Edward Bess - Café Makeup

Edward Bess Eau La La Fragrance Review

Jan 052013

Edward Bess Eau La La

Lauren at the Edward Bess counter at Bergdorf Goodman, New York City, was kind enough to send me a small sample of the new Edward Bess fragrance, Eau La La ($125/0.25 oz.). The fragrance was inspired by Cafe Makeup’s favorite city in the world, Paris.

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Edward Bess Eau La La is infused with frankincense, fresh gardenia, and amber. The scent is complex and harmonious. I love incense notes in fragrances. What is unusual about Eau La La is that the incense is filled with light and florals. The amber grounds the scent, which keeps the impression very sophisticated. The inspiration (click to enlarge):

Other incense fragrances can be a bit dark, and not particularly fitting for a social event or romantic evening. Unlike those, there is something a tiny bit sweet about Eau La La that is optimistic, warm, and beautiful. The scent remained balanced throughout the day, without an overly aggressive silage. Overall, this was a beautiful first step into fragrancy by Edward Bess. This is well worth obtaining a sample, or a spritz at your nearest counter.

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It’s available at Bergdorf Goodman (Lauren is so helpful!), Edward Bess online, and Sephora online. The image on Sephora shows a set with a purse container, a large crystal bottle for your makeup table, and a funnel to transfer:

Along with my little sample, Lauren sent the following description of the perfume: (click to enlarge):

Cafe Makeup reviewed Edward Bess Eau La La from a sample sent free of charge from Bergdorfs

Edward Bess Over the Moon Review and Swatches

Edward Bess, Eyeshadow 5 Responses »

Dec 172012

Edward Bess Eyeshadow Palettes

Edward Bess Eyeshadow Palette in Over the Moon ($68) is a soft combination of cool tones that create a soft, foolproof smokey eye. Like Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss and Sun and Stars that were also just released, the pigmentation is soft, wearable, and long-wearing over a base.

Edward Bess Over the Moon05

Over the Moon has an overall matte impression, although a closer look shows that there is a tiny bit of shimmer in some of the shades. This shimmer is beyond subtle, adding a touch of dimension but no obvious sparkle once the powder is applied.

Edward Bess Over the Moon04

These shades applied beautifully with the Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush, or any with a similar shape. Certainly the shadows work well with more precise brushes, and blend beautifully. However, Liz and I found that it took very little time and care to give a polished appearance effortlessly.

The colors include the same matte cream base that appears in the other palettes. The 2nd color Swatches:

Edward Bess Over the Moon Swatches

Another set of swatches:

Edward Bess Over the Moon07

Liz did this very quick eye with the Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush. We found that the colors were quite dark and dramatic, yet not at all heavy or overbearing. Rather, Over the Moon gave a very flattering, soft smoke impression.

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Liz used the three lightest shades only to get this soft and pretty look.

As you can see, although Liz didn’t dig into the deepest mauve shade, the other colors give a very cool mauve-gray impression. Overall, this eye took less than a minute and gave a very easy, smokey look.

Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss Reviewed and Swatched

Edward Bess, Eyeshadow 2 Responses »

Dec 152012

Edward Bess Eyeshadow Palettes

Edward Bess’ new four eyeshadow palettes (introduced here) includes the warm neutral Cosmic Bliss ($68). The minute that I opened the palette, I knew that this would be the one that I’d be reaching for most often.

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I realize that preferences between these palettes will vary by personal preference. For me, Cosmic Bliss is an ideal color palette for my warm-toned, NC15/20 skin tone. It’s an effortless look for me, particularly on those mornings when I’ve already put in a few hours of work before my morning 8 am commute. In a very busy life, Cosmic Bliss gives me a polished, appropriate look for almost anything I might encounter.

Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss4

Just like Edward Bess Sun and Stars, the Cosmic Bliss palette has a light matte shade that nearly matches my skin tone. I use this in my inner corner (I’m using this over a Laura Mercier Eye Basic in Linen, so my lid color is already neutralized with this as the base shade). From the left, the second shade is a soft light shimmery brown with a very slight touch of khaki. The third shade is a neutral shimmery brown. The fourth shade (on the right) is a deep shimmery brown with a touch of red. Swatches:

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More swatches of Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss:

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Because you might be considering this for an online purchase, here are a few more pictures.

In shade:

One more:

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Liz did this simple eye, focusing on using the two middle colors:

Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss Eye

As with other items in Edward Bess’ line, Cosmic Bliss is a “use it all the way up” product. His line is full of products with stable, finely-milled products that I can always count on. The shades are beautiful, flattering, and look gorgeous on a wide range of skin tones. These are available at Bergdorf Goodman, select Neiman Marcus stores, and online at Sephora.com.

