Edward Bess Lipgloss

I really don't want to be writing this. Because it's a bad review of something I really want to love, coming from a source that I adore. But I feel it's important to be honest. And not give Edward Bess uniformly stellar reviews just because he has a good reputation. 


*** Before I continue, I would like to point out that these are my personal opinions, and are based on what's essentially hearsay, so please treat it as such. I haven't spoken to Edward Bess himself and confirmed any of his manufacturing practices. ***

Anyway, almost three months ago I bought three lipglosses, French Lace, Amor, and First Kiss. Honestly, I was seduced by the presentation. I mean, look at that bow?!? And the colors are capital A-amazing, with not a single glitter particle in sight. Everything down to the names of the colors were enchanting. At $75 for three glosses, the price was really good too, so I was sold.

I tried them on the back of my hand before buying, and obviously didn't scrutinize the formula closely enough. Once I got them home and tried them on the lips, I found the formula lacking. I gave them the best shot I could. But when it really came down to it, I found these so low quality as to be not worth wearing. Especially when I have so many other glosses that I like. These lipglosses embodied everything that I hate about lip products. They were very sticky and sheer. I had to dip the applicator in five six seven times to get enough for my lips, and my lips are not dark to begin with. The instant I went outside and experienced a slight breeze, or even if I turned my head too quickly, my hair stuck to my lips and spread the ooey gooey honey like gloss all over my face. Not to mention the sticky damage done to my tresses. Think mac lipgloss, only WORSE. The horror, right?

So this came as a huge shock. Everything I've ever tried from Edward Bess has been high quality and worth raving about. So I thought on it. And did a little investigating. And unfortunately realized the hard truth: Edward Bess is moving production to Taiwan. Manufacturing in Taiwan is not a bad thing in and of itself, but the unfortunate consequence of moving production means that the formulas are inevitably changed, and most likely changed to a lower quality. Up to this point, most of the line was manufactured in the U.S. Which is really win win from a consumer's perspective. It means that the country of origin of the brand is one and the same with the country of operation. In other words, jobs for Americans, and a closer relationship between the brand owner and the manufacturer. Maybe it wouldn't come as such a blow if he were moving production to, say, France, or Canada. Partially because I feel that the labor laws and practices in those countries are probably a little better. But what it really comes down to is that Dolce & Gabbana is made in Italy, MAC is made in Canada, Dior is made in France, Paul & Joe is made in Japan, and so on. The moral? Keep it close to home. 


And you can't tell me that the bottom line isn't profit here. A big reason why production is ever moved overseas is to reduce production costs. For example, I notice that Edward Bess will be changing the packaging of his lipsticks from a metal case to a plastic one. That's got to be a budget cut right there. 


I really like Edward Bess, both what his brand stands for, and as a person, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there are a lot of good reasons to move production to Taiwan, I don't know. But the ultimate consequence is the same. Unless the brand is Taiwanese, I just can't justify paying top dollar for something made there, I'm sorry.


Now I feel guilty. I'm going to have to reach back into my stash for my beloved Edward Bess Eyeshadows and write them a rave review. . . 

RMS Lip2Cheek in Muse, Swatches and Review

The RMS Lip2Cheek is a multitasking cream product. As the name implies, it can be used on either the lips or cheeks. Or both, if you're into the matchy-matchy like I am. Like most of Rose Marie Swift's products, Lip2Cheek is a coconut oil based item that is pigmented only with natural minerals. It's also an all organic and all raw vegan formula that's never been heated about body temperature (98.6 F to some, but definitely 37 C to me). The consistency of Lip2Cheek is that of a firm cream. The best way to apply any RMS beauty product is to let your natural body heat warm up the product by swirling your finger in the pot. Rose Marie told me that these are designed to be used with your fingers because of the low melting point of the oils. Once warmed slightly, Lip2Cheek spreads nicely and naturally over the skin.

When I visited Rose Marie Swift, Muse was one of the two Lip2Cheek colors that she picked out for me. Which is a little surprising, since it looks so drab and beige in the pot. But when used on the lips, it makes for a sort of washed out retro look that's goes nicely with dramatic eye styling. The natural color of my lips is by no means overpowered. Instead, Muse sort of takes it down a notch while still looking completely natural. The color of the cream is not at all flat either. There are small reflective particles that are presumably part of that whole natural mineral pigment business. So overall, the effect is very flattering. Much more so than the concealer lip that's been popular recently.

