Elizabeth Arden Exceptional Lipstick Beauty (#38)

The other day I was looking through my makeup stash and found an Elizabeth Arden lipstick I got as a GWP from StrawberryNet. It was still in it's original packaging and I've never even looked at the color. Upon opening it, I discovered a really nice muted red. It has a bit of a brownish undertone, along the lines of Lancome's (old) Sugared Maple or Dior Addict Digital Brown. It's Exceptional Lipstick number 38, aptly named Beauty and it works for me as a daytime red.

Like most long-wearing lipsticks, I found its texture to be a bit dry. It requires a balm underneath and a gloss on top to feel really comfortable. Besame's red berry lip glaze gave it the nice shine that I was looking for. All in all, not bad for something I forgot I had.

Speaking of Elizabeth Arden, am I the only one raising an eyebrow at their ad for the new Intervene moisturizer and lotion? I saw it on page 13 of February Lucky magazine. It features Catherine Zeta Jones who has been photoshopped within an inch of her life, to the point that she's barely recognizable. Good thing that her name appears on the ad, so we can be sure that it's actually her. But it's not just Catherine Z's face. Apparently, she's now sprouting Keira Knightly's stick figure arms. Only problem is that the torso is still hers and the proportions are slightly off.