Red alert: Kiehl’s coming to Zurich
Mad that Kiehl’s doesn’t ship outside the US? Fret no more. Kiehl’s will open in Zurich at 23 Rennweg on 1 December.
I wonder how this will impact The Body Shop? There are two on Bahnhofstrasse: one near the Hauptbahnhof, the other closer to the Lake of Zurich. Both companies are owned by L’Oréal. Speaking of The Body Shop, if you live outside of the US, don’t bother purchasing one of those Love Your Body customer cards from a US Body Shop. I bought one of them in the Charlotte airport during a layover. The folks there told me that the cards were good all over the world for collecting points. I tried using it when I got back to Zurich but was told that the US ones aren’t good here.
Corn Husker’s Lotion
I don’t have the most feminine hands in the world. As a matter of fact, my hands have been called “farmer hands.” Since I hail from farmers, sharecroppers, maids and a whole bunch of other folks who used their hands to make a living, having said hands is a compliment. I do try to keep them looking nice though.
With winter approaching, I know doing so will be a hard task. Switzerland is cold, dry and has hard water, just the ticket for chapped, crackly hands. My hands dry out so badly it looks like I’ve been playing in flour.
During my last trip home I picked up a couple of bottles of Corn Husker’s Lotion to test out. My dad used it on his hands and feet, which is probably why I never touched it.
It was just way too blokey for me.
Corn Husker’s has been around for at least 30 years, probably even longer. According to the company website it was “developed for Iowa corn huskers.”
Told ya. Blokey.
In any case, I got past the testosterone factor long enough to crack open a bottle:
Scent - Upon first sniff, I thought “Hmmmm. Grandma.” The scent is weird. Not bad, just neutrally weird. It’s couple of notches away from that Jergen’s Lotion scent.
Consistency - I poured a little into my hands. It has the consistency of aloe vera gel fresh from the plant, but just a tad bit more slimy. This may put some folks off.
The Big Rub In - After I rubbed the stuff on my hands, they felt slightly tacky but not sticky. I wasn’t impressed though.
Penetration - This is where things got interesting. After about five minutes, the tacky feeling faded. My hands felt extremely soft and smooth without that greasy feeling one gets with lotion. Also, that weird old folks scent faded…or I got used to it. But, it didn’t clash with my perfume.
I tested Corn Husker’s mostly at work. My hands didn’t slide off the keyboard after applying and the moisturizing properties lasted well over an hour. I had to reapply it after washing my hands though.
Pros - The first ingredient listed on the bottle is glycerin, which is a wonderful moisturizer and probably why my hands felt as soft as they did. The scent is bearable and doesn’t clash. It’s also not “perfumey.” It’s freaking cheap at approximately $3.95 a bottle.
Cons - My cuticles weren’t as soft as they are when I use normal hand cream. I dabbed a tad of shea butter on them to fix that.
If you’re looking for a heavy duty hand treatment, especially if you live in a cold, cry climate, you may want to give Corn Husker’s a try. If you’re looking for a more elegant, luscious hand treatment, you may want to skip it.
You can find Corn Husker’s Lotion at Walgreen’s or Osco’s in the US. As for Europe, I’m still looking.