Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum

Barneys New York has quickly become my new favorite playground. I adore their fragrance selection and the L'Artisan, Serge Lutens and Byredo counters have been the highlights of my trips to LA. I had been eyeing Byredo's Gypsy Water for over six months before I finally decided to purchase. My first experience with the line was last June in Beverly Hills. Within minutes of arriving instore I managed to spritz 4 different perfumes sprayed on different areas of my arms: La Tulipe, Gypsy Water, Blanche and Serge Lutens Clair de Musc. My nose quickly became confused as everything started to blend together. I was most drawn to Gypsy Water but still being new and cautious when it comes to expensive fragrances decided to wait. I tested this on two more occasions in store, once in San Francisco, one more time in Beverly Hills. Finally, the week before Christmas I caved and used a gift card to purchase the smaller 50 ml version ($145) from Barneys.com.

Byredo is a fragrance line based in Stockholm founded in 2006 by Ben Gorham. I found the interview featured on Into the Gloss particularly touching and highly inspirational. There are a number of wonderful scents from Byredo, the first one for me is Gypsy Water which is an Eau de Parfum and comes in two sizes (see Byredo.com for more details). To me, smells like a grown-up more sophisticated version of Fresh Sugar and Brown Sugar (both of which I found too sweet, too citrusy and headache-inducing). On my skin, the fragrance can be a bit finicky if I do not spray the right amount on my skin evenly. It is quite intense so two spritzes on the wrists is max that my nose can handle in one day's wear. If I do not spray enough the citrus notes overwhelm and induce a migraine. However, when sprayed on the skin in an even motion, I smell a beautiful mixture of sweet amber, vanilla mixed with a hint of lemon. The spice notes and vanilla prevent the citrus from overpowering. It's soothing and refreshing and sweet. It's uplifting with a fresh and slightly earthy feel. Still, it is a bit tricky to wear and very easy to overdo. I recommend you test and apply with caution.

The notes: Top: Bergamot, lemon, pepper, juniper berries
Heart: Incense, pine needles, orris
Base: Amber, vanilla, sandalwood

I adore Gypsy Water but I don't think it's an easy fragrance to wear everyday due to the sweetness. As you can see from the listed notes, it's highly complex, but in a lighter sense (instead of being a dark kind of complex). I highly recommend testing and letting it sit on the skin for at least an hour before deciding how it wears on you. Even though I'm getting more and more adventurous with fragrance exploration, I'm still more of a no-perfume kind of perfume girl. Gypsy Water is light enough for those who don't like perfume with a surprisingly long lasting power (as long as you don't apply too much too close to the skin, I find a concentrated spot makes the scent a bit too cloying). Overall a lovely feminine pleasant sweet perfume.

Have you tried anything from Byredo before? What have your experiences been? Those who have tried Gypsy Water, do you find it wears odd on you depending on how you apply it? Any tips/thoughts you'd like to share? I would love to hear about your Byredo favorites (not just the fragrances, but candles, lotions, etc.)!

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Wild Rose and Rose Gold

Bobbi Brown has released two new limited-edition Shimmer Bricks in Wild Rose and Rose Gold ($39 each for .4 oz/10.3 g, hand made in Italy). I first saw the preview on Rouge Deluxe and having a weakness for all things shimmery, immediately ordered these once they arrived on Nordstrom.com. Wild Rose is a soft pinkish rose with high shimmer (on the left) and Rose Gold is a shimmery beige warm pink gold (on the right). Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Bricks can be extremely shimmery and are easy to overdo because they are rich in pigment. I apply with a very light hand and a super fluffy brush in soft layers to avoid that overly-frosted finish. Below are a few shots in direct sunlight where you can see the complex shimmery glow.

