We invest so much time and effort into caring for our faces, yet our hands are frequently neglected. They deserve some attention as well, particularly during the chilly, dry winter season. Don't wait until your skin becomes chapped, cracked, or painful! Whoever holds your hand would surely prefer it smooth and soft over rough and dry, right?
I tested five charming hand creams, evaluating their fragrances, moisturizing capabilities, and price points. To keep things simple, I've nicknamed each product by its character mascot and included their retail prices. Let's find out which one suits you best!
All of them are white except for Gudetama's, which has a creamy yellow hue.
This shows my starting skin moisture level, indicated by the first number (24%). The second number represents my initial sebum level (40%).
1. Mandom – Dear Flora Disney Snow White Oil In Hand & Nail Cream (Fruity Cocktail) US$8.9/60ml ($0.148/ml)
This Snow White-themed hand cream features a delightful, long-lasting blend of fruity and floral scents. The floral oils and beeswax help lock in skin moisture and protect your nails. Despite its princess-inspired design and bulky cap (which I'm not fond of), this cream is surprisingly more nourishing than anticipated, and I genuinely adore the fragrance!
2. Lovisia – Pokemon Hand Cream (Pikachu) US$12.9/40ml ($0.324/ml)
This Pikachu hand cream closely resembles MISSHA's Cony cream in terms of scent, texture, and moisturizing ability. It derives its fragrance from pink bouquets and includes collagen and hyaluronic acid for hydration. I have no complaints except that it's a bit expensive.
3. Holika Holika – Sweet Peko Hand Cream (Peach) US$5.9/30ml ($0.197/ml)
Featuring Peko's boyfriend Poko, this cream offers a sweet peach scent with top notes of orange and pink grapefruit, a heart of mandarin, kumquat, and jasmine, and a base of woody white musk. The fragrance is quite strong compared to the others, but it doesn't last long. The cream has a refreshing, quick-absorbing sherbet texture. After testing, I found it less nourishing and more suitable for people with sweaty hands.
4. MISSHA – Line Friends Love Secret Hand Cream (Wild Cherry) US$4.9/30ml ($0.163/ml)
The wild cherry version of MISSHA's Line Friends Creams features Cony on the packaging and comes with a Cony paper bookmark. The cream contains meadowfoam seed oil and shea butter for moisturizing, plus cherry extract to condition the skin. It claims to have a "sweet and sour cherry scent," but to me, it smells more floral. The fragrance also fades quickly.
5. Holika Holika – Gudetama Lazy & Joy Dessert Hand Cream 3-Piece Set US$12.9/90ml ($0.143/ml)
This set includes three flavors: custard, sherbet, and cream cheese. I tried the custard option. The scent is hard to describe—sugary but not overpowering. Staying true to the Gudetama theme, all three creams contain albumin and egg yolk extracts, along with milk protein and shea butter, to brighten and hydrate skin. Compared to the others, this cream is more nourishing and lasts longer on the skin. I also found it more powdery, just like custard!
The Verdict
Here are my personal rankings:
- Best Scent: Snow White > Pikachu > Cony
- Most Moisturizing: Gudetama > Snow White > Pikachu
- Best Bargain: Gudetama > Snow White > Cony
- Cutest Packaging: It all depends on which character you love most! I personally like the Gudetama concept since it literally turns the character into desserts rather than just using its image without modification.
Overall, I'd choose the Gudetama cream for its concept, moisturizing power, and value for money. Snow White comes second, but I'm not into princesses, and it's a bit too bulky to carry around. The Pikachu cream is the most ideally sized for me.
MISSHA – Dashing Diva Magic Gel Strip (Tinted Coral)
Can I also draw your attention to my nails? As it turns out, these nail stickers were the best discovery during this trial!
Each set comes with 30 strips in complementary colors and various sizes. They were extremely easy to apply, looked flawless, and didn't chip or peel off. I didn't even file my nails or wipe them with alcohol before sticking the strips on, yet they adhered smoothly and felt as comfortable as nail polish (without the smell or potential chemical damage to your nails). They were also very easy to remove without leaving any stains or glue residue. You just peel them off!
It took me an hour to finish applying the nail stickers. The most time-consuming part was finding the right size. If the size isn't perfect, I tend to choose a smaller one since extra edges near the cuticle can look odd and cause the strip to wear off more easily.
Easy Pickled Cabbage with Carrot Recipe
There were 8 golden glitter strips and 22 ombré peach pink ones (some with gold specks towards the bottom) in the package. The golden strips come on separate sheets and are smaller, so I could only fit them onto my index and pinky fingers. They were excellent; the glitter makes it less obvious even when the edges aren't perfectly trimmed or the size isn't ideal. The glitter was very vivid and didn't fall off. Even the plain ones are exquisitely printed, so they didn't look pixelated.
How to Take Good Care of Skin Wherever You Are
How to apply: Choose the size that fits you best and apply from the cuticle (don't overlap it) and gently press down. File away the extra bits using the gray side of the complementary emery board. Then use the white side of the emery board to further polish the edges. You can use a nail clipper to trim your nails down after a week or two, but using the emery board instead of a nail clipper makes the edges look smoother when you first remove the extra bits. I also recommend using a sharper nail clipper.
These hassle- and hazard-free nail stickers are heaven-sent for those who can't paint properly or are too impatient to wait for varnish to dry. They're also less prone to chipping than nail varnish. They're especially handy if you need patterns or glitter on your nails. I see no reason not to stock up on these!
