Modern Purveyors of Vintage-Besame Lipsticks a Review

Is there anything more evocative of vintage beauty then classic red lipstick?

I don't think so.  Nearly all the stars during Hollywood's golden age sported glamorous  pouts in various hues of scarlet, and many more average ladies alive during the time period did as well.   

Now I am by no means a make up expert, in fact I'm not very skilled with make up at all, so if you want good vintage make up  tips I urge you to look else where (I will include a list of links later in this post) but I do wear lipstick almost every day and it is always Besame lipstick.

Besame is a cosmetics company that was founded by the beautiful Gabriela Hernandez.

She started the company in 2004 motivated by her life long love of vintage style, vintage cosmetics, and most specifically classic red lipstick!  Here is what the company has to say about their products:

"Through a keen eye for color and historical expertise, we recreate modern reproductions of classic luxury makeup from the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, designed to make women feel elegant, inspired, and empowered by their beauty. Pairing innovative, cutting edge technology with a historical milieu, our colors and formulations are painstakingly hand-crafted to a minutia of detail, from our custom-designed gold compacts to our signature chrysanthemum motifs."

Besame lipsticks are indeed super authentic from the gold bullet packaging:

To the triangular shape of the lipstick in the tube

these cosmetics are just like the vintage originals   

and of course the colors are spot on too.  

Perhaps most importantly Besame cosmetics are never tested on animals and are made from high quality ingredients.   A  nice thing about Besame is that while they are known for their reds they have other colors as well.  Here are pictures of the 9 shades I've tried.  

Besame Red- This is the companies signature shade a cooler blue-tone red with a nice bright tone.

Cherry Red-A 1930s cherry red shade that can be worn as a stain or more matte.

Red Hot Red- The warm red  made famous by Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s.

Exotic Pink-A matte bright flamingo pink based on 1950s shades.

Carmine-A neutral orange red based on 1930s shades

Portrait Pink- A matte pastel baby pink with no shimmer, based on 1960s shades

American Beauty-A 1940s cool berry shade

Red Velvet-a deep matte 1940s red

Noir Red-A deep plum 1920s shade

The nice thing about Besame lipsticks is they have a high pigment so one coat gives full  coverage.  Also, like traditional vintage lipsticks, they are all matte or semi-matte so that you get that classic vintage look.

Besame lipsticks are available in two forms.  The economical matchsticks

which retail for $6.00 and let you try out the color.  Each matchstick set comes with six samples that are easy to apply.  The matchsticks are how I sampled nearly all the red shades I've shown here.

Besame lipsticks retail for $22.00 



but offer some distinct advantages over the matchsticks.   For one thing the match sticks are difficult to store and after you use one stick its very difficult to store it and use it again even if color remains.  The lipsticks of course don't have that problem and since the pigment is so concentrated they last a very long time.  I've had some of my besame tube lipsticks for over 3 years and they are still nearly full of product.   There are also some shades, including three of my favorites, exotic pink, debutante pink, and carmine, that are not available in matchstick form.  

The shape of the besame lipsticks is designed so that you can line your lips and apply color.  Here is a video showing how:

Being a make up klutz I still find this difficult and for the vibrant red shades I use either the match sticks or the besame lip liner and a regular drugstore lipstick brush.  

If you want to add some vintage glamour to your make up bag you absolutely can't go wrong with besame lipsticks.  The company also doesn't stop at lipstick.  They  make mascara, powder, and perfume.  The cosmetics are available online and in Sephora stores.


I promised I'd end this post with some links to people more knowledgable about vintage beauty, here you go:

Bobby Pin Blog

Glamour Daze Vintage Make Up Guide

Lipstick and Curls

Hollywood Noir

Happy St Patrick's Day

First thank you so much for Weasley's birthday wishes.  Second, I apologize if I haven't been visiting blogs much this week.  I am way swamped at work with many assessment and reports do on my students.   

But I didn't want to skip a St. Patrick's Day post.  (If only because I saw this picture online and had to share it)

Yesterday, I managed to get some cute shots of our two youngest kids in there "I Can't Hold My Licker" shirts from Dirt Road Dog on etsy.

I also made my favorite St. Pat's Day treat, Guiness cake (though this year I used oatmeal stout and not Guiness) 

It's so good and super easy the recipe is on the NY Times site.


In vintage news I scored what might just be my craziest hat ever, I initially questioned whether I'd have the guts to wear it.  Its a 1940s knit turban from Arthelia's Attic:

And it's about 6 inces high, very Carmen Miranda.  As my husband said it will get some stares.  Which believe it or not I don't love, I dress vintage because its a passion, but Im very shy and don't always like attention.  Anyway the hat is crazy fabulous.  It reminds me of this knit turban worn by a  young Lucille Ball:

It also reminds me of this clip from Sesame Street (yes, I'll be 38 in a week and I still like Sesame Street.)

I  remember seeing this as a little girl and loving it, a sign that I was destined to grow up to be a crazy hat lady.  I definitely don't plan on wearing my hat to the movies, but I am putting together a casual 1940s outfit to wear with it.  Something with denim and gingham.    Best wishes to all!

