Edward Bess fans will be thrilled to know he is scheduled to debut on QVC® tonight, Friday, April 12 at 10 PM (ET) during “The Lisa Robertson Show.” Expanding his Black Sea brand, Bess will introduce the first color cosmetic item offered exclusively through QVC: his Black Sea Complexion Correcting Mousse Foundation and Blending Brush duo (QVC Item #A232023, on QVC.com) will retail for $75.00 and will remain exclusive to QVC through April 12, 2014 (currently a special price online).
The Black Sea Complexion Correcting Mousse Foundation is formulated with algae and sea fennel plus vitamins C and E, which help to achieve the look of healthy, youthful skin. The ultra-lightweight formula is available in five shades (“Fair,” “Light,” “Medium,” “Tan” and “Deep”) and Bess’ expert Blending Brush will help create a flawless finish every time.
Visit QVC.com to see a helpful visual of the different shades. Personal review on the foundation from The Beauty Look Book to come soon!
This spring season has brought us a wide selection of new lipgloss formulas and colors. Many lines are expanding their color options or developing new-improved formulas through mini-extension releases. The Revelation de Chanel collection focuses mainly on Glossimers ($29.50 each, Nordstrom.com) with some new colors mixed in with some repromotes. I purchased mine almost a month ago and have been using Rose Sauvage non-stop. The shades I bought:
Ocean Shimmer 171 is a clear gloss with delicate tiny sparkles suspended
Seashell 87 (repurchase) is a pale shimmery champagne pink
Rose Sauvage 172 is a soft rose pink shimmer
Daydream 174 is a rosey pink with metallic fuschia sparkle particles
The colors are typical of Chanel glossimers: naturally gorgeous, delicate with high shine. Daydream’s shimmer is borderline glittery but the color blends out evenly and smoothly on the lips. Those who love Chanel Glossimers will love Rose Sauvage and Daydream. Seashell is a good natural staple I think is universally flattering on all skintones. Ocean Shimmer is definitely a pass for those who have clear gloss in their makeup wardrobe (I still caved).
Swatches:
I managed to get in lip swatches of Rose Sauvage and Daydream:
Comparisons to others show that you these are different from other Chanel glosses, however due to the sheerness, you can get a similar effect with other shades:
I love the color of Rose Sauvage. It’s rosy enough to show up on my lips but still very natural. I love it layered over Perle Rouge Coco. Daydream is also lovely although might be too sparkly for some. Given all the new lipgloss offerings this season from Chanel, Dior, Guerlain and Armani you might feel a bit overwhelmed (like me). I am still waiting for Armani’s Flash Lacquers to arrive at counters to test (although I usually do like Armani). I just tested out Guerlain’s today instore briefly but haven’t played extensively. I personally have a soft spot for Chanel and Dior glosses (they are my favorites) so I knew I couldn’t go wrong with either. Those who have been waiting for all to arrive will be happy to know that most new gloss formulas should be available at counters to test now. Based on my testing, I feel all the glosses from Chanel, Dior, Guerlain and Armani are all excellent in quality and pigment. My suggestion is to look at the colors you are drawn to first since the formulas are all very similar (in my opinion).
The full Revelation de Chanel collection is listed:
Many have asked me to share shopping deals and specials I find for beauty items. I often rely on deal alerts on my daily blog reads and reminders from sales associates I’ve developed relationships with over the years but it is challenging to keep up with upcoming specials. A few I wanted to share that are on my radar this week:
April Nordstrom Gift with Purchase: STARTS TODAY 4/8
Nordstrom is having a special Gift with Purchase which includes 18 select beauty and fragrance samples and a
cosmetics bag (a $111 value) with any $125 beauty or fragrance
purchase. Online only.
In addition there are always other special offers rotating for certain brands. Diptyque has a mini candle and fragrance gift with a $150 purchase while supplies last. Click on the image below to see current beauty gifts offered now.
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NEIMAN MARCUS INCIRCLE 4/11 to 4/14
Neiman Marcus Incircle starts April 11th. Earn double points on beauty purchases for Incircle cardholders but all can take advantage of beauty gifts from Thursday to Sunday while supplies last. Gifts are available instore and online – they should show up soon. I don’t have the full list of gifts, but your local counter should know what the gifts are and are taking pre-sale orders now.
Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills Le Metier will have Mikey Castillo, Creative Director, in store and will offer a full size lipstick in your choice from five shades of Dubai, Kona, Bali, San Tropez or Fiji with any purchase of $125 or more. Call Scott Reyes 310.550.5900 Ext.2087/2027
to order or set aside your desired appointment time.
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HENRI BENDEL – 9.4 oz CANDLE SPECIAL, ANY 2 OR MORE for $25 EACH
Henri Bendel is still having their promotion on candles in stores and online. Purchase two or more and receive the special price of $25 each for the 9.4 oz candles (for a limited time). Beach is now available online (review to come soon, but it’s amazing).
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SEPHORA CHIC WEEK FOR BEAUTY INSIDERS 15% OFF
VIBs will receive 15% off Sephora purchases in store and online 4/11 through 4/22/2013. VIBs should have received a shopping pass package in the mail with bar code. For online purchases Sephora VIBs can use code CHIC.