Wild Rose is a stunner. It's a romantic palette of shimmery roses and pinks. I tried swatching each color individually but with the high frost and flash, they all looked the same swatched on my arm. It pulls a bit warmer and darker than Bobbi Brown's Rose Shimmer Brick (which has pale white strips). After swiping on my fingers and arms I was really worried it would be way too frosty. Today I applied this over NARS G-Spot Multiple and MAC Golden Bronzer as a pink highlight. I was pleasantly surprised how the shimmer softened after the skin warmed up.

Rose Gold is a soft pale rose gold with strips of soft iridescent peach, sandy beige, rose and seashell pinks. Sometimes I feel like designers and artists create rose golds to be extremely rich and almost coppery-like. This Rose Gold Shimmer Brick is a pleasant surprise to be softer and more flesh toned with a hint of rose and gold mixed together. This is lovely as a highlighter. Do not let the swatches below deter you. I would caution you do use with a lighter hand though. I like Bobbi Brown's blender brushes or MAC's skunk brushes to apply.

A BIG DISCLAIMER: these were swatched with a very heavy hand. I'm not sure they will be helpful at all because nobody really applies face products with this much intensity. At least not for everyday wear. Do check out reviews on other blogs to get a better idea if you can't get to a counter to play in person.

A few comparisons for you:

Are these must-haves? As usual, I think it depends. Do you like shimmery pink highlighters? Then yes! If you're one who doesn't like any hint of frost then these might be too over the top for you. I do find Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Bricks versatile though. To get that soft glow make sure you use a loose fluffy brush. Try to apply softly in layers by swiping the face in a large sweeping motion rather than packing on the color.

How do they compare to other shades? Swirled all together, I would say Wild Rose is close to Rose and Rose Gold is close to Pink Quartz. The difference is subtle, I'm not sure that it's all that noticeable on the face, perhaps it depends on skintone. I personally am very pleased.

Sunday Riley Eye Shadow Comparisons

A few swatched comparisons to help give you a better idea of the colors from my recent Sunday Riley Eyeshadow haul.

First set, Fool's Gold and Burnt Eggplant comparisons, left to right: Sunday Riley Fool's Gold, Burberry Midnight Brown, NARS Mekong, Bobbi Brown Black Cocoa, Sunday Riley Burnt Eggplant, MAC Circa Plum Pigment, Edward Bess Mystery and Burberry Taupe Brown

Second set, Lady Godiva and Leprechaun comparisons, left to right (swatches below will demonstrate how what you see in the pan doesn't really translate to what is swatched, Lady Godiva shows no mauvey signs in the pan but on the arm you can see how it pulls cooler): Sunday Riley Lady Godiva, Burberry Rosewood, MAC Coco Pigment, Sunday Riley Leprechaun, Lancome Erika F., MAC Greensmoke

Sunday Riley Prismasilk Eye Color: Lady Godiva, Fool's Gold, Leprechaun & Burnt Eggplant

Sunday Riley Prismasilk Eye Colors are finely milled and richly pigmented eyeshadows. I fell in love with Leprechaun on The Non-Blonde and agree whole-heartedly with her review. While at Barneys I was particularly impressed by the color selection and I had similar challenges to Gaia narrowing down my initial picks. I of course was drawn to the more complex shimmer neutrals and picked out Lady Godiva, Fool's Gold, Leprechaun and Burnt Eggplant ($26 each).

As I swatched each color at the counter, I found that many of the shimmery shades applied slightly different than what you see in the pan. This is due to the blend of many different shimmers and pigments. I wouldn't call any of them duo-chrome, but the shimmers are quite complex.

Lady Godiva 104 is a sandy-beachy shimmer neutral with a hint of mauve. I found it almost identical to Sanders 100. In the pan they looked practically identical. On the skin I felt Lady Godiva was slightly cooler-toned. On the skin, I find that Lady Godiva darkens a bit to add a bit of a paler-mauvey-nude-champagne finish. It works as an all over lid shade, layering creates a contour color, or you can use it as a highlight. The texture is very soft (think along the lines of Urban Decay) and easy to blend, although I do believe you will need to experiment with different brushes. I used a Bobbi Brown Brush on one eye and a Laura Mercier on the other. Both created a bit of powdery debris in the pan and I had fallout when applying. Using my Edward Bess brush picked up the most color without having any fallout. Do note that once on the eye I feel these last all day.

