Besame cosmetics

[RetroMom]

That's a great tip!

I'm going to try it! I love their products too!!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

It really works! Most foundations, regardless of type, will look cakey on me because I am so pale. When I blot them, they seem to melt into my skin. This trick makes them last longer too!

I've actually cleared out a lot of my regular stash of makeup and replaced it with Besame. There are certain drugstore products that I still use and love, but Besame is so luxurious and old fashioned that it just makes sense to use it

 

[WoeSis]

grateful

i am so glad that i have found this thread, late though i may be. i've been on the mailing list for Besame for many, many months but have never bought from them as i'm no fan of buying make-up sight unseen. The samples sound lovely, but i've not dived in yet.

Thank you, ladies, for posting your reviews and information. i just may have to indulge in some Besame very soon.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

The samples are actually very generous! And the makeup itself will last forever. It is so richly pigmented you only use a minute amount. So, it seems pricy, but it is a good value.

 

[magneto]

Followup/review

I received my lipstick samples and thought I'd report for general info, for those in my same predicament (finding a true red when you have yellow-toned olive skin). The "Red Hot Red" alone, goes on pink for me. The "Red Velvet" is much better, a deep red without being brick-ish. The "Noir" looks sort of "deep cherry" if that makes sense, really not as dark as it looks on the page when I apply it.
Hmm, I find if I use a brown lip pencil as a "base coat" and then put the Red Hot Red on, that "undercoat" darkens the lipstick enough to look like a proper Technicolor '40s brick-red on me.

Hope this is helpful for someone.

 

[Renee]

I own several Besame cosmetics. I have the eyeshadow in Plum Dandy and the black, blush in Sweet Pink, the loose translucent powder, and lipstick in Dusty Rose.

The eyeshadows are wonderful. They wear like iron and absolutely do not crease or fade. They look just as fresh when you take them off as they did when you applied them. The pigments are so pure and concentrated that it takes literally just a smidge on the end of your eyeshadow brush. I use the black (is it called Black Pearl?) as an eyeliner, applied dry, and it lasts forever. I generally wear browns for daytime, though, and am anxiously waiting for my current stuff to be used up so I can order the Socialite Brown and Shimmer Beige!

I also love the blush. I had a little trouble adapting to applying it with the little teeny sponge (slightly larger than a Lifesaver candy, lol) but now I find that applying it this way gives me the most natural application. The blush, too, wears like iron with no fading. My only complaint is that it is in the same container as the eyeshadow; I would prefer something different, so I can pick it out easily.

The loose translucent powder is dreamy. It has a delicious vanilla scent and gives wonderful matte coverage. I apply it lightly with the puff, then dust any excess off with a large powder brush. I don't wear foundation, just a little Max Factor panstick on my undereye circles, and I think this powder gives me the most beautiful and smooth complexion. Like the blush and eyeshadow, it also wears like iron. I can go an entire day with no "breakthrough" oiliness on my forhead or nose.

The only problem I have is with the lipstick. I love the color of the Dusty Rose, but the lipstick tends to wear off leaving a dark-colored ring around my lips. I keep playing with it, since I love the color, and am open to tips on how to make it work.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

You may need to line and fill in your lips--that way, when you lipstick wears off, you still have color left on your mouth. The liner also gives the lipstick something to cling to, making it last longer overall.

Besame is working on a lovely collection of lip and eye liners, with a bird-shaped sharpener as well.

 

[mysterygal]

good make-up is important for looking your best...with red lipsticks, I've had troubles finding the right shade for me as well, the pink shades look awful on me, while the reds with a blue shade to them lood great. I'm really interested in going out and buying the cody powder..I"ve been using Mary Kay for a long time now. Also another brand of make-up that is good..Laura Mercier, makes great concealers

 

[Etienne]

