and it doesn’t disappoint. Just look at these ingredients: Saponified organic coconut, olive and jojoba oils, vegetable glycerin, lemongrass essential oil blend, organic aloe vera and rosemary extract. That’s it!

So how does it work? I’d put it up against any other foam soap I’ve ever tried! So how do they keep it so pure? Their foaming mechanism on the top is able to aerate their organic castile soap to make the froth and the lemony scent is pure essential oils. So did you see the price? $7.78/7oz @ vermontsoap.com. Another example proving that healthy beauty products don’t have to be expensive.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

How about getting your hands, knees, cuticles and other body parts on a product where the first ingredient listed is butyrospermym parkii aka Shea Butter! It doesn’t happen often but with SULA BEAUTY’s Organic Shea Butter Balm ($9/20 grams @ sulabeauty.com), that’s what you’re getting, as well as sunflower oil, beeswax, jojoba oil and sweet orange oil. That’s it! So tame your eye brows, bring your toenails back from a long bout with nail polish with this one. Available in Bergamot, Neroli Blossom and Rosa Damascena. Big recommendation!

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

Since I’ve been doing this awesome Spring Scent Picks feature, I feel like I want to start a smell blog for things that smell good - from beauty products and the interior of new cars to old-fashioned magic markers and old-fashioned report cards. Ok, I’m showing my age now. Here are some more that I’m digging right now!

From L to R clockwise:

ELIZABETH ARDEN 'Pretty' Eau de Cologne Splash ($45/6.8oz @ elizabetharden.com)
CND SpaManicure Citrus Hydrating Lotion for the hands ($13.95/8oz @ bebeautiful.com)
ORGANIX Conditioner in Cherry Blossom Ginseng ($6.99/13oz @ cvs.com)
CRATER LAKE COMPANY Sugar Cloud Foaming Sugar Scrub in Honeysuckle Fizz ($15.95/11oz @ craterlakecompany.com)
LA NATURA 100% Vegan Pure Body Butter in Pomegranate ($30/4oz @ lanatura.com)
FLIRT! Rock-n-Roll Rebel Perfume Spray ($35/1.7oz @ kohls.com)
KINGS & QUEENS Sugar Showergel ($9/10.14oz @ select Target stores)

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes. Some I bought.

I’ve always been a fan of the Deep Comfort creams and CLINIQUE just added a new one to the line up. I can’t help but think that this Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream ($17.50/2.6oz @ clinique.com) is just the formula that we’ve seen before repackaged and renamed. My cuticles take such a beating this time of year so I dove nails first into this one. And it’s winning me over but I had to look up the ingredients for the Deep Comfort Body Moisturizer and they are different, phew! This one has added in murumuru, meadowfoam seed oil, gentian root, chamomile and linoleic acid among others that whip nail and cuticles into shape.

Disclosure: The following item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.