Edward Bess Quad Royale Poudre Éclat Quatre Couleurs in Summer in Capri (with Swatches)

Everyone wanted to see the new Edward Bess Quad Royale Poudre Éclat Quatre Couleurs in Summer in Capri ($45) swatched - myself included. First, I wanted to get photos of the compact unused, which I was able to do with some effort today. When the weather forecasters say it's going to be mostly cloudy, they mean there will be very little sun. Today, they were correct. Fortunately "very little sun" did equate to a ray of sunshine now and then, and I was able to get half-decent photos.

I love this Quad Royale palette. The pastel shades are light, subtle, and perfect for me. They may suit those with darker skin as well, but the effect will be different. I want to gush, but I'm holding off until the end of this feature.

The powder is extremely creamy. The effect on the skin is sophisticated and flattering. I swatched the individual shades with a sponge-tipped applicator and was struck immediately by the creamy consistency. I blended all four shades together with a dense blush brush and applied a circular swatch lightly, just a tiny bit darker than I'd apply the powder to my face. My photos were taken as I danced through my garden during short bursts of sunshine.

Let's start with the subtle blended shade shown above. I hope you can see in that photo and the other below that the fours shades blended, as they are intended to be used, provide a glowing, beige-pink color to the skin. Remember that you can click on the photos to enlarge them. I took photos with different floral backgrounds so that you could see the color with pink vs yellow flowers in the background. I hoped that would help emphasize the warm pink shade of the powder.

I did swatch all four shades individually. I swatched in a clockwise order, starting at the top left of the compact. That shade, at the top of my arm, is a pink-peach hybrid - more peach than pink. The pink Japanese anemones in the background may help illustrate that.

The two nudes are perfect shades. One is darker than the other. Both blend beautifully with the other shades. I love the cool tones (there's absolutely no mud or camel in them). Between the two nude shades, there's a very light warm pink. It's hard to see in my photos because it blends very nicely with my skin tone.

Since the shades are light, I doubt I'd get better photos than those I was able to snag today. The colors shown here are true. They are definitely light - perfect for my fair skin. I suspect that as your skin tone darkens from mine, the powder will provide less color and more glow. While the shades don't shimmer, they do leave an elegant, flattering glow on my skin.

I definitely plan to try the individual shades as eye shadows. I see nothing in the ingredients other than a red dye that might irritate the eyelids. Since it's not the red dye that has historically been an issue for women (this one's CI 15850 if you care), it should be fine.

I tried to avoid gushing, but can't stop myself. I love everything Edward Bess does, and I love my new palette. I can't wait to see the other color families he plans to introduce in future Quad Royales. I'm sure I'll need all of them! For now, Summer in Capri is the closest I'll get to the Italian destination. The shades evoke a sunset that highlights the pastel shades of the beautiful seaside architecture. With my new palette, I don't need plane fare.

I purchased my Quad Royale from Bergdorf Goodman. You can call Susan or Jennifer at the Edward Bess counter there at (212) 872-8826. There's a beauty gift card event through tomorrow, so now's the perfect time to order this, Edward's new Black Sea Deep Hydration Cream, or anything you'd like from Edward Bess or another counter. For the spend/reward levels, check this link. I'm not sure whether the Neiman Marcus Edward Bess counters have received Summer in Capri yet. You could ask your favorite sales associate to check.

Photos by Best Things in Beauty; Capri photo courtesy of old-picture.com