Thursday, April 19, 2012

Edward Bess Illuminating Eyeshadow Base

I'm in love with a new eye shadow base. I have been a loyal Stila base fan for more years than I can count. Over that time, I've tried and used other eye primers and bases that were good - really good - but I've never been motivated to jump ship entirely. Now, I've been nudged into the lifeboat. Edward Bess Illuminating Eyeshadow Base ($30) is fantastic.

Instantly transform your eyes with just one click and sweep of this silky smooth, luminous eye shadow base. Its built-in applicator and expert formula allow you to prep your lids and create the perfect canvas for flawless shadow application with dramatically extended wear.

The description doesn't say it all. Edward's eye shadow base and primer:
  • Evens skin tone, taking the red out;
  • Applies like a dream, smoothly and evenly with little application effort;
  • Looks bright without any shimmer on my eyelids;
  • Says put all day and more, without creasing or creeping;
  • Holds even "stubborn" eye shadows in place, making them look just-applied 12+ hours later.
The product comes in three shades. Cashmere is a light beige. I ordered sight unseen, and the color is perfect for me. When applied and blended, from lash line to brow, it looks like my own skin - only even toned. There is a medium bisque shade, Dune. Those with dark skin were not left out. Suede is a deep tan shade. I haven't seen it in person, but it looks dark in the online swatch.

It's my personal preference to apply a sweep of this base to my eyelid or palm and then blend it with my touch-up brush or fingers. I don't try to blend it with its own brush.

Once I used the Illuminating Eyeshadow Base for a few days and noticed that it worked really well with my "everyday" eye shadows, I gave it the supreme test. I applied a sparkly eye shadow. Many sparkly eye shadows lose their sparkles after a few hours - not all, but a majority. I find they morph between application and removal, which can sometimes be a a duration of 16 hours. I applied the sparkly shadow at 7:00 am and took off for work. I made careful mental note of the sparkles (where, how many, etc.). I did a scan before I removed the shadow at 9:00 pm. Not a single sparkle was gone - not one! That blew me away. My eye shadow looked like I had just applied it.

The only thing I don't like about Edward Bess Illuminating Eyeshadow Base is the propylene glycol in the ingredients. It's a hydrator, but not one I welcome in my cosmetics. There are equally effective hydrators that are more friendly, but they are more costly to manufacturers than propylene glycol. I guess the PG is balanced by the botanical ingredients. Had I been the designer, I would have used something else for the hydrating properties.

Edward Bess Illuminating Eyeshadow Base is available at Sephora online, where I purchased mine, and Zuneta. It's also available at Sephora's Union Square site in New York City. Or, you can find it at Edward Bess counters at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. Everyone should use an eye shadow base, and this is an incredible new option.

Photo courtesy of Sephora

15 comments:

said...

i was wondering about this product yesterday and im just so glad you reviewed this. wow! sounds amazing!

Charlestongirl said...

Glad it helped, Pang! Think you'll be the dark shade or medium?

Unknown said...

I'm going to try this for sure! Thanks for the review!

Clarisse said...

I'll definitely adopt this one once my Shadow Insurance (by Too Faced) is finished: thanks for the information! I hope your mother is and feels better?

Me said...

That looks promising. I'm glad to see him coming out with new items on a semi-regular basis. I am at least as fair as you, so if Cashmere works for you, it would work for me and PP above, too!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi PP,

I think you're going to love it!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Clarisse,

Mom doesn't feel better, although she was discharged from the hospital. She has no energy or appetite. Tomorrow, I'm going to get an appetite stimulant prescribed. We went through this once before. It's like you have to kick-start her system.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Zuzu, I think so too. For all three of us, the medium shade will be too dark.

Christina said...

I really want to get this!

Deb said...

Hi Charlestongirl. I was glad to see your review; I'm very curious about this product. I only have a couple of shadows by EB so far and I love them. I noticed in the description that it is supposed to hide red. I have very red upper eyelids and I constantly looking for a primer that has enough color coverage to help with that. What is your opinion on the opacity of the color in this product?

Charlestongirl said...

It's very good, Deb. That's one of my criteria. I have some red too, and it is a perfect for banishing it.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Christina,

It's reasonably priced too, which is nice.

Judith DM said...

I bought this in Dune today! Monday is my day for 'dropping by' Neiman's as I am nearby. While the associate demonstrated it, I have not used it personally, but I like the way it blends, it is very close to my natural skin color! Has anybody tried his somewhat new Serum? Also, I stopped by the Guerlain counter to look at their compact foundation with concealer...I like the idea, not sure the shade the associate recommended for me is right, as I have yellow undertones, this seemed pink. I am almost out of Mr. Bess' foundation, so thought I would look at this! Has anybody tried? Mine would be #2 if I take the costly plunge! I am a very light olive with yellow undertones. I was very, very disappointed with the Guerlain fragrance selection at Neimans Beverly Hills, which was my main objective!!!!!!

Doc Blue said...

Does this work on matt eyeshadows?

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Doc Blue,

Yes, very well.