i dont know if it's the water or the soap in my new office, but my hands are beyond dry. dry to the extent where i must, must, must put lotion on every single time i wash my hands or they will be peely. not only is that gross, it's never happened to me before. needless to say i am not happy about this in the least. the new job is great, except for the super-dry hands. the good part is, there are many lotions in the bathroom to choose from after said hand-washing. the bad new is, none of these lotions even come close to moisturizing--that's how dire the situation is. thankfully, i was rummaging around in my purse (i really am like mary poppins sometimes) and found what is doing the trick: Burt's Bees Hand Salve. yes, it's a salve. this intensive moisturizer is packed with botanical oils, herbs, beeswax and features olive oil to moisturize and protect dry hands. i've been keeping it on my desk and my hands are back to their normal shape. i've also been using it as a lip balm in a pinch when i am too lazy to go inside my bag.

i forgot how much i loved burt's bees marshmallow vanishing creme. there is a lot to love from this brand; i love a lot of burt's bees products and i am always telling people about it. most people look at me like i am crazy and, i think, dont believe me because the products are so inexpensive. i don't care how much they cost; they are magic. seriously. i love this one in particular because of the scent--it just smells sweet and yummy. i've been using this at night again for the last two weeks and i feel like my skin has looks amazing when i get up in the morning!

new year, bad skin.

i am still just recovering from new years weekend 2006, and feeling lazy. and i mean recovering in the sense that i had guests. it was wonderful to be with my girlfriends--so wonderful that it's almost like real life sort of disappears into the edges while you're reminiscing about old days and making new memories. it makes me tend to forget about my routine and my habits, like slathering on the cream as much as i should. kate was here for a while, which was, as usual, awesome. liz spent one night too, and that was also great. but i am tired. we ate crap, stayed up late, drank too much soda, drank too much, period. i didn't drink a lot of water either, which was unusual for me. so i feel like crap and i think my skin looks like crap. drab. lackluster. and of course, i've got some nice little breakouts--because when it rains it pours. so i tried to take some steps last night.

instead of just exfoliating, i did the microdelivery peel sample i've had sitting in the bathroom. it's the second time i used it--and i liked it better this time than the first time. i dont know if i will purchase this, but it definitely has its merits. i like the citrus scent and the texture of the exfoliating granules--i think this is a great exfoliator, but i get kind of thrown off by the activating gel. there is supposed to be a warming sensation that occurs, but i dont really feel it. i dont know if it's because it's a sample--i opened it and then put it in a ziploc bag and figured it would be ok. or maybe warming sensation is a vague term and i am expecting actual heat. i dont know. of course, i've been smoothing on Burt's Bees Evening Primrose Overnight Cream . it's not even like a skin cream, it's more of a balm and while this might sound frightening, it's pretty amazing. very emollient and moisturizing. a lot of people might hate it because it's a bit greasy and sticky, but if you smooth it on just right, there will be amazing results in the morning. this is also great under the eyes, i discovered last night. today i did Lancôme's Hydra-Intense Masque, which definitely soothes and awakens my parched skin.

so that's it. and i've been trying to gulp down the water and slathering on the aquaphor. hopefully, i will look like a human being tomorrow when i am back at work.

the fountain of youth in a bottle

most people think a beauty product's results are in direct correlation to its price tag. Burt's Bees disproves that theory. i discovered this last year and not a morning or night has gone by that i don't put on the Burt's Bees Repair Serum. seriously. twice a day, no matter what. this stuff is awesome--and so emollient. i'd venture to say that some people could just get away with using this, but you know how i like to layer my moisturizing products. at first, i was afraid that this would break me out because it's like an oil, but not one pimple! not one pimple and it totally smoothes and decreases the appearance of fine lines. i've used serums before, but i never felt like i could see a difference. that was so not the case with this amazing serum--i started seeing results immediately. this also calms my sensitive skin, and i am not sure how, but it makes skin look radiant. i got this in a Burt's Bees facial care gift set and i immediately went out and bought the full-size serum before i'd even used the last drop of the original bottle.

get your own now!