Makeup by Fragrance Brand Byredo

Byredo as a fragrance brand has been on my radar for a good few years. I own and love Bal D’Afrique and have sampled many of their fragrances over the years. Byredo opened a London store a couple of years ago and I drooled over their handbags and leather goods. Their Scandinavian aesthetic is appealing cool yet simplistic at the same time. The launch of their makeup line was met with great excitement, so I happily picked up a few pieces when they launched last week.

Why the Excitement?

Ben Gorham the man behind the Byredo has collaborated with Isamaya Ffrench, the British makeup designer who is equally talented in conventional beauty looks as she is special effects.

Her makeup looks are stunning and the collaboration was worthy of the excitement that it garnered. Products were released on the Byredo website a couple of days before landing at Selfridges.

I picked up my Byredo goodies directly from the website as the lure of two fragrance samples (Blanche and Rose for No Man’s Land) for me as a fragrance addict was irresistible. The aesthetic is like no other in the marketplace. The mascara, lipstick and lip balm have curved shapes which not only have ergonomic promise but aesthetic appeal. The colour sticks are housed in a simple silver bullet, the perfect backdrop to the delicious colours that they house.

The Colour Sticks

The multiuse sticks are available in 16 shades. Suitable for use on the eyes, cheeks and lips they provide the opportunity to play with abandon or apply with polish. The concept is not new but the execution is very good. It is three grams of product which does not sound like a lot but the shelf life is three grams, more or less double the size of a standard powder eyeshadow. The texture lightweight and the finish is dry not tacky. It can be applied with a brush, a finger or directly from the bullet.


• Ultramagnetic – a blue based purple with silver and blue shimmer. I would only wear this shade on the eyes.
• Mesolithic – pinky plum. Pretty on the lips, cheeks and eyes.
• Ancient – dark brown with a hint of bronze. A great nude option for eyes lips and cheeks.

The shades blend easily which means that I can create a shimmery purple with Mesolithic and Ultramagnetic, a deep plum with Ancient and Mesolithic and an array of other shades.

The Mascara

Mascara is always tricky to purchase, especially when you have not seen it in store or seen any reviews on it but when I saw the small wand, I had to try it. I love a small wand to really work into the root of my lashes and build length. I can create curl with my Shu Uemura lash curler but having a formula that holds curl all day is a bonus.

Space Black does all those things. It is a really really good mascara. It dries slightly crunchier than is my preference, but that is forgiven since it works on so many other levels. If you have already found your perfect mascara you probably wont be enticed by this one, but is you are still looking for ‘the one’ this one might be worth a try.


Final Thoughts

I am very happy with my Byredo makeup goodies. The packaging is stunning, and the products are easy to use and high quality. It is an interesting extension to the line as it retains the coolness but in a way that is more edgy then simplistic. The Colour Sticks are a great texture, emollient, but not too emollient, and the range of shades mean that nude loves and colour mavens (like me) are well catered for.

Mascara can be tricky to buy on line, but my instincts did not do me wrong. I was umming and ahhing over the China Plum lipstick in the promo images it looked more pink then purple … but it is calling my name. There are eyeshadow palettes on the horizon so I may pick one up then.

Read more of my luxe beauty reviews here and here. Follow me on Instagram for more beauty news and reviews.

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