Oh, the weather outside really is frightful! Last week it was in the mid-50s. Then we had a 6″ snowfall which, luckily, melted the next day. Now Polly Vortex is visiting and it’s a balmy 18Fanfreakin’tastic degrees, with a 30mph wind. Walking The Girl is an exercise in SACRIFICE because I hate the cold (she, being 130lbs of Doggeration, couldn’t care less). My nerves are kept intact by virtual visits to Costa Careyes and liberal IRL application of body lotions and creams.
I was going to do a Christmas Gift List but, truth be told, I ain’t thinkin’ ’bout no gifts. ME. Allllll for meeee. At least when it comes to body lotions & creams. I swear, I can happily give almost everything – including chocolate & perfume – but I just can’t unclench my paws from a jar of body cream. Even when I buy it specifically as a gift. Not even the cheap stuff! Isn’t that weird?? I can barely stand to give a jar of Jergens away. And it’s $3! Omg. I am insane. So. Rather than lie to you about what I’m giving I’m going to lie to you about what I would give, if I could bring myself to do it. How’s that.
In the Spirit of the Creamy Season here, in no particular order, is Musette’s List of Body Cream and Lotion LOVE! (some face stuff in there, too).
Chanel No 5 Body Cream. You already know. But Just In Case: omg. You don’t even KNOW! This is, without a doubt, the most amazing body cream ever created! Stunningly infused with scent (which is great because, believe me, the soap isn’t) and so amazingly silky.
Amouage Gold Body Cream. Rosier (and a bit less stompy) than No5 it is just as scent-intense – someone on the ‘net said that wearing this made her feel like a rich Arab princess and I agree. Within most parameters, there are two ablutions that put us all on the same level, relatively speaking. One of them is a hot shower (the other I don’t wanna talk about right now). If the water coming out of the shower is hot I am good to go – the faucet head doesn’t need to be gold. Just the apres-shower cream. 😉 (and, unlike Chanel, Amouage soaps Do. Not. Play. You will have scent in the bathroom for days!)A little dab’ll do ya, especially if you slather beforehand with…
Jergens Face Cream. I use this daily – and, ironically, I use it everywhere except my face (the first ingredient is mineral oil, which breaks my face out within 4 seconds of application)! It is an amazing cream, just right for the drying Winter season. Perfect for slathering on right after a hot shower, it has a neutral cold cream scent that also allows for less-intensive slathering of the spendy stuff like Ol’ Chanel or Lady Gold up there. Put this on first, then slicker on a bit of the $$$ cream. You will get lots and lots of The Smellz without having emptied half that 3-figure jar. And your skin will be soft and smooooth.
Soyphisticated Candles Organic Lip Balm – okay, not actually body cream but it is cream for the lips and the lips are part of the body, right? Anyhoodle, this is my go-to lip balm for the foreseeable Rest of my LIFE! Organic virgin coconut oil and NO lanolin. What’s not to love? I’m a devotee of the peppermint but have actually thought about trying the Honey Ginger. It’s also one of those things I have given as a gift but omg. it does involve a lot of whimpering. Which is ridiculous because they are $3.50 ea and I buy them in near-bulk. But they are My Precioussssss. So… Whimpering. I have one in my cosmetic case, one in my coat pocket and one in my car. At all times. I also have one on the beside table and one at my desk. And one by the back door because Gawd Help Me if I go outside in the garden without that stuff on my lips. I may also have one in the silverware drawer in the kitchen because Why Not, right? Tell me I’m not the only Lip Balm Freak…..?
