The beauty spy: the best hand cream

You won't see her, but she's there, in the salons, spas and shops, and she's happy to share her secrets on the best hand cream.

There are some things I never leave home without. Lip gloss is one of them. Facial tissues are another. But one thing I hardly ever leave my bedroom without is hand cream.

My hands seem to be endlessly dry. When they shake my hand, people must think "Yuk, she needs some moisturiser". So I am constantly rubbing cream into them. This can be dangerous for driving. I sometimes find my cream-laden hands slipping on the steering wheel as I go to turn a corner.

It also means I leave my fingerprints wherever I go. I would never get away with a burglary. The police would easily be able to identify me by the fingerprints I leave behind. They are visible to the naked eye.

This is not much of a worry though, as I am not planning any crimes. But what I have been searching for is a hand cream that lasts more than three minutes before I feel the urge to reach for the pot again.

I remember one beautician telling me that it was very important to put sunblock on my hands because (at my age) sun spots develop easily on the backs of the hands. These are horrible things that give away your age as much as wrinkles on your neck. You often see women who have had so much surgery their faces are blemish-free, but their hands give them away. What is the point in lavishing your face with expensive creams and totally ignoring your hands? We all know that one of the most common causes of ageing skin is dryness.

To protect my hands during the day, I started to carry hand cream and sunblock around. Then I had an epiphany. What about a hand cream with a sunblock already in it? This would lessen the load in my handbag, which hurts my ageing neck and shoulders.

There are several options on the market. Clarins is a nice one, as is Neutrogena. But the best one I have found so far is Natura Bissé Tensolift Hand Cream. It is smooth, luxurious, deeply moisturising and lasts for several hours. After a few weeks of using it, my one sun spot even seems less obvious.

A friend of mine says she gives her hands a mini-facial once a week. This means exfoliating them, then putting them in a bowl of warm water with a drop of milk in it. Finally, rub some oil on them. If you are really keen you can wear cotton gloves at night to help your skin to absorb the moisture. I have tried it and it works, but sleeping with gloves on was really strange.

But at least I might not leave my fingerprints behind ...

M loves

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