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EDWARD BESS – 4/12 on qvc, the lisa robertson show
Edward Bess will be on QVC this Friday April 12th on The Lisa Robertson Show at 10PM (ET)! For updates make sure to follow Edward Bess on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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I hope you found this post helpful.Happy Shopping!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information see the About/FAQ section.
I’ve been eyeing Tom Ford’s Cocoa Mirage Eye Color Quad ($75 for 10g/0.35 oz)
for quite some time. It’s one of the few in his line that don’t have the glitter/sparkle finish. However the high price and borderline boring color combination prevented me from ordering sooner. A trip to Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills last month
pushed me over the edge after a few minutes of swatching.
A quick peek at the Tom Ford Beauty counter at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills (photos by me):
Cocoa Mirage‘s palette is very basic but the pigment is phenomenal for a powder shadow. The texture of the powder is smooth and finely milled. Any brush picks up an impressive amount of pigment and they blend beautifully on the lids for a natural but nicely defined/contoured look. The colors in the palette include a rich matte vanilla, a soft neutral tan, a warm chocolate shimmer, a dark bark matte brown.
The colors will shift from neutral to warm depending on the light. With any kind of flash the swatches turn significantly warmer. On the skin these apply more neutral than red/warm. I have two sets of swatches to help show you the difference. First is with flash:
In direct sunlight:
Tom Ford Cocoa Mirage contains a basic cream and three neutral browns. It’s quite likely you will find dupes out there. I pulled a few neutral palettes to compare but did not have time to search through all my singles. I hope this will help for now. Below is Edward Bess Island Escape and Burberry Mocha.
$75 for an eyeshadow palette is insanely expensive however Tom Ford does provide quite a bit of product in the mirrored quad. At $75 for 10 g for four shadows, the price breaks down to $18.75 per shadow which is 2.5g. Compare this to a few others and the price seems to be similar to put together a quad:
MAC singles are $12 to $15 for 1.5g each (a quad with compact will be around $57 for 6 g)
Bobbi Brown singles are $21 for 2.5g to 2.8g each (a quad with compact will be around $94)
I’m overall thrilled with Cocoa Mirage. It’s basic but the colors are high quality shadows. This is a wear-to-the-pan kind of quad although I do suspect most will find it too basic. I’m not happy about the high price but given the prices of other brands and singles, Tom Ford doesn’t seem to be too out of line with his eye shadows (still would love the quads to be in the low $60ish range). Out of his whole entire line the strong points still seem to be his lipsticks, blushes and brush range.
I purchased my quad from Neiman Marcus. Also available at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and Saks. Have you tried Tom Ford Eye Shadow Quads? Which is your favorite? (Mine is Enchanted which was limited-edition.)
After playing around on the Dior Addict Minisite, I went back to Nordstrom and picked up Dior Diablotine 643 in the Addict Lipstick ($31) and Lipgloss ($29.50) formula to match the Nail Lacquer ($24) (reviewed last month here). The looks from Dior showed that using both the lipstick and lipgloss created a lush lip look that is perfect for spring to summer. Being the coral fanatic that I am, I didn’t need to see them in person to know they were must-haves. (Click photo below to go to Dior’s Addict minisite.)
The Dior Diablotine 643 lip options are similar to that of Spring Ball 343 in the sense that both lip colors are more subtle and soft than the nail polish versions. Diablotine Addict Lipstick and Lipgloss do have more color than Spring Ball so they show up better on my lips, but are still natural enough for my neutral-loving self.
Diablotine 643 Addict Lipstick is a coral in the tube but goes on more pinkish on my lips. The texture is smooth, finish is semi-shiny, pigment is medium but slightly transparent. There is subtle shimmer in the tube but you don’t really see it on the lips. Diablotine 643 Addict Lipgloss is a true coral peach loaded with tons of gold shimmer. It’s a high-shine gloss. It’s gorgeous. The gloss is similar to Chanel Nakkar so you probably don’t need both. The Dior is more sparkly and more red/orange.
Lip comparisons:
Lips and nails side by side:
I love both the lipstick and gloss formulas of Dior Diablotine #643 (along with the nail polish). The formulas feel luxurious on the lips. They have a nice moisturizing feel. I purchased mine from Nordstrom in store. The entire Sparkling Shine is also online at Nordstrom.com and other Dior counters and boutiques.
Have you had a chance to play with the new items from Dior?
This post contains affiliate links. For more information see the About/FAQ section.
Dior’s Sparkling Shine collection brings some beautiful shimmering colors for spring. I fell in love with each of the new nail colors released and loved that Dior also brought us matching lipstick and lipgloss shades.I spent quite a bit of time at Nordstrom swatching and testing. I was particularly smitten with Spring Ball 343 a gorgeous peachy pink shimmer which comes in multiple forms:
Nail Lacquer ($24) is the perfect shimmery coral with gold, peach and silver flecks of sparkle infused throughout. I love that this has a hint of pink in it and multi-colored shimmer. This prevents it from looking too orange. The color is highly pigmented but still slightly transparent with two coats. It applied smoothly and flawlessly.
