My fascination for the sophistication and glamour of the classics silver screen starlets originates from my childhood. When watching Old Hollywood films, it’s inevitable to notice the women’s flawless faces and signature red lip. As a young girl, I often asked my grandmother or mom for such a red lippy and if I didn’t get it – stubborn as I still am – I did it myself with a regular pencil or marker.

With this love for the classic aesthetics, I couldn’t but try out some items of the vintage-inspired makeup brand that is Bésame Cosmetics. Unfortunately for European girls like myself, the Bésame website itself only ships within the USA, Alaska and Hawaii. When searching for European retailers, I stumbled across Beauty Bay. Beauty Bay offers not all, but the most popular items of the Bésame range. For my first try of the brand, I went for a lipstick and face powder.

The Bésame lipsticks all come in an elegant golden bullet packaging with a chrysanthemum print, a true eye piece to put on your dresser. I picked up the lipstick in the color ‘Bésame Red’. This color is a true replica of a color worn in the 1920s. It is a true red with a blueish undertone, which is known to have a whitening effect on the teeth. It is just the most perfect shade of classic red I’ve ever worn.

I was very positively surprised by the lipstick’s formula and texture. With its satin finish, the lipstick applies very smooth, giving a nice even pigmented color. But because of this semi-mat satin texture, I had some concerns about the durability of the lipstick. However, after the first day wear, my concerns were immediately proven redundant. The color holds very well during the day, though I find it better with a lip pencil underneath. Even after removing my makeup at the end of the day, the lipstick leaves a cute reddish tint on the lip for some nighttime glamour when hanging in the couch.

Admiring the unblemished faces of the icons from the past eras, I also wanted to give the face powder a try. Since I am fair-skinned,  I selected the ‘Vanilla Brightening Powder’ shade. The graceful chrysanthemum theme from the lipstick is continued on the powder’s packaging. The powder comes with a powder puff, which I use for setting the powder after applying it with a makeup brush. As with the lipstick, I immediately loved the texture of this loose powder. It truly leaves a velvety finish, far from the caked feeling I’ve had with other brands. If you have an oily skin, you might want to re-apply just a bit on your T-zone during the day to keep the mattifying effect, but overall the powder will keep your makeup smudge-free all day long.

I am happy to have found Beauty Bay to try out Bésame Cosmetics and regret to not have done this earlier. I am truly in love with the packaging, formulations, textures and colors of Bésame, and last but definitely not least important it is all cruelty-free.

I definitely recommend to give Bésame a try yourself, either via their brand website or via Beauty Bay if you are a European makeup enthusiast. I foresee my collection extending past these two items mentioned here and am excited to try out more colors and products from the Bésame collection.

The ‘Bésame Red’ is definitely my favorite red lipstick now! Have you tried out Bésame already? What are your favorite products?

X Miss Lipstick & Pipettes X