I sleep right next to a hand cream graveyard…
It’s there on the floor by my bed and in one of the cubbies in my nightstand, both of which are home to half a dozen or more half-empty tubes because I’m kind of a hand cream addict.
But this one by L’Occitane will probably be spared that ignominious outcome because it is SO DANG GREAT.
Where do I start?
First, when the cream comes out of the tube, it’s formed into the shape of a star, and don’t ask me why, but this brings me great joy. 🙂
Second, this stuff is ridiculously moisturizing. With all of the polar vortexing/El Niño-like action so far this winter, it’s been unusually dry and cold — and definitely drier than most years, because we usually have some humidity by the ocean here.
But my hands have been painfully dry, but L’Occitane Shea Butter Whipped Hand Cream relieves them of that. It’s been the only cream in or near “the graveyard” to stop that tight, uncomfortable feeling.
The cream contains 25% shea butter, much to paws’ delight, and now that I’ve been using it regularly, my cuticles are also less raggedy (always a plus).
The formula smells comfortingly like baby powder, which is a little old-fashioned, but I like it. It reminds me of hugging my grandma when I was little.
L’Occitane Shea Butter Whipped Hand Cream is available now at L’Occitane stores, counters and online ($12 for a 1-oz. travel-size tube).
Put your hands up for hand cream, babe! What have your paws been loving lately?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S.
Agata says
January 9th, 2015 at 9:54 amI am rather bad at moisturizing my hands (and my body, other than face) but my favorite hand cream has been MoroccanOil Hand cream. It’s very light, yet moisturizing and it smells like oranges!
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Kiss & Make-up says
January 9th, 2015 at 10:00 amI go through hand cream like a baby goes through diapers, srsly. And I really love this one! I like it better than the regular shea butter hand cream from L’Occitane. It’s that texture, ya know. And the sound when you squeeze the tube and the cream comes out! 🙂
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Debra says
January 9th, 2015 at 10:07 amHi, happy cloudy Friday, TGIF!!
So how is this one different from the regular Shea Butter one that is my stand-by (on the bathtub)?
I’ve got 3 different hand creams in rotation, depending on the cuticle need (ragged ones really postpone the nail polish fun). But L’Occitane is queen of them all.
The heart thing might win me over! I love the baby powder smell too. My first perfume (after the age of 30) was Ombre Rose EDT cause it has a baby powder scent. It’s one I still buy.
Gosh, you have worked your hands off this week with all of these varied posts!
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 4:54 pmHappy Friday to you too, Debra!
If you love the original Shea Butter hand cream then you will be OBSESSED with this one. It has as slightly higher percentage of shea butter (25% versus 20%) and the whipped texture is lighter and fluffier. 🙂
By the way, because of you I whipped out one of my Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadows today (Berry Noir).
Divya says
January 9th, 2015 at 10:12 amJust spotted this on the L’occitane website! Definitely getting my hands on one yes! 🙂
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Kwmechelle says
January 9th, 2015 at 10:14 amI like the fact that it comes out like stars. hey, it’s the little things! Shea butter anything is my main squeeze. My hair lurves that stuff. Recently I picked up a bottle of EOS hand lotion (in the pink tube). It was only &1.99 from Target & was on Allure’s Best of Beauty Cheap List. It has a floral fragrance, but not too much, and (wait for it) the bottle is ergonomic so it fits comfortably in my hand. I know, I know. I’m way too easily to amused. And it’s actually moisturizing! I’m getting the one in the blue tube next. Whenever I go to grab it from my purse (it looks so cute in there) I feel like a princess. Haha ☺️
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 4:58 pmHi Kwmechelle,
Wait… shea butter in your hair! You are blowing my mind right now. I think my ends would like that very much. Tell me more. What do you use and love?
By the way, I can’t remember if I mentioned this to you yet, but I’m going to Ulta this weekend and have both your WnW lippie and the Covergirl Queen collection bronzer on my wish list. Wheee!
Erin says
January 9th, 2015 at 10:19 amI love the star shaped dispenser. Luckily, my mitts are in top shape!
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Miranda Chan says
January 9th, 2015 at 10:21 amGIRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL – the lotion coming out in a star shape totally caught my attention and now i feel like i need it in my life…..ahh! maybe I should throw some hints out there to whoever’s reading cuz my birthday is coming up in 2 weeks! .. I wouldn’t mind having some STARRRRRRR power lotion..lol … anyways – my hands have been LOVING the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream – it comes out in a whipped texture, its amazing! has a slight verrrrrrry subtle minty smell.. I love it! Try it out!
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 4:51 pmHi Miranda,
Isn’t that star shape everything?! LOL!
