Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Purifying Toner

Nearly done with this 200mL/6.7fl. oz. bottle of Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Purifying Toner. I've actually been using this off and on over the past two years and not consistently, because, well, you'll see below.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment

Just finished this 30mL/28g/1oz. tube of Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment so here's a quick post for it. This tube was from the Eight Hours of Wonder Set I bought last holiday season. 

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Honey Drops Body Cream

Finished a few jars of body cream over the past few months so I'll be posting those over this coming week. This is a review for the 250mL/238g/8.4oz. jar of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Honey Drops Body Cream.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Targeted Sun Defense Stick SPF50 PA+++

So far I've tried four sun sticks, Mentholatum Skin Aqua Perfect UV Stick which I keep in my car, Hanyul White Chrysanthemum Matte Sunscreen Stick which I ended up giving to my mum and she likes it a lot, Mamonde Everyday Sun Stick which is in my bathroom cabinet for touch-ups, and this 6.8g Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Targeted Sun Defense Stick SPF50 PA+++ I keep in my bag, because it fits ^.^

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Lipstick

This Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Lipstick in Perfect Rose is another stick-around lipstick in my bag.

Admittedly, I think I like this one better than the Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Bois de Rose. The formula is a bit thicker, so on my lips it feels more substantial and more moisturizing while being just as pigmented. It has a very faint chemically smell and no discernible fragrance, which again, doesn't bother me. As for the "Plump Perfect" claim in its namesake, I can't vouch for anything there as I don't pay attention and don't really care for lip plumping anything :)

The color's name is Perfect Rose, and while it looks warmer in the picture, it's actually even cooler than the Estee Lauder Bois de Rose. I would say it's closer to a lotus pink with some violet and very fine pearlized silver shimmers. It's very pretty, at least it looks better on me than the other one :P But again I don't wear full-on lipstick so I would generally apply it over gloss to sheer it out. It gives me a youthful sheer pink that doesn't make me look like I'm trying too hard. In the end, it found a appreciator in form of my mum-in-law, so I handed it over to her.

Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream Intensive Hand Treatment

I bought this 8-Hour Cream Intensive Hand Treatment for my mum and got a deluxe sample tube for myself.

It's actually very nice. Very softening but not greasy, and it absorbs rather quickly, to my surprise. It has a strange medicine-like smell though, which takes a bit to get used to. I ended up purchasing a full size tube for myself though, so I guess I like it enough :)


***Picture from Elizabeth Arden.

Lip Balms

I am a lip balm addict! Well, not really, but I do keep one in every room for convenience. So I'm dedicating a whole post to the many lip balms I use and love.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm
This the best oil-based lip balm I've ever used, hands down! It is minty and fresh and does exactly what it claims to do - soothes! As you can see, it is a translucent milky white. Its consistency is thick but not sticky, and it is so glossy it might as well double as a lip gloss! If I can only carry one lip balm everywhere, I will probably carry this one. I put this on at night before I go to bed and it would still be there in the morning when I wake up!
I have been using this lip balm for a long time now, at least 3-4 years, and I am surprised not too many people know about it. It was really cheap at first, only $5 each. On sale, it goes for $2 - awesome deal! Then Victoria's Secret revamped the packaging and upped the price to $7 each. Even on sale it would still be $5. Oh well, $5 is not so bad for a product I love!


Rosebud Perfume Company
I own every single one of their balms except for the Smith's Mentholated Salve, which I will get later. These salves are all for multi-purpose use on lips, hands, elbows, knees, wherever dry and chapped skin exists. They run about $6-7 each depending on where you buy them.

Smith's Rosebud Salve
The original salve that launched the company. It is oil-based, quite thin in texture and not sticky at all! My only complaint is that because of its thinness, it has zero staying power on my lips! I put it on, and it'll be gone in 15 minutes! Also, the rose fragrance takes a while to get used to, but only because I'm not a rose person and I actually dislike the scent of roses. A minor note - even though it looks red in the picture, it's actually a light translucent salmony pink.


Smith's Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm
I'm not a big fan of this balm, only because it is wax-based. Even though it's got oils in it, it is still, well, waxy! It is quite good though, I just don't like wax-based balms and salve, that's all. If you do, you will probably LOVE this balm! I also use it to keep my raggedy cuticles in check.


Smith's Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm
This balm's is oil-based, so already it passed my test :D It also has a heavier rose fragrance with a tinge of berry, which will probably take me some time to get used to, but it tastes good so I'm not complaining. Not that I eat it or anything, but it's got honey and vanilla in it and they give it a little sweet touch. It is a translucent raspberry pink and has the same consistency as the original Rosebud Salve although with better staying power.


Smith's Minted Rose Lip Balm
This is one of my favorite oil-based balms, second only to the Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm! Again, even though I'm not a big fan of rose fragrance, I actually quite like the minty rose scent. It feels so good on my lips - smooth and soothing yet a little tingly from the mint at the same time! It is a translucent tomato red, because it's a little thicker than the original Rosebud Salve, it lasts much longer and has a glossy finish. I absolutely adore this balm! I have one on my desk at work!


White Cloverine Brand Petrolatum Salve
A multi-purpose oil-based salve for chapped skin, but I use it primarily as a lip balm :D It has a lemony scent and similar consistency with Smith's Minty Rose. I like it a lot! And the pot is HUGE -twice as big as Smith's and VS's- for the same price!!!


Sephora Professional Most Complete Lip Balm
I was hoping this to be oil-based, but sadly it is wax-based, so yes, it does feel a bit...waxy. I do like the minty vanilla flavor, only the pot is itty bitty - smaller than the Carmex pot!!! Then again, I got it for only $2 from Sephora.


Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Lip Protectant SPF 15
A wax-based chapstick, basically. To be fair, it did last for quite a while on my lips and felt less waxy than your average chapstick, but it also has this chemically smell I just cannot stand. I went through it in a couple of months, so for $17 it's not worth it.

***Picture from Macy's.

Estee Lauder Lip Conditioner SPF 15
Yet another wax-based chapstick in a fancier packaging. This one is doesn't feel as thick as Elizabeth Arden's, but it also doesn't last as long. It does make a nice base for lipstick though as it is not too oily or shiny and gives the lipstick a natural sheen. But that's about it though, so again for $17, you can get better lipstick base (like one of those balms!!!).


Maquillage Lip Essence
This one is not exactly a balm, but it's not really a gloss either. It is a bit shiny and has a translucent pearly tint, but it's consistency is too thin to be a gloss. It's recommended use is as a lipstick base, but I usually just wear it alone like a gloss. It is a very small tube and is quite pricey for $18, excluding international shipping from Japan (or Hong Kong, wherever you get it from).