Edward Bess Eyeshadow Quad in Sun and Stars Review and Swatches

Edward Bess, Eyeshadow 8 Responses »

Dec 132012

Edward Bess Eyeshadow Palettes

Edward Bess has recently released three new eyeshadow palettes, Over the Moon, Cosmic Bliss, and Sun and Stars ($68 each). Each offers a selection of lovely neutral shades with gorgeous pigmentation and very smooth blendability.

Edward Bess Es palette

These are slim glossy black mirrored palettes packed with tiny brushes (one end is a sponge, the other a brush). I found that these applied beautifully with Edward Bess’ Luxury Eye Brush (pictured here). This review is for Sun and Stars, a lovely selection of a matte neutral base shade, a coppery brown, a khaki-toned taupe, and a lovely soft black.

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I’ve worn this over Laura Mercier’s Eye Basic in Linen and got all-day wear. I used the middle two shads side-by-side on my lid, with the black as a liner. The lightest shade, which is a soft neutral that nearly matches my skin tone, was placed in my inner corner. So easy, it’s perfect for those times when you want to look confident and effortlessly perfect.

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The lightest shade is matte, and the other three have a touch of shimmer. This gives a touch of glow on the lid, without leaving any obvious sparkle.

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More swatches of Edward Bess’ Sun and Stars:

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So far, I love it. This price point is similar to Edward Bess’ Soft Smoke Palette (which I still use quite frequently). I found that the quality of Sun and Stars eyeshadows is remarkably similar to the Edward Bess eyeshadow singles. Here’s Liz’s eye look, using only the three lightest shades (blush is Tom Ford Wicked):

Liz Edward Bess Eye

One more:

Edward Bess

Bottom line: Lovely, effortless and perfect. The colors of all three are so universal. The palettes are so easy to use, and give a gorgeous, polished and flattering eye. These are finely milled and blended like a dream. Over my eyeshadow base, I had all-day beautiful wear.

Short Reviews: Guerlain A La Parisienne, Guerlain Secret de Purete Cleansing Cream, Edward Bess Luxury Face Brush and Replere Beauty Shooters

Brushes and Tools, Edward Bess, Guerlain 4 Responses »

May 302012

Here are some speed reviews of some products that I’ve been considering lately:

1.Guerlain ‘Secret de Pureté’ Cleansing Cream ($66 /6.5 oz.). This is a remarkably gentle cleanser that manages to remove virtually everything while leaving baby skin behind.

Recently, I received a generous 1.0 oz. sample from a gift with purchase, which has lasted several weeks. I’ve used it with water alone, or on the brush head of my Clarisonic. Here’s my little sample:

This cleanser is remarkable. It takes off my Armani Eyes to Kill mascara, my Chanel sunblock, and my Nars Tinted Moisturizer without stripping the skin in the least. My skin feels moisturized and glows when I’m done. Gorgeous. Yes, it has a perfumed scent.

2. Edward Bess Luxury Face Brush ($59) This kabuki-styled brush is perfect for blush, bronzer, and highlighter. Lovingly packaged:

It has a dense compact of bristles, which might lead one to a heavy coverage, but the gently sloped head allows me to pick up just the right amount.

The handle is slightly longer than other face brushes, which makes it a pleasure to use. It’s an investment, but one that I really do love.

3. Guerlain Shine Automatique in A La Parisienne #263 ($35) I’m continuing to enjoy Guerlain Shine Automatique in Rose Pompon. I love the slide-up packaging, it’s gorgeous and functional.

Guerlain Shine Automatique A La Parisienne is pretty sheer coral that lets just a peek of your natural lip color through.

If you are shy about wearing this season’s bright oranges, this sheer rose-coral may be perfect.

Here is A La Parisienne on Megan:

As a sheer lipstick, A La Parisienne will look slightly different on everyone. Here are some other reviews:

Here at Mostly Sunny Bunny
Here at Sandra’s Closet
Here at Karlasugar

4. Replere Beauty Shooters($37 for 14 bottles) I’m a big believer that beauty comes from within. I cannot get enough of antioxidant rich foods, plenty of filtered water, and vitamin supplements. Dr. Debbie Palmer has made it easier to get a recommended daily dose of antioxidants, including vitamin C-packed fruits, goji & açai berries, and blueberries in a one ounce (1 oz.) Beauty Shooter.

Packed 14 to a carton, these are purse-sized, single serving little containers that you can take once a day to get your beauty in. One shakes, shoots, and done. I received three of these without charge for consideration for review, and found they had a pleasant, sweet grape cranberry-flavor with a slight touch of pulp. For those that don’t have time to get to a fresh source of fruits and vegetables every day, these provide a very easy alternative.

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