Walgreens (now Studio 35) Alpha Hydroxy Cream. This? THIS I use on my face. And my back. And my elbows. And my skeevy Winter feets. Oh, yes. This was The Gift, btw. El O, who is usually pretty clueless – somehow he cottoned to the fact that they were phasing out the original A-H (to be repackaged as Studio 35) and I was desperately trying to find any jars, to little avail. Valentine’s Day 2012. My gift was a gift bag FULL of those little jars of Fabulous. Which may be why he is still alive. This is also the cream the Benefit lady told me to go get back when they took their $30 A-H lotion off the market and I was standing there, in Marshall Field’s, on the verge of tears. For $5 (now $10) I got the same results. Nebber looked back. Keeps my back smooth and gives those skeevy feets a fighting chance. If I had to grab a go-bag, this would be in it.
When my world starts to cave in on me and I can feel my teeth grinding and my heart muscle shredding, I go take a hot shower and slather on Aromatherapy Associates ‘Inner Strength’ body oil. Clary sage is said to be very calming and uplifting and that, combined with rose, frankincense and cardamom, helps calm me right the hell down. I get mine at Beautyhabit and it is a staple in my bathroom hutch, especially in the challenging Winter months, when I need to up my meds but the docs sez NO! whew! well I feel ways better, having shared all of my favorites with you. What slickery goodness makes your skin happy in the Chilly Season? and….fess up! what beauty/food/???do you hang onto?? c’mon, you know you wanna share…;-)
Oh Musette, what a hilarious post! I can almost see you holding onto those tubes of lip balm. Thanks for the laugh.
I love creams also but am nowhere near a connoisseur. I either go for unscented elcheapo brands so I can spray away, or for something obnoxious like fruity/foody B&BW lotions, sometimes even with glitter .
My mother lives in that No. 5 body cream, and loves it more even than the parfum.
okay. It’s Official: we were Separated at Birth! That sounds like the sort of thing I would do! Also ho YUS on the Zum! I love Myrrh, especially around this time – goin’ to Fresh Market tomorrow!!!
xoxoxoA
Once, in the face of a hurricane warning, I rushed to the mall to buy No. 5 body cream. Because. I was the only person on the clean-up crew for my street that smelled good. No. 5 blends well with chain saw oil, if anyone wants to know.
All this to say – I do understand the lotion thing. I have several on my wish list. Dallas (where I loved to get away from the hurricanes) has winters that are freakishly hard on my skin.
BTW Zum Frankincense and Myrrh body lotion smells lovely and is readily availaable AND inexpensive!
I love that you’ve found something that complements bar oil! I usually wear Cuir de Russie for that kind of project so it must be a Chanel thing.
I love the no 5 body cream – to me it has what I think of as the best part of the perfume! I am now wearing Andy Tauer’s Amber Flush body oil (was supposed to be a Christmas gift from hubby but I have no willpower). It is beautiful!!!!!
PS, don’t know why that link above appeared?
Don’t sweat the links – who knows? Dem Bots gots minds of their own 😉 And I agree with you on the No5 body cream – until you dab a bit of vintage perfume. Then…….
oooh! that oil sounds magnificent!
xoxoA
I keep dithering on getting the no 5 body cream. Part of me wants it but I have tons of Amouage body stuff. I love the Amouage body butters in winter because it gets so dry and cold in Cleveland and it seems to be the only thing that works on my dry skin. I wish that I could find something specifically for my face that doesn’t cause breakouts.
Get it! It is completely different from the Amouages and, like the Amouages, worth every cent! I really like the Laneige line (thanks, Patty!) – it does an amazing job of cleansing and toning and the moisturizers are amazing as well – and NO breakouts!
xoxoxoA
Dear lord, I horde creams like my life depended on them. It’s like the ONLY thing I have a hard time throwing away/getting rid of/giving away. Sad, sad, sad. Right now I’m still all over those lotion bars that we got in Santa Fe.
lol! I LOVE those bars! LOVE them! What IS it about body creams? They are a hoarders dream!
xoxoA
LOL! I LOVE that sticky/slicky feeling (though I do towel off the excess). Try O’Keefe’s for those splits. El O swears by it! You live in the Frozen Midwest, honey, just like me. ‘Greasing up’ is a way of life! xoxoxoA
lol! watching Let’s Make a Deal (my guilty filing-buddy pleasure) and an ad for Nivea In-Shower just came on. I think I’ll try it (or the Olay)!
