Check It. Favorite hand creams.

My hands always suffer from dry winter weather. My mom wisely always keeps a tube of Herbacín Kamille + Glycerine hand cream in her purse--and apparently so does Gretchen Mol.

For drugstore buys, I like Curél (which I recently couldn't find at the West Hollywood Rite Aid) and Aveeno. After unsuccessfully searching the drugstore shelves for some Curél early one morning, I ended up getting some supposedly fragrance free Eucerin (a really respectable line) hand cream. While it does moisturize well, it smells like sweat! Gross. So avoid that one.

My current favorite is the somewhat luxurious Jurlique hand cream. I have the Lavender one (which I thought would be good for bedtime applications, but I've actually been using it at my desk throughout the day. It smells so good.) but other scents they offer are Citrus, Jasmine, and Rose (I'd try Jasmine next).

Other favorites: Laura Mercier's Crème Brûlée Hand Crème smells delicious, and Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is super thick and comforting, if you're looking for something more industrial strength.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: jurlique.com

Check It. Arcona Skin Care.

Arcona is my all-time favorite skin care line. I was introduced to it in college when suddenly the skin on my forehead broke out and nothing I tried was helping clear it up (maybe that's TMI, but Arcona helped). I've been a loyal fan ever since, recommending it to anyone I know who struggles to keep their skin spot-free. It's sold on their website, at their Santa Monica Studio, and at several beauty boutiques such as Planet Blue. The Toner Tea Bar is my favorite product, and the Magic White Ice and Mineral Magic hydrating mist follow closely behind.

Arcona was founded in Los Angeles in 1989 by a woman named Arcona. The products are natural, smell amazing, and actually work! Read more about it here.

What sparked an Arcona blog post, was an email I received this morning from them about a 50% off deal ($30 to $15) on the White Tea Eye Makeup Remover. I thought this would be a great first product to try for anyone who may be interested in the line.

The ARCONA Studio is located at 425 Broadway in Santa Monica.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: spendora.com