Vintage Outfit Post-Saying Goodbye to Winter with a 1930s Dress from Sew Vintage Seamstress

As everyone know this winter has been strangely warm.  60 degree days in December meant I could wear my fall and spring dresses in months usually reserved for sweaters and scarves.  I've never liked the cold so in a way I enjoyed it, but I did miss getting use out of some of my vintage winter clothing. Winter in the 1930s and 40s could after all be a very stylish season:

So I was pleased last Saturday when it was a bit chilly and I was able to wear my warmest dress.  It is a 1930s reproduction from Sew Vintage Seamstress and made out of the thickest corduroy so warm, warm, warm!  Sew Vintage Seamstress always works from authentic patterns and I loved the dramatic puffed sleeves and notched neckline on this one:

I feel like there is something almost victorian about those sleeves.

Sew Vintage Seamstress did a gorgeous job and the finished product is perfect:

I really love deep burgundy color and the notch detailing on the collar, perfect for a novelty ice skater brooch! 

I accessorized the dress with a 1930s hat from Adeline's Attic that was one of the first pieces of vintage I ever bought.  I wore it one of my first posts on this blog.

I also wore my thrifted embroidered leather gloves.   They might be 1950s but I'm not sure:

and my American Duchess Oxfords that are just the most comfortable shoes ever, seriously you can walk miles and miles in these.

I love the whole outfit so much I almost hope that next winters a cold one!

Outfit Details

1930s reproduction dress Sew Vintage Seamstress
1930s hat Adeline's Attic 
1940s Ice Follies Brooch Ebay
Gloves thrifted
1930s Reproduction Oxford Shoes American Duchess 
Stockings What Katie Did

Vintage Fall Fashion Dreams

I've never  liked cold weather, and I've no desire for the lazy, lovely days of summer to end, but as the temperature rises and September approaches I have been thinking about fall.   

Specifically vintage fall fashions. Fall is a beautiful season, perhaps the loveliest one of all, and deserves clothes that compliment it's beauty.  It's also the ideal time to be outside in nature, so comfort is key.    Then of course there is my favorite Holliday, Halloween.  Below are some items I'm hoping to wear this fall.  

1) A Pendleton Jacket-Made in Canada these iconic wool coats in tartan plaids are perfect for outdoor wear among the fall leaves.  Comfortably cozy they are neither to heavy or too light for autumn winds. 

2) 1940s or 50s wide leg jeans-The young ladies in the picture below have in my opinion, the perfect casual fall looks oversize wool jacket, or fitted sweater,  comfortable loose and cuffed jeans, and bonus points for a cute pair of loafers.  Who says vintage style has to be fancy? 

3) Cowichan Sweater-Another Canadian classic. Oversize, cozy, and perfect for fall. Just look how amazing Marilyn looked in hers. 

4) 1940s knitted turban or headband-These are very in vogue now and a million patterns are popping up online.   

5) Letterman Sweater-There's something about fall that always makes me feel very collegiate even if my school days are decades behind me. For my money there is no better back to school look then a classic letterman sweater, no matter what your age. 

6) Saddle Shoes-Another campus classic and originally meant for the younger set but I'm really hopi g to score my first pair of saddle shoes this fall.  Hopefully authentic. 

7) A novelty circle skirt- These are so much fun but nearly impossible to find in modern, read 27 and up waist sizes.  I've yet to come across one I can squeeze my 30 inch waist into.   However, I recently discovered Girl In A Whirl on face book she makes custom novelty circle skirts in all sizes. Dogs are a common theme.  They don't exactly come cheap so squeezing in five dogs maybe a financial impossibility but I'm thinking of something with a pug and a poodle. Here are two of her cute skirts

8) A 1930s style wool dress-You can't always be casual, or at least I can't.  For dressier days I'm thinking of a classic wool dress like this one worn by Poirit's Miss. Lemon.  She wore it in the Egyptian Tomb episode and I'm obsessed with the pyramid detailing. I asked Sew Vintage Seamstress to make me a copy that I'm sure will be amazing.  I hope to channel some of Miss Lemon's elegant efficiency while wearing it, but it seems unlikely.  

9) A simple 1920s day dress- My favorite 20s looks are not the glitty gatsbyesque numbers, but the quieter, simpler day time dresses that are so often over looked during period retrospectives.  The simple black button dress with white collar and cuffs worn by Louise Brooks in the charming 1926 film The Show Off.  Ive asked Sew Vintage Seamstress to make me one in a similar vein. 

10) Something Halloweeny-I might have said before, oh about a 1000 times, is that  Halloween is my favorite Holliday. Even so I really have no interest in a traditional costume. My favorite Halloween look are the costume dresses worn in the 1920s. 

I used a bonus check from work and splurged on one from Guermantes Vintagre. 

Hopefully, I'm brave enough to wear it for a few days in October.  It's too special to save  for Halloween only. 

What are your plans for fall? Fashion or otherwise.