Thanks for the rec for the Ultra Repair Cream… I will try to get around to it! So many hand creams, so little time!
LindaLibraLoca says
January 9th, 2015 at 10:55 amI usually use the original shea butter handcreme (one in my purse, on in the diaper bag and one on my nightstand), but recently I rediscovered a p2 Ultra Fresh Hand Lotion with mango butter that gained the top spot next to my laptop.
The smell of mangoes reminds me of summer in this endless, pouring rain.
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Allison C says
January 9th, 2015 at 11:11 amI love everything L’Occitane. Their hand creams are great. Sorry I missed their recent box
Allison C recently posted … My Winter Beauty Musts
Ann says
January 9th, 2015 at 11:19 amI love Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand cream. Smells bad but works wonders on cracked hands and elbows!
Elena says
January 9th, 2015 at 11:29 amThe star shaped dispenser kinda reminds me of cake frosting or something! Oh, I love L’occitane hand creams/hand cream in general. I have a little stash in my bathroom and my car and by my nightstand. My hands get so dry (especially my cuticles in the winter). This looks delightful!
I just picked up (somewhat recently) the Yes To Coconuts hand cream at Target and it is pretty nice. And I bought a huge pump dispenser of Jack Black hand cream for my bf (I love it, it smells so herbal and absorbs quickly!).
I think I need to finish a tube of hand cream before I buy this though! lol.
Ruchita says
January 9th, 2015 at 11:41 amMy hands get so dry in the winter, so this stuff looks awesome. And I love little things like the star shape dispenser. TGIF! 🙂
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 4:50 pmTGIF, Ruchita!
By the way, I thought of you the other day… I was at DSW and saw an amazing pair of cat-lady flats. 🙂 I can’t wait to go back with my coupon, woo hoo!
Ruchita says
January 9th, 2015 at 5:17 pmOoo, cat lady flats sound awesome! Can’t wait to see some pics. It’ll be a while before I can wear flats because it’s below zero around here, but I can live vicariously. 🙂
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 5:55 pmBelieve it or not they’re by Dr. Scholls. They’re actually really cute though! They didn’t have my size so I might just have to get them online.
What are you up to this weekend?
Ruchita says
January 9th, 2015 at 6:11 pmNice, I’ll have to look them up! No plans for the weekend. This was the first full week back at work after Christmas vacation, so I’m just going to take it easy. 🙂 Hope you have a relaxing weekend!
Joan B. in S. C. says
January 9th, 2015 at 11:46 amMy manager at work swears by this cream! Her hands crack and bleed during the winter and this is the only thing that works for her. Everyone knows if you want to buy her a gift, L’Occitane Shea Butter is just the thing.
astou says
January 9th, 2015 at 11:55 amMy hands needs some love !!!
I do want that cream even if the size is quite small !!!
Kim says
January 9th, 2015 at 12:16 pmI’m a lotion/hand cream gal, too. I have a tube of Pacifica’s Malibu Lemon Blossom (got a bunch from a show) on my desk right now and I love Malibu and lemon blossoms but this, unfortunately, smells a bit too much like soapy Pledge. That said, it’s pretty good at moisturizing! And I love their packaging so it reminds me to pick it up. Well, that and my dry hands. 🙂
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 4:49 pmHi Kim,
Haha! I’ve worn that lotion before and I can definitely see the soapy pledge vibe. lol. You should try the Hawaiian Ruby Guava. It’s smells like summer in a bottle (and not so Pledge-y).
Kim says
January 12th, 2015 at 6:45 amI love that one, too, and also have a tube. Even though I work for a company that makes bath products, I still LOVE Pacifica (hopefully they’re not reading this) and Love and Toast. 🙂 I have Pacifica Blood Orange (love), Lemon, Mediterranean Fig, Ruby Guava, Island Vanilla and Tahitian Gardenia. You can’t imagine how happy it made me to get that haul!
BETSY C. says
January 9th, 2015 at 12:26 pmDang! I just ordered 2 tubes of this from Sephora. It ticks all the boxes- baby powder scent, moisturizing, it’s from a brand I love, and did I mention it has STARS?!!! Stars, I tell ya. Miss Karen, thank you for the recommendation. 🙂
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 4:44 pmHi Betsy,
I plan to stock up next time I go in (hopefully this weekend… on my way back from Ulta, haha). I hope you like this cream! It is really one of the best ones out there.
Happy Friday!
Tatiana says
January 9th, 2015 at 2:47 pmL’Occitane shea butter hand cream has always been my “go-to” hand cream. Haven’t tried the new whipped version yet. I also like the new indigo hand cream from Tatcha, but I’m always afraid I’m going to get blue all over everything. Cuticles get extra help from the peachy cream cuticle stuff from Dior. Can’t remember exactly what they call it. Small, flat round container. My skin has been extra dry this winter.
