Tom Ford Beauty has released a Cream Cheek Color for summer called Pink Sand ($65 for 0.17 0z/5 g, made in Canada). It’s a luminous soft pink gold blush that gives my medium/olive skin a soft glow that comes cased in a small white and gold mirrored compact. There is enough color that you can see the pink color but on my complexion I find it performs more like a highlighter shade rather than a traditional blush. The effect is similar to the glow NARS Orgasm gives minus the frost and minus the peachy tone. Pink Sand is multi-dimensional so depending on how the light hits it sometimes you will see more of the pink base, other times you will see more of the gold shimmer. I love how it gives a natural glow to the skin.
It has a soft creamy feel with a dewy glow finish. On the cheeks it stays dewy but as the day progresses remains dewy but not greasy. I’ve been experimenting with this for two weeks now and like this either alone for low-key makeup days, as a base for powder blush or bronzer to give cheeks dimension and help color adhere to the face, or topped on top of cheek bones over blush/bronzer for a highlight. It’s really versatile. I’ve also tried this on the lips. It looks pretty topped with a clear gloss or dabbed in the center to add a bit of shimmer. As far as I can tell there is no detectable scent or taste.
A few more close ups and swatches:
Swatched with a heavy hand, once blended it sheers out:
A few comparison swatches to other cream and liquid highlighter/blushes. Most of these were either limited-edition or were discontinued (previous features and reviews will linked below):
Pink Sand offers a radiant no-fuss easy to use glow to my medium skin (I use Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Bisque 4, swatches to other foundations in rotation here). On lighter skin tones the pink will show up more and probably make this look more like a pink blush. If you’re medium to dark this will probably perform more like a highlighter on your skin tone. Lasting power on my normal combination skin was very good, from morning to afternoon without fading. If you have super oily skin you may find the dewy factor increase into the afternoon. Being a huge fan of Tom Ford Beauty I really love this one. It’s quite a splurge at $65 so if you’re unable to test in person I hope you find the swatches and comparisons in this post helpful.
The Tom Ford Soleil Collection for summer is starting to trickle in stores and online. You can find Pink Sand now online at Nordstrom and Saks. Available for pre-order at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Tom Ford (while supplies last as it is a limited-edition item).
The Tom Ford Pink Sand was provided courtesy of the PR team for review consideration.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Beach Sticks finally launched in the US ($45 each for 6.5 g / 0.23 oz, made in Italy). I ordered mine sight unseen online and have been experimenting with these. The Charlotte Tilbury Beach Sticks are twist up cream blushes and highlighters. They come in summery colors with different degrees of shimmer. The texture of these sticks is quite creamy making them easy to blend and layer. Straight from the tube they swipe and swatch with medium pigment. Once you blend with a finger the color sheers out quite a bit. You don’t have to pack layers on to get the color to show up, but in my experience I did need 2-3 swipe + blend layers to get them to show up on my medium olive skin. The brighter colors like Las Salinas and Ibiza are more visible on the skin while Formentera and Moon Beach are lighter and less visible. These sticks have a soft dewy finish that give the skin a youthful glow. They don’t get greasy or oily as quickly as NARS Multiples do on me, but by late afternoon, alone they do fade. There is a slight vanilla scent with the beach sticks but it is very faint.
The colors I picked out:
Formentera is a nude pink with a slight sheen, this adds a lovely nude blush look to the face, pigment is sheer to medium
Ibiza is a tan bronze with golden shimmer, this is nice as a bronzer, pigment is medium
Moon Beach is a sheer shimmery golden peach, this makes a nice highlighter and adds a sheen to the skin, pigment is sheer to medium
Las Salinas is a bright sheer hot pink with golden shimmer, pigment on this is sheer to medium
Detail photos and swatches:
Swatched straight from the tube:
1 swipe sheered out – don’t let these swatches deter you, they adhere to the face much better than they do on the arms, if you have 2-3 swipes on the face, they show up a lot better:
After putting these Beach Sticks to the test I find myself having mixed feelings. The colors are stunning and the texture adds a really lovely glow to the skin without making it look or feel greasy. Moon Beach works extremely well layered over powder blush on the high point of the cheek bone to give a dewy glow. Ibiza has enough warmth and color to be a good natural contour for me (traditional contouring creams are too sharp and grey-looking). Las Salinas would be better if the color were more visible, I think sheer bright pinks can be done beautifully to add a healthy glow. On my medium skin it sheers out after blending so I need to add 2 more swipes for the color I want. Don’t get me wrong it is workable, on me it just takes a bit more work and I personally prefer a stronger blush when it comes to color. Formentera is nude on me and although it does show up it is very very natural.
