Drybar The Chaser Shine Pomade – my holy grail hair product to add shine, remove frizz, long lasting and smells amazing, my husband also loves this for his hair
Edward Bess Black Sea Mousse Foundations – I’ve mixed Light and Medium to get a good match, I’ve found that this is indeed the perfect full coverage foundation that gives a flawless airbrushed look that still manages to look natural, I truly hope Edward releases this to all his counters and in more shades (it was a QVC exclusive that sold out almost instantly)
Chanel Les Beiges Powders – my favorite is 20 for all over, 30 and 40 work wonders for natural contouring and adding a soft glow of color to the face
Diptyque 10-Piece Set – special release this holiday and the perfect way to try multiple scents at a more affordable price than buying the full sizes of each candle
YSL Rouge Volupte Shines – my favorite lipsticks of the year for and The Beauty Look Book’s most popular post from 2013
I am thankful from the bottom of my heart for each and every one of my readers. You inspire me every week with your thoughtful and insightful comments/e-mails/tweets. I can’t express enough how appreciative I am for those of you who take the time to share your expertise and add your input to my weekly features. Your experiences, tips and tricks help others like myself figure out what works or how to make things work better. Thank you for following my blog and for your support.
Edward Bess released three new blushes in a new package and formula early in the spring called Blush Extraordinaire ($43 for 0.21 oz, made in the USA). There are three shades, Secret Affair 01, Filled with Desire 02 and Bed of Roses 03. I ordered all three online from Neiman Marcus during one of their beauty events to take advantage of a lip gloss gift with purchase. As usual, I have been thrilled with the latest from Edward Bess.
Each shade has a soft smooth finely milled texture. The colors are well pigmented but easily layerable. They have the classic Edward Bess fig scent (which I adore). I’ve tested the shades for several weeks now, the lasting power is quite good. The colors don’t darken on the skin as the day wears on and I love how the color is visible but natural. Each shade brightens the face with a hint of color.
Secret Affair 01 (available online at Neiman Marcus and Sephora) is probably my favorite of the three. It’s a luscious peach with shimmer with a slight hint of pink. The shimmer disappears on my skin leaving a soft satiny finish. On me it pulls more coral, but there is enough pink in it to prevent it from looking orangey. See how it pulls more pinkish on The Non-Blonde and Temptalia.
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Filled with Desire 02 (available online at Neiman Marcus and Sephora) is a soft sheer pale pink. It’s a satiny baby pink – something I find rare among most blush brands. Pale pinks are typically flat or come with silvery shimmers. Edward Bess’s Filled with Desire is a ballet pink with pink shimmer. On me it looked very sheer. I found it worked best when layered over Tom Ford’s Blush Guilt or Edward Bess Afterglow Highlighter. These creams helped pick the color up a bit better for me. I suspect this is a pale shade that might not show up on darker skintones.
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Bed of Roses 03 (online at Neiman Marcus and Sephora) is my second favorite out of the three. It’s a cool rose pink. As mentioned by others, Bed of Roses appears to be sheerer in pigment, but layers beautifully. The semi-sheer quality prevents it from looking muddy on the skin like some pigmented rose blushes can. Bed of Roses has a soft sheen that gives a demure blush. I see it working on most skintones. On me it pulls more cool, but it really is a neutral rose. See it also on Best Things in Beauty, The Non-Blonde and Temptalia.
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All three close up with swatches:
Everything about these blushes seems to be an improvement from Edward’s original Blush Imperiale formula. The packaging is sturdier and sleeker-looking. The texture is easier to blend and layer with a softer feel (although I do still love his other blushes). The new shades also have a gorgeous soft shimmer sheen versus the flat matte colors for his original blush colors. Those who don’t like shimmer on the cheeks will still like these colors. The shimmer disappears on the skin (at least for me) and leaves a soft glow. Bottom line is that these are perfect basics and staples that can be incorporated into any look (but not too basic). The colors are highly versatile.
If I were forced to only pick one, it would be impossible. I would call it a tie between Secret Affair and Bed of Roses.
Edward Bess fans like myself were ecstatic to learn he had his first debut on QVC this past Friday on the Lisa Robertson Show where he launched his new Black Sea Mousse Foundation with Expert Blending Brush (exclusive to QVC.com). I caught the end of his appearance on TV Friday night and by that time, Fair and Light had already sold out. Edward was kind enough to send me samples to try and I was beyond thrilled. Some product information along with my testing experience, thoughts on the formula and color selection.
