Day 22: Lipstick Wars

PBS will be showing The Powder and the Glory on March 23rd, 2008 at 10pm. This film documents the 60 year rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. Both women created cosmetic empires while living within blocks of each other in NYC.

Women are cheered by makeup.

When the moneyed spend less on clothes, they spend more on lipstick.

(Elizabeth Arden quote)

Credits: Vogue and http://www.powderandglory.com/index.php/main

Elizabeth Arden's Pretty

I feel dizzy,
I feel sunny,
I feel fizzy and funny and fine,
And so pretty,
Miss America can just resign

(I Feel Pretty from Westside Story)

This is a new perfume offering from Elizabeth Arden that is a standard floral that can only be described as pretty. It has a flower shop vibe with a fairly intense note called Petalia. This is a Givaudan molecule that smells like a mix of Lily of the Valley and Peony. This was the first time this molecule was used for a fragrance. The opening note of Italian Mandarin is much too quick. It is a juicy carbonated mandarin. The rest of the opening is rounded out with orange blossom and whispery peach nectar. The mid-notes are a star jasmine, pink iris(never detected anything iris-like), and white peony. The drydown is musk, Jacaranda Wood and creamy amber.

Pretty is starting to appear at your local Arden counter.
The EDP 1.7 fl.oz is $49.00
The 3.3 fl. oz bottle is $62.00
A 6.8 fl. oz. body lotion is available along with a body powder with puff. This is priced at $37.50

Credits: Elizabeth Arden and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Disclaimer: A press sample of this product was provided by Elizabeth Arden

Elizabeth Arden's Bronzing Shimmer Powder

This last week I have been digging out my bronzers. My co-workers comment every day on how well rested and refreshed I appear. It is all a lie. I swear bronzers can fool everyone into thinking you had a full night of sleep and are happy in life. They do not ever guess that you tossed and turned and might be nursing a bruised heart.

This bronzer is Arden's lastest and greatest. It retails for $29.50

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Elizabeth Arden

40 Days and 40 Nights of Beauty Brand Reviews

Day 11, Elizabeth Arden

Cavewoman: Whenever I hear the name Elizabeth Arden, I remember a little story about her that I read in a book called "Fire And Ice," the biography of Charles Revson who founded the company Revlon. The two had a huge rivalry and they detested each other. She called him "that nail man" and he called her "that horsewoman."

Elizabeth Arden cosmetics counters hold some of the most beautiful products. I've worn the Flawless Finish Mousse Foundation for years, and I appreciate their serious commitment to research in skincare. Lately, limited edition eyeshadow compacts have captivated me, some with beautiful drawings taken from coromandel screens owned by Miss Arden herself. And I always have to stop and admire the stunning photographs of their spokesmodel, Catherine Zeta-Jones.
My favorite product from the Arden line is a simple pressed powder compact called Flawless Finish Ultra Smooth Pressed Powder. I was looking for a very sheer translucent powder that had just a touch of luminosity. In pressed powders, that's not always easy to find. And often these days, translucent powders don't receive much attention at the counters, it seems more the trend right now to match a colored powder to the face, and I don't hear much about translucents anymore. But one little swipe of the finger on the tester unit, and I wanted to try this powder on my face. My MA was a very young woman who had impeccably beautiful skin, much like the spokesmodel. Even her coloring was similar to Zeta-Jones' dark hair and eyes. She told me she was wearing this very powder and she handed me a brush to try it on for myself.
The powder is about as creamy as I've ever found in a pressed powder product. It is as light as a feather on the face, adds no color whatsoever, but glows like candlelight on the skin. There is the most minimal touch of shimmer that does not appear glittery or shiny. The compact itself is elegant and quiet, made of a smoky brown lucite with the words "Elizabeth Arden" written in gold underneath the lucite cover. A little gold button releases the lid, almost like a pocket watch. The presentation is lovely and the powder inside is superb.
If you haven't been to an Arden counter lately, you are in for some most pleasant surprises. Especially Flawless Finish Ultra Smooth Pressed Powder. Try the Translucent. Think of The Horsewoman and The Nail Man and enjoy a little giggle of cosmetic history. And get a glow while you're at it.


Annieytown: Elizabeth Arden makes the most creamy and rich eye shadows on the market. They have the texture of a buttery cashmere.
The shadows are little pieces of luxury.
I currently have a hardcore addiction to Arden palettes. They are stunning and useful at the same time.

The color intrigue palettes this spring are adorable.

There is the warm toned palette which houses Topaz, Vanilla and Dream shades along with the cheek color called Romance. Romance is a non-shimmery Orgasm shade. It comes in handy with my smoky eye experiments. It is a great color to give your cheeks a slight flush. (picture on the far left)

The cool palette features Smoke, Moonbeam and Chiffon eye shadows along with the blush called Pink Star.
I am crazy for the Smoke shade. It rivals Becca's Lame and Stila's Diamond Lil.
Available at your local Elizabeth Arden counter.

Disclosure: The products in this review were press samples and purchases.

"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."

(Capt. Jean-Luc Picard)

I am a tea junkie. There is nothing like a simmering pot of tea. I am also a fan of fragrances that use tea as a note. I am a proud owner of TAK's T scent. This is not a fragrance that has a huge group of fans. Several of my MUA friends cringe when it is brought up. I am smitten and have been its staunch supporter since day one.

