hand cream

Allow me to brag about my yenta skills for a moment. Three years ago, I brought my buddy Josh to an office party. Josh is a super-cute and talented musician (check out Parks and Gardens), so I introduced him to my friend Antonia — a gorgeous, funny music editor. They had a coffee date, then some more dates, and eventually they moved in together. Fast-forward to this past weekend, when Josh proposed to Antonia. She said yes, and trust me when I say that they are just the sweetest, nicest engaged couple in all of Chicago.

So in honor of the lovebirds and the beautiful ring now sitting on Antonia's finger, I bring you hand creams. After all, hands that will be showing off a new bit of jewelry deserve to be massaged, pampered, and moisturized.

Toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl phthalate — all chemicals considered dangerous for our bodies and the environment, and yet they are still found in many nail products. Sophie Uliano is the author of Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life ($15.25), where she discusses everything from choosing an earth-friendly lipstick to preparing eco-conscious treats.
Last year, Uliano appeared on Oprah with her friend Julia Roberts to celebrate Earth Day. And now, she has some tips for greening your manicure, along with specific product suggestions she shared with me. Uliano recommends mixing up a "gorgeously green" bag to take with you to your next manicure. Find out her suggestions when you read more

By my calculations, I've spent 30 hours in an airplane in the last month. It was just as much fun as you can imagine, and now my skin is paying the price. Along with some serious Clarisonic time for my face, I've been applying hand creams like crazy. And now there's one that deserves to be on the list of my favorite hand creams: Amala Hydrating hand cream ($13.50).

You'll be taken in by the cool packaging of this German eco-friendly brand; its strong (and recyclable!) paper cylinders are topped off with cork. But what's inside is just as enticing: Organic plant-based skin care that's free of synthetics and petrochemicals. And the scent! Its jasmine fragrance is soft and subtle, giving me the sweetest-smelling knuckles in a five-mile radius. Plus, it goes on smoothly, leaves no trace of greasiness, and generally improves my mood to the point that I don't even mind having to eat so much airline food.

I know my obsession with hand creams borders on the ridiculous. (You don't even know how hard it was to choose my five favorites.) But look, when Ryan Gosling and I inevitably meet, I'll be well-prepared. "My, that Bella has soft and smooth skin," he'll think as we shake hands. "I must ask her on a date and uncover her secret." So to be ready for this highly plausible scenario, I like to keep my paws soft.

I've just found the perfect purse-friendly way to keep my addiction going: Nivea Soft. It comes in a small plastic jar with less than an ounce of product in it, so unlike creams that come in tubes, it runs no risk of being punctured by an errant pen. The whipped texture sinks into skin pretty quickly, and the classic Nivea scent reminds me of my grandmother. And at just 99 cents for this little container, it's a steal. I picked mine up at Walgreens, and now it's in my bag. You know, just in case I run into you-know-who.

One of the first products created by Wei East, a company based around Chinese herbs, is China Herbal Hand & Body Perfection ($15). I've tried many hand and body lotions, but this has to be the smoothest and creamiest to date. That, however, doesn't mean that it is also my favorite.

Let's take a moment to talk about the key attributes. For one, it has an incredibly rich formula with a powerful gingery-floral fragrance. It contains five herbs from the Ming Dynasty: curcuma, glycyrrhiza uralensis (or licorice root), ginger, red sage, and ginseng. These ingredients are believed to heal, moisturize, smooth, repair, and reduce inflammation on the skin of your hands. The thick, silky-smooth formula spreads easily without you having to warm it up.

Unfortunately, it is also extremely greasy. The packaging says to apply a generous amount so I squirted about half of the diameter of the cap into my palm. Not only was this far too much, but now I can't seem to get the scent to go away (which I guess could be considered both good and bad).

If you're someone who has very dry skin, or even cracked skin that isn't sensitive, this is wonderful product. The oils will help nourish and normalize your moisture level. If you skin gets irritated easily, my one worry is that the fragrance might be too strong.