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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail? Curing Winter Skin

How doth the little crocodile /Lewis Carroll

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!

With colder weather (and indoor heating) comes the dreaded crocodile skin, and while we're definitely going to try and improve it, my suggestions are going to be a bit more practical than pouring the waters of the Nile on our scales.

It starts in the shower. The shower caddy and the shelves in my bathroom may resemble a small museum for fine bathing products, but when the weather gets rough nothing beats L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil. The concept of cleansing with oil isn't that new (it's mostly found in face products), though it may seem odd to the uninitiated. I promise you that it works. The amazing part is that unlike any other soap or gel under the sun that all cause my skin to tighten up and cry for immediate relief, this oil is the most gentle product I know (Including baby products. I've tried many).

Don't get me wrong: I still need to thoroughly moisturize to get my legs to a fabulous state, but at least the march from the shower to the bedroom doesn't end with a skin that resembles this Chanel bag:

The oil's subtle fragrance can be described as a cross between baby oil and almond oil, but it's very mild and fades before I even finish rinsing my hair, so it never clashes with any other scented product, and thankfully doesn't have that sharp almondy smell you often find elsewhere. It's so delicate that I don't hesitate to use the entire range under Louve (the latest Serge Lutens perfume, the softest almond note imaginable). The L'Occitanes have no impact or lasting scent at all.

4 comments:

  1. i am in love with this stuff. the smell is heavenly. i brought it with me on vacation over the summer, and tragically the bottle cracked and 1/3 of it leaked out (and oddly enough, turned into a sort of jelly.) i seriously almost cried.

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  2. I have not tried this oil, but the body milk from the Amande line is just fabulous - it makes legs super smooth, shiny and soft.

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  3. Oooh, I love this product, too! I even use it as a shampoo (I have short hair) and it leaves my hair so shiny without being oily. Gosh, and I love the smell.

    P.S. Would love to have that crocodile bag from Chanel (though I'd have to mortgage my house, probably). It's to die for!

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  4. Katie- I would have cried, too. I hope nothing else was ruined.

    Divina- Sounds great. Usually their body milks aren't rich enough for me during the winter, but I love them in summer.

    Suzanne- I wish they made shampoos and conditioners in big (BIG!) bottles. I'm sure they're fabulous, but with the amount of hair I have it's not very practical.
    The bag is gogeous, I know.

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