Edward Bess has released four new lip stains called Lasting Kiss ($36 each for 0.49 oz/14.5 g, made in USA). These are liquid lip colors that have intense pigment and impressive staying power. They are full-coverage and all shades are without shimmer. The finish is in between satin and velvet, it has a very slight sheen to the finish which prevents them from looking flat (like some matte or full coverage lip creams can do). These come with Edward’s classic fig scent which I’m a huge fan of.
The Lasting Kiss Lip Stains come in a sleek black tube with a slightly angled sponge applicator. The tip is quite study but not stiff. It allows for precise application around the edges of the lips. The four colors include:
Risque which is a bright coral pink
Au Naturel which is a neutral-cool nude pink
Surrender is a cool blue-based baby pink
Deep in Love is a medium-bright plum rose
The colors are quite intense. They are vibrant shades which will be great for those who like color. I’m a nude/neutral lip lover at heart, so of course I fell in love with Au Naturel. Straight from the sponge tip, these go on the lips with super rich color. The color stays put once applied and doesn’t budge. If you layer on like a gloss or lipstick, you will find some of the color might transfer to a cup if you drink something shortly afterwards. However these are lip stains and you will still see the color stay put on your lips. I haven’t found anything that lasts as long as these do.
Swatches below on the arm with a heavy swatch and then a blended swatch. You can blot the lips after application for a more stained lip look. I find they apply very smoothly on the lips straight from the tube and require only a tiny bit of blending around the edges.
Swatches on the lips straight from the tube with the sponge applicator. Note that my lips pull cool-toned colors weird. Most of the women I know can easily pull off cool-toned pinks beautifully. On me they tend to turn fuchsia-ish (like with Surrender). For skin tone reference, I used Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet in B30 (swatches and review here).
My top two picks are Au Naturel and Deep In Love. Due to the rich pigment of these I find you do need to take a bit of care in applying precisely around the edges of the lips. If you’re looking for a bold lip or something that lasts on the lips for what seems like forever, these are definitely worth looking into. If you’re a more natural lip lover or want something deeper and less bright, I highly recommend Edward Bess’s Ultra Slick Lipsticks.
Bottom line love. In my mind Edward can do no wrong, I’ve been smitten with (and devoted to) his line for years. You can find the Lasting Kiss Enhancing Lip Stains at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and edwardbess.com. These are also available now at BG in NYC (ask for Lauren 212-872-8826) and Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills (ask for Morgan at the counter 310-550-5900).
The lip stains were kindly sent from Edward for review consideration.
Jo Malone has released the Cologne Intense Mini Collection (1) in a set for the first time this holiday. It has Tuberose Angelica, Velvet Rose and Oud, Saffron, Dark Amber and Ginger Lily and Oud and Bergamot. I was almost ready to purchase but have never smelled Saffron before. Have you? What do you think?
Edward Bess has released four new shades of Lasting Kiss Lip Stain (2). I will have swatches to share with you very soon but first impressions are they are to die for.
Tom Ford Beauty has re-released two of the Cream Color for Eyes (3) in Platinum and Spice. Those who missed out before will be happy to know you can purchase them now with the holiday collection (but take note they are limited-edition again).
L’Occitane never fails to get me with their Shea Butter Hand Cream releases (4). With the holiday season approaching, I’m excited to see what sets they will release this year. Three new ones on my radar are the Rose Heart, Vanilla Bouquet and Whipped Shea Butter.
NARS has several holiday gifting sets out this year. This Virtual Domination Cheek Palette (5) looks like it could be the perfect compact size to slip into your purse for touchups or application on-the-go.
I’ve been getting lots of e-mails about the new Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss (6). Chanel.com released three shades as a preview, but all the colors have finally arrived at Nordstrom in case you have been looking. I have five I’ll be swatching and reviewing.
Diptyque has some amazing holiday offerings this year. The packaging on their holiday candles are breathtakingly beautiful. There will be candle sets available as well. For the first time they will have one of their photophores available for purchase outside of Diptyque Boutiques in a Limited Edition Set with a Candle Holder + Feu de Bois, 6.5 oz. (7).
Dior Holiday is also stunning. There are two limited-edition quints in Golden Shock and Golden Reflection (8). (P.S. for a limited time, Nordstrom.com has these on sale with 10% off for their price matching, check out the Sale Section on their website under Beauty to see what else is on a discount.)
