My hands look like those of a 200-hundred-year-old gargoyle that’s been clinging to the side of Notre Dame: They’re gnarled and weathered. I’ve never used hand lotion or taken care of my hands. Just the opposite. In my 20s, when I worked in the darkroom, I used my fingers, instead of tongs, to transfer photos from one caustic chemical bath to another. If that wasn’t bad enough, I never wore hand lotion. if you’ve ever repositioned a contact lens with your finger, then you know hand lotion can leave a fingerprint. “Out of focus” and “photographer” don’t go together. So now, years of no lotion and running out of estrogen has resulted in old lady hands.

BUT HALLELUJAH AND PASS THE HAND CREAM! I’VE DISCOVERED SOMETHING WONDERFUL.

Forget all that “hope in a jar” stuff, because this is the real deal. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. I stumbled across this magic cream in a subscription box of beauty products. The rest of the things in the box I’ll never use, but this stuff, I’ll never be without. FYI, I don’t know anyone associated with this cream. It’s just too good not to share what I’ve learned.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is irritant free and doesn’t contain parabens, phthalates, alcohol, fragrances or artificial dyes. It delivers immediate, long-lasting results. I love this cream! The label reminds me of the label on the silver polish under my sink, but then we’re not paying for packaging. Packaging is expensive and is part of the seductive hype that accompanies most skincare products. We don’t care about hype. We want results.

Here are some tips that make it even better: Dampen your skin before you apply it multiple times a day and before bed. Damp skin is a moisturizer’s best friend because moisturizer seals in the water. At night, I follow with Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. I discovered Burt’s Bees while going through chemotherapy 10 years ago and have used it ever since. In tandem with First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, it works even better.

In our 1010ParkPlace STYLE INSPIRATION interviews, I sometimes ask women, “Eyeliner or lipstick?” My answer to that question is keep the eyeliner and the lipstick, but get your wrinkly hands off my Burt’s Bees and  First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream!