Edward Bess powder blush in Soft Orchid (Blush Imperiele 01 Soft Orchid)($48)(0.12 oz.) is a cool pink-orchid blush that is beautiful for spring. I purchased this blush sight unseen from the Edward Bess counter at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. Jennifer, who was very helpful during my call, told me that this blush is new to his line. I’ve heard so many good reports about Edward Bess’ line from Sabrina at The Beauty Look Book, Grace at London Makeup Girl, Gaia at The Nonblonde and from so many sources on MakeupAlley.com, that I knew that I couldn’t go wrong.
The packaging is undeniable elegant– a slim black hard plastic case that is packaged inside a black suede sleeve. Of course, the usual features including a large usable mirror and complimentary blush are included. It is roughly the size of a Chanel compact only a bit slimmer. Inside, there is a large rectangular pan. The first thing that I noticed is that the blush sitting in the pan changes quite a bit in different light. However, the blush applies as a stable cool pink-violet that did not appear to change in different light in the same manner.
This photograph represents my best estimation of how the blush looks in neutral light:
Here is a comparison picture, where the light from the left side is very cool and warm on the right. As you can see, the pan color on each side of the photograph is quite different. The color looks almost peachy in warm light:
Of course, this phenomenon happens with nearly every cool pink blush that I’ve tried to photograph so far (Chanel Turbulent especially!), so this is not unique to Edward Bess.
I’ve only owned the blush for a few hours, but wanted to post a swatch in case you are considering a phone order to Bergdorf’s. As I say, this applies as a cool pink-violet. At first, I thought that this might be duplicative of Chanel’s Narcisse, however as you can see there is more purple-violet in Edward Bess’ Soft Orchid. You can also see that Narcisse seems to include a touch more shimmer (although Soft Orchid can be supplemented with a highlighter of course).
I’ve tried the blush for a few hours and so far–I LOVE IT! I now understand the raves about this line. I experimented with a few different application techniques, and found that the results varied greatly depending on the brush used. It was extremely subtle effect with softer brushes, and most pigmented with my MAC 165 highlighting brush for concentrated color. It gives a beautiful spring-like glow without adding any shimmery or glittery bits. How Bess gets the light to interact with the blush pigment is beyond me, but I do love the effect. Recommended!
15 Responses to “Edward Bess Soft Orchid Blush Review and Swatch”
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Wow Amy! That’s gorgeous.. thanks for the first look! I was excited to see your tweet on the new smokey eye set and this blush!
Have you tried the cream blush? Its gorgeous as well, applies so smoothly and is long lasting too! I love Edward Bess products, thanks to Sabrina for introducing me to the line…
Hi Lakshmi–I haven’t tried the cream blush although I’d love to. This was literally my first Edward Bess product–how would you compare the EB cream blush to BB’s pot rouges? (PS Thanks to Sabrina too for the introduction to the line!!)
Ooh this blusher looks so nice in your photos and description!!
Thank you!! I just looked at your blog–love it!
Have you tried the eye shadows yet? You will love those equally! I only have one and I want to covet them all. Unfortunately, I live in SF I was just lucky to be in NJ back in December where I made it a GOAL to go to NYC drag my husband and daughter in the cold to Bergdorf’s where I snatched up one eyeshadow – Dusk and the cream highlighter. I didn’t even blink when the SA told me $75 when she rang up my purchases – I’m just glad my husband wasn’t close enough to hear.
I love your Bergdorf story Lexi! I think we’ve all been there! I did order two eyeshadows along with this blush–So far so good! I’ll post a review after I’ve played with them a little more! Thanks for the comment!
GASP! Gorgeous!!!! But $48? Eeeps!
But yes, I love EB products. They are amazing. Thanks for the shout out and gorgeous pics/swatches!!!
Sabrina, thanks for the introduction to EB’s products! I know I’m going to love this line!
Powder blush? *cannot resist*
It looks like a gorgeous colour too. He does something very special with powders, I usually can’t wear bronzers at all, but his is glorious on me.
Grace, you would love this color. And now I need his bronzer too-I wonder how ‘dark’ the darker one is. I like a little drama sometimes.
I’ve yet to get anything by EB, because I hate purchasing sight unseen. My resolve is beginning to erode, however, as I read the reviews and see swatches like yours. The colors all seem to be beautiful beyond words. When swatched side-by-side with another brand as you did, the depth and dimension of the EB products leaves the others looking flat. I’m a Chanel gal, but the EB blush is so much prettier. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your EB swatches–and comparing them to other products that are more readily available is very helpful. Thanks, Amy.
Eileen-I’ll be reviewing two eyeshadows soon. If you like neutrals, look at my reviews when they go up–these are awesome! I was surprised (but I shouldn’t have been after hearing all the raves from elsewhere). Makes me want to toss some of my old favorites! I wonder how EB learned so much about pigment, etc. Really excellent formulation. And, yes, Soft Orchid is very flattering–fresh and very spring-like, but very natural too.
Wow, it looks stunning! Unfortunately this brand is not sold in Italy so… is there any MAC blush you would suggest with a similar colour? Thanks!
V
Hi Platinum- I believe that MAC Liberty of London collection should be coming to Europe over the next month or so–I’d look at Summer Rose Beauty Powder. It’s a soft cool pink, but perhaps has more sheen and less pigmentation (because it’s a beauty powder, not a blush). If you are near a Pro Store, you might also look at Full Fuschia and Azalea, but those are far more pigmented than Edward Bess’ (so choose your brush carefully). Those are the MAC colors that are in the same pink-violet family. Thanks for the comment!
wow that blush is gorgeous! i wish i had an EB counter around here