Replenishing Hand Cream (Rose Flower)

My paternal grandmother was the offspring of a French immigrant family that emigrated to the United States. She came of age during a time of great extravagance (Roaring Twenties) followed by a sharp decline (Great Depression) and then raised five children—three boys and two girls—by herself in St. Louis, Missouri while my grandfather reported for duty during World War II. In my grandparents' house there were two bathrooms, one pink and the other blue, a color-coded system marked by a form of gender segregation that had a utilitarian function in the large and evenly split household. By the time my sister and I came along, the only two girls in a slew of grandsons (though there would later be two more to join the ranks), we considered this division a privilege.

When I opened the fifty-gram circular container of Circaroma Replenishing Hand Cream, the smell reminded me of my grandmother's powder room. Immaculately kept with fuzzy toilet seat covers, matching towels the color of cotton candy, and decorative wallpaper with tiny bunches of flowers and stripes of gold, this room was a feminine haven. A mirrored tray holding numerous bottles of eau du toilette, Avon makeup, and sample-sized glass containers of various creams and lotions. The combined contents of the tray created a floral olfactory experience similar to this Rose Flower Hand Cream.

Gliding on smoothly, the Replenishing Hand Cream leaves a moist feeling without the lingering slickness of other similar products. Despite the potency of its smell during application, the Rose Flower scent quickly becomes subdued, a quality I find appealing as it doesn't hinder repeated use for fear of excessive potency.

Based in London, Circaroma's award-winning products use natural and organic components as a result of the company's commitment to providing skin care products of a superior quality. The Rose Flower Replenishing Hand Cream is no exception, and includes such ingredients as coconut, sunflower, jojoba, and almond oils; cocoa butter; rose water; geranium; and vitamin E.

I relish the ability of Circaroma's Replenishing Hand Cream to conjure the memory of my grandmother, a woman who struggled through challenging times and still managed to come out smelling rosy.

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