I get a lot of questions about my hair care, both online and in person. Many like the smooth glossy texture, and I usually get comments that I must have really good genes when it comes to hair, but what most people don’t understand is that my hair actually takes a lot of work. I’ve always had super thick unruly hair. Frizz has always been my biggest problem, when I was in high school and early college days, my hair was so thick, fitting a rubber band around it twice to pull it back was always a stretch (I broke quite a few that snapped because my hair was so thick). Color wise, my hair has a natural subtle ombre effect depending on lighting conditions and season (it gets lighter in the summer). It’s basically black but I have natural red highlights are sometimes look really bright, especially on the ends. The lighter color can sometimes make it look dry on the ends even though I’ve never color-treated my hair.
In high school and early college days, my friends told me “you need to try blowdrying your hair, it will change your life.” I went through several hair dryers and straighteners, none of which did anything for me (mainly Conair, T3, and Revlon). I used to be a regular reader on Makeupalley and back in the early 2000’s the message board recommendations and product reviews were a lifesaver.
The second biggest issue I’ve had with hair is sensitive scalp. I don’t have dry scalp issues but many shampoos and conditioners I’ve tried end up drying up my scalp or leave heavy residue which is difficult to rinse out properly.
Over the past decade, thanks to my stylist recommendations, trial and error along with blog recommendations, I’ve discovered quite a few hair products that I’ve fallen in love with. Having longer thick hair means I tend to go through product fairly quickly. I’ve been meaning to do a hair-care loves post for quite some time, but given that I use up items fast and am constantly testing new items, they don’t always last long enough for me to get pictures. I thought a summary of my tried and true might be helpful.
Phyto’s Phytojoba Shampoo (1) is hands down my Number 1 holy grail shampoo. It has the most amazing scent of jojoba with coconut but isn’t overly sweet or overpowering. It’s designed for dry and unruly hair and lathers up into this amazing foam. It’s rich enough for my hair that it treats dryer scalps while moisturizes the hair but doesn’t weigh it down. The only reason why I don’t buy this more frequently is because it has a very fluid texture which is easy to over pour. It is also something I find I go through very quickly (which gets expensive). Performance-wise it’s my all time favorite.
A good everyday shampoo and conditioning duo is Drybar’s Happy Hour Blowout Shampoo and Happy Hour Weightless Conditioner (2). Both have really good scents and give me bouncy shiny hair. The conditioner is one of the few I’ve tried that is truly weightless but still gives the hair that extra conditioning you need. It’s also good to use daily which I find rare with most conditioners.
Kérastase has been on my radar for a long time but they have so many options I found it a bit overwhelming to choose one. I recently ordered the Cristalliste Bain Cristal Shampoo Thick (4), Lait Cristal Conditioner (5) and Volumifique Bain Volumifique Shampoo (6) and have been really impressed. The Cristalliste line is designed for long thick hair, I find both the shampoo and conditioner work really well to give hair a clean smooth look without weighing it down. They clean the hair really well and almost feel like a rebalancing kind of shampoo/conditioner. Both lather nicely and smell amazing as well. The Volumifique Shampoo is designed to give volume and lightness. For me I haven’t seen any volumizing effects but it works wonders in terms of making it feel lightweight and frizz free. With the Kerastase items I’ve tried I can let my hair air dry naturally and not worry about frizz.
Oribe is another favorite line of mine, I’ve tried a number of the sample packets of their hair care and my favorite is the Shine Shampoo and Conditioner (16). When I use Oribe, I tend to use it every 2-3 days, alternating with a different everyday shampoo, mainly because of the high price points, but the items in the line are extremely good and worth every penny. The Shine line gives lush glossy hair with a super smooth finish.
For hair treatments, I usually blow dry and straighten my hair. I like to use treatments that are multi-functional for both pre-heat treating and finishing. A staple in my weekly hair routine is Moroccanoil’s Treatment (14). It gives the hair a smooth texture that helps keep moisture in with blowdrying, it’s also good as a finishing product to smooth ends. A little goes a long way and the bottle will last you a long time. Drybar’s The Chaser (13) shine pomade is a must-have for me in terms of styling/shine products. It’s also good for a pre-heat treatment or post-styling product. There’s nothing like this that gives a lightweight shine that lasts all day without making the hair greasy or heavy looking.
Edward Bess recently launched his Hair Hero (11) on QVC. It’s my do-everything kind of hair product. It smooths the hair, adds texture and adds shine. You can read the full review here.
