Best face forward

The smell. The silky texture. The thin, pink liquid. The elegantly shaped bottle. The black cap.

I can remember everything about the Oil of Olay lotion that my grandma Dupps would wear. To an 8-year-old, it was the epitome of sophistication. I loved to run into her apartment, a huge space in a weathered part of Cincinnati, and grab the bottle off her dresser. A dresser with beautiful glass knobs that I still have today. Grandma would squirt the tiniest amount into my hand, and I would rub it judiciously over my hands and face, taking the time to slowly breathe in the perfumey scent.

Grandma Dupps didn't have a picture-perfect life - she grew up in an orphanage, only made it through the third grade and worked long hours after husband died in his 40s. Money didn't come by easy. I knew that even as a child as I'd sit at her kitchen table and slurp Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup.

And that's why I knew that Oil of Olay had to be a great product. Expensive looking as it was, she made it  a priority in a tight budget.

Oil of Olay has since graduated from that bottle. They have award-winning products that help you look younger, have softer, better smelling skin and present your best face to the world - all at a fraction of department store prices. (Trust me on this - I nearly dropped $60 on an eye serum but finally came to my senses.)

Procter & Gamble, maker of Oil of Olay and a Cincinnati company (hometown pride), has recently launched an eStore so you can explore the fabulous and reliable products without leaving the comfort of your couch. Especially great if you have a sick toddler who won't let you put him down to go to the bathroom much less go shopping.

What is the P&G eStore?

The P&G eStore has been created with shoppers for shoppers to be a premier online retail site with new and better ways to shop online. The eStore strives to inspire confidence in purchasing household and beauty products online, with continual development of new services, features and tools to help customers through their online shopping journey.

It's easy to say, "I'm just going to buy it at the drug store. I have a coupon from Sunday's paper and it's on sale." Which might be true but P&G has its own eCoupons on the site, in addition to mail-in rebates and special offers. It also has a wide selection of goods that your store might not carry or require multiple stops on your Sunday afternoon errands.

If the nail tech doing your pedicure on Saturday said that you looked tired (true story), you can try the Olay Regenerist Microsculpting Cream free with $79 purchase (OLAY79); or the Olay ProX Advanced Cleaning System free with $99 purchase (OLAY99).

In addition, P&G is offering readers and non-readers alike some incentives to check out the store.

• Free shipping with $25 purchase
• 15 percent off first order (use code A9Z-MN5-KY3-ISA)
• Free samples with every order

I am betting the ever frugal Grandma Dupps wouldn't complain about that - and she'd probably make those samples last 6 months while she was at it.

I was compensated for this post but all stories and opinions are my own.