Quick Review Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream

I've wanted to try the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream forever. It has been around for a very long time and holds somewhat of a cult status in the beauty industry.

It is said to help with cracked lips, minor burns & dry or flaky skin.

Price R300 for 50ml
You can buy it from Clicks, Dischem, Foschini or Edgars.

Now I must say reading all the fab reviews online, I had very high expectations for this product.

The first thing you should note is that this is not really a cream, it is more of an emollient with a balm like texture. It has a bit of a medicinal scent which doesn't linger for to long so it's easy to ignore.

It is quite dense so I would recommend using at Night Only unless you are using on your lips as a lip balm, then it's okay to use during the day as well.

Whilst it did soften my lips and offered an extra boost of hydration I wouldn't buy it purely for the purpose of using it as a lip balm. There are more affordable options that work just as well.

I've used it a few times on my face after my cleansing routine at night and found that my skin was much softer the next morning. You have to make sure that you massage it well in to the skin or else it will leave an oily residue behind.

It also helped soothe a scrape that I had on my leg so it does deliver in that aspect.

I don't however find myself buying this again, I didn't notice any major benefits to my skin (maybe I need to use it for longer than a month) and feel it might be more beneficial to those with extremely dry skin.

Have you tried out this product, let me know your thoughts below:

The beauty products you really DON’T need to buy

I am a self-confessed shopaholic, my life’s motto sounds pretty much like the 7 rings lyrics “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it”, so it’s no surprise that I’ve bought and tested all the items on this list.

I am sorry to say this but you can live without these items and if you really MUST HAVE them, there’s so many affordable DIY options.

Sheet masks

Now, I love me a good moisture masking session as the next beauty babe and I have tried a few sheet masks from different brands, however I haven’t witnessed any radical, skin perfecting results from any of them. With an average price of R50.00 each, these are hardly considered affordable and for what you get out of it, it isn’t worth it in my opinion. 

Most skincare products are only able to offer great benefits if they are on your skin for a long time, think serums, treatments and moisturisers. Rather save your coins on the sheet masks and opt for cheaper DIY alternatives with natural ingredients like the ones below.

Lip exfoliating products

I bought two different types of these and wrote a review of one here which you can check out, needless to say I am not impressed. The other I tried was very affordable but also not worth it.

You could do a better job with brown sugar and honey, a wet toothbrush or a damp face towel.

Eyeshadow primers

This is just unnecessary, I know, I know, the Primer Potion fan club will have my head for this but I’m not saying you don’t need to prime your eyelids, I’m saying just use your concealer because there aren’t that many affordable eyeshadow primers out there that does the job better than your concealer.

Hot cloth cleansers

I’m not going to lie, the one product I used was amazing, my skin was moisturised and it removed about 90% of my makeup. However it was overpriced, considering the size and how long it lasts.

You can purchase virgin coconut oil for about R50.00 for 500mls… to make the awesomely effective hot cloth cleanser below.

Refreshing facial mists

I’m not talking about makeup setting sprays as most of these have a different set of ingredients to specifically increase the wear time of our makeup. I’m talking about the refreshing mists that’s supposed to give your face a pick me up during the day. Essentially most of these are made up of 95% water and essential oils which make them smell amazing. I personally love the citrus ones and the one I use is R95.00 for 60mls. There are so many recipes online for these, SaneshMakeup has introduced many to her rose water spray on her channel, here’s my own variation below:

Tips to find the perfect Foundation for You

This post has been requested a few times by one of my friends, so Trishy this one's for you.

For me there's just a few steps I need to follow to pick the perfect foundation, here they are in no particular order:

#Always try out a new shade in natural light - have you ever been to a makeup counter tried on something, bought it but only to go home and realise oh no this isn't the correct shade. This happens far too often and can be avoided by just taking a step outside before buying. If you're at a mall and you are really keen on the product, you can pop outside really quickly and check out how the makeup looks in natural light.

Some brands also oxidises - changes colour after application, something I find happens a lot with darker shades, so you might find that walk outside to reveal a whole different colour on your skin, one you might not be so keen on purchasing.

#My next tip is work with your skin not against it and by this I mean consider the type of finish you want and sometimes this can mean investing in other products to give you that finish. Let me explain further.
So if you're like me and have a super oily T zone you might need a mattifying primer for just this section because if you use a dry finish foundation it could leave the outside of your face with some dry patches. On the other hand if you are using a quick drying matte foundation ( my favourite is the Estée Lauder Double Wear Total Coverage) then make sure you apply extra moisturiser to the dryer areas of your face.

#Many people ask me if price matters when it comes to buying a foundation the short answer is yes and no.
I say this because there are some great affordable brands out there that has fantastic ranges but for me I found the best ones are the ones that cost a little more. This doesn't mean I won't purchase a more affordable brand, it just means I don't mind splurging on what I know works for me. Also you have to consider how many uses you actually get out of it.
Let's do some math - A R600 bottle of foundation that lasts let's say 2 months with daily use equates to R10.00 use, wouldn't you say that's great value for money considering this is something that you're putting on your face?
Also shopping when items are on sale, makes a huge difference. I once bought a R99 tube of foundation that oxidised way too much and got 1 use out of it before I passed it on to a friend... Now that was an expensive lesson right there.

#Ask for take home testers, I know many brands have in store testers but sometimes it's easier to try something in the comfort of your own home. I know Mac offers tester pots but don't be afraid to ask other brands as well. It's better to try a foundation a few times before committing to purchasing because most of the higher end brands range from R450 updwards and returning opened make up can prove to be a tad bit difficult.

#Find your happy medium
Oh the possibilities, there's liquid, cream, powder and  mousse foundations. Find what works for you. The best thing is you get so many different coverage options in the different mediums like liquid doesn't have to mean super full coverage with a cakey finish and powder can offer full coverage and is very easy to use.

#Try, Try and try again
When you're really into finding the right match it's best to try out a few finishes, brands colours etc. Don't be afraid to try without buying. I know that all the amazing products out there can be so overwhelming but do a little research. Make a list of what you're looking for in a foundation and start searching firstly online for some reviews and ideas on what products will fit the bill.
Also don't be persuaded into purchasing something because someone else says it looks good on you, make sure you are happy with how it looks.

Do you have a foundation finding tip or story share with us below: