Dear Ponds, I heart you.

No matter how dedicated I become to Mary Kay -- and believe me, I can't wait for a complete switch out of my entire skin care regimen -- I will always be in love with my Ponds Dry Skin Cream**. It ranks 7th in Total Beauty's 19 Awesome Face Moisturizers, above some high end brands (Benefit, Origins, Estee Lauder) and even a doctor recommended brand (Cetaphil, I've never heard of a brand more recommended to friends by derms than Cetaphil).

It says you can use it during the day, but I only ever use it at night. Every night, after washing my face I use acne cream (if needed), eye cream, and then I slather this stuff all over my face and neck and massage it in. I'm pretty generous. I don't want it all to absorb into my skin, because then my face would feel dry again. I mean, I don't coat my face with the cream, but my skin feels soft, maybe even a little oily to the touch. That way, I feel like my skin absorbs the cream all night. I wake up and my face isn't oily or greasy at all. It feels normal. Not too dry.

I wouldn't recommend this cream to just anyone. I have really dry skin -- well, dry combination. My cheeks, between my brows, and around my nose are really really dry. My skin feels very tight after washing. My forehead might get slightly oily during the day, but only slightly. If I don't moisturize at night, it's obvious the next day. If I skip a couple days, my skin gets a little dry and peely. I use a clay mask one to two times a week, and I exfoliate with a little neutrogena vibrating exfoliating thingy once a week. Because, you know what with the flaking and all.

I love this stuff, and I don't mind the smell, but you might. It's only $6-$7 for 10 ounces. And I'm not alone. Out of 49 reviews, one person left a 3 (out of ten), eight people left a 6-8, six people left a 9, and THIRTY FOUR people left a 10! Almost 70% of reviewers gave this a top score. 98% feel that this is an above average product. Yeah. Me too. If you suffer from really dry skin, give this a try. Use it at night.

(**.... Although, I suppose I will have to try Mary Kay Intense Moisturizing Cream, it ranks 4th. )