I don’t know precisely how this came about, or when. Whether it was the clean up after what surely must have been the 765th fabulous dining experience in a row at our house over the holidays, or whether it’s just a cold, dry January thing, but even more alarming than the new bottom line on the bathroom scale or this month’s Visa bill is the state of my hands.
After an entirely self-imposed, month-long gulag involving everything from extensive work with sharp wire and rough tree parts, to a vigorous campaign of baking, wrapping, cooking, cleaning and flower arranging, the backs of them are dry and itchy. My fingertips are actually peeling and I can’t even discuss my nails.
Happily, one of the gifts I received was a set of skin-care masks from Sephora, one of which turned out to be specifically designed for hands. Apparently the folks at Sephora, no doubt inspired by the novelty skin-care craze in skin-obsessed Asian markets like Korea, have come up with a whole body roster of fun peel-off masks targeting face to feet — each infused with plant-based healing substances, like lavender and aloe vera.
Like kids’ collectible toys, but for adults, they come in these brightly coloured foil packages you have to rip open. The one I tried was mandarin-coloured and inside were a pair of white plastic gloves that, according to the packaging, were “imbibed” with argan oil, which “Softens and smoothes the skin,” and “Reduces the appearance of signs of age on hands.” Nothing specific on the restoration of ruined fingertips, but no matter.
As per the instructions, I slipped them on my (clean, dry) hands, peeled off the paper film and secured the little dangling tabs like I was a paper doll fitting on an outfit across my wrists. Inside the gloves, which were now reduced to just a sheer, inner layer, was a cooling goo of natural argan extract.
The process reminded me of a facial treatment I first experienced years ago at Ling skin care in Manhattan, which was supposedly the go-to for Gwyneth Paltrow and Sarah Jessica Parker at the time. The same treatment is now the finishing touch at Toronto’s Pure & Simple, and there is always something relaxing in the moment when the therapist peels the mask from its backing and places it just-so around your eye sockets and mouth before leaving you to baste in its juices.
Even though Sephora’s gloves are designed to fit so that you can go about your daily duties while you have them on, I found that there was something about being gloved in elixir that made me just sit for the recommended 15 minutes. Instead of turning to anything else, I actually sat down on my living room sofa and read the paper while massaging the argan goo into my hands. And while I can report that my hands did look new and improved after the treatment, it was probably the little timeout it provided that made me want to go to Sephora and buy a dozen of them.
To buy:
$8 each, at Sephora stores or sephora.com
Karen von Hahn is a Toronto-based writer, trend observer and style commentator. Contact her at kvh@karenvonhahn.com .
Karen von Hahn is a Toronto-based writer, trend observer and style commentator. Contact her at kvh@karenvonhahn.com .
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