The new Elizabeth Arden fragrance called Red Velvet Door will have similiar troubles on getting a fan base. Red Door has a large group of loving fans. They also have a significant group of "haters".

This review is for the haters.

This is not just a reworking of Red Door. You can detect the subtle trace of it but the most powerful note is Earl Grey Tea.

Earl Grey tea is any tea blend with a distinctive flavour and aroma derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant citrus fruit. Traditionally the term "earl grey" was applied only to black tea; however, today the term is also applied to both green and white teas that contain oil of bergamot. (wikipedia.com)

It is the most authentic tea note I have come across. It is combined with bergamot, tea leaves, pink peony, white freesia, jasmine petals, patcholi, honey, musks and vanilla.

It surprised me since I have never been a great fan of Red Door. Arden does tea fragrances very well but this one is the most authentic. There is just something about this note that makes me think of a pot of tea on a chilly day. It has subtle sillage and a suprisingly lovely drydown.

Beauty Addict did a great review of this fragrance several weeks ago.

http://beautyaddict.blogspot.com/2006/10/when-perfume-gods-close-door-they.html

The 3.3 fl oz EDP is $52.50 and the 1.7 size will be $42.50

It is available at your local Elizabeth Arden counter.

Great Earl Grey teas are available at:

http://www.englishteastore.com/earlgreytea.html

http://www.adagio.com/black/earl_grey_bravo.html

http://www.specialteas.com/category.aspx?cid=6769

http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/Earl_Grey_Tea_p/bi910.htm

http://www.tenren.com/earlgreytea.html

http://www.twinings.co.uk/SpecialityTea/Aromatics/EarlGrey.html

Ratings of the best Earl Grey teas:

http://www.tendingtowardtea.com/

photos: Blogdorf Goodman, wikipedia.

Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Elizabeth Arden

Elizabeth Arden Limited Edition Shadow palettes

I learned about the special edition Elizabeth Arden eyeshadow quads from dear Cavewoman. She had received it as a birthday gift from a person with great style and taste. She raved about the quality of the eyeshadows and the stunning case. I was excited because I am a sucker for a stunning compact. However I was unprepared for just how STUNNING these really were.

First off lets talk about the shadows. These are very wearable. They deliver on their promise of crease resistant color that lasts throughout the day. The colors are rich but not highly pigmented. It gives a subtle wash to the eye. The colors range from lovely muted plums to rich brown suedes that make you regret that you bought the Bobbi Brown chocolate palette.

The quad compact designs were reproduced from a 14 panel mural that was commissioned by Miss Arden in 1935. It was created by the artist Clara Fargo Thomas. The panels celebrated the beauty of women throughout the ages. Each compact shows "a vignette from the mural and features a woman who represented the ultimate beauty of her time". The sueded brown compact features Queen Nefertiti of Egypt. The velvet plumtones compact features MumTaz Mahal who was the inpsiration of the Taj Mahal. The neutal cashmere compact honors the twentieth century woman. This is composite of a woman from the 1930's. Very old movie star glamour. The compact is worthy of being owned by Joan Crawford herself!

These compacts are priced at $30 at your local Elizabeth Arden counter. They are limited editions....which is code for run and grab these before they are sold out.
photos: my own,icfw.org and gettyimages.






Disclosure: A press sample of this product was provided by Elizabeth Arden

40 Days and 40 Nights of Primers

Review by cavewoman
Photo from gettyimages/Time.

Since our Annie and I are on a No Buy For Lent, but we still have that twitchy shopping desire, we ventured off to our local mall in search of primers at some of the lesser-visited counters. We found an interesting product at Elizabeth Arden, a company that has many good products but is often associated with, shall we say, women of a certain age. Being one of those women, I'm a fan of Arden and have worn their mousse foundation for many years now. We asked the friendly SA's if the line has a primer, and we were shown the Good Morning Serum. I have to say that I have not really reviewed serums as primers, but I can see that some of them could work very well, especially on more oily skin types, who wouldn't want to add layers of product under foundation.

The serum is a milky gel-cream-liquid, that comes in a slender bottle with a pump dispenser. It is easy to control the amount that comes out. I tried the primer on my hand and was impressed enough with its silky texture to apply it on my face. The product has a typical serum wetness to it, but when it dried down, it felt very smooth and seemed to even out my skin tone a bit, too. Even though I had brought along my La Prairie foundation to test over top of any primers I'd find on this trip, I was too tempted by the Radiant Moisture foundation on the Arden display, and applied this foundation over the serum. I tested these things on one side of my face only. I was instantly impressed with the ease with which the foundation went on, and even with the bad lighting at the counter, I could see that my face had a lovely glow. Pores seemed diminished and I did not see any settling into lines.

Annie and I went off to find more primers, and we would check my face from time to time to see how it looked with the Arden products on. About an hour later, I noticed a few patchy areas where both the primer and the foundation were gone, perhaps I had touched my face, I don't remember, but there was definitely some uneven wear. However, my face felt so soft and smooth, and still was glowing, nothing settled into lines, no cakiness or thickness at all, and at the very least I am considering a purchase of the foundation! I liked the Good Morning Serum enough to consider a purchase of this product also. It is definitely more of a treatment product than a primer, and I am all for good skincare.
Product rating, 7.