They also work amazingly well as a base for powder blush to help bring out pigment without darkening the powder or altering the color. In addition they layer well over powder and foundation without looking cake or heavy. If you’ve watched some videos online seeing how these are applied, the best way to use these is to swipe them directly on your face and then blend.
If you like a natural blush or want a dewy glow that isn’t greasy these are amazing. If you want more color, you may find these a bit too sheer. They do show up if you swipe a few times and the upside is that these are good for touchups and since they are natural they are impossible to overdo. I’m happy I did purchase these although they are fairly expensive at $45 each. The only shade I think I would have skipped if I had seen these in person is Formentera. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?
This month, NARS Cosmetics introduces a limited-edition collection called the Eye-Opening Act featuring Tilda Swinton as the face of the campaign. This collection focuses on creating different looks for the eyes with new products and colors.
All the items in the Limited-Edition Eye-Opening Act Collection are exclusive to Nordstrom through March 15 of this year:
I ordered some items sight unseen a little over a week ago and have been putting them to the test. I have my picks to share with you today. First up are the new Matte Velvet Eyeshadow Sticks. These are twist up creamy shadows that come in five colors. I’ve had really good experiences with the NARS Larger Than Life Eyeliners and Soft Touch Shadow Pencils so I thought these new shadow sticks might be a cross of the two products. I ordered Reykjavik, Flibuste and Dark Angel sight unseen.
The shades I ordered are quite intense and pigmented. I found Reykjavik (grey) and Dark Angel (brown) easy to apply straight on the lids along the lash line. They glided on without tugging. Flibuste (black) was a bit drier in texture and tugged a little bit on my eyes but I was still able to apply on the lash line fairly easily. The Velvet Matte Shadow sticks do dry very quickly and once they set they don’t budge. For me, these work best as a liner. I’ve played with these by using a small smudge brush to apply them (take the brush and swipe the shadow stick, then use the product on the brush to apply to the eyes). Or I’ve also applied these directly to the eyes and blend with the fingers or a blending brush very quickly.
I like the sleek and simple packaging but given the intensity and pigment of the colors, I feel these act more like eyeliners rather than eyeshadows and wish they came in the Larger than Life Eyeliner form for easier and more precise application. That being said, for any darker cream shadow I usually use a brush to apply (versus fingers) whether it’s a pot, twist up stick, chubby stick or compact form.
Here are a few swatched comparisons. I think the NARS Reykjavik grey is a phenomenal grey color. It’s my favorite out of the ones I’ve tested because it’s an intense grey without being too light or dark.
Next are the two Eyeshadow Palettes. These are my favorite items from the Eye-Opening Act Collection. Both are super compact and cute. I thought my favorite for sure would be the Yeux Irresistible but I actually really like Inoubliable Coup D’Oeil just as much, especially since it has a lot of new colors (versus repromoted shades).
Yeux Irresistible contains a mix of warm and cool. All the shades are available in other Single Shadows and Eyeshadow Duos with the exception of Colombo which is exclusive to this palette. For me this one has colors that will create a smokey or dramatic eye.
Here are the shades swatched with a heavy hand. If you’re familiar with NARS Eyeshadows you are well aware that they have a smooth texture with medium pigment that is easy to build. All the shades here perform just like the individuals. They glide on the eyes nicely and layer well with each other. There is only one shade I’ve found requires extra work. In my experience with Thunderball (the single), I’ve found it works best when packed on the eyes with a detail brush as a liner. If you apply with a regular eyeshadow brush all over the lids, you may find it looks uneven and chalky. I found performance to be the same with this palette.
All About Eve II is a cool shimmering champagne pink with finely milled shimmer
Jezebel is a reddish brown color with subtle shimmer
Thunderball is a matte navy teal grey
Colombo is a shimmering gold with a very soft texture
Brousse I is a shimmering plum
Coconut Grove is a satiny dark brown that acts more like a matte on the lids
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Inoubliable Coup d’Oeil surprised me. With the exception of Luberon, all the other colors are very much cool-toned which can be hard for me to wear easily. That combined with the fact that I rarely wear green shadows on the eyes made me a bit hesitant to order this. I decided to give it a try and I’m really glad I did. Most of the colors with the exception of Pandora Duo are new and exclusive to this palette. The combination of these colors creates a unique and softly defined eye.
