It’s in the purses of beauty editors and makeup artists worldwide. Created by Miss. Arden herself, this legendary, award-winning cream calms, protects and hydrates skin for up to eight hours. Also shapes brows, restores shine, and smoothes cuticles.

I recently had the privilege of attending the Cosmopolitan Elizabeth Arden School of Beauty, held at Gateway. It was a lovely day spent eating canapés, drinking sparkling juice and mingling with other enthusiastic beauty goers. Of course the amazing advice and goody bag was essential too ;D

Once I got into my car I couldn’t resist the urge to scramble through the freebies I’d received. It was quiet a haul and I am now the proud owner of the Miracle Eight Hour Cream! What’s even better is that we were gifted the Fragrance Free version which is perfect for my sensitive skin. I have always read and listened to the benefits of using this “Wonder” cream and often wondered if the stories were true. I mean how can one cream do all this amazing work?

After using it for a mere 4 days, I am now a BELIEVER in this beautiful orange jelly-like cream. I am sure that by now, I am the last person to jump onto the gloating train of the Eight hour cream but I am happy to live with the “better late than never” motto. This fragrance free version as well as the original retails for R185 for a 50ml tub whilst the Body Treatment is R245 for 200ml. This is a fabulous price for such a versatile product as the 50ml is sure to last a substantial amount of time.

The packaging is simply gorgeous and boasts a shiny all red look. The box is very attractive without being fussy and over-bearing. There’s a silver strip that runs through the centre/middle of the box which has the Elizabeth Arden logo and the words Eight Hour Cream written in Black. The tub is also in red but with white writing. The tubs lid is a twist-off and has a silver lining across the base. Once opened there is a white plastic topper with a little tab to allow easy removal. This lid can be re-used and is advised as it prevents the cream from messing the lid.

The cream itself has a very strange consistency and is very similar to a balm or resin. It is a transparent orange/apricot in colour. The texture is a bit thick but smooth and a tad tacky but it is easy to apply and absorbs well enough. The downside I feel is that it leaves a rather oily residue on the applied area. Although this is the fragrance free version, I still got a slight almost vanilla scent from the cream. This made using the product all the more heavenly though, to me anyway. My mum can’t stand the smell and doesn’t understand how I smell Vanilla in this product.

After doing some research on this “wonder” product, so that I can make the best use of its many properties, I came across these 8 tips that this product is most used for.

1. SKIN SAVER – Protect skin from drying wind, central heating and air conditioning. This skincare multi-tasker soothes, restores, calms and helps relieve minor skin irritations, including roughness, redness, and chapped, cracked or dry skin.

2. SHINE FACTOR – Found in top makeup artists’ kits worldwide, this all-in-one beauty tool adds shine to eyelids, cheeks, lips and legs.

3. EYE OPENER – All it takes is a dab to smooth eyebrows and create a perfectly defined arch that will stay in place all day.

4. CUTICLE CONDITIONER – Soften rough, dry cuticles to keep them smooth, supple and beautifully manicured.

5. TREAT FOR FEET – Smooth rough heels and soften soles for barefoot beauty in every season.

6. AFTER-SUN SOOTHER – With its legendary soothing and moisturizing benefits, it’s the ideal after-sun treatment to relieve minor sunburn and calm dry, irritated sun-exposed skin.

7. FLIGHT TOOL – Flying can leave skin looking and feeling dry and uncomfortable. Pack this intensive hydrator to boost skin’s in-flight moisture level wherever you go.

8. LEG WEAR – Great for an après shave or après wax treatment. This classic cream calms irritation, reduces redness and leaves legs super-smooth and silky-soft.

The Key Ingredients are astounding and with so many, it’s no wonder this cream has so many uses.

Eight Hour® Cream's apricot coloured balm is so effective due to its combination of petrolatum, a skin-soothing beta-hydroxy-- debuting in one of its first cosmetic uses -- and vitamin E. This remarkable protectant promotes healthy looking skin and seals in moisture. Petrolatum: A universally acknowledged intensive moisturizer that also soothes and protects the skin. Salicylic Acid: A beta hydroxy acid pioneered by Elizabeth Arden over seventy years ago. It gently exfoliates to encourage smoother skin. Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate): Acts as an antioxidant to help protect the skin from free-radical damage. It is easily absorbed by the skin and has soothing properties.
Active Ingredient: (Each gram contains) Petrolatum 568 Mg (Skin Protectant) Inactive Ingredients: Lanolin, Mineral Oil, Tocopherol, BHT, Salicylic Acid, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Vegetable Oil, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Fragrance, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Propylparaben, Iron Oxides.

This is a great buy and one I am sure to make once my freebie runs out, which with Winter on its way will be quite soon.