Addict Lipstick ($31) is a very natural light sheer peach shimmer. The shimmer is very natural on the lips. The texture is smooth and moisturizing. I couldn’t detect any scent. It matches my natural lip color closely but still has enough pigment to cover the lips fully and smooths them out with a lovely natural sheen. If you’re looking for something with more pigment this one might not be your cup of tea. I think you can get a similar result with something like MAC’s Ramblin Rose. (Note there is an Addict Extreme version of Spring Ball as well, I swiped it briefly, it was brighter and more pigmented without shimmer.)
Addict Gloss ($29.50) is also very natural and sheer. Spring Ball 343 gloss gives a high shine with beautiful soft sparkle. Layering this gloss over the lipstick lightens the overall look. I didn’t have time to compare but the gloss reminds me of MAC’s lustreglass in Love Nectar.
Swatches below, the nail polish is more vibrant than the lipstick/gloss, although the gloss and lipstick are lovely I wish they matched the brightness and pigment of the nail polish:
Spring Ball 343 Nail Polish:
Spring Ball 343 Addict Lipstick and Lipgloss:
Overall I’m quite pleased with Dior’s Spring Ball lineup for the Nail Lacquer, Addict Lipgloss and Addict Lipstick. The nail polish is a definitely must-have for me. The lipstick and gloss are not quite as unique compared to other colors and they are borderline too natural. Still these are perfect for lazy makeup days. They make the perfect swipe-and-go duo and are easy to apply or touch up without a mirror. The lipstick feels extremely luxurious and smooth on the lips (very lightweight). I like that the gloss is shiny but not sticky. I purchased all my items at Nordstrom.
Did you pick up any of the nail polishes, new addict lipsticks or glosses? Which is your favorite shade?
Edward Bess recently released a new face cream he calls the Ultra Dewy Complexion Perfector ($56 for 1.79 fl. oz./53 ml). I have been dying to try this for several months but wasn’t able to get to a counter to test in person until mid-March at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills. The Ultra Dewy Complexion Perfector is lightweight tinted cream that acts like a tinted moisturizer/foundation. It has light diffusing properties that makes the skin look glowing and flawless. It comes in four shades, I found both #1 Light and #2 Medium disappeared on my skin when applied along the jawline. I felt like I was in between shades but decided to go with the darker option Medium 02 since I have a slight tan now. The finish is transparent so more forgiving if you don’t have an exact match.
I’ve been testing for a few weeks now and have been impressed with the results. Although it’s quite sheer and almost transparent-looking when blended, when applied all over the face it brightens and evens out the entire face in a natural but noticeable way. I found that it made the skin look healthier with a slight dewy glow (not too dewy though). My skin has been relatively clear now so I don’t need much coverage (even though I usually like medium-to-full coverage for foundation and powder). I do think it’s too sheer for my taste to wear alone (this is just my preference), but it is sufficient with just a light dusting of loose powder to set. I’ve been using the Edward Bess Cream in Medium 02 several ways:
all over with powder foundation dusted lightly on top (I like Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel)
all over with a heavier foundation layered in areas that I want more coverage
all over with a soft loose powder layered on top
Lasting power is like most other foundations. It holds up quite well until a little after noon and needs a bit of a powder touch up after lunch time. For color comparisons on other foundations I’ve used/been using:
Shades I used to use but are too light now:
Edward Bess Satin Cream in Beige is more neutral/olive compared to the Medium Complexion cream (I’m out at the moment so I don’t have it to swatch)
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska was the best match for me when the Tinted Moisturizers first came out, although it was slightly too light (I usually mixed in a little darker foundation to make it work), this is lighter and more yellow than the Edward Bess Medium
Dolce & Gabbana Cream Foundation in Warm 100 (reviewed here) is more yellow and lighter, it’s a bit too light for me now (although the powder version in Warm 100 is still a good match)
I was hesitant to post swatch comparisons because it’s difficult to tell what a cream looks like unless blended out and blending out usually makes the foundation disappear on the skin. Please note that the swatches below are not blended out to show what the color looks like straight from the tube. Each has different intensity which affects the way it looks once blended out. Also note that the inside of my arm where I swatch is about 1.5x lighter than my face and the rest of my body right now (I tan quickly).
Left to right: Dolce & Gabbana Cream Foundation Warm 100, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Alaska, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Groenland, Edward Bess Ultra Dewy Complexion Perfector in Medium, Chanel Perfection Lumiere 30 Beige, Urban Decay Naked Beauty Balm.
Overall I give it a huge thumbs up because I love the way it makes my skin glow. I would have liked to see a few more color options but the sheerness allows the skin to show through so it’s quite forgiving if you don’t have an exact match. Based on my recollection of in-store testing, Light seemed to be about 1.5 shades lighter than Medium. Both disappeared on the back of my hand with a little bit of blending.
I purchased my cream from Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills. It’s also available online at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Sephora (ingredients listed on Sephora’s website).
Have you tried Edward’s Ultra Dewy Complexion Perfector? If so, what shade do you use?