Dry shampoos have a lot of appeal in terms of time saving properties and styling. I haven’t found one that I could use yet that didn’t leave my hair looking flat, dusty looking or crunchy. Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray (12) is a dry shampoo alternative which I find works the best for adding texture and volume to the roots or absorb oil. I almost always wash my hair everyday, but on mornings when I am rushed and need to skip 1 day, this works wonders as a hair refresher.
Having a good shampoo and conditioner routine (along with a well-balanced diet) should be sufficient to keep your hair healthy and well moisturized but sometimes I do need a weekly mask treatment. The Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Mask (15) is my favorite for dry weather and winter months to give my hair that extra boost it needs.
For tools, I’ve been a loyal to Solano Hair Dryers for years. I went through two over the past 13 years and when I needed to a replacement, I decided to try the Drybar Buttercup Blow Dryer (3). My husband bought this for me while we were at Sephora because he thought the packaging was fun (lol). After having such good experiences with the Drybar salons and products, I decided to give it a try. This has an extremely powerful motor but is still very gentle. It’s more lightweight compared to Solanos and more gentle. It comes with two different nozzles, three temperatures and two settings. Most hairdryers I’ve tried come with a switch for cool-air that you have to hold down to keep the cool air flowing. This one has a turn on/off switch for the cool hair which keeps your fingers free. It dries hair fairly quickly and doesn’t overheat or dry out the hair. I can’t say it’s better than Solano, but rather just different. Solano has more heavy duty dryers that are the best I’ve tried. Drybar’s is also excellent and I have no complaints, it’s gentler on the hair and takes slightly longer for me to dry hair, but if you have sensitive scalps or weaker hair, this one is very gentle and easy to use but still effective.
Last but not least, my favorite hair straightening tool is the HAI Ceramic Convertible Flat Iron (10). I’ve tried several, and this is the one I keep going back to (I’m on my second one). It leaves the hair with a super sleek smooth straight look that doesn’t fry the ends or dry out the hair.
I hope this summary helps give you some ideas on hair care items to try. This is by no means a list of all the items I’ve tried, there are many other items from Phyto, Malin + Goetz, Neutrogena, Kiehl’s etc. that I’ve tried (among my favorite brands for hair), but what I’ve listed includes my absolute favorites.
What kind of hair do you have and what are your favorites?
I hope everyone had a great week. I spent the last couple days in Los Angeles to visit with family, preview the new Hourglass store in Venice Beach and meet up with Edward Bess at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. I’m a bit behind on reviews but am working all weekend editing and photographing for posts to be published this week. Right now I’m in love with (left to right):
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette is one of my holy grail powder highlighter palettes with three shades of their Ambient Lighting Powders in Dim Light, Incandescent Light (exclusive to palette) and Radiant Light, it is something I find perfect for travel and it works for both eyes and cheeks
Charlotte Tilbury Blondie Lip Lustre is the perfect soft pale pink that doesn’t wash out the complexion, lasts for hours and is also lovely as a layering color
NARS Himalia and Subra Dual Intensity Eyeshadows are my go-to shades when I want something easy to wear that goes with just about any color of lip/cheek or clothing (if you just get one, Himalia is a must-check-out)
Tatcha Travel-Sized Beauty is my latest obsession, their minis of Beauty Oil and Classic Rice Enzyme Powder Cleansers are what I bring with me on weekend getaways (the packaging of the travel sizes are just as good in design and quality as the full size, huge plus for me)
Guerlain Waterproof Mascara has been a must-have all summer for volumizing and holding the curl, I just bought my second tube of it
L’Artisan Mure et Musc is my favorite scent of the moment, I just purchased my second bottle after my last one accidentally broke (I knocked it off my desk and it shattered)
Edward Bess All Over Seduction is my holy grail cream highlighter, some asked me for a recommendation on a liquid/cream version that doesn’t interfere with foundation if you put it on top, this one is THE one to try (Sunlight shown above, but I also adore Afterglow the darker peachy bronze version)
Some weekend reads and videos I think are worth a look:
Three of my favs RaeViewer, Essie Button and Vivianna Does Makeup take us behind the scenes at Burberry’s S/S 2015 show (plus tutorials on the Burberry Beauty looks)
Temptalia has some dupes of Tom Ford’s Negligee lipstick
Edward Bess has released a new lip product called the Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tint ($31 each for .13 oz/3.8 g, made in USA). These are exclusive to QVC through September of 2015. Edward Bess will be featuring these on QVC tonight (Friday September 5th at 9 pm EST) and I cannot wait to see the full demonstration.
The Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tints are creamy lip products. They have the cushy and smooth feel of a lip balm but have a high pigment color more like a lipstick. I found them to be extremely smooth and emollient on the lips. On me they applied with more pigment than I expected. These come in three colors: Sunset Allure is a bright coral, Mystic Passion is a red plum, Blushed Dune is a neutral nude with pink/mauve tones. All are cream finishes (no shimmer).
These come in a unique black tube. You open them by pressing the bottom of the tube to pop open the lipstick. The lipstick pops out so you can pull out the lip tint and then twist up the tube. I found it really fun to play with.
Each color gives medium to full coverage. They adhere much better to the lips versus the arms for swatching. I have swatches both ways and close ups. The Cream Wave Lip Tints do have a slight scent to them. I found them to be a bit sweeter than his traditional fig scent he has in his regular lipsticks. The scent does fade after a few minutes and I didn’t notice it after a while. I like the darker ones blotted because they give the lips a natural looking stain. Lasting power applied as a regular lipstick is medium for several hours without fading. They are emollient so if you find glossy finish lipsticks don’t last long on you, these perform like glossy lipsticks. I do find they last slightly longer than Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, YSL Rouge Volupte Shines and Armani Sheers.
In sunlight without flash:
Swatched with flash:
Close ups of each shade:
Another winner from Edward Bess in my book, but I do have a soft spot for everything he comes out with. The Cream Wave Lip Tints are extremely natural looking while still managing to offer enough color to give the lips a polished look. My favorite is the neutral one in Blushed Dune. It’s an easy no-fuss kind of color that you can wear anywhere. I was really surprised by Mystic Passion. It’s a gorgeous wearable plum that has color but isn’t loud. Do note that my lips tend to pull a lot of red in most plums, so this one will most likely look closer to the tube on most beauty lovers. I really like Mystic Passion blotted because it leaves the perfect plum stain on the lips. Sunset Allure is a flawless coral that brightens the face. Even if you can’t wear orangey shades, I think this one is one of the easier orange/corals to wear.
These are designed to be hydrating. I didn’t really feel like they added moisture although they did feel very cream and smooth. A huge plus for me was that they didn’t dry out my lips.
Edward’s show goes live on QVC soon. I can’t wait to hear what you think if you end up trying these out. If you’re unsure about these, I highly recommend you visit each product page on QVC, so many others leave really helpful reviews. Full ingredient listing is also available online.
The Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tints are currently exclusive to QVC through September 2015.
Many thanks to Edward Bess for providing me an early preview.
Edward Bess’s hair has been a topic of discussion among many women for quite some time. I have often wondered what products he uses on his gorgeous hair (also a bit envious of his luscious locks). He has released a styling cream called Hair Hero ($38 for 6.7 fl oz/200 ml, made in USA, exclusive to QVC through March 2015). It’s described as a miracle styling cream that “magically boosts volume to new heights, sculpts and defines by adding
texture, and even smoothes and tames hair without weighing it down.” Edward’s Hair Hero comes in sleek black bottle with a pump dispenser. The cap twists to lock the pump when not in use. The bottle is quite large which I’m happy about because it will last a long time.
The texture of the styling cream is semi-thick, it’s a soft white cream that is very easy to work through damp or dry hair. Even though it’s thick, once applied on the hair it feels very lightweight making dry hair feel smooth while giving it a slight textured look. It smells absolutely amazing. The scent is difficult to describe but it’s a wonderful beachy scent, like a mix of tiare, coconut, fresh sea. I can’t wait to see how this is used on Edward’s QVC segment on September 5th. It’s free of parabens and sodium chloride so it’s supposed to be safe for keratin and color-treated hair.
I’ve used this a couple different ways. I have thick unruly hair that has a slight wave. I have to use product everyday to prevent my hair from frizzing up. I don’t color or highlight my hair, but I do blow dry and straighten my hair on a regular basis. I’ve used the Hair Hero on damp hair before using a blow dryer (I’ve always been a Solano fan, but my husband just bought me the Drybar Buttercup Blowdryer because he liked the color, lol). It helped smooth out my hair for the perfect blowout with two pumps. I like to add one more small pump to add to the ends to smooth the hair and keep it in place. My husband noticed the difference immediately and commented my hair looked smoother and more lightweight in a good way.
