The Island Escape (01) eye shadow trio by Edward Bess is a makeup bag essential and a staple for those mornings that the idea of choosing, matching and planning an eye look before the second cup of tea is too excruciating for words. The trio looks like the most mundane basic brown eye shadow palette, but we're talking Edward Bess here, so you know it's special.
The eye shadow trio includes a shimmery ivory (brighter and more shimmery than Edward Bess single color in Nude), a medium matte brown and a dark matte. The colors are different than any of the singles, so there's no redundancy (not that I would mind a travel-friendly palette made of the mono shades). They are also incredibly beautiful when applied; blending them is easy, fool-proof and results in a very professional and sophisticated look. Edward Bess uses his own eye brush to apply, define and blend all three colors into a very French style- add some black eyeliner and mascara and it's done (red lip optional). I don't have his brush skills, so I prefer using a couple more tools when applying the eye shadows, especially when working on the details. A contour brush and a smudger/liner brush are important to me, as well as a smoky liner (like Laura Mercier's) if I'm going between and under the bottom lashes.
Like all Edward Bess eye shadows, Island Escape trio is soft and luxurious. The powder melds with your skin and becomes one with it, staying put over a primer the entire day. This palette has seen a lot of action since I've taken the first photos and has traveled with me quite a bit. It doesn't take much space and the velvet pouch keeps the compact scratch-free and in nice shape. It makes life easier on the go and can be easily spruced up by blending a smidgen of a bolder color (navy, jade, teal...) onto the lid.
Bottom Line: a must-have for me.
Edward Bess Island Escape Eye Shadow Trio ($60) is available from edwardbess.com, Bergdorf Goodman and select Neiman Marcus stores as well as online.
All photos by me.
EB's eye for color and finish is really extraordinary. He is able to take the most mundane, basic colors and transform them into something refined and sophisticated. They all have a lovely soft, satin glow that brings light to the eyes.
ReplyDeleteI bought this palette last year when it came out. Knowing the elegant and polished look his individual shadows achieve, I was confident that this palette would do the same and I was right. It goes with me whenever I travel.
Eileen, Gaia or anyone else able to help me.. how warm are the two browns? How do they compare to the mattes in the UD naked palette (if you know). Thank you in advance - I'm in Europe so have to buy unseen from the net if I do.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to live with only one eyeshadow compact for the rest of my life, this looks like it would be it.
ReplyDeleteBaby in a Corner, I passed on the Naked palette after I swatched the colors at Ulta, so I can't compare, but the finish is completely different. As for undertones, I find the Edward Bess browns very very neutral. There's no red or bronze or gold in these shades.
ReplyDeleteOne of the interesting aspects of Edward Bess colors is the way the work equally well on a very wide range of skin tones. Eileen and I could not be more different in coloring (the same goes to other bloggers who favor the line like Sabrina from The Beauty Look Book or CharlestonGirl from Best Things In Beauty, though the latter is probably closest to Eileen). We all buy these colors and adore how they look on us.
Eileen, did you also buy the second palette? It's the one Edward Bess item I'm not utterly sure I need, but Sabrina loves it so much I might give it another try.
ReplyDeleteV., if I had to live with a very small and edited one brand stash, EB would most likely be my choice.
ReplyDeleteNice review Gaia- it looks like these colors could be worn with brown or green eyeliners for a nice pop??
ReplyDeleteThe EB trio does remind me a little bit of the Bobbi Brown Chocolate color story that was so popular about five years ago? This is not a bad thing, I adored that palette, hit pan pretty quickly as it was a frequent go-to, especially for business travel. Perhaps BB Chocolate color story was more warmth? What do you think?
One of my resolutions this year was to try EB as his line is such high quality, this may be my gateway item! :)
Hi Gaia. No, I passed on the smoky trio as I already had a number of shadows that could do the same thing. Sabrina loves it so much because she finally found something that gives her a beautiful smoky eye, but I had already found my perfect smoky combo amongst the items in my stash.
ReplyDeleteHi Baby in a Corner. I agree with everything Gaia said. Although The Nakeds is a lovely palette, I found the UD mattes to be one dimensional in comparison to EB. EB's mattes are never flat. His colors have a soft, subtle glow that the UD is lacking. And, because there's more depth to the shades, the colors really meld with your skin tone. EB has taken the art of the neutral to a whole new level.