xoxoxoA
They’re both good but I prefer the Olay. I’ve heard Jergen’s in shower is good too late 😉
Always love to read your slickery necessities Ms A! I’m not ready for January in December either but here we are. I can’t stand feeling sticky from lotion so I’m using what used to be called Nivea Smooth Sensation, that’s for post shower (with Olay In Shower lotion first), AmLactin at bedtime and Gold Bond on my hands umpteen times a day. I am using either SJP Stash oil elixir, Boyfriend dry oil or Nuxe after shower too. Bio Oil on top of Eucerin CoQ10 on my face at bedtime. My winter bane are those splits that show up on the ends of your fingers and hurt like heck in cold weather so I am keeping tubes of hand creams stashed everywhere along with Blistex medicated lip balm…didn’t realize how much I’m greasing up till I wrote all this down, yikes 🙂
I love all the Kiss My Face body creams, especially peach and coconut… I just found out Pacifica does these scented body butters that sound amazing and I’d like to get my hands on… for practical purposes and really rough spots I just use the CeraVe moisturizing cream though. It’s cold here now and the hubby’s a chef so he gets awfully chapped hands in the winter, anyway someone told him to use straight-up coconut oil on them and now he slathers that on every night and walks around all shiny, haha it’s so gross.
O, Canada! Cold!!! Have DH try O’Keefe’s (in the green jar) – we have a machine shop and El O’s split so bad they were bleeding! The O’Keefe’s healed that right the hell up!!!
I used to use the KMF lotions a lot! – funny how things get lost in the shuffle. Must revisit!!!
xoxoxoA
I’ll look for the o’Keefe’s, thanks!
I am a huge fan of L’Occitane! They make the most amazing creams, lotions and butters. I can’t live without their lipbalms, whipped shea butters, handcreams and face lotions…
They available in the US, usa.loccitane.com
It is a brand from the Provence in southern France.
I used to use a lot of their stuff, then sort of …forgot? about them. I remember their Karite Shea Butter being especially fab. Maybe time to revisit? yes!
xoxoxoA
Great post, Musette! My feet and hands, especially need these things. Already have splits in the corners of my thumbs. Off to find some Aveeno and that A-H cream, also the Jergens. Gonna be wicked cold here in New England this weekend. XOXO
that A-H cream will really help with those cracks. El O gets ’em somethin’ FIERCE. He also loves that O’Keefe’s in the green jar. That stuff works! xoxoxoA
btw – we are in-freakin’-SANE! We leave for Wisconsin on Thursday – just in time for the double-digit negatives. Yay, us.
xo
Heya Musette,
I use the Amouage Body Lotion rather than the cream, really like the pump pack and hardly need fragrance when I wear it. Currently DIA is in the cupboard. Next to it I have Madonna Truth or Dare lotion for all my white floral needs, Bandit by Piguet for Chypres, Halle by Halle Berry lotion for my amber fix and a couple of the little L’Occitane minis from my Advent Calendar which has been great fun. There is also a Korres Japanese Rose that sits beautifully under anything rosy.
Portia xx
I LUH Dia! LUH it! 😉 I have the soap, the lotion and the cream (also the extrait but you’re right – with all the scent in the body prods it’s almost overkill to wear the perfume as well). I didn’t know Bandit came in a lotion! My go-to rose is Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile but the Korres sounds intriguing!
xoxoxoA
Bandit comes in a lotion??? I NEEEEEEEED IT!!
