Thursday, March 2, 2017

Happy Birthday Jean Harlow! And a Review of Besame's Vanilla Rose Brightening Powder

Tommorow, March 3,  the 106th anniversary of the birth of actress Jean Harlow:






who I think embodied the decadent glamour of Hollywood's pre-code era more then any other star.  With her pencil thin dramatically arched brows, cupids bow lips and halo of platinum curls, Harlow's look was nothing if not distinctive.  Clearly she was a girl who loved her cosmetics, and her appearances in numerous 1930s beauty adverts show that her fans where playing close attention to her look.

One cosmetic that Harlow sees to have been particularly devoted too, powder


 


Considering the platinum goddesses's devotion to the cosmetic I figured the anniversary of her birth would be a good time to do a review of my own personal favorite powder.



Besame Vanilla Rose powder.  

Now Harlow was tragically young, only 26, when she died of kidney failure, so she never had to contend with the problem that has made me leery of powders: aging skin.  In less then a month I'll be 39 and powder is one cosmetic that gets tricky with advancing age.  Powder can settle on wrinkles and dry patches making the more noticeable.   For this reason I used to avoid powder completely.  

However, I wear a very creamy foundation, Burt's Bees CC cream.  I love the creaminess and lightness of this foundation, but it can sometimes get a bit greasy and shiny or rub off completely.  That's why I decided to give the Besame Vanilla Rose powder a shot.  I love Besame, but I had previously tried their Lavendar Brightening Powder and it was the only one of their cosmetics that I underwhelmed me.  I really felt it left a chalky texture on my skin.  So I wasn't prepared to love Vanilla Rose, but I do!




It's a very, very faint pink that suits the fairest of skin tones.  The website says it corrects green and blue tones, I find I have more redness, but I still think this works well for me.  It really doesn't impart any color, just brightens and sets make up!



The video below is from Besame and shows how to apply the powder and then set it with their finishing brush:




I take lighter approach.  I don't have the finishing brush so I just tap the container, while closed of course, against the edge of the sink and then pat on a tiny bit with the puff.  I'm  very careful not to overdo it.  I certainly don't follow Harlow's advice and count my whole face, and no way am I following her step 2 press powder into tiny lines!  

The effect of powder application is definitely subtle, but I think I see a difference:

Here I am minus powder (and yes I was taking a selfie with a can of Spam, I occasionally love to indulge in some spam):





Here I am on another day with powder:






Now all I need is a glamorous boudoir a la Harlow to apply it in!




Besame Vanilla Rose powder retails for $22.00 and can be purchased on the Besame website.

26 comments:

  1. She was something. Not a bad price for the powder
    Happy Dr. Seuss Day
    Lily & Edward

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  2. I had no idea she died so young. I've never gotten why the pencil eyebrow was popular during her time.

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  3. Harlow was such a beauty.
    These days SHE just uses grout to fill in the cracks.

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  4. Wow, I had no idea either that she died that young!

    Being old and wrinkly, I have a little fear of powder too - but I definitely get dark circles under my eyes, so maybe this would help. Thanks for the review! You look fabulous!

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    Replies
    1. Pink is great for dark circles. I use a pink toned color corrector under my concealer it makes a huge difference

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  5. You are still just a baby! Not even 39 yet! I tried using powder quite a few years back and it definitely aged me. It highlighted the wrinkles instead of evening the skin tone!

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    Replies
    1. yes powder is dangerous it can really make you look older. I agree 39 is young, I think Im a bit more focused on aging as my father died pretty young, just 64, and my mother in law also 64. So those two losses made me more conscious of passing time

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  6. I hear you on the ageing skin thing - I'm 43. That powder sounds like good stuff, though.

    Jean's favourite perfume was Mitsouko, which is my fave too. (Apparently her husband doused himself in it before killing himself.)

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  7. I too had no idea she died so young. In spite of my age, I like to use face powder, but it's true that if can age you if you don't use the right one. I don't think we have Besame here in Belgium. The packaging is gorgeous, so I'd be very tempted to try it if I came across it. xxx

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    1. well i think you look amazing so powder is working for u

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  8. She was a beautiful actress and how sad she passed away so young. I use powder but as you said, it makes wrinkles more noticeable. I gotta try the Besame vanilla rose :-)

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    1. I think what helps with this is its very finely milled also a light touch helps

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  9. Excellent Tips about the powder! I am in the same boat as you (gulp..it's the big 40 for me this year) and I'm always looking for a good powder that is good for my skin. I will keep this in mind. Powder is my favorite product and I don't go very far without it.

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    1. Yeah I should really carry it with me but I forget

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  10. I love Besame's powder foundation but have yet to try their brightening powder. I heard the same thing about the lavender powder... that it was underwhelming. Glad to see that the other versions are more successful for people :)Also, that's fun to learn what that finishing brush is for! :D

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    1. I have been thinking about getting that finishing brush

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  11. I love Jean Harlow, she really was so glamorous. You can see why Marilyn Monroe was so obsessed with her. I've used powder on my skin for years as it gets so greasy and I'd like to try this one if they ever bother selling in the UK again. xx

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    1. Yeah I get greasy too. Harlow is indeed the queen of glamour

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  12. your skin looks flawless! I have never worn much make up other than some eye shadow and mascara
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the lovely compliment! Not sure if its true lol. I dont wear much makeup either I actually never wear eye shadow I make a mess of it!

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  13. i need to get some powder. i use a cc cream as well (i love the andalou brand, the rose line cc creams are good for skin with a little red!) but sometimes i feel a little shiny!

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    Replies
    1. I forgot to mention the most important thing they never test on animals

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  14. Very nice post.really I apperciate your blog.Thanks for sharing.keep sharing more blogs.
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