When Muse is used on the cheeks, the pigment all but disappears. But the reflective mineral bits remain visible, and since it's an oil based product, there's a bit of a sheen. In short, it acts as a very subtle highlighter. My favorite. 

Muse also has infinite possibilities regarding mixing. Any of the other RMS beauty products could be combined with Muse to make it lighter in color, and less matte in texture. The other Lip2Cheek colors looked much more flat in comparison, so this really has the potential to liven up the other shades. 

RMS Lip2Cheek is available for $36 at various retailers, such as spirit beauty, the nature of beauty, and from the RMS beauty website. Since one pot is likely to last a lifetime, it's a pretty good investment.

Photo credit: Electron Microscopy Unit of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center 

Le Metier de Beaute Lipgloss in Summerland, Swatches and Review

Today I bring you Le Metier de Beaute lipgloss in Summerland. I have one word for this lipgloss: glitter. Not a word you normally associate with an ultra fancy brand like Le Metier. But seriously, this gloss is so heavy on the glitter, it basically makes your lips look metallic. Which is kind of nice, if you're into that sort of thing. The color of this gloss is a very natural bronzey peach, and the effect once it's applied is flesh toned robot lips. How studio 51.

The glitter in this gloss is decidedly irridescent, an interesting mix of silver bronze and the occasional green. The glitter also lasts and lasts on the lips. At the end of the day I actually need to use a makeup remover to get the last of it off, and god forbid I wipe any on the back of my hand. This is also the least sticky gloss that's ever touched my lips. Which is a big bonus. The quality is unquestionably there, but I do wish that the glitter could be taken down a notch. Although I'm definitely looking forward to wearing Summerland for the holidays. If you want something to really bling out the lips this season, then this is surely the gloss for you. 

Below is an out of focus close up of the applicator to give you an idea of the glitter

I had a lot of trouble swatching Summerland, probably because of all the reflective glitter bits. The below photo makes the color look ridiculously orange. I swear, it really is not that orange in real life. It's definitely more of a my-lips-but-better color, very similar to the YSL Rouge Volupte Perle in Stellar Pink. 

Le Metier de Beaute is available from Bergdorf, Neiman's, and Nordstrom. Le Metier also put out a cream gloss that I'd really like to try, maybe during the upcoming beauty gift card event at Bergdorf's. 

RMS Beauty: An Introduction and Review

RMS beauty is the brainchild of Rose Marie Swift, makeup artist extraordinaire. I had the extreme privilege of going to Rose Marie's own apartment, and getting an introduction of the line from the genius herself. And I mean that, not only is she a riot and a nice person, she's also one hell of a genius. After years in the beauty industry, Rose Marie started to suffer from mysterious health problems. With some research, she began to realize that the synthetic chemicals in basically all cosmetics were impacting her health very negatively. Since then, she has striven to spread the word about chemicals, and to introduce people to her philosophy. RMS beauty is the ONLY cosmetics brand that is honest for god 100% organic. Also, none of the formulas are heated above body temerature, so none of the naturally beneficial ingredients are compromised. Most, if not all, of the formulas are based in coconut oil, which is naturally anti-bacterial and all around good for your skin.

To introduce you to the brand, I bring you the Lip Shine in Moment. You might think, "why on earth did you think this weird brown goop would be a good introduction??" Now, don't be deceived. In the pot it's like, "holy damn, it's so brown, brown, brown is all I can see!" but on the lips, it's seriously true love. I have pretty neutral undertones, and very pale skin, and it looks ah-mazing. I would actually go so far as to say that this is a universally flattering color. I could image all sorts of skin tones rocking this sultry sheer brown. It's so damn sexy, I can hardly get over it. Rose Marie whipped this sucker out, and I thought, "hm, really?" But she put this on my lips, and I immediately went, WOW. It was after that she told me that she had developed this color for Giselle Bündchen, which is sort of a neat factoid.

I tried really hard to capture the color in pictures. I hope it comes across, because it's very unique. The only color that is comparable would be the Ellis Faas Glazed lips L305 that I reviewed previously. I feel like this color is so cutting edge. Its so in line with the soft natural tones and naked lashes that were shown during fashion week.

