a rare "beauty" product endorsement

For years - YEARS, people - I chewed my fingernails down to the quick. And even after I stopped that, I'd still chew on the cuticles. And I hated that, because ragged bloody fingers do not give a good impression. So the trick was to make sure I didn't have cuticles to chew on. But manicures aren't cheap (not good ones, anyway).

So I've tried a lot of home care products. And most of them...meh. But last month I picked up a pot of Sally Hansen cuticle massage cream, because hey, a $6 experiment.

Best $6 I've spent in a long time. The skin around my nail bed is smooth and healthy after just a week of use, and I can't swear it's related, but my nails are stronger, too. The product feels a little waxy at first, but it massages into the skin easily, and has a nice smell (sort of orange-y) that fades quickly. And even though the pot is tiny (.4 oz), you use so little each time, it lasts much longer than you'd think.

The one drawback is that the plastic protecting the contents is a bitch to get off. Don't try to pull it off - cut it away with a paring knife or scissors.