Soft Hands and A Giveaway

I love hand creams, especially when you find one that really works, smells amazing and doesn't feel greasy. I've amassed quite a collection of various brands and sizes of hand creams since over the past year, as gifts or ones I've repurchased again and again. Read on for my thoughts on the five pictured below!

Burt's Bees Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey and Grapeseed Oil Hand Cream, 75ml, £9.99 

It contains jojoba, cupuacu and macadamia butters, antioxidant-rich grape seed and sunflower oils. (I looked up Cupuacu, which is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao). I'm always interested in what ingredients are used for certain products (eg. exfoliators, facial cleansers etc.) There seems to be a pattern with certain ingredients. I got this as part of a set because I wanted to try out some more Burt's Bees products because in general I love their stuff. I'm not a huge fan of the scent of this, I love honey scented products so I'm blaming it on the Grapeseed oil (I looked this up too, it's a carrier oil which means it is used to dilute other oils and is used in cosmetics for the control of skin moisturisation. Grape seeds themselves contain anti-oxidants). The formulation is a bit too rich for me, it can be greasy, although I put it on at night so that the greasiness doesn't affect me. I wouldn't put it on during the day. That being said it definitely makes a difference to my hands, it's very moisturising and makes my hands very soft the next morning. 

Laura Mercier Creme de Pistache  Hand Creme, 50ml, €19

This also contains Grape oil as well as Olive Oil, soy proteins which are rich in amino acids and help in the repair process. The Crème de Pistache fragrance captures the essence of creamy pistachio nuts, almond, praline and hazelnut with freshly whipped cream. This scent is my absolute favourite. I can't get enough of it. Having said that I know it is probably not for everyone. At €19 for 50mls it is the most expensive of the five, but it makes a great present (my family know it's one of my favourites) or if you feel like treating yourself. This also comes in a body wash, scrub, lotion and eau de toilette (which I am dying to get!) You really get what you pay for here, I love the formula of this, it's not greasy, it sinks into the skin easliy and really moisturises your hands.

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, 100ml, €19

Clarins has been a long time favourite brand of mine. It started with me "borrowing" my mother's Clarins products. She has been a fan for years and uses their cleanser, toner and serums as often as she can. They are one of those brands that just make the most quality products and at prices that are not completely extortionate. I've had this hand cream at different stages over the years, this particular tube was given to me as a gift for my birthday last year so it really does last a long time and I think €19 for 100mls is pretty good for one of the best hand creams on the market. This seems to be a bit of a secret in that it's been around for ages but never really gets talked about, well that I've seen anyway. It contains sesame oil and Japanese mulberry which are supposed to form a protective "glove" around the hands to shield from the elements, it also reduces the signs of aging AND strengthens nails and conditions cuticles. What more could you ask for? It's just a damn good hand cream! Oh and it smells really natural and Clarinsy (if you've ever used Beauty Flash balm you'll know what I mean). 

L'Occitane Cooling Hand Cream Gel, 75ml, €19.95

L'Occitane products are a recent enough discovery for me. I got a free hand cream in a magazine and ever since I've been hooked. I love their Honey hand cream, the Lavender and the plain ole Shea Butter. This cooling hand cream gel with Organic Verbena extract (what the heck is that you might ask?!) It comes from a flowering plant in Corsica apparently. All I know is it smells citrusy and I love that! It's supposed to refresh hands by leaving a powdery finish on them and reduces feelings of moisture and swelling. Personally I don't find this moisturising enough for me but I suppose that's the point. I'd imagine it would feel very refreshing for someone who works intricately with their hands or perhaps suffers from joint pain or arthritis. I highly rate L'Occitane hand creams in general, but this isn't for my particular hand needs.

Soap and Glory Hand Food, 50ml €3

This is by far the best "drugstore" hand cream. At €3 for 50ml it's six times less expensive than the Laura Mercier one and to be honest is just as good. I absolutely love how this smells, it has that Soap and Glory 'Original Pink' scent which according to them has orange leaf, lemon, peach, sweet strawberries, summer rose, gardenia blooms and jasmine. Wow! It contains shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow. Yes, marshmallow! It comes in a 125ml tube too, but I like the 50ml because it's the perfect handbag size. 

So there you have it! My opinions on some of my favourite hand creams. Click the links above to find out more on the brands websites. 

What hand cream are you using at the moment? Do you have any suggestions for me to try?

Now for the fun bit, I'm going to giveaway two of the 50ml Soap and Glory hand creams! So there will be two winners who will receive one tube each. To enter just leave me a comment and tell me what your favourite scent is ( I'm so nosey about these things) and an email address ( if you don't have a blogger profile/blog) for me to contact you if you win!

The giveaway will close at 12am GMT on Tuesday the 17th.  *** Open Internationally too!***

Hope you're all having a great week so far!

Emma x