The Women Behind The Red Door Spa & Salon
Elizbeth Arden, who’s birth name was actually Florence Nightingale Graham, was a pioneer in the beauty industry during the early 1900s. Originally from Canada, she moved to New York to change the face of the cosmetics and skincare market.
In 1910, Elizabeth Arden opened her first Red Door salon on Fifth Avenue; a revolutionary feat in a time where women weren’t even allowed to vote. She began selling beauty products and fragrances under a brand that is still going today.
How did it all begin?
In 1912, Elizabeth Arden took part in the suffrage movement in a rather unusual way. She supplied red lipstick for the suffragettes. While it might sound like a trivial gesture, it actually became an intrinsic part of the suffragette uniform and a symbol of female emancipation.
Elizabeth Arden realised beauty and make-up products could really have an impact of the lifestyles of American women, and by 1914 she had introduced eye make-up; something that had never really been used before.
From there, the Elizabeth Arden brand continued to create innovative products and introducing them to the world. In 1917, she released the first range of travel-size beauty products, and her stores became the first to offer makeovers on the spot.
A new approach to beauty products
Many beauty and cosmetics products previously had been designed to mask a woman’s natural features in order to create the desired look. Elizabeth Arden set out to change that. She believed that beauty should come from science and nature, and so her beauty products were created to develop and maintain a woman’s natural assets, including her skin.
Her skincare was designed to benefit and enhance the skin, instead of simply just covering it up. Elizabeth Arden was insistent in bringing a scientific approach to skincare recipes. This resulted in the release of the Eight Hour Cream in 1930; a cult product that still sells out today.
The same approach went into her range of perfumes. Elizabeth Arden perfumes are created with natural scents that offer a refreshing and timeless collection of fragrances. Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea, originally launched in 1999, has an uplifting, aromatic-citrus scent with notes of orange peel, jasmine, fennel, caraway and green tea.
Sunflowers is described as sunshine in a bottle, with a fruity-floral scent that will leave you feeling radiant. With notes of lemon, rosewood, orange blossom, rose and cedar, it is a sparkling fragrance that’s perfect for everyday wear.
For something a little more glamorous, the limited edition of Red Door was released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Elizabeth Arden house. Created with a floral bouquet, Red Door has a sophisticated scent made with notes of lily-of-the-valley, violet, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose and sandalwood.
Shop the Elizabeth Arden perfume collection on our website today!
