Elizabeth Arden Visible Whitening | Fairness or Radiance?
Let me lay some points out on the table before I begin this proper. I am in no way interested in being fairer or as white as a sheet or porcelain. Radiance? yes.
That’s that. Now, on to the good stuff. It’ll be a quickie but a goodie. 
Vanity Trove’s April box had a little range of Elizabeth Arden’s Visible Whitening products and boy was I a happy camper to pack these along for my little trip.
Open up the drawstring and you’ll find a smoothing cleanser, a BB cream and some night capsules, all from their Visible Whitening range. As a virgin to the Elizabeth Arden skincare range, this was a treat I couldn’t resist and had to get my manicured hands on ‘em. I say manicured but I really mean (diy)manicured.
Visible Whitening Smoothing Cleanser
Test drove this for a few weeks now & honestly, this has succeeded in giving my tired little face a much needed radiance boost. It’s the cleanser I’ll keep for days when I’m absolutely dreading school or work but somehow need to look refreshed or risk scaring the commuter next to me.
Still, I won’t be a convert to this cleanser, because let’s face it, I love trying out new cleansers. People might think I have severe commitment issues. Maybe.
Visible Whitening UV Shield BB Cream
Ever since, BB creams came out, I knew they weren’t meant for me or for the other brown-skinned girls. BB creams are just formulated in really really light shades, almost pale at times. We just don’t go together.
While, I wasn’t all bouncy to try EA’s BB Cream, I gave it a go anyway and may all mysteries be solved because this thing blended seamlessly into my skin tone. I’m not sure how, but it did not give me a ghost like layer and instead created a nice balanced complexion. Additionally, as most BB creams go, this one wasn’t oily or heavy on the skin & with SPF 30, it’s a good sunblock too. I’m truly awed. Will be finishing these up & might just invest in a full sized one. You’ve got me Elizabeth Arden!
Unfortunately, I’ve yet to try the capsules but will give them a whirl soon and update this.
Can I just say, Vanity Trove has opened up a whole treasure box of beauty brands for me and I’m basically going nuts trying them all. It’s a maze, I’ll probably not get out of. Or don’t want to. Heh.
5 Favourite Beauty Products from Vanity Trove
Have been receiving a couple of Vanity Troves recently and I’m not gonna lie, I love getting a chockfull of beauty products to experiment and try out. Every month has been a real treat and I figured it’s about time I shared what I’ve been adoring from all the troves I’ve gotten so far!
In case, you don’t already know, Vanity Trove is basically a beauty box subscription where for a certain amount, you receive a box filled with beauty goodness delivered to your doorstep. 
1. Essie Nail Polish in Size Matters
Essie has always been amazing with its formula and this one packs a mean punch. A deep ruby red that smoothens out on your nail with just one coat. Size matters alright. You can always add another coat just so it’ll stay longer but one coat is opaque enough. Oh and the polish stays on forever, I had it on for two whole weeks with minimum chipping.
Join me on the Essie bus?
2. Mekhala Soothing Tamarind Facial Cleanser
When it comes to cleansers, I’ve not found THE one yet. What I love about this product is that it is soap-free and doesn’t contain any of the usual irritants. It removes make up as well, while retaining the skin’s natural moisture so you don’t get a completely stripped feeling. Main ingredients include Tamarind, Honey and Vitamin E, which are relatively soothing and gentle for the skin so in effect, this is pretty good for people with sensitive skin.
I might be getting close to finding the one.
3. SKINC Pure Happy Hand Dew
A guy friend of mine pointed out the other day that my hands are dry (are guys getting more beauty conscious?), so that was pretty much cue for me to start a moisturizing regime. Me, being the lazy one is not particularly keen on regimes but I’m going to try to keep this one going. What I normally hate about moisturizing hand creams is how they’re thick, oily and take really long for absorption. Surprisingly, SKINC Hand Dew was none of that and immediately blew me over with its thin consistency but yet heavily moisturizing formula.
This one’s going into my beauty bag for good!
4. Uriage Moisturizing Refreshing Cream Gel
You know how moisturizers often feel too icky on your face? That is precisely why I often skip moisturizers. Well, good news comes in a Uriage bottle. The cream-like texture applies rather smoothly and leaves a velvety finish. It absorbs readily into the skin as well, so you don’t have to wait for long before putting on other products. I wouldn’t particularly recommend this for people with oily skin though.
Uriage might just convert me into a moisturizing addict.