I have been enjoying Korres Walnut body cream. It is not as walnuty as I was expecting, but smells real nice, in an old fashioned way. It also layers nicely with the fumes I’ve been wearing these rainy days: Kenzo Kashaya, Back to Black, Shalimar Cologne, LL.
well! here’s one note I’d never considered – walnut! My neighbor has a black walnut tree and, come harvest time, they lay the walnuts in the driveway and run over them with their car. I’ve always loved the nutty, slightly acrid smell that is released but never thought about it for a perfume scent! xoxoxoA
Thanks for the lovely post. I feel the same about the winter season…still can’t find much goodness in it and need a lot of comfort to push through it. A bit of luxury always helps 😉 I have the Amouage Epic body lotion and it’s heavenly although not enough if my skin becomes very dry. I think the body cream must be even better but I haven’t tried it. Also the body butters from The Body Shop are fantastic for drier skin (I have that problem only during extremely cold weather). Right now the smell of moringa dominates my bathroom.
For some five years I use only natural products from local producers for my face and lips. Not because I have sensitive skin but because I choose to do so. Meanwhile I have discovered great products mostly with sage, almonds, immortelle…
LOL! at the Epic cream. Honey! That is the BOMB! Literally! Use it once and your bathroom smells heavenly for 2-3 weeks! I have the shower gel, lotion & cream and on the Polar Vortez nights I wash and moisturize with that – it’s like a cocoon of fabulousness – and the sheets smell divine as well!
xoxoxoA
Ooh, I always end up keeping at least half of the beauty stuff I buy for gifts. I’m best if I can buy several gift sets and break them up, keeping a bit for myself. I don’t generally like strongly fragranced body creams but I love soaps and shower gels to be perfumed.
My go-to include the Couvent des Minimes Loving Care Body Balm Lotion, which is delightful and lightly fragranced in spite of the ridiculously long name. It is light enough not to drive me bonkers waiting around for it to dry, but is beautifully moisturizing and long lasting. I also adore the Missha Honey hand cream, Gold Bond Eczema Relief lotion, CeraVe baby lotion, and tons of oil on my cuticles. My lips get smeared with Paula’s Choice lip balm and For Strange Women lip balm.
I still haven’t found my favorite face cream – that’s a lie, I have but it’s too expensive – so will be anxiously awaiting everybody else’s responses.
My favorite face cream is no longer in production (Prescriptives ‘Insulation’ – oh, how I wish I’d bought a case or two) – but I’m really liking Laneige’s Water Bank moisturizer (which I get at Target – and omg, occasionally they have it on…CLEARANCE!). I thought I would be in love with Tatcha but ….it’s …okay (LOVE their Rice Enzyme Powder, though). I’m going to try that Couvent des M lotion. Sometimes I just enjoy the light scent of a lotion, even in Winter!
xoxoxoA
I have the No. 5 and the Amouage body creams, as well as Tocca Stella (blood orange scent), JM Red Roses, Orange Blossom and Wood Sage & Sea Salt, Couvent des Minimes Orange Blossom, plus FMalle body butters in Musc Ravageur, Dans Tes Bras, Dries Van Noten, Iris Poudre and Portrait of a Lady. I am a body cream ho! That doesn’t even cover the lotions (Penhaligons Violetta, AGoutal Les Orientalistes, TFord Jasmin Rouge, Guerlain Terracotta, Prada Candy, Pink Sugar, Feminité du Bois, Kai, Coquette Trpique, Monyette Paris) or the oils (Costes, Nuxe JPGaultier2, Tauer Rose Delight and Amber Flush, E. Coudray, Santa Maria Novella, Guerlain Terracotta). I have a fridge in my bathroom filled with the stuff!
Despite this extreme excess, I ration it by only using the scented stuff on my upper body, the legs just get plain sesame oil.
As for lip balm, I am addicted to Fresh Sugar tinted balms in every colour, with backups in the fridge.
Thanks for the tips to expand my obsession! 🙂
Oooh! Is the Couvert Orange Blossom old or new? A lovely friend sent me a decant (de-jar?) of the original and I keep meaning to take it with to compare it with what they now have on offer. I am LOVING your excessive list, Tara! You come sit by me any time! xoxoxoA
I bought it a long time ago, not sure if it is still available.