LIFE AS I KNOW IT

12.10.2011

Hand cream and hot pot.

Chilly weather has finally come upon those of us on the west coast. December, being the last month of the year, calls for cold winter nights when you just want to snuggle and be all toasty and warm. I always like to wear my fuzzy socks and a flannel blanket my old apartment mate gave me). Though the body can be worked up to a comfortable state, the skin has it's own needs to accommodate to the changing seasons.


Towards the end of October, L'Occitane was offering a free sample size of their best selling hand cream once they reached a certain amount of "likes" on their Facebook page. The response ended up exceeding expectations, so they offered everyone a free full sized version. I've heard many good things about their hand creams as well as their other skin care products. I also picked up another one of their hand creams, which was the Rose scented one (and which was also in the LE packaging). All hand creams retail for $10 each.

As for scents, I prefer the original version since I'm not that big a fan of rose scents, and this is a true rose scent indeed. The original has more of a fresh, baby powder like scent, which I find to be more tolerable, lighter, and less overbearing.


The main reason why I find these to be great for the winter time is their consistency. It's in the medium range, where it's not runny at all, and it not some big goop of thickness. I find the consistency to be a bit on the "drier" side, so when rubbing it all over my hands, it leaves a soft, silky finish. Definitely not greasy at all and keeps my hands nice and moisturized throughout the day.

The full size retails for $26, containing 5.2oz, whereas the mini contains a meager 1oz. The full size is the overall better deal, but I like the mini sized as I can just toss them into my bag for my on-the-go daily whereabouts.


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Cold nights and hot pot? I think YES!

Last night, a group of college friends and I had an early Christmas dinner together, garnished with beef, veggies, and that oh so yummy dipping sauce. (Anyone know the name?) The mix of flavors really filled our tummies up well, through taste and warmth. Hot pot is a great way to each and bond, as it really does take a while for everything to be ready at different times. It's an easy way to have a get together too. We had TONS of meat since no one got the memo about who was really bringing what. Oh well! Still turned out to be a success. Had some sips of wine as well~ I really like Moscato! Sweet wines for the win!


And it's times like these were we really realize how fast time has passed us and how much farther we strive to go in our lives, all while enjoying some good ol' food, together.

HAPPY WEEKEND! ♥
37 comments on "Hand cream and hot pot."
  1. Yum for hot pot! And I use that L'Occitane hand cream too - it's great, and perfect for chapped hands! Well, we don't get much cold weather here in the tropics, but it works great for a chilly office environment too :)

    http://blushingclock.blogspot.com

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  2. Aww i can't live without hand cream right now but I'm so bad at applying... so my hands still get dry anyway -_- Yay to hot pot! we're having homemade shabu shabu tonight too :D

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  3. Hot pot is my favorite thing for the winter time! Looks delish!

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  4. Oh, I love the original L'Occitane hand cream too ^__^ that's awesome you got upgraded to the FSV!! :D omg hot pot <3 yummeh! haha, that 'sauce' could be a number of things... oyster sauce? 

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  5. OMG THE HOT POT LOOKS SOOO GOOD <3 NOMNOMNOM. Hee sometimes communication fails are awesome, just like in this case o(^ O ~)o

    I used to have looooads of those ilttle L'occitane handcreams, but for one reason or another (probably my own fault) they would unscrew in my bag and make a complete mess ... so I don't carry them anymore! Dangerous.

    I do have a full sized one actually, although I haven't used it for quite a while. I should probably dig it out. Thanks for the reminder! I am quite fond of the clarins hand cream at the moment! I think it absorbs faster than the L'occitane one...

    Hope you're having a great weekend!

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  6. The hotpot looks yummy! I've actually never eaten hotpot before.

    I love L'Occitane hand creams too. The original is my favorite, although there was a LE in Hibiscus which I missed out on. The scent was really light and I think it would have been quite pleasant. I had received a little sample pouch and didn't open it up until the LE run was done.

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  7. hot pot is amazing!!! it's just sooo good in the winter time!

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  8. Couldn't agree with you more!! ^^ So yummy and warm for those cold, winter nights. 

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  9. I remember hot pot! Loved it :) I'm vegetarian/near vegan now so at least I've got my memories, hehe.  I recently tried that shea butter hand cream from L'Occitane, too. I think it lives up to its hype :)

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  10. Aw really? It's kind of like oden~ ^^

    Ooh~ the Hibiscus ones probably smelled lovely too! hehe. I probably would've done the same.

