Wine Inspired Caudalie Hand & Nail Creams

I'm ashamedly a bit lax when it comes to moisturising my body, but one thing I can't skip when the weather starts to get colder is hand cream. Whether it's a chilly wind, scratchy gloves or the hydration-zapping central heating that results in 'radiator-hands', my paws start to get parched and my knuckles are the first to show signs of flakiness.

The fragrances of these three Caudalie Hand and Nail Creams* were inspired by the grape varieties Merlot, Cabernet and Sauvignon, and created by perfumer Olivia Giacobetti, who has worked with Caudalie on on various products over 14 years. To me each cream smells slightly more like a perfume than strongly of fruit, but it's clear from first smell that a lot of work has gone into each scent.

The pink grapefruit scented cream is bright and juicy in fragrance, and was inspired by the citrus aromas of Sauvignon. This product mixes grapefruit and sweet orange into crushed mint, and is light, awakening and citrus on the skin which I really enjoy.

The grapevine honey cream is sweetened with lime blossom honey and was inspired by the woody aromas of Cabernet. This is my least favourite scent of the three, I find it a bit too 'perfumed' for my hands, and it's the one that I've reached for the least so far.

The blackcurrant leaf scented cream is obvious from the image on the tube, and it was inspired by the rich notes of Merlot. Including blackberry as well as blackcurrant leaf, this cream is the fruitiest of the three and smells lickable on the hands.

As well as their deep scents, the Caudalie hand creams also boast ingredients of 98% natural origin that include brilliant assistance for dry hands in a handbag sized tube. Grape-seed oil provides nourishment, while Vinolevure from the cell wall of wine yeast helps retain water and reinforces the skin's defences. In addition, shea butter, avocado and olive oils provide softening and smoothing properties for chapped and flaky skin. 

My favourite thing about these creams is the way they apply to the hands; they're not the thickest I've ever tried but that doesn't mean they don't provide great hydration. Where in other creams you'd find a thick oil at the top of the ingredients list (more often than not Mineral Oil), with these hand and nail creams you'll find water and glycerin in it's place. This means that instead of leaving a slippery greasy layer on the hands, they spread easily and soak in quickly to smooth over fine lines and flaky areas while really plumping up the skin (and making the nails shine).

I'm loving how healthy my hands are looking instead of dull and slightly powdery, and I think these will be a real godsend when the weather gets really cold (let's save the snow just for Christmas day please!). The Caudalie Hand and Nail Creams are limited edition for 2013/14 and available from Feel Unique for £6 each.