Last Sunday I took a 40's Hair and Make-up class at ReVamp in Los Angeles. They used all Besame products for the make-up class so I had a chance to try them out. It is rare for me to ever find foundation that matches my skin--and this was no exception. The foundations they have are very limited in shades--but most of the ladies found one that worked. Two of us had to mix two shades. Had there been more time, I would have spent more time playing mad scientist because the shade was still not quite right...It is very concentrated and a bit heavy for my taste. But I have older skin and am very careful about looking too made up, though I have worn foundation every single day of my life since I was a teenager. (For you older ladies out there, my current favorite is Advanced Radiance by Cover Girl. Lovely!) Anyway, the instructor selected a blush shade for me that I didn't care for so I didn't get a chance to try the more rose-y colors. Grrr. My hair is very dark, like my Mom's in my avatar, and my eyes are blue and my complexion is medium with very slight olive. I think I need a fair amount of contrast in my makeup or it gets lost on me. I would have liked to try another color and probably would have ordered one. The eyeshadows are indeed lovely--but we all used the same 2 colors so, again, there wasn't much chance to experiement more. The Brandy and the Shimmer Beige are great and I ordered both. She gave us a couple of tips I will share with you about lipsticks: She said that in that time period, only the upper lip was lined. (I have never heard of that before, but...) She also said to use a brush and apply the lipstick and then heavily powder the lips. Immediately use the brush to press the powder into the lipstick and then use a fluffy powder brush to remove excess. She claimed that the lipstick will then stay on for hours and hours. All it did for me was dilute the color too much and make it so subtle that it defeated the purpose! Most everyone brought false eyelashes (as instructed) and she explained that the long outer lashes on the top lid are the ones that define the 40's. I did not bring any as I have never worn them and likely never will, but the young women who applied them correctly looked very nice! She cautioned against those that are too thick--the fringes that are spiky at the outer edge are her favorites. All in all, I think I learned a few things--especially about the use of loose powder. I have the Coty loose powder in translucent and am always a bit tentative about using too much, fearing it will emplasize fine lines, etc. At Besame, they load on the powder and then fluff off the excess. THAT is what gives the smooth, matte finish. Surprisingly, this works fine for me, even with my own foundation. Who knew?! So that was a valuable tip.

Sorry this is so long. I never even got to tell about the 40's hairstyling! But I hope some of this was valuable to you ladies!--Etienne

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Etienne,

Have you ever tried a 'stage' makeup line, like Ben Nye or Cinema Secrets? They have a much wider range of colors, and Ben Nye actually makes a color line designed for olive skin tones. I actually like both lines very well—my pale skin is extremely hard to match, and I can find colors made by either company. The best part is that a good sized pot of foundation sells for less then $12!

Ben Nye can be found at www.wyb.com, and Cinema Secrets at www.cinemasecrets.com

In regards to lining the mouth, each era lined the lips differently, giving the mouth a very distinct shape. I’ve not ever heard that women in the 1940s did not line their bottom lip, but they did draw their top lip in a wide, exaggerated shape.

I’ve heard the tip to powder your lipstick before—sometimes through tissue—and it has never worked for me either. With Besame lipsticks, I like to blot them with a plain tissue

~Amanda

 

[Etienne]

I have Cinema Secrets and sometimes use it--also Joe Blasco, which I like as well. I've never tried Ben Nye but will look for it. Thanks!

 

[BettyValentine]

I was always told that the powder trick for lipstick involved putting it on, then blotting it with tissue, then applying powder (either with a brush or through a single ply of tissue) and then putting lipstick on over that. The initial application works as a sort of primer that way. I don't typically do that because it feels like I have wax lips on, but it does make for a super-deep color.

I like my besame shadows so much I kind of want to go buy the rest of them. There are so few colors that I could justify buying all of them, with the possible exception of the black one. (I have too many black shadows already.)

I'm still getting the hang of the light touch necessary to apply the shadows. I have to just slightly tap the brush against hte shadow; if I sweep it over the shadow at all, even lightly, then the powder goes on totally opaque. (I love that it will do that! but it isn't right for work like that.) My socialite brown came with a tiny little foam pad in it. I have no idea how/why anyone would apply eyeshadow with that thing.

The Besame Red is great on me. It's a really nice red that is actually really trendy right now. I've been getting a lot of compliments on it. I don't like eating with it on, though. Something about leaving lipstick prints on my sandwich is just creepy.

BV

 

[ITG]

Are the lipstick samples in tubes? Back when they did free samples, they put them on paper and covered it with wax paper. You had to apply with a lip brush and it's very difficult to get the color out of the brush and off of the hands.

 

[Etienne]

They had no samples at the class, just the full size lipsticks. (BTW, I meant Plum Dandy, not Brandy! It's been a long day....!)

 

[Etienne]

You are absolutely correct, ITG--they did have you blot first, then powder.

 

[Etienne]

Now I'm really getting mixed up! I meant to address BettyValentine--sorry, ITG!

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Are the lipstick samples in tubes? Back when they did free samples, they put them on paper and covered it with wax paper. You had to apply with a lip brush and it's very difficult to get the color out of the brush and off of the hands.

As soon as mine arrive I will post a report!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Are the lipstick samples in tubes? Back when they did free samples, they put them on paper and covered it with wax paper. You had to apply with a lip brush and it's very difficult to get the color out of the brush and off of the hands.

They fixed that! The samples now come in small plastic containers, which contain a blob of the product. Very usable, you still have to use a lip brush or perhaps a q tip but its not gonna get on your hands.

 

[mysterygal]

I never did get why make-up companies put their lipsick samples on those paper things..they do create a little mess and also, there's usually not enough there to cover your lips properly
Revlon makes a fantastic red lipstick

 

[PrettySquareGal]

It's Here!

I placed my order Monday night and my package just arrived! I haven't had time to actually sample them yet, but here are pics of the packaging!