I had been stalking Edward Bess on Instagram for years, waiting for the day I will be able to see his makeup in person. I would even comment on his pictures asking if his products will ever grace us with their presence in Dubai! Lo and behold, his brand is now available in Dubai at Robinsons (which has the whole collection), Bloomingdales and Mademoiselle at Galleria Mall. The cherry on top? I got to meet him and have a generous one-on-one with him! Thank you Robinsons for the opportunity!
On Edward
Finally seeing Edward in real life was so surreal – a dream come true! He did my makeup and walked me through the products he was using. I wanted to absorb as much of him as I could before our one-on-one time was up, all the while trying not to pinch myself…We talked about everything and anything and it felt so easy to talk to him. In a world where genuine people are rare, he is a gem of a find. He exudes confidence in the most matter of fact way, which fused with his buoyant nature makes him seem so relate-able, and so uniquely human.
I felt that his image of beauty resonates with my style – less is more, and definitely Bess is more. For example, he likes to keep his shadow application simple; a dark defined crease paired with a lighter lid that pops. That’s the look I tend to gravitate towards if I wear eyeshadow.
The foundation, and all the makeup products he used on me actually, feel like nothing on the skin. I couldn’t find a good color match in the foundation for me though – story of my life. My skin is light to medium, with olive undertones, so light was too light and medium was a tad darker and more yellow/peachy than I would like it to be. But the foundation is a cream to powder that stays put for a long time! I imagine it would be great at keeping the oilies at bay during Dubai summers.
On the products
The first thing I noticed about the Edward Bess products were their sleek packaging. I feel you can’t go wrong with simple and high-quality black packaging, especially when the lids are magnetic and close shut so elegantly! All the powder products I tried, from eye shadows to powder to bronzer, were all so finely milled and a pleasure to apply. Edward Bess is all about understated elegance and the quality of his products, from packaging to formulas, just really speaks for itself.
I was initially confused as to what I should test first, so I decided to refrain from trying his makeup until I met him and took his recommendations. I did however start using his Black Sea Precious Pearl Eye Concentrate and Black Sea Precious Pearl Perfector. I felt like they moisturize the skin without feeling heavy, and they magically camouflage any sallowness and some tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation. I always reach out for them on days I can’t be bothered to wear makeup to look more presentable!
- Ultra Luminous Bronzer in Desert Sun 02 – I love a good bronzer that warms up the skin without being too orange, and this is perfect. I barely reached out for my other bronzers since I started using this! It is very finely milled and applies so smoothly, i love it.
- Magic Perfecting Powder – Like everything else from the brand, this is also so finely milled. I use it to set my under-eye concealer and whole face as well as mattify my lids after primer and before shadow application. It leaves the skin looking soft and blurry, it’s like a filter for the face! The only negative for this is the powder has become grainy, probably from oil residues from my skin, but it does not affect the product’s performance at all.
- Travel Kabuki Brush – This was not one of the first products I purchased from the Edward Bess line, but I actually reach out for it everyday now! I love how you can control the intensity of application with it – keep it more closed for higher coverage and open it up for lighter. I use it for applying translucent powder, powder foundation and bronzer and it definitely has its place in my travel bag.
- Sunlit Sands Naturally Enhancing Eyeshadow Palette – I was drawn to the last three colors of this palette and I knew I had to have it. Its color selection and size mean it is perfect for travelling; the looks you can create with this are endless! The first nude color actually reminds of me the Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow (discussed below) and I love using the taupey-brown color to emphasize the lash line and deepen the crease and corners. The third and fourth colors are just gorgeous and make my brown eyes pop. Color payoff of the shadows is not intimidating in the sense that it’s not so intense (but not light either), so it is actually perfect for daily use as well as for more glam looks. The only complaint I have for this palette is how narrow some of the shadows are, making it a little bit difficult to pick up color on larger brushes – but with the right brushes, I can definitely see it travelling the world with me.
- Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow in 06 Nude – Never in my life did I think I would pay so much for a single eyeshadow and love it as much as I love this! It is the definition of the perfect ethereal glow, works great as an everyday lid color, to highlight the inner corners of the eyes or just to pop out the center of the lid. I want to get a backup of this!