The formula consists of mostly coconut oil, and is completely non sticky. It's actually just barely a lipgloss. I would categorize it more as an extremely moisturizing tinted lip balm with luster, based on how it feels on the lips. The packaging is sort of to die for also. All of the pots in the RMS beauty line are made of frosted glass, with tinned screw on tops, which means they're also 100% recyclable.

Swatch on skin, still looking brown and scary

Here it is on the lips. I had to really pack it on in order to show the color, so the lustrous quality is very much showcased. I hope you can see how amazing it looks on the lips.

Swatch on lips, now do you see!?!?!

Seriously, if you are into eco-beauty and organic, then RMS beauty is the only line worth using. In another life, I use only these cosmetics. Every time I put them on my face, I feel like I'm doing my skin a service, a good deed. I've been using and loving the Un-Coverup Concealer for the past month, and that has quickly become a holy grail product for me (review to come shortly).

If this color is still really scary, then the Lip Shine also comes in a safe pink called Bloom. If you want to learn more about Rose Marie Swift (and even set up your own appointment with her if you live in NYC) then please go to her website, rmsbeauty.com. RMS beauty is also available from Nature of Beauty, and Spirit Beauty Lounge.

Chanel Extrait de Gloss, Swatches and Review

So I'm throwing my hat into the Chanel Extrait de Gloss review arena. There are already much better pictures and much more comprehensive reviews (most notably by Amy at cafemakeup.com), but hopefully I have something valid to add.

I ordered two colors from the Chanel website: imaginaire and confidence. Imaginaire is a slightly peachy pink color that looks killer with my pale complexion. Confidence is a slightly darker and more "nude" pink that boarders on "rosewood." And that really was the main surprise for me, the fact that confidence ended up being darker. It's even noticeably darker on my lips. Like whoa, even after being described as a light nude pink. They're both beautiful colors, but going on the descriptions, I would have thought that imaginaire was confidence and confidence was imaginaire.

They are both very similar colors, so you definitely don't need both. I wanted both because I'm really into these types of colors, but someone who doesn't need every natural pink lipgloss could definitely skip one. I would recommend imaginaire to fellow ghosts like myself, and confidence to people with a deeper skintone.

Top: Imaginaire Bottom: Confidence

As for the controversial applicator, I hardly even noticed it was different, so if you're considering ordering one sight unseen, don't sweat it.

Now for some swatch pictures!

Left: Confidence Right: Imaginaire

Left: Confidence Right: Imaginaire

Both glosses have that subtle and enchanting Chanel glimmer. Yes, the depth, yes, the sheen. These are words that are used over and over again to describe Chanel's classy use of . . . all things. The verdict: these glosses lived up the hype and the Chanel reputation. Extrait de Gloss is definitely a welcome addition to their permanent line.

Paul & Joe Holiday 2010 Pictures and Review

Picture overload!! Here are the two Paul & Joe Holiday 2010 Lip and Eye Color sets! I couldn't decide which to get, and since I had a 30% off coupon for b~glowing, I just got both. I love the print so much this year, I definitely don't mind having two makeup bags. Isn't the print awesomely retro? I would love to have a dress made out of this print. I guess I could get my wish since this has undoubtedly been featured in the Paul & Joe clothing line . . . if I had a gazillion dollars that is.

Color 001 Adagio features a neutral color palette. The gloss has the frosty light pink rose with dark pink surroundings. The eyeshadows are creams and browns. Color 002 Allegro features a slightly more colorful and fun palette. The gloss has the dark pink frosty rose, and white surroundings. The eyeshadows are an interesting combination of light blues and pinks with smoky dark greens.

The Lipglosses are particularly exquisite. Could you die?!?! Forgive me for not doing any swatches, I just couldn't bare to destroy the roses in the center of each gloss. I'm sure I will dig in soon enough, but for now, I want to admire them for a little while longer.

Color 001 Adagio on L, 002 Allegro on R

The eyeshadows feature an interesting design. Single usage cards, but I feel like I could probably get upwards of five applications, even more with the darker shades. It's really a good amount of product for someone like me, who has never even come close to using up a pan of eyeshadow in her life. I think I'll be deriving quite a bit of satisfaction from using these up.

The Adagio eyeshadow colors are: cream frost, milky coffee, chocolate, dark cool brown, and sparkling dark grey. You could get such a killer holiday smoky eye from these. Score.