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  11. :D! We had TONS of leftover meat...which I took home so my mom could make some soup with it. ;] But we've learned from the first time that it's better to have more food then to run short.

    Ah~ I better be careful then. >< 

    Hehe. Hope you find it~ great for moisturizing dry hands. Ooh! I'll look into it. I've been quite curious of Clarins products since I've read quite a few good remarks on their stuff. 

    Hope you are too! <3

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  12. Yay! Lol...it was called something in Chinese, but it kind of reminded me of oyster sauce. Nonetheless is was yummy!

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  13. I'm the same~ but ever since I got these, I've been trying to get in the habit of applying them at least once throughout my day. ^^ Oooh! I love shabu shabu! Haven't had that in a while...so yummy too!! ^^

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  14. Yes, a definite yum! :D And yesss! Couldn't agree more!
    Ah~ yes~ the air conditioning in offices can be quite cold!! Good excuse to use these hand creams too. :]

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  15. I love love hand cream and as this weather is cold, it makes my skin so dry! Therefore, I purchased many hand cream lol

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  16. i may have to look into the l'occitane hand creams. i have these hand creams from fruits and passion (not sure if you have that where you are) but oh my goodness! thick greasy mess. i just feel bad when i use them and then touching public transit poles. can you imagine the next person who touches that pole..greasy!! lol yuck

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  17. i miss hot pot! :( i would have to agree with you that l'occitane's hand cream are great! :D

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  18. ohh I totally need those hand cream now my hands are getting dry and flaky, and yum love to have hot pot right now :D

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  19. Ah yes~ especially where you are. I bet it's getting quite c-c-c-cold over there!

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  20. Aww. Go have some! ^^ Yess~ they are!

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  21. Ooh. I don't think I've heard of "Fruits and Passion" before. Ah, greasy messes are definitely a no go! Do try these ones out if you can (the mini size in case you don't like it). LOL. These one would definitely help you out in that matter. XD

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  22. Yes~~ a definite essential during this time out year. :]

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  23. Ah~ hot can still be good for veggies though. :]
    Yay! I'm glad you think so too. ^^

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  24. i had hot pot last night as well. the weather was so fitting. :)

    & i can't live w/o my loccitane hand cream, a necessity for winter! 

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  25. I love that hand creme.  I always keep one in my purse, perfect for this weather too, my skin has been so dry lately.

    I love hotpot!  yum!

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  26. i hv the same hand creams! i love the rose 1. smells so good =] 

    omggg yummy yummy hot pot! sooo delicious on a cold winter night. yeah...that dipping sauce has no name. even in chinese it's just called "sauce" LOL

    HAHAHA your comment made me crack up. can imagine u doing GD's heartbreaker dance kekekekeke

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  27. ive never tried the brand be, but ive heard ppl rave about it for the longest time...usually with hand cream im not that picky...but i do like this one by Khiehl's and Crabtree and Evelyn

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  28. 26$ is kiiiinda pricy for me, for hand lotion, but I've heard great things about them and I think their store is gorgeous.  Do you think it's better than any drugstore one? 

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  29. Nom nom nom everything looks uber yummy!! Babe are you done with your Christmas shopping yet?

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  30. I want to say...90% done. lol. Tried to start as early as I could~ gah. How about you?

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  31. From the drug store ones that I've tried...I want to say that this one is definitely better. Even though my hands can get dry, they aren't overly dry...so when I try applied a drugstore lotion, I still felt like it didn't help my dryness at all. I really do like these hand creams~ I hope you give them a try. ^^

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  32. I've never tried Khiehl's or Crabtree and Evelyn. Maybe I'll try those next time to see how they compare. ^^

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  33. Hehe. I know. I got the rose one because you got it and liked it. XD

    LOL. I swear I thought my friends called it something in Chinese...3 words...hmm...

    HAHAHAHA. YES. That was my intention. :P The part I know best is the "I'll still still be there..." with the hands...XD (Hoping you know what I'm talking about~ ) His album was quite good..and as was his concert. kkk. Ok stopping.

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  34. Ah yes!!! I'm a late lover of the cream, but I'm glad I got to try it. :D 

    Yess! SO GOOD FOR COLD DAYS!

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  35. Isn't it? :]

    Ahhh~ yesss! I'm late on the Loccitane hand cream band wagon...but I'm loving it too. :D

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  36. I'm using the L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream for about 3 weeks now, and I'm really loving it too! Very nice texture, which is rich, yet not oily or sticky at all!

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