I've lost count of the number of intro paragraphs I started writing for this post. Maybe half a dozen? I can't seem to make any headway because cuticle cream is at its core extremely boring. Who talks about cuticle cream? It's not glamorous. It's something maybe more mature people would appreciate using. Lately however, I'm really liking the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream since it smells so nice and it resuscitates my dying cuticles! 

The past week has been more hectic than usual. I organized and executed events for two different clients so I am just dead tired right now. I just wanna lie down and not get up until next week! I'm not saying I don't like my job, it's just that it's not always as glamorous as it might sound. It involves a lot of literal leg work and generous trading of limited social currency. 

At the end of the day, however, I live for the feeling of giving my best work to my clients and friends in the industry. 

Anyway, I thought I'd keep today's post chill by sharing with you some of the things I'm loving at the moment. I made it a point to include only items I haven't mentioned here yet! I'm probably doing a full review on them next time, but for now here are some of the reasons I pick up these beauties.

Etude House Don't Worry I'm On Your Side Lip Balm. I've actually had this since September last year and I use it ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME. Why I haven't written about it yet, I don't know. But here it is now. :P This is a moisturizing balm that leaves a pretty and long-wearing salmon pink stain on the lips. It's what I used during autumn in Tokyo because the other lippies I brought were just not hydrating enough!

It peeves me when negative things attract more interest than positive ones. People who think other people are stupid, those who are jealous, those who are just a certain flavor of malicious - it's like a snake eating its own tail. They're the source of negativity and they also feed that negativity. They love a story where they can show just how superior they are to all the other people making mistakes, as if they never make one. 

You may not be a negative person normally, but tell me honestly, did your ears prick up with that first paragraph? I notice that I do the same thing whenever I get a whiff of controversy in my circle. I try to be conscious of and try to control it, but sometimes I just can't help it. I wanna know more. I wanna sneer more. I wanna take the high ground as if that's my permanent address.

However, I always tell myself never to judge. Or at least, not to judge harshly. We never really know the full story - we may never do. I think it helps us to be kinder just to know that.

Anyway! Today I'd like to show you the best hand cream I've tried so far: the Burt's Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream (P950 for 90g). I got this as part of a gift set so I'm not sure if 50 grams is the full tube, but I do love the size (update: the full tube is 90 grams, and 50 grams is only P550 but this isn't available at Beauty Bar). It's ideal to bring during the day when my hands get dry!

And boy, do they go dry. I've never had such serious dryness before. When my partner touches my hand now he says it feels like cardboard! Ugh. It must be all the hand washing after scratching my dog's belly, and the dish washing too. I'm lucky not to need to wash my clothes, but I imagine that the dryness would be much worse if it were otherwise.

I've tried other hand creams before but I honestly can't use them as regularly as I want to. They are usually greasy and they take forever to get absorbed! I have this compulsion to always check my phone, my laptop, so ten minutes away is such a hassle. I always end up washing my hands to remove the cream, just so I can move on with my life.

Enter this Burt's Bees hand cream.

Can we just get one thing straight? Everybody, and I mean everybody, needs lip balm. And we don't need just one lip balm. We need at least three, one each in our pocket, desk, and bag. With that universal truth (humor me!) established, allow me to present some of the best stocking stuffers you can give this Christmas: Burt's Bees sets!

Beautiful packaged and thoughfully chosen, these Burt's Bees babies are great to give and receive this season. They're quite inexpensive yet still "branded", so to speak, and yes women (even guys) of all ages would find them useful! You can get the ornament lip balms above for only P325, while the boxed sets range from P650 to P1,250. 

Here are the details plus my suggestions on who you can give these to. ;)

For teens who love fruity sweet scents: Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter (P325)

For your lolo and lola who need to take care of their lips more: Ultra Condition Lip Balm with Kokum Butter (P325)

They are impossible to miss in Beauty Bar: the iconic bee, the yellow tubes of lip balm goodness. Burt's Bees has made a mark in the beauty industry as an all-natural skincare brand, but they recently released new color cosmetics. For the lips, still! I can't wait to see the day when BB has foundations and blush at least! That should be awesome, no?

Anyhoo, take a look at some of the newest products from Burt's Bees.

First up is the Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm (P650). This comes in different shades, but the one I have here is Caramel Daisy! The tinted balm glides and feels like butter on the lips. I've tried the plain balm before and wasn't very impressed because of the hard texture, but the Tinted Lip Balm is definitely an improved version. It keeps my lips hydrated and not waxy-feeling. It has a faint jelly bean scent to boot!