Happy 1997 from the Cosmetic Connection!

Can you believe it's 1997 already? Doesn't the time just fly by? Thanks to all of you who emailed me holiday greetings and gift- getting stories. I hope the season treated you well!

Speaking of gift-getting, I have to share this mini-review of a product I got for the holidays from Bath & Body Works. Between the cold weather and those wonderful household duties like washing dishes and doing the laundry, my hands are constantly dried out, and my nails are forever brittle. Thanks to a tube of Shea Butter Hand & Foot Treatment that my mom gave me, my hands are super-smooth and my nails are healthy again! This stuff is fantastic, and the macadamia nut oil in it makes it smell good enough to eat! If you have a Bath & Body Works near you, I highly recommend checking out this lotion.

If you haven't guessed already, I am a major lotion-user this time of year! During my last trip to San Francisco, I picked up a few more things from BeneFit Cosmetics, including a seaweed mud mask and Eye Bright stick that I plan to review in next week's report. What deserves mentioning this week was the gift-with-purchase 2 ounce bottle of Avocado Body Lotion that I got! If you like a thick, emollient lotion like I do, this one is fantastic! It also smells great, like almonds, rather than overly flowery or powdery. At $24 for 8 ounces, it is a bit spendy, but I think definitely a nice treat.

Among all the holiday email, one reader was kind enough to remind me that in all the months I've been doing this report, I have yet to do reviews of the Garden Botanika products I so often recommend! The wait is now over! The reviews will come in several installments, with the first being the GB "$25 Face Lift" kits. For the full rundown on this terrific skin care deal, check out my review at http://www.kleinman.com/cosmetic/recommend.html