Latest From Edward Bess: Mirage & Storm Eyeshadows
March 20, 2011
I have been eagerly waiting for the new eyeshadows Mirage and Storm to arrive from Edward Bess. Like many of his fans, I already own all his other shades in Nude, Intimate, Escape, Dusk, Night, Mystery (see here for swatches) along with both his trios Island Escape (here) and Soft Smoke (here) – all of which I get regular use out of. Those of you who have tried these know how luxurious, classic and naturally flattering they are. As much as I adore these, I have been looking forward to see something new. Gaia from The Non-Blonde and Charlestongirl from Best Things in Beauty satisfied my curiosity while I was waiting for these to arrive at my doorstep. Details, swatches and comparisons below.
Here they are finger swatched: Mirage is a soft luminous peachy shimmer with a slight hint of bronze and Storm is a satiny cool mauve grey silvery color. The pigment is natural but visible. I prefer to apply these with a soft brush but you can see how just my fingers pick up a lot of pigment.
There has been a packaging change with these shadows. The size of the compacts are the same, the only difference is the pan shape. I know many of you are wondering if the texture has changed. From my testing, I believe it has not – these are just as soft, luminous, glowy and blendable as ever. However the two shades for spring do have more shimmer than his previous shades. These retail for $30 each.
Mirage is a beautiful neutral peachy glow with a slight golden/bronze sheen. If you are looking for a true soft peachy-champagne, this is it. I would say this has a higher shimmer intensity compared to his other shadows, but it’s not overly frosty. Below is a comparison to Bobbi Brown Golden Peach Metallic Eyeshadow (which is similar, but more frosty and has a more whitish cast on the skin) and Edward Bess Escape (just for comparison purposes).
Storm is a cool grey color that has a slight mauvish-blue tint on my skin. It goes on a bit more shimmery on the skin than it looks in the compact, but like Mirage, it’s not overly frosty. I’ve compared it to Intimate and Burberry Rosewood. Swatches all the way at the bottom.
Swatched over Urban Decay’s Primer Potion (applied lightly on the arm):
Overall love. These are timeless colors and I am very excited to wear them this spring. Edward Bess can be found in the US at Bergdorf Goodman in NY. Check online at EdwardBess.com for a full list of retailers.
As a side note, many of you have asked me which are my top picks for his eyeshadows. That is a question I cannot answer as I love them all equally. I will say that his Soft Smoke Trio is the one of the few smoky-eye trios that I can pull off. Most traditional smoky eye palettes with cream/grey/black end up being too cool resulting in a tired-look. EB Soft Smoke is pure magic which is difficult to explain – it looks very basic in the compact but gives me the perfect smokey eye.
Do you like the packaging change? I did like the Edward Bess imprint in the old shadows but the round pan looks nice as well. Mirage looks like a beautiful shimmery color for sping.
Mirage is pretty, but if I could only pick one I'd get Storm. It looks amazing in your swatch photo. I think I prefer the old packaging to the new round pan, but it's definitely not a dealbreaker. Thank you for the review!
@Frilly-Lace yes, they are pricey but I get more use out of them than 3 other less expensive alternatives. Keep an eye on them if you ever get to NY, Beverly Hills or Houston.
Diane – I'm undecided on the packaging change. I'm one who is never a fan of packaging changes because I like consistency. It's not a deal breaker on this one because I never used the little sponge applicator anyways. But I'm still on the fence.
Reene – Thanks for your input! I'm not sure which packaging I prefer. Storm is definitely more unique.
Both Storm and Mirage are gorgeous. I have to say I like the old packaging better since it's unique – most eyeshadows are round. I seriously need to check out his line. It's too bad they're not available where I live.
Mirage reminds me of Vue from Lancome. It used to be my everyday, go-to shade but I think they discontinued it! I'll have to get myself these new shadows. I like the packaging change, I think it looks nice! XO
EileenMarch 21, 2011 at 3:07 am
I've been pairing Mirage with Escape and the combination is gorgeous. Together they create a beautiful sunset look–you know that warm golden glow the skin takes on at sunset? That's what these two do. As for Storm, it looks fantastic with so many of this season's soft lavenders. Storm makes the eyes positively glow.
Neither sparkly nor frosty, Mirage and Storm have a sheen and shimmer that play with the light to produce a luminous effect. EB really created something special with these two beauties.
CarolluMarch 21, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Sabrina, These are lovely! How does Storm compare to LMdB Corinthian?
EileenMarch 21, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Hi Carollu, Eileen here. Gaia at The Non-Blond actually has some comparison swatches of Storm and Corinthian. You'll want them both! They're nothing alike.
TanyaMarch 21, 2011 at 8:20 pm
I keep looking for these new shades on the NM website, but I still do not see them. I know I can order through EB, but I have a free ship code at NM!
EileenMarch 22, 2011 at 12:41 am
Hi Tanya, Eileen here. You can get both on-line from NM. When you're on EB's eye shadow page, go to the pull down menu on the right to select shades. Mirage and Storm are listed there but not in the little color tile section. They're both in-stock. I used my NM free ship code instead of driving into Beverly Hills to get them.
These shades look so lovely and you have definatly sold them to me but the price just doesn't do it for me, maybe when I'm not a student anymore x
Do you like the packaging change? I did like the Edward Bess imprint in the old shadows but the round pan looks nice as well. Mirage looks like a beautiful shimmery color for sping.
Mirage is pretty, but if I could only pick one I'd get Storm. It looks amazing in your swatch photo. I think I prefer the old packaging to the new round pan, but it's definitely not a dealbreaker. Thank you for the review!
@Frilly-Lace yes, they are pricey but I get more use out of them than 3 other less expensive alternatives. Keep an eye on them if you ever get to NY, Beverly Hills or Houston.
Diane – I'm undecided on the packaging change. I'm one who is never a fan of packaging changes because I like consistency. It's not a deal breaker on this one because I never used the little sponge applicator anyways. But I'm still on the fence.
Reene – Thanks for your input! I'm not sure which packaging I prefer. Storm is definitely more unique.
Both Storm and Mirage are gorgeous. I have to say I like the old packaging better since it's unique – most eyeshadows are round. I seriously need to check out his line. It's too bad they're not available where I live.
The more I see Edward Bess on your blog, the more I love it! I really love how Storm looks like a wearable cool-toned grey on warm toned skin.
Both shades look stunning, thanks for the post. I'll be grabbing these when they come out in the UK.
Mirage reminds me of Vue from Lancome. It used to be my everyday, go-to shade but I think they discontinued it! I'll have to get myself these new shadows. I like the packaging change, I think it looks nice! XO
I've been pairing Mirage with Escape and the combination is gorgeous. Together they create a beautiful sunset look–you know that warm golden glow the skin takes on at sunset? That's what these two do. As for Storm, it looks fantastic with so many of this season's soft lavenders. Storm makes the eyes positively glow.
Neither sparkly nor frosty, Mirage and Storm have a sheen and shimmer that play with the light to produce a luminous effect. EB really created something special with these two beauties.
Sabrina,
These are lovely! How does Storm compare to LMdB Corinthian?
Hi Carollu, Eileen here. Gaia at The Non-Blond actually has some comparison swatches of Storm and Corinthian. You'll want them both! They're nothing alike.
I keep looking for these new shades on the NM website, but I still do not see them. I know I can order through EB, but I have a free ship code at NM!
Hi Tanya, Eileen here. You can get both on-line from NM. When you're on EB's eye shadow page, go to the pull down menu on the right to select shades. Mirage and Storm are listed there but not in the little color tile section. They're both in-stock. I used my NM free ship code instead of driving into Beverly Hills to get them.