The Black Sea Mousse Foundation is a breakthrough mousse foundation formulated with anti-aging ingredients inspired by the Black Sea to help reduce the appearance of the visible signs of aging. It has an innovative air-whipped mousse texture that floats on the skin for the feel
of wearing no makeup at all, while still providing full coverage with
its pigment-rich formula for a flawless complexion in an instant. QVC set comes in five shades, Fair, Light Medium, Tan and Deep (1.5 oz) with the Expert Blending Foundation Brush (prices online at QVC subject to change). In case you missed the segment, you can watch the Video online (click below, models are wearing Light and Medium, Edward demonstrated application of Fair):
I’ve been lucky to have really good experiences with his Compact Foundation (I use Beige) and his new Complexion Cream (I use Medium, reviewed here). Foundation is one of the trickiest makeup items to find because of color/skintype/coverage matching preferences. I almost never buy foundation without trying first. Since this was a gift from Edward (sight unseen), as I opened my package I kept my fingers crossed.
Color thoughts: When I opened up Medium 03 first and was surprised at how dark it appeared. The next shade down Light 02 also appeared quite dark. I tested both, each on separate days all over the face to see how the color looked. I was relieved to find that these blend out on the skin beautifully and once blended don’t look as dark as they do in the pots.
Light is an exact match for my skin, although sometimes that exact match ends up looking a bit too light when applied and blended all over. This can sometimes be fixed by mixing in something darker or setting with a darker powder. Medium is visibly dark on my skin when swiped, but blended out for a pretty good match as well. I wore this and it looked just slightly too dark. So what’s my color? I would say I’m in between, but closer to Light which is a 95% good match on me right now. I was happy to find that it does warm up on the skin slightly but doesn’t darken or oxidize.
Formula thoughts: The formula is really incredible. Years ago one of my holy grail matte-finish foundations was Chanel’s Double Perfection (the one that came in the black squeeze tube). I literally had a meltdown when they discontinued it and was sad they never re-released it. Edward Bess’s Black Sea Complexion Correcting Mousse Foundation is the closest thing I’ve found but better in terms of wear, texture, blendability. The video segment on QVC will show you how well this foundation covers. It’s lightweight but gives full natural coverage and dries to a semi-matte finish. You don’t need to set with any powder. On the 2.5 days I’ve tried this I found it lasted well into the afternoon without requiring any touchups. I like that it’s full coverage but not heavy.
Brush thoughts: I applied the foundation with the Expert Blending Brush and it really provided perfect streak-free application.
Photos of Light and Medium below, they look really dark in the pots:
I swatched them along my jawline on a bare face, swatched heavily, blended only a little bit. Light 02 might be a bit hard to see because it matches closely. Note this photo was taken under artificial light which makes my skin look more yellow than it is in real life.
Since it can be hard to gauge the colors, I highly recommend you look at QVC’s color chart. I debated what other foundations to compare these to. Formulas and textures can impact the color and blending will affect how certain colors mesh with one’s skintone. I picked a few to show, it’s not as comprehensive as I’d like, but foundations are difficult for me to photograph accurately. They tend to dry and darken if I don’t photograph right away.
I picked the other foundations I have that are creamy pot formulas. Dolce & Gabbana’s Perfect Creamy Foundation has a wider color selection but a more dewy finish while the Edward Bess is matte. I’ve always been in between shades for Dolce & Gabbana and currently mix Warm 100 and Natural Beige 120 (see the Dolce & Gabbana review/swatches here).
I only swatched the Dolce & Gabbana Warm, but added Edward Bess’s Complexion Cream in Medium for comparison purposes (that review is here).
I’m overall very pleased with Edward’s new Black Sea Mousse foundation. The formula is really best in class with the coverage, texture and blendability. Huge thumbs up. The color selection however is limited, leaning towards the darker side. The formula is melds with your skin so it is possible that you don’t need an exact match (these days I’ve been buying 2 shades in NARS, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana anyways). I do think fairer skin ladies with yellow or olive tones might find it challenging to get a good match. Right now the foundations are exclusive to QVC.com and the lightest shades are on waitlist. I hope that Edward might consider extending the color options in the future. I was really lucky to find a good match in Light.
Did you watch Edward on QVC last Friday? Have you had a chance to try the foundation? If so please share what color and perhaps other brands/shades you use to help the rest of us who are debating whether or not to try.
This post contains a press sample provided without charge for review. For more information please see the About/FAQ section.
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?
Per request, here is a comparison post of Chanel’s Raffinement Quad ($58) and Edward Bess’s Cosmic Bliss ($68). Both are glorious neutrals. To me they are different enough to justify owning both. The differences:
Chanel Raffinement has shimmer that is more frosted than the colors in Edward’s quad. The pales are also quite a bit lighter. Overall the quad pulls a bit warmer and slightly more pinkish/plum on the eyes. The darkest shade is also a matte.
Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss is more of a neutral/satiny palette. The colors are a bit darker and more neutral. The shimmer factor is not quite as high as with Chanel.
Both are equally good in pigment, texture and lasting power. I cannot choose between the two – I love them both.
Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss Prismette Eyeshadow Quad is every taupe-lover’s dream come true ($68 for 0.25 oz/7g). Some have chosen this one as their favorite of the three quads that Edward has released (I agree too). I particularly loved the reviews, reader comments and swatches on Best Things in Beauty and Café Makeup.
Cosmic Bliss has four beautiful neutrals: a creamy all-over-base shade, a soft shimmery beige taupe (same as his Intimate single shadow), a darker taupe shimmer with a very slight hint of mauve, and a dark chocolatey taupe shimmer with reddish tones. The palette is effortless and gives a gorgeous polished look. The shades are shimmery but on the eyes it applied more subtle – it has a luminous glow rather than a shimmery frost. Those who are scared of shimmer need not worry about this one. It’s very natural (but not too natural).
I love that it’s extremely versatile. The texture of the shades is amazing. The colors themselves are very pigmented but texture is soft and easy to blend. Each color is layerable and easy to control so you can create a soft subtle look or a more intense neutral smokey eye.
At first glance it reminded me of a less-frosty version of Dior’s long-discontinued Iridescent Leather (at least discontinued in the US). I pulled it out to compare along with Intimate and Burberry’s Pale Barley. You can see below some similar qualities but that the Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss has a more subdued finish.
Swatches, two views: top without flash, bottom with flash + sunlight
I find Edward Bess’s Cosmic Bliss beautiful and a must-have staple. It’s easy to apply and versatile enough to incorporate into any look. I used it with the following items recently:
I purchased mine from Bergdorf Goodman. It is also available online at Bergdorfs, Neimans and Sephora.com along with a few select locations such as Sephora in NYC and Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills.
Edward Bess has recently added three new palettes to his line called Prismette Eyeshadow Quads ($68 each for 0.25 oz/7g). These come cased in a black rectangular mirrored compact with a double-sided brush. According to Bergdorfs, these quads have Edward’s Classic Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow formula in a combination of some new shades and signature shades.
There are three sets right now: Cosmic Bliss (all taupe), Over the Moon (plummy greys) and Sun and Stars (day and night look). All quads include the same basic light all-over-base-shade. For the repeats of his singles, Cosmic Bliss includes Intimate + 2 new taupes. Over the Moon contains all new shades and Sun and Stars include Escape, Dusk and Night. I will review all three in the upcoming weeks. First up is Sun and Stars.
Sun and Stars contains three existing shades, Escape (a warm coppery bronze shimmer), Dusk (a metallic taupe, looks greenish/khaki in the photos but applies more neutral), and Night (a cool satiny black). The base/matte shade is new. It has a similar color to his single shadow in Nude but is slightly darker and more pigmented. It works well as an all over base to even the lid softly without looking chalky.
I’ve been using Sun and Stars over his illuminating eye primers (which I think are the best eye bases I’ve tried) and it has performed exceptionally well. The colors are well pigmented with just enough shimmer to add depth but not overly frosty. Compared to the singles, the Sun and Stars quad applies with the same pigment and smoothness. If you already own the individual shades, then purchasing the quad isn’t necessary. It is very convenient for travel and if you’re new to Edward Bess, this is a perfect introduction to his line.
Here it is swatched on my arm:
Comparison shot to the singles: Nude, Escape, Dusk and Night (no swatches since the shades swatch identical between the singles and quads, with the exception of Nude which is a lot lighter/sheerer)
Bottom line: excellent! For me it’s not a must-have simply because I already own the shades individually. I do like the sturdy packaging which is much easier to travel with (versus singles). Sun and Stars has performed very well. Lasting power with his eye bases is all day for me. It’s a palette that can be incorporated into any look and versatile enough for day or night. I believe it will suit a wide range of skintones. While I was at the Beverly Hills counter over a year ago, I saw Edward apply Night to lovely woman with a dark complexion – it gave her a stunning smokey eye.
I’m sure all Edward Bess fans have already seen reviews on other blogs, but in case you haven’t be sure to check out:
I purchased my Edward Bess quads from Bergdorf Goodman. They are also available online at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Sephora. Right now there appears to be a limited-edition set exclusive to Neimans online called Private Eye which has the Sun and Stars, Dune Eye Base and his mascara for $100 (individual products added up total $128, I haven’t tried his mascara so I can’t report on it, but I do love his eye bases).
