Stupid Little Things: Nivea Creme Tins

I've used Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream since this blog's Dark Days of Standard Definition Photography, and I've finished at least a half dozen tubes. It's my all-time favorite hand cream days indoors or just-before-bed moisture. So when I worked for a doctor for eight months, I figured I'd buy a tube to keep on the desk to combat the necessary constant hand washing.

Unfortunately, the tube would take up way too much of the desk I shared with another assistant, a computer, a phone, a metal organizer, and piles of patient files. I didn't want to keep it in my bag, either, since I already carry dozens of other bits and bobs, including a full tube of Supergoop Forever Young hand cream. (Commuter life, right?) This prompted a lot of frustrated wandering up and down the skincare aisles until my eyes fell on the $0.85 tins of Nivea Creme.

I've used Nivea Creme on my hands before; paired with some cotton gloves, it's a greasy but great way to get smooth, touchable hands in the depths of winter. It's only recently that I've realized that hint of greasiness is great for protecting your hands for the next couple of hand washings. The tins are also tiny: as you can see in the photo above, I was able to keep one in the organizer drawer without covering up the other assistant's mints, candies, and gel highlighters. At less than a dollar a pop, buying several of these tins and keep them in different bags, lockers, and desk drawers is a given.

As an added bonus, the tins are decently sturdy and stay shut. As soon as you finish the cream inside, you can clean it out and use it store bobby pins, hair ties, pills, memory cards, and any other itty bitty things you might toss in to your purse. I'll also use some of the empty tins and my Dymo Label Maker to create travel sized body lotion and hair pomade tins for the trips I've planned with my partner this summer.

Will tins of Nivea Creme replace my tubes of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula? Nope. I just finished another tube of the Neutrogena this past month, and I had a minor panic attack when I couldn't find it in the store. (They'd moved it from the bottom shelf to the very top, because screw short lizard women, I guess.) But it's definitely a new favorite travel companion and work friend.