Edward Bess Bess-Lash Designer Volumizing Mascara

Edward Bess has a new mascara, Bess-Lash Designer Volumizing Mascara ($30), and it's noteworthy. I'm very happy with it.

You may have noticed that I don't write about mascaras often. There's a reason. I've tried many, including the high-priced ones that get rave reviews, and I have not found them equal to or better than the Maybelline Define-A-Lash I use regularly. Why extol the qualities of a $30 mascara when you have an $8 mascara that works just as well? Finally, I am ready to recommend a $30 mascara!

I ordered Bess-Lash only because it was made by Edward Bess. Here's what his Web site has to say about it.

Your lashes deserve the Bess! Discover mega-lashes like never before. Weightless smudge-proof formula pumps up the volume. Designer brush separates and coats each lash from base to tip for ultimate definition. All eyes on you.

The description has the same spare elegance as his cosmetics. There's no hype beyond the brief description.

What I found when I applied Bess-Lash is that it has the same magnificent qualities of the volumizing Define-A-Lash mascara I've recommended to countless women - and that's a good thing! For a start, it doesn't clump. I am almost fanatical in my dislike of clumpy eyelashes. I don't think women should run around looking like they have applied a shelf of black goo over their eyes. Rather than enhancing them, it distracts. My first reaction is, "That poor makeup victim."

On my first application, I used the brush of Bess-Lash incorrectly. It has widely spaced brush combs, meaning there's a thin row of plastic combs, then a blank space, then another thin row, and more blank space as you turn the wand. The first time I used it, I had been using only the thin row of combs, without holding the wand in a way that the blank space could separate my lashes. This worked perfectly on my lower lashes, but not so well on my top lashes. I always apply mascara to my blond lower lashes - not much, just enough to make them visible.

Then I had a moment of insight and realized I needed to ensure that I was using the blank spaces in addition to the combs on my top lashes. Once I did, I had the keys to the kingdom.

This mascara easily coats my lashes, which are thankfully long, adds some volume without weight (or that dreaded shelf), and separates for a natural look. There are no nasty fibers to fall into my contacts. It stays put all day, without flaking or smudging. My lashes look as nice at the end of a work day as they did when I set off from the house. It comes off without harsh eye makeup removers. What more can you ask from a mascara?

You can purchase Bess-Lash at Edward Bess online or Edward Bess counters at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.

Photo courtesy of Edward Bess