001 Adagio Eyeshadows

The Allegro eyeshadows are: light blue, pink cream, mauve pink, dark forest green, and deep black with brown and green sparkles. I definitely wouldn't know how to use all these colors together, but there are a lot of interesting combinations you could use. Like the mauve all over the lid, smoked out with the deep green and black. Sweet.

Color 002 Allegro Eyeshadows

My Ellis Faas Glazed Lips Collection: Swatches and Review

Today I bring you my entire Ellis Faas Glazed Lips collection. The formula of these is pretty excellent. They're extremely moisturizing, and decently long lasting when taken in context (they are lip glosses after all). But what I really love best about these glosses is the color range. The colors are so unique, and look soooooo right with my skin. Ellis Faas's philosophy is "human color." She bases all of her products on pigments and colors found in the human body. Want to rock the orange lip that's been featured on the runways, but don't know how you could possibly pull it off in real life? Ellis Faas Glazed lip in L304 is your answer (which is the third swatch from the left). I own Mac morange, and that shit is damn hard to wear, it really does look like clown mouth, but not Ellis's take on orange. Her take on the orange lip is so easy. Think Prada Spring 2010.

Another very wearable color is L301. This is the "glaze" version of the notorious "Ellis Red." This color makes your lips look like you were just tearing a carcass apart with your teeth, while lying in the tall grass of the savanna, but in a good way.

L303 is a dark pink color that looks excellent by itself or layered over another lip color. That's pretty much all I have to say about it. It's awesome.

Full sunlight. From L to R: L301, L303, L304, L305, L306, L307, L308

An unusual, yet complementary color, is L304. This is very brown in base, and is probably the product they're referring to when they say "tawny peach of a freckle." I like to wear this color with warm fall colors, like reds and ochre.

Two brights that's just right are L305 and L306. They're both coral shades that really look much different in real life. I don't know why they insisted on looking so similar in the swatch photo.

L308 is a surprisingly opaque neutral lip shade. When I wear this it's not quite concealer lip extravaganza, but not that far off. This is a good color to combine with other shades to make them more pink. If you have difficulty with overly pigmented lips, and would like a gloss with fuller coverage, I would highly recommend this shade.

Shade, same order.

The Ellis Faas website has some of the best swatches I've ever seen. The color is very true life, at least on my screen. Although, be aware that the lip swatches are extremely heavy on the website. None of the lip products really look quite that even or vibrant in real life, because there's just no way a normal person could walk around with that much product on their lips.

One last note for those of you ordering sight unseen, beware of the color L309! It's just clear, the color in the photograph is the model's natural coloring! Although it appears that the swatch is plainly labeled these days. Good for them.

Example of the tip, L301

To learn more about Ellis Faas and her philosophy, visit ellisfaas.com.

For my review on the Eye Lights, click here, and for my review of the concealer, click here.

Holy Damn, Best Gift with Purchase of ALL TIMES

That's right, your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a full size mascara, and a full size lipgloss. Let's just bask in the goodness, shall we?

More Rouge Bunny Rouge: The Lipglosses

The order that I put in to Zuneta last month also contained two lipglosses: Blameless, described as a your lips but better rosewood, and Relish of Heaven, described as sheer tangerine sorbet. It was love at first swatch!!! The formula is non-sticky and of medium thickness. The colors are very lovely on, and very complementary to my neutral/light skin tone. The sparkle isn't too much, it just adds a nice depth and shine to the lips. I obviously ordered these items sight unseen (although swatches on the glossgoss helped me to pick out Relish of Heaven with total confidence) and I think that not only the internet swatches found on Zuneta were pretty accurate, but also the description.

Top: Blameless, Bottom: Relish of Heaven

On the left, Blameless. On the right, Relish of Heaven.

In context with the Lipgloss/Blush duo.

From L to R: Duo Lipgloss, Duo Blush blended, Blush concentrated, Blameless, Relish of Heaven

I'm really liking everything that I've gotten from Rouge Bunny Rouge thus far. I'm actually sort of kicking myself for waiting so long to order. Although I have to remember that my old apartment was ghastly small, so nevermind. And by the way, Zuneta is still running a 20% off special with the coupon code "sheerluxez20." I sort of wish it would run out already, and assuage the temptation without causing further damage to the wallet.

