Abstract: A personal applicator for application of a cream, gel or lotion by a user has a flexible elongate member (18) coated and/or impregnated with the cream gel or lotion from within the body (12) of a container (14). The flexible elongate member can be a chord, and may Slave a solid or elasticated central core covered with an impregnatable or absorbent sheath or coating, such as a foam. The container can include a retraction mechanism (20), such as having a spool or bobbin which can be spring biased to retract the chord. Alternatively, the chord may be self retracting, such as by elastic or self coiling.