After application, it does leave a slight residue on the hands (you will need to wash your hands even though it smells incredible). It doesn’t make the hair sticky at all though but rather makes it very smooth. I’ve also used on damp hair and let it air dry. The result is a soft natural wave that isn’t frizzy (which usually happens if I air dry without any product).
Some more shots to show the texture. The Hair Hero gives the hair a smooth finish but still gives it some texture so it’s not flat.
It’s bottom line complete and total love, I can’t get over how amazing it smells, I wish it came in body products. You can find Edward Bess’s Hair Hero exclusively through QVC (through spring 2015). He will be having his first 1 hour segment on QVC this Friday September 5th 9 pm EST. I can’t wait to see how they use it on the show. To stay up to date with Edward Bess and his latest products, be sure to check out his website www.edwardbess.com for news and store listing. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (his social media handle is @edwardbess).
Many thanks to Edward Bess for gifting me a sample of his new Hair Hero and for enabling me to have smoother hair that smells amazing.
I have quite a few things to share with you from Edward Bess. Mark your calendars for this Friday evening because he will have his first 1 hour show on QVC September 5th at 9 PM EST. There will quite a few new items he will be featuring during his show and I’m thrilled to be able to share some of them with you as a preview.
First up is his Black Sea Extreme Cover Cream with Expert Retouch Brush. This was initially launched earlier at the beginning of the year on QVC (video segment still available online). It’s one of those things I dove into immediately and fell in love with, I should have reviewed it months ago, it’s been on my to-do list for quite some time. The Extreme Cover Cream is a full coverage creamy concealer with intense but blendable pigment. They are packaged in small pots with a twist off cap that locks into place to seal the product completely. There is also a brush included. These cover up areas on the face flawlessly and completely. The texture is on the medium-to-thick side so blending is key, but it is very easy to blend. You only need a little bit to get full coverage. No packing on needed.
Below is the Light shade shown with the brush, you can see the pots are quite small with a medium-sized brush that has a wide head and flat tip:
The Extreme Cover Cream comes in four shades: Light, Medium, Tan and Deep. I was worried I wouldn’t find a good match due to the limited shade selection, but Medium is a perfect match for me.
Swatched with a small concealer brush, one swipe each shade shows how rich the pigment is:
Here are the ingredients:
Close up of the Medium shade I use to show the texture:
I like the way the brush works to blend the product but since the pots are on the small side and pigment is really intense, I prefer to apply with a smaller concealer brush (like Chanel #10) and then blend out with a Beauty Blender. I know many of my readers are experts on different concealers and know a lot more than I do. I am super picky with concealers, the ones I’ve tried during makeovers or received mini GWPs of often disappoint. They either disappear completely on my skin once blended or look cakey. Until this year I have never really had a need for extensive concealer use. For several years, I have exclusively used two: Clé de Peau Beauté and By Terry Touche Veloutée. This year is the year my skin has acted up and had all sorts of flare ups and issues. So I’ve started using the concealers more. I’ve been using Edward Bess’s Extreme Cover Cream since around March for times I really need full coverage.
It’s ultra creamy and pigmented so I only need a little. It has an emollient texture that makes it blend flawlessly. I always set with a powder and find it stays put all day without budging, but the key is to not use too much. It covers imperfections completely and is also good under the eye (it doesn’t cake but you need to make sure you set it with powder).
For reference, swatches of Light and Medium next to a few other foundations and concealers I own:
It’s bottom line love. It blends out perfectly on my medium olive skin and gives full coverage to areas when I need it. It does have a smooth finish (which is a must for me) although if you have skin texture issues, your skin’s texture will still show through underneath. I only use this on spots that need extra coverage and it layers very nicely over foundation. Since it’s extremely intense I won’t use a lot under the eyes, just an extra tiny dab on days I need evening out is all I need. The shade selection is limited, so you may not fall under the four color options. I hope Edward will expand the shade offerings eventually. The brush is nicely made and also works well to blend out cream products, but it’s a bit large for me for this particular cream. For concealer I prefer using a smaller detail brush.
You can find the Edward Bess Black Sea Extreme Cover Cream now on QVC. There is a video from February’s QVC segment to show it’s applied. I hope it makes another appearance on Friday’s show too!
The Extreme Cover Cream was provided by Edward Bess for review consideration.
