FREEBIE FRIDAY -- Elizabeth Arden Moisturising Lipstick in Bold Red 41 Matte review

I've started a monthly subscription with ELLE magazine recently of which I have two reasons for doing this. Firstly, I have a current free subscription to GLAMOUR but I've since realised that I prefer ELLE and other fashion magazines. Secondly, the free gift enticed me in to buying the subscription. I don't spend a lot of money on cosmetics and make up and I decided to go for the subscription knowing I would probably never buy any Elizabeth Arden products. They're fairly expensive and for the cost I assume they work so I took up the offer for the subscription. The free gift was Elizabeth Arden Moisturising Lipstick in Bold Red 41 Matte and a 50ml bottle of the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream in the Original Tube. Depending on the retailer the total cost comes to about £46 for the two so I figured a £10 subscription was worth it.

This week's reviews will be a two-parter and I'll review the 8 hour cream as part of my Sunday Sample Skincare feature. So first up the packaging of the lipstick is really stunning. It comes in a shiny gold and red cardboard box which is already fairly swanky until you get to the lipstick case itself. It has a timeless and classic look about it. The gold and silver metal casing reminds me a little of the Tardis in Doctor Who with the grooves and shapes running down. It has that kind of timeless vintage appeal to it and it reminds me of my Grandma who used to have similar looking products on her bathroom counter. A subtle elegance in a beauty product.

 

 

At first I was a little unsure of the colour as it looks quite dark in the tube. However, when I applied it it's the perfect pillar box red shade that I love. It didn't wash me out and seemed to compliment my skin tone. Aesthetically this little lipstick is visually appealing but that alone isn't worth £21. The colour is actually too dull for my liking and it seems to fade the longer that you wear it. When I first used this I applied Lipcote on after it straight away. I swear by Lipcote and it really makes your lipstick stay put. Sadly, the matte finish of this lipstick slips straight off the lips which was really disappointing. I tried it a second time and blotted my lips with a tissue instead of using the Lipcote and this seemed to work better. I think because the formula is moisturising and it doesn't dry the lips out, it has trouble sticking to the lips. There's pros and cons to this, I like that it didn't dry my lips out and dried as a matte finish but re-applications are essential with this lipstick.

I'm intrigued how people wear this on a day to day basis and how it sticks to their lips. If you have any tips I'd be interested to read them. Leave me comments below if you've found the same problem or if you've found a way to combat it.

Thanks xx