Edward Bess’s cosmetic line is among my favorites and it has been for many years. I discovered his brand while browsing through a Bergdorf Goodman catalog and there was a page that showed his Lip Wardrobe which was a collection of his lipsticks and glosses at the time packaged in a beautiful sleek black box. It looked so clean and modern and there were some pinks and nudes that looked amazing. I called up the store to order some sight unseen as a quick google search showed that the store in NYC was the only place to buy them. To this day the whole experience of ordering them has left an impression on me. I still remember how amazing, professional and helpful the girls were over the phone. I told them that I saw his lipsticks in the Bergdorfs catalog but didn’t know what colors to pick and asked if they could recommend 3 to 4 items for me to order sight unseen. Just for fun, you can see my first order in this post here. As a nice follow up they sent a card in the mail with their entire line swatched on a card as a reference for me since I wasn’t able to see the entire line in person. The whole experience left such an impression and that was the start of my love affair with Edward Bess’s line. I didn’t meet him in person until years later when he launched his line at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills but we clicked instantly. This past summer I was thrilled to finally see his counter in person at Bergdorf Goodman which was truly the highlight of my trip. I feel incredibly lucky to have had lunch with him at one of his favorite cafes in the city. Quick peek of us taking selfies here.
I have a review of all the colors in his Deep Shine Lip Gloss ($32 each for.2 fl oz/5.9 ml). It took me a while to post this because a few of his glosses had been sold out for a few weeks and I had used up some of his colors so did not have them all to swatch. I know many of you may not be able to get to a counter easily to see these in person I wanted to create a comprehensive post as a reference for those who want to order sight unseen. At this time you can find his lip gloss at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-A-Porter and Edward Bess. There are some stores and boutiques internationally that carry his line as well, check his website for the full updated list.
First a look at his counter in NYC:
There are eight shades of Deep Shine Lip Gloss at the moment. They are all non-shimmers and are fig scented. They have sheer to medium finish in terms of pigment and look very natural on the lips. The texture is slightly thick and sticky which may sound unappealing but they feel really nice on the lips and the consistency makes it so these stay put on the lips. You can layer for more color but overall finish is medium-sheer. I personally like most of these layered on top of his lipsticks or a liner because they add the best kind of shine and sheen to enhance a lipstick color. I’ve swatched them on bare lips though so you can see how the color looks by themselves. What I like best about the lighter colors is that they are smooth and aren’t patchy – many pale colors look patchy on my bare lips and need liner or lipstick to make them work. All of these colors work for me.
Colors shown from top to bottom include:
- Nude Whisper is a pale flesh-toned light nude
- Lover’s Desire is a peachy pink
- Stolen Kiss is a pale pink
- French Lace is a medium cool toned pink
- Nude Satin is a mauvey nude pink
- First Kiss is a bright cool pink
- Wild Passion is a sheer plum
- Amor is a sheer bright red
My personal favorites are Nude Satin (best color ever), First Kiss (prettiest pink), French Lace (best neutral pink) and Amor (best red ever, perfect for neutral lip lovers who want to wear red but are afraid to).
A closer look at the applicators, they have an angled sponge tip:
All eight colors will give you a you but better look for the lips. They are natural and work well to enhance your natural beauty without looking overdone or too heavy.
Swatched heavily on my arm, for reference you can see this cute video of the colors live swatched sheer on Edward’s arm on Instagram @edwardbess:
Swatched on bare lips (as always there is no liner, no foundation and no concealer on the lips to prep), you can also see First Kiss layered over a Tom Ford lipstick in this post here:
Above shown left to right: Nude Whisper, Stolen Kiss, Lover’s Desire, Amor, Wild Passion, French Lace, First Kiss and Nude Satin
Bottom line I love them all and I highly recommend. I almost always have at least one in my purse or makeup bag. I probably wear Lover’s Desire and Nude Satin the most. If you don’t like sticky at all these may be a bit too thick for your taste. Even though some of the colors are on the sheer side, I find that they have enough pigment to wear on their own. His lipliner in Natural is a must and works with a wide range of colors if you need a suggestion for something to wear underneath. The fig scent is to die for. I’ve been working on swatching his lipsticks too (another love). Those were also sold out at a number of places for a few weeks but just popped up back in stock online. Keep in mind that September is a big month for beauty events so you may want to wait a few weeks to splurge.
You can find Edward Bess’s Deep Shine Lipgloss at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Net-A-Porter and Edward Bess. Follow Edward Bess on Instagram @edwardbess for fun videos and some tutorials.
Most colors gifted by Edward Bess in the past. For this post, Nude Whisper, Stolen Kiss and French Lace repurchased by me.
