Beauty destination: Elizabeth Arden's Auckland boutique, and more

I recently popped into the Elizabeth Arden Boutique at 62 Queen Street in Auckland’s CBD for the Ultimate Arden Facial, and it reaffirmed for me what an important beauty brand it is. Historic and definitely iconic, it was honour that they chose Auckland as their first flagship beauty retail store outside of the U.S., and it is thriving.

After my deliciously multi-faceted, 90 minute long spa indulgence – think a facial paired with a tranquil warm stone upper body massage and natural enzyme peel, collagen mask and décolleté treatment – I was given a tour of the on-site custom colour foundation machine courtesy of manager Lidean. It’s the third retail custom colour foundation-matching machine in the world, and literally all skin tones can be catered for with scientific precision.

The process starts with a spectrophotometer scan of your exact skin tone at time of testing. The results given by this diagnostic tool show your skin’s level of darkness and its golden or pink undertones. Then your skin type is input along with your coverage preference (sheer, medium or full), to ensure a comfortable, long wearing formula that is uniquely yours. Following this remarkably quick consultation and skin reading, the machine dispenses the correct amounts of white, black, yellow and red pigment along with a selection of priming and moisturising ingredients. The beautifully bottled foundation is then presented to you with a label with your name and a unique code attached, and a record is kept in-store – and at all of their locations - for any future purchases. So clever! I was amazed to hear that the service, including boxed foundation, costs just $88. Unheard of for a truly bespoke experience.

I also wanted to give a shout out to the newest Eight Hour incarnation (below), which is just gorgeous and super travel-friendly on all counts. A certified legend and skincare classic, Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant by Elizabeth Arden is a timeless beauty must have that can be found on millions of bathroom shelves and in handbags worldwide. It’s the skincare equivalent of a long-time Hollywood icon, and even has the changes of ‘look’ every now and then befitting of that analogy. The latest limited edition version of the classic multitasker sees it given the international travel treatment as Elizabeth Arden introduces Around the World with Eight Hour, a limited edition collection. The new, global-themed packaging showcases some of the greatest sights and cities around the world, and the TSA-approved sizes are perfect for a handbag or carry-on.

These limited editions combat the unavoidable strain that travel puts on your skin—from reviving jet-lagged skin with the classic Skin Protectant, to replenishing moisture-starved lips with the Lip Duo.  The legendary Skin Protectant works wonders on brows, cheeks, hands, cuticles and nails, whilst the super cute Eight Hour Take Off & Touch Down Lip Duo is my new go-to. The new Eight Hour Lip Scrub gently massages over lips to exfoliate, soften and smooth, before the Eight Hour Lip Protectant relieves symptoms of chapped, cracked and dry lips with its moisturising, super-protective lip balm formula.

Both are in store from October 2, 2017, with the Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant Limited Edition a very reasonable (as always!) $37.00 (50ml) and Eight Hour Take Off & Touch Down Lip Duo $43.00 for the two 13ml pots.