Review: Elizabeth Arden Red Hot Croc Color Collection

"Every woman has the right to be beautiful." - Elizabeth Arden

Being ever the experimental buyer I purchased Elizabeth Arden Red Hot Croc Color Collection from feelunique.com last December for a bargain price of £45 in the sale (when the value of the combined products retails to £300)!

The set comes with a red croc travel makeup bag which is perfect for stashing away your beauty products whilst on the go, not particularly big or small just a right size for easy travelling. Whilst not something that I would perhaps use myself, (well not the main attraction for me buying the set) I felt it was still a decent sized store-away used that can be used for storage.

The set contains:

- Elizabeth Arden Deluxe Compact containing 12 Beautiful Colour Eyeshadows: Shimmering Taupe, Pearl White, Amethyst, Toast, Precious Metals-Highlighter, Shimmering Emerald, Midnight Blue, Heathered Plum, Rose Quartz, Aquamarine, Sun Peach and Sparkling Sable Rooted in NYC with more than 100 years of beauty expertise, Beautiful Color Eye Shadows were developed in shades that are trend driven and in a formula that is good for your skin. The outcome: smooth, crease-free shadows that combine long-lasting colour with luxurious skin care benefits.
- 2x Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Radiance Blushes in Sweet Peach & Blushing Pink (4g each) Beautiful Color fuses with care. Colour-true, high-pigment powder sculpts and defines the appearance of cheeks for a natural, radiant glow. The buildable, long-lasting formula is enriched with vitamins and antioxidants to help soothe and protect skin.
- 3x Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Ultra Lipsticks in Cassis, Tulip & Coral (3.5g each) These lustrous, colour-saturated lipsticks infused with Volulip™ deliver brilliant moisturising colour with lasting comfort and shine. Achieve plumper, fuller-looking, more defined lips that feel youthfully soft, smooth and nourished.
- 2x Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Lipglosses in Diamond & Red Door Red (4ml each)Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Lipglosses have a silky smooth texture and impart rich colour and lustrous shine. Infused with conditioning and hydrating ingredients, these non-sticky glosses sooth and comfort lips like a balm. Maxi-lip™ helps support natural collagen for plumper, fuller looking lips.
- 2x Elizabeth Arden Eye Pencils in Espresso & Smoky Black (1.1g each) These long-wearing pencils give your eyes definition and drama.
- 2x Elizabeth Arden Smooth Line Lip Pencils in Taupe & Plum Rose (1.1g each) Precision liners for perfectly defined lips.
- Elizabeth Arden Pressed Powder with Sponge Puff in Nude Shimmer 5.3gThis beautiful sheer shimmer will give your skin a radiant, healthy glow. Elizabeth Arden Shimmer Powder is a great finishing touch to any look. Apply to cheeks and body for a sparkle and shimmer that is sure to get you noticed. 
- Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lash Extending Mascara in Black 7mlElizabeth Arden Ceramide Lash Extending Mascara with ceramide triple complex (Ceramides 1, 3 & 6) plus vitamins to help reinforce and restore lashes' natural protective barrier. Protein-based complex Keravis helps fortify, lengthen, define & revitalise lashes.
- Elizabeth Arden All Gone Eye & Lip Makeup Remover 50mlThis two-phase formulation easily and gently removes even transfer-resistant, waterproof makeup without irritation. Softens and comforts, leaving skin perfectly smooth & clean. 
- Elizabeth Arden Nail Lacquer in Candy Apple 5.8ml Beautiful colour for your nails, this Elizabeth Arden Nail Lacquer will complete any look.
- Elizabeth Arden 3 Piece Brush Set with PouchIncludes Cheek, Eyeshadow and Angle Eye brushes

My favourite piece has to be the Elizabeth Arden Deluxe Compact, a palette of 12 every day to evening eyeshadows that can be easily played up and down and is quite versatile. I don’t find them too pigmented; rather they have to be worked up with an angle eye brush (which the set does include)!  But nevertheless they have a satiny shimmery finish, and I was impressed by the range of shades from nudes to strong emerald/blues.

