(This is an update of a previous post, after which I launched the “Can’t Live Without” series.)
Some of you might have read about the heavy snowfall in the UK this week. (It is the heaviest in the last two decades.) With the low temperatures and the drying indoor heating (and all the contact with water from washing my hands), my nail cuticles can be very dry and sometimes even a little sore.
Two years ago I got a 5ml sample of Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream at the counter. I tried it on my cuticles and it worked very well (even better than the L’Occitane Nail & Cuticle Cream I had been using). Later on, a friend of mine was traveling to the US and asked me if I would like her to pick up something. Knowing that it was much cheaper in the US (16 USD in the US and 19 GBP here at the time), I asked her to buy it for me. Even though I do use other items occasionally, I always come back to this when I need some serious moisture.
As most of you know, it is a dense semi-transparent orange-colored gel-cream. (I have tried using it as a lip balm. It works fine, but the smell is a little overpowering.) It contains moisturizing agents like petrolatum, mineral oil, castor seed oil, and corn oil. (I like the fact that it does not contain fragrant plant oils, such as lemon oil or orange peel oil, as they can irritate the skin.)
I am suspecting that one of the reasons that it works well to soothe sore cuticles is that it contains salicylic acid, which is an anti-irritant. (Apart from salicylic acid, petrolatum is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties.)
Because of the dense texture, I only use it before bedtime, on top of my Garnier hand cream. (I don’t feel that I need to use it more often than this.) Out of all the products I have used on my cuticles, I think this one works the best to keep them moisturized and protected.
The Eight Hour Cream can work as a multi-purposed product, but, I think, even if I just use it as a cuticle cream, it is worth the purchase (well…if I can get it from the US…). Plus, a 50ml tube will last a very long time…
Related posts:
My Beauty Weakness: Cute Cuticle Oils
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Oooo… I am going to try this product out! Living in the Midwest of U.S. I deal with dry ugly cuticles due to winter. I can’t find a good cuticle moisturizer. Thanks PJ!
i think if you want some heavy duty correction, this product is great (that’s why it’s still around, and still so popular)! there is also a hand cream version, which is less thick, which is great for maintenance and prevention, as well as a body and lip product (i don’t remember if its a balm or a stick).
Hi Makeup World,
Do give it a try, and let me know what you think.
The texture is quite rich, but I don’t mind it since I only use it right before bedtime. (You can also wear gloves during bedtime to let the cream further moisturize the cuticles.)
Thank you for stopping by again! :)
Hi Hightea_xx,
I think the lip product is in a stick. I haven’t yet tried the other products in the Eight-Hour range (mainly because the range is a lot more expensive in the UK), but I am interested. I will definitely share my thoughts if I have a chance to try them out.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts again! :)
I do not leave my house without this!!!
Hi Yasumi,
I don’t usually go to bed without putting this on my nail cuticles first! :)
Thank you for stopping by again! :)