My skin is on fire? (Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant)

Member Name: cyberem78

Product:	Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant
Date:	06/10/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Softens skin.

Disadvantages: Smells horrible. Greasy. Unsuitable for face as too waxy/shiny/ difficult to rub in.

I'm usually faithful to budget brand cosmetic and skin care products but I recently was given some Elizabeth Arden products as a gift including this, the Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant. My tube is only 30ml sized and as such looks like a trial size product. You can also purchase this in larger sized tubes but since Elizabeth Arden is a premium brand be prepared to pay quite a lot - the 50ml sized tube is around £22 at department store cosmetic counters.

My tiny tube has very basic instructions and no information about the product printed on the tube itself. The only usage instructions state: "apply librally as often as necessary". The companies website individual product page provides a lot more details about what the product does and when you should use it. The brand correctly identify this as a 'balm' and claim it "soothes, restores, calms and helps relieve chapped, cracked, dry skin". There are no specific areas of the body targeted for best use - only a caution to avoid the eyes.

After reading this information online I tested the product. The tube has a broad lid which screws off easily. I first of all smelled the product. It had a unexpected fragrance. I was expecting something quite rosy and feminine. Instead it smelled like a medical treatment ointment or the oily greasy smells of a working garage. It reminded me a lot of the aroma that Tiger Balm has - the ointment used to ease muscular aches. It's not a nice fragrance and to me it instantly turns the product into something you must use either inside the home only as a kind of skin pampering treatment. I certainly don't want anyone to smell this on my skin as it is not an appealling fragrance! It actually smells like I'm flammable!

The next surprising thing about the product was that it is not a 'cream' as stated in its product title. It is rather more like a cross between a gel and a balm. It is more gooey than it is waxy. It is not like a stick lip balm consistency but moer like a vaseline or a lot like the raw petroleum that you use for your car - very thick and can be worked into peaks which don't lose their shape. The balm is a burnt orange colour - this does not affect the colouring on the skin. It simply becomes transparent once rubbed in.

I find the balm quite stiff and hard to work into the skin. I tried the balm on the back of my hand first. I found that if I waited 20 seconds or so that the balm would melt a little bit with the heat of my flesh and it was easier to rub in. When I had worked the balm into my skin it gave a shiny, slightly greasy appearance to my skin. To eradicate the greasy look I had to work the balm in again, rubbing my fingertips in small circles over the area until it felt less sticky. Even when you have worked the balm in as much as possible you feel damp and bound up by a sugary substance. I feel that I might stain my clothes if I touch them with the areas I have treated with the balm!

After the trial on my hand, I then used this on certain small dry spots on my face and found that the skin, being more delicate, was pulled and stretched a lot when I was trying to rub this in. As a result I don't find this to be an ideal product for the face or neck or other delicate areas over the chest or belly. It is better for arms, hands, and legs, feet and shoulders.

Without question skin is softer when the balm is applied. The balm seems to form a protective, waterproof barrier over the skin. The shiny appearance that ensues after use is acceptable on the arms and legs for example but looks too greasy on the face. This balm is unsuitable for use under make-up but could be used alone providing you can live with the high-shine look. It is super-hydrating though and is suitable for use at night. It can be applied like a night cream to nourish your skin as you sleep.

This product overall surprises and dissapoints me. It's simply not what I thought or hoped it would be. It's not really like a cosmetic to me and seems much more like an intensive medical treatment. The places on my body I feel I can use this on have big surface areas and so the actual application is difficult and time-consuming. I don't think the product gives value for money this way. Also, as with similar products like the Body shop's cooling balms it has that issue: why is it any better than a cream product and why would I choose this over a creamy moisturiser? In my opinion, this product simply isn't worth using. Stick to a cream moisturiser.

The Elizabeth Arden shopping website provides more information on the product range:

http://shop.elizabetharden.com

Summary: An expensive cosmetic product that dissapointed me.