This cute set would be a great gift for anyone as an introductory and curious newbie to Elizabeth Arden products! Whilst I am not totally blown away, the set does make a nice alternative and I was particularly impressed by the consistency and the long-wear-ability of the liners.

It can be purchased from feelunique.com for £50.

…ArA…

The Body Shop Hand Cream Review

"He who comes into equity must come with clean hands" - Legal Maxim 

With the current gale force winds gripping the nation my hands can be left worse for wear. Hands are often the most neglected part of our body and also a tell-tell sign of age; I have often moisturised everything but my hands! I purchased this dainty looking Body Shop Hand Cream set a while ago after the pint-sized 30ml counterparts were perfect to stash into a few handbags of mine...

The set that I purchased had a selection of the 3 most popular, I love the vintage retro metallic packaging; tube sized and easy to use. The set contained two Hemp Seed Hand Protector creams which is the somewhat "power cream" out of the three that I own; it has a very thick consistency (which takes some time to absorb) and is somewhat tinged with a mild green colouring. It is not the best smelling cream out there (smells rather like a day out in a muddy field, takes a bit of getting used to) but is the most heavy duty cream in the collection in terms of its accolades. It states it is designed for "very dry skin" and supposedly has worked wonders for damaged cuticles as well as hands which is probably due to the Hemp Seed element that contains moisturising properties, mainly the fatty acids that Hemp Seed is made from. As I do not particularly like the scent I apply this to my hands for a S.O.S.-super treatment at night and I am guaranteed to wake up with soft subtle hands. 

The Wild Rose SPF 15 hand cream is much more to my liking, not only does it contain SPF (winner winner) but its beautifully fragranced and you can smell the roses in an abundance. Although it is targeted for "mature skin" I still love the scent, the rosehip oil no doubt combating those stubborn age spots for mature skin. This cream is a lot lighter than the Hemp Seed Hand Protector, for me this is why it is more practical to be stashed away in your handbag whilst on the go and definitely reminds me of those long summers.

My favourite out of all three has to be the Almond and Nail Cream, ah where do I start with this gem?! This cream is tailored specifically for manicures as it contains the duo of a manicurist special agents panthenol (vitamin B5) and and sweet almond oil celebrated for good skin and nails. The most quickest to absorb and the smell lingers too which is oh-so-divine! It is targeted for all skin types and for me has the most appeal.

Currently the above 30ml Body Shop Hand Creams are £2.50 online! Grab them whilst you can!

Which one is your favourite?

...ArA...

Prada Candy L'Eau Gift Set Review

"Basically I'm trying to make men more sensitive and women stronger." - Miuccia Prada 

Woah, first blogpost of 2014! Well life had caught up with me as of late so what better way to start 2014 with a quick perfume review of Prada Candy ...

I am a ridiculous sucker for anything pretty/dainty/feminine looking (those darn marketing people have ticked all boxes when it comes packaging again at Prada). You just have to look at the heavy duty gold rimmed packaging and metallic gold Prada emblazoning; finished with beautiful pastel pinks, ah it looks too pretty from the rest of my perfume collection, definitely oozing that ultra feminine vibe. I was gifted this Prada Candy L'Eau gift set for Christmas which contains a pretty stylish pouch (a great pink piece perfect for stashing away your beauty essentials) as well as scented body lotion.

Firstly, judging from the name alone you would be forgiven if you thought it would make you smell like a sweet confectionery jar; at first I hesitated when opening the top for the smell was rather overpowering. But rest assured once you apply a few spritz and after a few minutes the scent somewhat mellows on the skin and becomes far less "sickly-sugary" and for me at least is quite wearable for the daytime. For me the vanilla and caramel tones are quite vivid, it has slight fruity elements too which gives it somewhat a playful and youthful feel - a lot milder compared to it's twin Prada Candy perfume, which is more deeper and stronger in scent (hence the darker pink packaging).

Overall I have to admit I was drawn in my the packaging more than anything else, it just oozes a slight vintage lady-like elegance! J'adore!

Prada Candy L'Eau De Parfum is £65.50 for a 80ml bottle in Boots.

...ArA...