Sonia Rykiel Summer 2010 Eyeshadows, Swatches and Review

This is probably a cruel cruel thing to do, since these eyeshadows are literally unattainable, but half the reason why I started a blog was to bring you the best bits of my stash, so there you have it.

Sonia Rykiel is a French fashion designer that, much like Paul and Joe, has a cosmetics line created to target the Japanese market. But unlike Paul and Joe, Sonia Rykiel does not have any availability in the states. After seeing an advertisement in maquilla (note to self, I should never ever under any circumstances buy that magazine, because it only leads down a road of terrible temptation!!!), I ordered all five of the eyeshadows from the Sonia Rykiel Summer 2010 collection from ichibankao.com.

The eyeshadows are gorgeous. The consistency is very smooth and easy to blend or sheer out. The sparkle might be a little too much for some, but I would still consider it to be toward the end of "sophisticated." I ordered these sight unseen, and I have to say I was tremendously disappointed that the center color is an overspray, but the quality of the shadows make up for it.

o1 is a true gold shimmer

02 is a deep purple-blue

03 is a brownish mauve

04 is a golden pink

05 is my favorite, and most unusual. It's a sparkling minty green white.

Very complex and complimentary to my eyes when used as an inner corner highlight.

from L to R: 01, 02, 03, 04 ,05

The Sonia Rykiel website can also be good fun. It's mostly in Japanese, but while the summer collection was being featured, there were all sorts of "looks" and suggestions. The theme of this particular collection was "sun rise" vs "sun set" makeup. The gold and pink colors were combined to make a sun rise makeup look, and the purple and mauve were combined to make a sun set look. The advertisement in maquilla also featured these combinations, and the effect on the model was truly lovely (hence the trippin' that led to the spendin').

All in all, the eyeshadows are beautiful, and I think worth the monies.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Like Whoa!

I've heard so much about Rouge Bunny Rouge. All of the England based beauty bloggers have been abuzz about it for the past year. That's because they get paid in Pound Sterling, lucky bastards. For those of us in the states, Rouge Bunny Rouge must be gotten at the exorbitant GBP to USD conversion on Zuneta.com. Such is life. Anyway, last month I put in my first order on Zuneta for an off the hook haul of Rouge Bunny Rouge. Today I bring you possibly my favorite product, the Decadent Duo Joys and Desires in Rumba Cubana (although it is very hard to choose, because everything that arrived was pretty fab). The Decadent Duo is a multi-tasking cream blush lip gloss combo that sort of rocks in every way, especially for ghostly pale types like myself. This particular duo is described as being "rosewood." I'm not really sure what type of color rosewood is supposed to be, a rosey wood? A woody rose? But in any case, it's lovely. See for yourself.

Lipgloss on Left, Liquid Blush on Right

From L to R: Blush concentrated, Blush blended, Lipgloss

Rouge Bunny Rouge is guilty of having really whack names and descriptions for everything. I mean, the Decadent Duo Joys and Desires is describes as such: "The night flowers in the Enchanted Garden open secretly in the dead of night. When all is quiet, they uproot and dance, weightlessly swaying in dangerously compelling movements, to mesmerise their prey, into a devoted stupor. 'Joys & Desires' were thus inspired as divinely-fashioned beauty weapons, bestowing you with the secret of travelling light and to arrive still looking delectable." OMG, the whack. I'm sure tons of people love all that, but personally, my most loathed gengre of anything is "romantic comedy" so that should explain it all. Of course, it's fine to enjoy romantic whatever, I just tend to stick to horror movies and science texts. Anyway, back to the duo.

The consistency of both the gloss and the liquid blush is very luxurious and non sticky. The blush is super easy to blend out, and looks very natural. The gloss is a perfect compliment and has all sorts of sparkly depth. The Decadent Duos come in four colors, this one being one of the two neutral offerings. These duos run at £28 which is usually about $40 on a (very) good day. Not a good value, really, considering how little of each of the two products you get. One nice thing is that Zuneta runs specials all the time, so I actually got a 20% discount on my whole order. Grace from LondonMakeupGirl often has discount codes for Zuneta, and actually, the promo code "sheerluxez20" is remarkably still valid, I just checked. I also highly recommend checking out retailmenot.com in general for deals associated with any website.

These duos are definitely a splurge, but I'm going back for the rest.