Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream Skin Protectant ~ Review

With Winter in full swing, it's important to prep and protect our skin from the harsh elements. Freezing temperatures outdoors and dry, artificial heat indoors are not ideal for our skin.

Today I'm going to share with you one of my not-so-secret weapons, Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream Skin Protectant. This miracle cream is a cult classic for a reason; it works!

Here's a brief description and history of the infamous 8 hour cream as found on the Elizabeth Arden website.

The Legend

Created in 1930 by Elizabeth Arden to soothe skin, Eight Hour® Cream Skin Protectant became an instant and overwhelming success. What made it so effective is a combination of petrolatum, a skin-soothing beta-hydroxy in one of its first cosmetic uses, and vitamin E. The apricot coloured balm was so beneficial to her clients, Miss Arden used it to soothe her famous thoroughbred horses' legs. Even its name came about thanks to a remarkable performance - a loyal client used it to treat her child's skinned knee and "eight hours later" the skin was all better."

Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Skin Protectant helps to protect skin from the elements, seal in moisture and promote healthy skin. It can be used from head to toe and applied as often as needed.

The cream is rather thick and can be a bit difficult to spread at times. It has an apricot hue to it and it smells almost medicinal. I personally don't mind the scent, but the good news is that it's also available in a fragrance free formula for those who are scent sensitive.

I use it in the winter months to soothe dry skin and to treat my chapped hands. I apply a thick coat before bedtime and allow it to work it's magic.

Its hard to see in the photo below, but my hands are dry, flaky and scaley looking. Yikes! After applying the cream the flakiness disappears and my skin feels much more hydrated. Although my skin looks quite red in the after photo, I can assure you that my hands feel soothed and nowhere near as angry as they look.

I use this cream not only on myself but on my children as well. My daughter recently suffered a minor bout of eczema on her face and nothing seemed to help. I applied Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream before bedtime and the next morning it was less red and irritated. After two nights of applying the cream it cleared up completely.

If you're looking to treat severely dehydrated skin or to prevent your skin from drying out, I highly recommend you give Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream a try!

You can find this cream both in store and online at The Hudson's Bay for $29

Have you used 8 Hour Cream before? Do you have a go-to dry skin saver? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!

Raspberry Mint ~ Review + Giveaway Info

I recently received a lovely package from Raspberry Mint and I'm going to share my thoughts on a few of the products I received. But before I get into my review, I'd love to briefly introduce you to the brand!

Raspberry Mint is a Canadian company that focuses on creating products that are chic, eco-friendly and organic. They are against animal cruelty/testing and create everything by hand and in small batches.

The first product I tried and my favourite of the bunch, is the Relax Babe Aromatherapy roll-on. Made with 100% pure essential oils (lavender and lime) and blended with a mix of coconut and grapeseed oil, this aromatherapy roll-on is sure to help you relax! When first applied you can smell both the lavender and lime but as it dries down the lime scent is more prevalent. I apply it on my temples, back of neck and wrists before bed. I have become quite addicted to this blend and am happy to have it as a part of my nightly routine.

Next up is the Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask for face and body. This mask contains only 2 ingredients; Dead Sea Mineral Mud and preservative DMDM Hydantoin (0.009%) to prevent the growth of bacteria and moulds.

The mask is easy to spread and dries rather quickly. It is a bit difficult to remove so I use a face cloth soaked in warm water to gently wipe it away. Once removed my face feels slightly tightened and is ready for moisturizer. It doesn't dry out my skin but it doesn't hydrate it either. As with any mud or clay mask, I highly recommend applying cream, lotion or moisturizer after using it.

Finally, the Diva Night Repair Moisturizing Hemp Lips Conditioner. This product is made with Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Beeswax Beads, Organic Flavour Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Vitamin E and Organic Hemp Seed Oil. Although it is marketed as a night time lip product, it can be used during the day as well. Unfortunately, this product didn't quite live up to my expectations. I love the cherry scent and large size tin, however I didn't find it to be particularly hydrating or long lasting. When applied it feels more like an oil and it doesn't last very long on my lips. When it comes to lip balms/oils, I prefer products that will sit on my lips for a while. If you're someone who prefers an oil based product that isn't sticky and won't last too long on the lips, than you might enjoy it.

Now onto the giveaway!

Raspberry Mint is holding a giveaway on their website where you can win a slew of products (25 to be exact!) and entering is super easy. Click this link here to enter! Please note that I AM NOT AFFILIATED with this giveaway - just spreading the word!

Also,  If you're interested in purchasing any products from Raspberry Mint you can use promo code grand50 at checkout to receive 50% off of your purchase! This offer expires March 31 2017

Have you tried anything from Raspberry Mint? Are you entering the contest? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!

*PR samples provided