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 4:47 pmHi Tatiana,
I gave my mom that same Dior cuticle stuff for Mother’s Day last year. She loves it! I haven’t gotten around to getting one for myself. One of these days…
By the way, do you use Dior’s nail polishes? I think they are some of the best high-end ones in terms of durability. I wore a black shade (Bar) last summer and it hardly chipped at all! It was a pain to apply but it was bullet-proof.
Tatiana says
January 9th, 2015 at 5:15 pmThere’s no such thing as a bullet-proof nail polish on my hands. Not sure if it’s my technique or something else. Although, I can’t seem to get a salon manicure to last either. But the Dior polishes are ones that give me at least 2 to 3 days of longevity. I once bought a Tom Ford polish and applied at a table in the food court of the SF Mall on Market Street. That polish lasted more than a week and I didn’t do any prep to my nails. LOL. Go figure.
Karen says
January 9th, 2015 at 5:55 pmWell now of course you have to tell me the name of that Tom Ford color! I’m a fan of African Violet, myself.
Jennifer says
January 9th, 2015 at 5:56 pmI’ve started trying out a few. L’Occitane is one of them, and so far it has been good. I’m also trying one from The Body Shop, and one from Crabtree and Evelyn.
And, I also would be tickled by the cream coming out as a star 😀
Tatiana says
January 9th, 2015 at 7:29 pmThe Tom Ford color is called Silver Smoke. It’s sort of a dirty platinum light gold. If that makes sense. I don’t know if it’s available anymore. I’ve been meaning to try African Violet some time. I also have Minx, which wears well, too. It came out at the same time as Dominatrix.
Rebecca says
January 9th, 2015 at 9:35 pmLush “Helping hands”… it’s so nice and I love the smell.
Poo@beautyandmakeupmatters says
January 9th, 2015 at 11:59 pmI love shea butter in creams.. love those ridiculously moisturising Body Butters from The Body Shop enriched with shea butter.. But this hand cream looks amazing and the star thing just blew my mind off.. 😛
I have Cherry blossom hand cream from L’occitance which is not as moistursing as this one but i love it mild floral aroma! 🙂
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Fran says
January 10th, 2015 at 8:13 amOMG! Dry winter hands! Most of the time, CeraVe in the big tub by my bedside and Curel in the pump bottle in my bathroom, and little tubes of Gold Bond in my bag, are enough, but this winter… oh, no!
First I added Curel Intensive Healing Cream in the big tub (it’s greasier, hence more effective, but it does soak in after a few minutes and stops being greasy). For good measure I added Amlactin at night (which I was already using for my ridiculously dry, rough, even scratchy feet). Then, to repair some of the sun damage resulting from the fact that I haven’t yet found a sunscreen I can tolerate the feel of on my hands in the summer, I added Paula’s Choice Resist Retinol Body Treatment at night. I have to wash my hands over and over all day, so, as long as I keep re-applying something, my hands don’t hurt and have stayed in good shape so far… we’ll see how it all works in a couple of months!
Kwmechelle says
January 10th, 2015 at 11:31 amYay! So sorry I’m just now responding. Ok, shea butter. Yeah, my hair loves that stuff. You have to go to a beauty supply store, but not Sally’s. You know the kind where you can buy a wig, weave, shoes, lipstick, and nail supply items all in the same place? Yep, that’s the one! The Shea butter comes in medium to large containers that are imported from Africa- Nigeria, Ghana, places like that.
I don’t know the science behind its production but they derive the butter from the Shea nut that is apparently in high abundance there. It’s kinda yellow in color and solid in texture. But you can emulsify it by rubbing it in your palms. Supposedly, shea butter molecules are small enough to actually penetrate hair strands. It’s uber moisturizing, leaves a nice sheen, & smells great (to me :). If you google Shea butter & natural hair, you’ll find a wealth of information. Curly Nikki has a ton of info on her site & Napptural85 is, like, a great resource on the benefits of this stuff. If you can’t find it on the ground, order it online. Napptural85 orders hers online so be sure to check where she orders. Everyone’s hair doesn’t love this stuff so be prepared in case your hair doesn’t love it. It’s also GREAT for cranky wintertime skin. I’m stoked that WnW + the CG bronzer are on your wish list. Enjoy Ulta, enjoy the sun, & enjoy your day! Hugs
fancie says
January 10th, 2015 at 1:22 pmI really like their hand creams! I totally need to get one after I run out of my Nivea
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Tiril says
January 11th, 2015 at 1:59 amI love their products! such good quality.
Natalye says
January 11th, 2015 at 10:17 pmI want to try this!
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