5. Bourjois Queen Attitude Khol Kajal
I love a good smokey eye and I do own a whole truckload of eyeliners. The Bourjois kajal is amazing for creating a smoked out, sultry eye but the staying power isn’t entirely fantastic. Though, you could always go over your lined eyes with a black eyeshadow and the kajal will then stay put longer.
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Wafts of Purple Smoke: Rimmel Glam Eyes
People who know me will know that I love a good smokey eye but I don’t wear it as often as I’d like to (partly ‘cause it’s a little much to wear it to school every day). In the September’s edition of Vanity Trove, there was this rather inconspicuous quad by Rimmel which was sadly overshadowed by another Essie polish (my new favourite polish by the way). So after a bit of gushing for Essie, the Rimmel quad finally caught my eye (no pun intended, or well maybe). It was in a beautiful shade of purple and for someone who has hardly ventured away from the black and brown smokey eye, purple was a mystical adventure!
My only gripe with the quad is that the colours weren’t as pigmented as I’m used to and there was way too much shimmer. At times I felt the shimmer overpowered the actual pigment. I’ve read other reviews online and they’ve all been exceptionally good so maybe it’s just this shade? Anyway, this still makes for a good everyday palette because you’re not going to scare off people on the street with bright highly pigmented purple eyes, instead you’ll have a nice dark sultry look (and yes sultry looks are ok for day wear).
Also, Rimmel’s a pretty affordable brand in Singapore so essentially there’s nothing to lose by giving this quad a go. A possible look you could try is to use this subtle purple shade at the outer corners but a brighter, more pigmented yellow shade on the eyelids and in the inner corners. That would be a real show stopper. Try it and let me know if you like it!
Rimmel Glam Eyes Quad Eye Shadow 023- Beauty Spells
Vanity Trove is a beauty box subscription where for SGD$25 each month, you’ll receive box chockfull of makeup & skin care products.
You can find me on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram (@tarandip).
Double Vanity
Remember my previous post on Vanity Trove? Well, if that hasn’t piqued your interest enough to subscribe to them yet then maybe this will.
For the month of March, Vanity Trove is offering not just one specially curated trove but two! One catering to the beauty junkies and the other catering to the skincare fanatics. Think along the lines of SK-II and Kose for skincare and a spring worthy trove for beauty!
Subscribers will receive either one of the troves but because some of us tend to be a little greedy (we all know who we are), you get the option of getting both troves! Plus, you’ll receive 10 Vanity Trove credits if you decide to get both (That’s equivalent to receiving $10 back)! It’s pretty neat of them to offer two options so it’ll be even more of a surprise if you decide to only get one.
Be sure to subscribe before the 14th of March to enjoy the goodness of double vanity!
Another reason to subscribe in the month of March? Heard of ‘The Vow’?
I know you have and Vanity Trove is very kindly giving away tickets to a lucky March subscriber!
So, this should be reason enough.
All the Vanity you need comes in a box.
I’m turning 21 in two weeks and I’ve started thinking about actually getting a proper skincare regime (mind you, I’m one lazy person when it comes to skin care). Turning 21 feels like such a milestone, not forgetting old, that I fear to think of the day when those pesky wrinkles start peeking through. Yes, I’m that paranoid.
I came across these beauty boxes some time back and thought it was a complete marketing genius! Think about it. It’s a whole box of the latest beauty products that would be delivered straight to your doorstep for a certain amount of money each month. It’s like receiving a surprise in the mail every single month! No girl could resist that.
Well, I couldn’t say no to Vanity Trove so they sent me one of their beauty boxes that was specially packaged for the month of January, all festive for the New Year and all.
Oh, they nailed it. This is a new beginning for me.
Each month, Vanity Trove includes a different set of products in the box that may consist of brands you’ve never heard of before. If like me, you don’t understand some of the foreign instructions you could always head here where there’s a detailed write up on each product included in the trove. It’s pretty nifty!
I’m pretty excited to try out these Yadah products (was sold from the packaging alone). They’re based on natural plant extracts and are geared towards the young adult crowd, so apparently they’re supposed to be exceptionally gentle on the skin. I hope that’s true.
Not only do these beauty box subscriptions work perfectly for beauty junkies, it also works for those who are still learning about this complicated world of beauty. You don’t have to subscribe for a year, you could simply try one trove.
One trove is all you need to get the ball rolling.
‘cause you might just get hooked!
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