If you haven’t heard of Besame Cosmetics yet, you really are in for a treat! Founded in 2004, they recreate classic luxury makeup from the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s. The packaging, colour range and classic styling is so gorgeous, you really must try it!

The first products I bought of Besame was the Red Velvet and Dusky Rose lipsticks after getting to model them for the Yellow Brick Road. The beautiful little gold bullet tube was hard to pass up and I was immediately smitten with the entire range.

Red Velvet- Photography by Caron Nicole for The Yellow Brick Road Boutique

Since then, I’ve also bought Red Hot Red (featured in this post about my top 3 favourite red lippys) and American Beauty. The lipsticks are highly pigmented, creamy colours with a semi-matte satin finish and enriched with Vitamin C and Aloe.

The awesome thing about the Besame Red lipsticks, is that each of their reds is modelled after Hollywood Starlets from the 20s-50s. Red Hot Red is a replica of Marilyn Monroe’s favourite shade of red… pretty cool huh!

They are really worth every penny, not only do they look great, but they last well throughout the day and  let’s be honest… it looks far nicer to pull out the golden bullet tube for a touch up than a boring black lipstick…

Dusty Rose on far left, Red Hot Red on far right- Photography by Caron Nicole for The Yellow Brick Road Boutique

Recently the lovely Claire from The Vanity Case sent me the Signature Compact Powder, Cake Mascara/Liner and Crimson Cream Rouge to try. I shared my thoughts last week on using the cake mascara as a liquid liner in this post. It works by mixing water with the highly pigmented cake and mixing it until it thickens up a little. I’m still getting used to it but I am learning to really like it as a brow filler.

Crimson Cream Rouge and Signature Compact Powder- middle photo by Caron Nicole Photography for The Yellow Brick Road Boutique

While I am a little undecided on the cake mascara/liner (mainly due to convenience), I have to say that I love the Powder and the Cream Rouge.

I’d been meaning to buy a Cream Rouge for months as I felt like the powder blush I had faded too quickly and halfway through the day I’d feel like I had lost all colour from my face. The Besame Crimson Cream Rouge is the perfect shade of pinky red, is easy to apply and I very rarely feel like I need to add more thoughout the day!

Not only can you use it on your cheeks, you can also dab it on your lips if you are after just a hint of colour- brillant! Add a bit of lipgloss over the top and you’re good to go!

Creme Rouge dabbed on lips

All Besame products are cruelty free but the Creme Rouge is also vegan friendly. You can apply it to your cheeks with your fingers or stipple it on with a brush.

Now after being absolutely addicted to MAC Studio Fix Pressed Powder for YEARS, the Signature Powder Compact really surprised me. I was not expecting it, but I love it and it totally matches MAC in finish and longevity. It’s got a lovely matte finish and doesn’t end up looking too cakey.

It comes in a gorgeous little metal compact with refills available. The only thing I’d change is the size of the compact- it’s about half the size of a regular one so feels a bit strange when you use a powder brush!

When writing this post, I decided it would be good for me to do a makeup looking using all my Besame products so you can see them all in action!
So in the below picture I am wearing the following products-

– Besame Lipstick in Red Hot Red
– Besame Cake Mascara used to fill in my brows, liquid liner and as mascara
– Besame Signature Powder Compact all over face
– Besame Crimson Cream Rouge

I’m really happy with the results and over-all finish of all the products used. The only one part of the look I think could be better is that my eyelashes are not as full as normal (my daily mascara is Maybelline Great Lash). I did do several coats and make a thicker mixture but it’s just not quite as dramatic as usual.

Besame Cosmetics is such a lovely brand! You can buy it online from their website and if you are a Kiwi, The Vanity Case imports it and distributes to several shops including The Yellow Brick Road, Rita Sue Clothing and Decadia Vintage.

I highly recommend giving their products a try, you’ll feel like a vintage film star applying your makeup with the beautiful chrysanthemum adorned products and you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that everything is formulated to last the day!

x Miss Victory Violet

*Photos courtesy of Caron Nicole Photography and The Yellow Brick Road Boutique

*The Crimson Creme Rouge, Signature Powder Compact and Cake Mascara are sponsored products from The Vanity Case but all opinions are my own and are expressed honestly.