Dalliance is a sheer soft matte lilac tan, it goes on smoothly over an eyeshadow base
Pyla is a soft olive green with a slight grey tone and satiny shimmer
Sidi Bou Said is a dusty purple grape color with a satiny matte texture
Pandora I and II is a sheer iridescent cool white shimmer with a matte black
Lumeron is a shimmering coppery rose gold champagne
Last but not least is the new St. Lucia Multiple. This is a beautiful soft shimmering rose champagne. On my medium-toned skin it’s a highlighter color (I use the NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation and All Day Luminous Powder Foundation in Punjab), but I suspect on fair skin tones it will look more bronzey with more color. This one has a finely milled shimmer with a super smooth texture (no glitter). On my skin it’s light enough that I can wear it on the eyes without having to worry about getting that pink-eye look. On the cheeks it adds a very natural but visible glow to the skin. It’s really stunning. It’s a multi-dimensional color with lots of different colored shimmers in it. It has a rose base with champagne, silver, and pink shimmers that makes it glow. I found it sheer-to-medium in coverage. It’s not invisible on the skin, but it is on the sheer side for my particular skin tone. You can build the color naturally.
I’m really pleased with the eyeshadow palettes and new multiple. The colors in the palettes make creating an eye look easy whether you want something for day or night. There is a nice simplicity to the color combinations that will give you a classic look with a modern edge. The small size of the palettes makes these easy to carry with you if you need to travel or carry something with you to take you from day to night if you can’t make it back home to get ready. The new St. Lucia Multiple is really quite stunning. It is sheer but gives a really stunning glow. I have mixed feelings about the Velvet Shadow Sticks. If you’re looking for a more pigmented version of the Soft Touch Shadow Pencils, you will probably like the Velvet Shadow Sticks. I like the packaging design and the rich pigment. I also found lasting power very impressive (they don’t budge). I do think they set a bit too quickly for me and due to the intensity of the colors I think they work better as liners than shadows.
All the items in the NARS Eye-Opening Act are limited-edition. They are currently exclusive to Nordstrom counters and online. Have you checked out the collection? Or have anything on your wish list? I’d love to hear your thoughts?
This post was sponsored by Nordstrom. All opinions my own. All products purchased by me. For more information please refer to my disclosures.
YSL Babydoll Kiss and Blush ($40 each for 10 ml/0.33 fl oz) launched earlier in the spring with twelve shades. These are multi-purpose colors to apply on the lips and cheeks. The Babydoll Kiss and Blush comes in a rectangular tube and angled sponge tip applicators. I’ve been playing with these for the past few months and although I rarely match the lip and cheek colors exactly I find these work well. There are twelve shades total so far. After swatching these in store, I picked out three shades for my medium olive skin:
Rose Libre #3 is a cool neutral rose
Corail Affranchi #7 is a soft peachy coral
Pink Hedoniste #8 is a baby pink-peach
All the shades currently available shown below. There is a wide range of colors to suit everyone’s taste and skin tone with pink, orange, plum and brown. I fell in love with #9 Rose Epicurien in the store but it’s too cool-toned for my olive skin. For reference, all shades swatched on Planet Martha.
The Kiss and Blush shades have a velvety almost silicone-like feel to them. On the lips they smooth out quite well and dry to a matte-looking finish but have a velvety feel. They don’t dry out the lips even though the product does dry down. You do need a perfect lip texture to wear these. These will emphasize any flakes or peeling areas. If you have lips that are on the dry side, prep them with a rich lip balm before applying (I’m currently loving Malin+Goezt or By Terry). They stain the lips which makes any fading less apparent. On my lips they last like a regular lipstick.
I was worried these might be difficult to blend on the cheeks because of the pigment but they actually blend really easily. I apply these by dabbing the tip onto clean fingers or directly onto the face. I prefer fingers since I almost always have powder and foundation on the face so applying directly from the sponge tip can get it a bit dirty. The color blends nicely for a hint of color. The pigment is visible on the skin and gives you color without looking clown-like.
The sponge tip applicators are beveled (on the nails, NARS Zaynthos, review soon):
Close ups of the tips front view, side view and back:
Swatched straight from the tube:
Swatched and blended:
On the lips, applied straight from the tube:
Thumbs up for the Kiss and Blush shades that I purchased. The colors do look a bit different on the lips compared to when you swatch them on the hand because of how they dry down. The coverage is quite good and covers the lip entirely without looking too matte. I am not a fan of matte or velvet finish lip products (I need a little shimmer or shine) but the Kiss and Blush shades from YSL aren’t too matte. They make my lips look full and add color. On the cheeks they add a nice tint of color and last all day for me. I prefer them on the lips. At $40 each they are pricey but the formula hugs the lips and the cheeks quite well and the pigment is very good without looking too fake or overly matte.
I purchased mine from Nordstrom and Sephora (but available at all YSL counters and boutiques).
Have you tried any of the Kiss and Blush shades? What did you think? Do you have any shades you love that you think I should check out?