- Illuminating Eye Shadow Base in Suede – Unfortunately, this did not work on my super oily lids, even if I used primer underneath it (which actually defeats its purpose). It’s a shame because I really needed a tinted eye primer, but I can see it working well on less-oily eyelids.
- Perfect Line Every Time in Deep, Deep Black – The name of this product actually sums it up perfectly. I love my black liners to be very black and this definitely is that. I like to smudge it along my lash lines for an everyday look or keep it just as it is when I’m going for a more intense look.
- Wish Granted Magic in a Bottle Mascara – Gives thick, full and black lashes, without any transfer issues. I will be repurchasing this again and again, definitely holy grail material!
- Fully Defined Brow Duo in Rich – this is HG material too! The color is ‘rich’ enough for my dark eyebrows not to look ashy, yet still doesn’t come off as too dark or harsh on me. It glides super easily and I love how instead of a useless spoolie that just collects dust, the other end is a universal under-the-brow highlighter – admittedly I don’t use it much, but love that it’s available for the moments I do need it.
- Defining Lip Liner in Natural – Seriously the perfect mauvey Nude liner for me. It does not emphasize lines or cracks and feels quite creamy. I love wearing this alone or layering lipstick on top. This comes in a package of two, so I will not run out of it anytime soon, which is awesome because the formula and color definitely make it a new staple in my books!
- Lipgloss in Lover’s Desire – I have never been a lipgloss person but I did apply this though for the sake of reviewing it. It did not feel too heavy on the lips, but it is a lipgloss so there is some tack to it. The color is a very pretty coral-pink.
- Ultra Slick Lipsticks
I had been on a matte (but not flat!) binge lately with my EM Cosmetics Infinite Lip Clouds so had not reached out for a normal lipstick bullet on the daily in ages before I tried these. They are creamy and weightless, they really feel like nothing on the lips. They glide over dry patches, and actually feel quite moisturizing, so they are the perfect winter lipsticks. I did not put down Deep Lust ever since I tried it, it’s my new favorite color and it’s always in my bag. The lipsticks have a fig scent that I actually quite like, but it does fade after application. These lipsticks are definitely must-haves from the brand.
- Fixer Elixir – Oh my, I don’t know where to start with this one. It’s one of these products you never knew how much they were needed in your life, until you tried them – and then they become holy grail items instantly. True to its claims, it imparts shine and silkiness, and turns dry hair from frizzy and static to smooth in seconds! It also smells gorgeous – a whiff of it takes me back to my grandmother’s garden with its smell of jasmine.
- Hair Hero – Touted to be the reason behind Edward’s enviable locks, Hair Hero has become a cult favorite amongst the brands’ fans. I have to be honest, I really thought this would be love at first try for me but I was actually disappointed the first several times I tried it; I just couldn’t understand the hype around it! I tried it in all the ways possible, and I can finally say my hair and I get it now. I already have ‘big’ hair, so volume was never an issue for me, and using it on wet hair, before, after or without the Fixer Elixir just left my hair feeling sticky and accomplished nothing for me – maybe it helped with toning down the frizz, but absolutely did not help with the structure of my strands. Then on one fine bad-hair day, when my hair was due for a wash that night and it looked absolutely stinky, limp and tangled, I desperately brushed it out it an attempt to do something with it and regretted it immediately! As you can imagine, the result was nothing short of an electrocuted mane! On a whim, I decided to work a pump of Hair Hero through it, then I sprayed some Fixer Elixir. To my surprise, the combo toned down ALL my frizz and shaped my mane into wavy tousled strands – I actually got complimented on my hair several times that day! So yeah, this is definitely a keeper for me!
- La Femme Boheme – With notes of amber, honey and jasmine absolute that have married each other so well, this perfume was love at first sniff for me and was actually the first product I bought from the brand. It smells so warm and sensual and has become my signature scent. I wear it on every date night and every night to bed. I am absolutely in love with it.
Meeting Edward has probably been the highest peak of my blogging world, and a part of me hopes I left a little speck of pixie dust in the world of Edward Bess…I feel ever so grateful, ever so Bess-ed! Not to sound too greedy, but I hope our paths will cross again, and soon…
Wholistik 