Fool's Gold 111 is a gorgeous deep blackened bronze with gold flecks. It rivals Burberry's Midnight Brown. I did find that Fool's Gold is best when applied with a damp brush. It blends/smokes out easily. Applied dry I ended up with tiny bits of gold glitter and brown shimmers all over the cheeks. At Barneys, the SA showed this layered over Casablanca (a shimmery steel blue grey) and the result was stunning. I didn't pick up Casablanca because I found it too blue but I have to admit I was tempted. Fool's Gold changes color depending on how the light hits the pan. Fallout issues aside when applied dry, I do think this applies much better than NARS Night Series eye colors. 

Leprechaun 116 is summed up in full by The Non-Blonde (see her review here). Leprechaun is a beautiful mixture of olive, green, gold, brown. The shimmer factor is high but not overly so. I find it a more office-appropriate version of Lancome's Erika F. I had fall-out issues with this color as well, but it applies beautifully dry. You just need to clean up under the eye with a q-tip.

Burnt Eggplant 128 is one of those odd-ball shades. It appears more brown in the pan but applies more plum. This one is my favorite out of all the ones I picked out. The shimmer is finely milled and applies softly as a nice contour shade. The pigment is intense but layerable. It's a good soft plum-brown without being too harsh.

Swatched, two views:

Ingredient listing:

Overall a thumbs up. Sunday Riley Eyeshadows can be found at Barneys New York. Try this link for online access, it might be hit or miss for going through (found this via a google search): Sunday Riley Prismasilk Eye Color.

Sunday Riley at Barneys New York Beverly Hills

It was the week before Christmas when I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I was browsing Barneys.com when I came across a new brand of eyeshadow, by Sunday Riley. I instantly searched for reviews and more information and The Non-Blonde perfectly timed her review of Blushing Blush by Sunday Riley. When she raves, I listen. I was instantly intrigued but couldn't bring myself to buy the shadows or blushes sight unseen. (The gift card instead went to a Byredo purchase.) Thankfully I was able to satisfy my curiosity and check out Sunday Riley at Barneys in Beverly Hills. The counter is located where Koh Gen Do was formerly (KGD has been shifted over to another spot in the same bay). So far for color items they only have eyeshadows and blushes. I was able to sneak a photo of the shadow display. I was told Glosses and Lipsticks are expected to arrive in a month or so.

For those new to Sunday Riley (like myself), I highly recommend you read more about her on her website SundayRiley.com. She is known for her skincare line. I am still learning more about her and as I find out more I will share what I find. Locations are on her website.

I picked 4 eyeshadows and 2 blushes. I will include swatches and descriptions in a more detailed post soon, but here is a sneak peek. Left to right: Lady Godiva, Fool's Gold, Leprechaun and Burnt Eggplant.

First impressions are a thumbs up. Right now, I can't always find the eyeshadows on Barneys.com. Sometimes if I google the phrase "Sunday Riley Eyeshadow Barneys" I will find the link. Sometimes it will say no page exists. Perhaps they are updating their website as the line rolls out.

Have you tried her cosmetics line yet? I'm all ears! (Better photos to come soon, these were taken at sunset so there is a slight cast due to lighting issues.)

Latest: Edward Bess Now Available on Sephora.com

I have great news for everyone! Edward Bess is now available on Sephora.com! The latest from the Edward Bess team ...

"Following huge success in Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, Edward Bess is expanding into Sephora, launching on Sephora.com this January 2012 and will debut in store in early May 2012. As the Edward Bess brand extends its reach, Edward is excited to continue to share his vision with the brand’s legion of devoted followers and introduce the edited range to Sephora customers. “It has been a dream of mine to share my beauty philosophy with women everywhere and I am especially excited to partner with Sephora.” Edward Bess quickly became the name on every woman’s lips since his debut collection of revolutionary lip colors took the world of beauty by storm. Coveted by Hollywood starlets and everyday women alike, Edward Bess is synonymous with refined style, exquisite luxury, and innovation. Edward perfects the art of understated sophistication time and time again, harnessing his extraordinary creative force with exceptional attention to detail in the creation of his edited neutral makeup colors and cutting-edge skincare. His paired-down, “less is more” approach allows each woman’s natural beauty to shine through while putting her Bess face forward."

Happy shopping! Be sure to check out Edward Bess on Facebook for the latest updates =)

Edward Bess Quad Royale in Monte Carlo 02

This past weekend I had a much needed girls'-day-out in LA. On our list was a stop at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills to check out the newly launched Tom Ford beauty line and of course our favorite girls at the Edward Bess counter. I didn't expect to see anything new from his line (although I've been eagerly waiting for his eye bases to be released) but spotted a new Quad Royale in Monte Carlo 02 a beautiful highlighter quad of peachy goodness ($45 for 0.25 oz/7g). Being the peach fanatic and EB fan that I am, I snapped one up immediately without even trying it at the counter (I had other blushes on that I was testing from another brand).

Monte Carlo 02 is the third Quad Royale face highlighter Edward Bess has released. It has four colors in a black mirrored compact, all different variations and intensities of peach shimmer. The lightest shade is a pale champagne but the others are darker and more pigmented. I previously featured Summer in Capri 03 and South of France 01 in prior months and love layering them over his Daydream Bronzer or other blushes to add a soft glow. I find they are perfect for my medium skintone to add a subtle highlight to brighten the face. Monte Carlo is also a highlighter but I find the colors darker so this could also work as a blush. I do find it more pigmented and more shimmery than the others but in a beautiful sense (it's not overly frosted). The texture is similar to that of the other quad royales: smooth, finely milled shimmer and easy to blend on the face for a natural glow. I do find it a bit harder in texture compared to his original version of the Daydream bronzer which is the one I have featured in the past. The Quad Royale still applies smoothly and easily on the skin. Monte Carlo has no detectable scent. I love the brush that comes in the compact - it's a step up from most compacts other brands have and is usable to dust the cheeks evenly with color. Here are all 3 of Edward's face quads plus a few more close up shots:

Outdoors, cloudy lighting, no flash:

Ingredient listing (clickable for larger viewing):

On the face it applies shimmery. I have worn this as a blush alone but prefer this layered over another semi-matte to fully-matte product (whether it is blush or bronzer). I was hoping for sun this weekend but it was overcast. Here are the best swatches I could manage:

A few comparisons to other peachy blushes and bronzers. There are others I could have pulled but right now I am limited on time so I pulled a small sample to help give you an idea of the color. Please note that right now I do not have time to accommodate extra comparison or dupe requests.

Swatched left to right: Bobbi Brown Nectar Shimmerbrick, Dior Aurora, Edward Bess Summer in Capri, Edward Bess Monte Carlo, MAC Ripe Peach

Bottom line: love. It gives a natural peachy glow with a subtle refined shimmer. Pigment is sheer but noticeable on the skin with one swipe and it is also layerable for more color. If you have Summer in Capri, do you need Monte Carlo? They are similar in color but the Summer in Capri has bigger portions of lighter shades while Monte Carlo has more peach. I think they are different enough to justify both. Is Monte Carlo a must-have? In my opinion yes, even with the dozens of peachy shimmers I already own, yes.

As of this past weekend I was not able to find this anywhere online for sale. I do know the Beverly Hills Neiman Marcus counter has this. I highly recommend you call them to order if you're interested. I have not yet checked with the Bergdorfs counter.