Chanel Affinité 65 Le Blush Crème de Chanel ($38 for 2.5 g/0.09 oz) was one shade missing from most counters near me. Stores had received testers but no product to sell. Chanel.com had the color available for a few days before selling out. I had my name on the waitlists and was thrilled to find it arrived in stores at Nordstrom and online Nordstrom.com. Affinité #65 is a hot cool-toned pink. It’s quite pigmented and visible on the skin – it’s one of the brighter shades out of the six that were released for fall. Other Blush Crèmes in Destiny, Presage, Revelation and Inspiration were reviewed here. Out of all the shades, my top three picks are Présage, Révélation and this one Affinité.
Since Affinité is very pigmented, it does require blending on the skin for a more natural look. I’ve found either a foundation brush or regular blush brush work fine. My favorite is Tom Ford’s Cream Foundation brush but any brush will do. I don’t recommend applying over dry skin. It does work ok over a powdered face, but for easier blending, apply a sheer illuminator first to the cheeks. The slightly emollient base helps the color blend easier. Swatches, heavy and blended:
Comparisons below to Chanel Revelation (warmer), Edward Bess Love Affair (the EB has more blue and is dewier), MAC Dollymix Powder blush (similar in undertone):
Overall love. It’s a beautiful bright pink shade that is easy to wear and coordinate into looks for both day and evening. It’s layerable so you can adjust the intensity to your preference. I’m happy I was able to find it. I’m not sure why it’s one of the hard to find shades, perhaps it was just one that sold out very quickly – the good news is that Affinité is not listed as a limited item on Chanel.com even though it is sold out. If you had difficulty finding this the past few months, know that you can find it now at Nordstrom.
This is the last post for my series on the Dolce & Gabbana Italian Summertime picks. Perla Shine Lipstick is a shiny cool pale frost, Mandorla Classic Lipstick is a pale fleshy peach, Sole Blush is a vibrant orange-red.
The lipsticks are rich in coverage but extremely pale on my lips. Both require extra work (ie darker lipliner and clear gloss) to make them work. In my opinion they are lovely but not goof proof. Mandorla surprised me – note that it looks like a nude brown peach in the tube but on the lips and swatched it went on quite a bit paler. (Perla has not been lip swatched.) No detectable scent. Opaque in finish. Lasting power above average. Colors are just too pale for my pigmented lips.
Sole is the winner in the collection. I do not have a picture of it on my cheeks, but this applies to give a beautiful healthy flush. It’s on the warm side but not too warm. It doesn’t turn orangey on the skin. It’s simply stunning.
So how do these compare to what already exists? I don’t own many bright orange-red blushes. The only thing I could think of comparable in intensity is NARS Cactus Flower. Check it out on Makeup Magpie here.
Same with the lipsticks, no exact dupes, although I suspect the ones for summer are easily dupeable. Here they are compared to Dolce & Gabbana Shimmer and Chanel Cashmere:
Edward Bess has a beautifully edited, sophisticated and classic beauty line. I first discovered his products while flipping through a Bergdorf Goodman catalog and was instantly intrigued by the sleek black lipstick tubes all lined up in a row. I googled it but to my dismay, found it was only available in NYC. I could not see the items in person. Thanks to LeslieCZ, Alexa, Leanne, Blogdorf Goodman, Fab Over Forty among other Edward Bess fans, I was able to get the scoop. Several gave me wonderful recommendations and urged me to contact the Edward Bess counter Bergdorf Goodman. I’m so glad I did. I’ve never met a more helpful team of artists. On each and every occasion that I’ve called them, they have given helpful descriptions and recommendations over the phone as they listened to me describe my tastes/likes/dislikes. They put me completely at ease ordering items sight-unseen.
The items from Edward Bess are classics and naturally flattering. They are reliable staples in my beauty wardrobe and versatile to create a number of different looks.
Many of you have asked for my own recommendations of what I like from Edward Bess. I thought I’d put together a resource page of what I’ve tried that has been reviewed since I can imagine what a hassle it must be to search through over 600 posts =) I’ve loved almost everything I’ve tried (with the exception of the original mascara). I hope this helps!
Where to buy & info
Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills, EdwardBess.com (prices, full collection and other locations on his website)
The Beauty Look Book’s Top Five Favorites from Edward Bess
(only because so many have asked)
Daydream Bronzer (my holy grail)
Pure Impulse Lipstick
Forever Yours Lipstick
Dusk Eyeshadow
Soft Smoke Eyeshadow Trio
Island Rose Compact Rouge (oops, six!)
* Tip – Yes, the price points are high, but Bergdorf Goodman occasionally puts together beauty events and gift-card events, many times with nice gift-with-purchases. Their GWPs are usually one full-sized item (they pick out the item) and occasionally they have a step-up gift. I think their next one is in April.
