Besame Lipstick Review: Pinks

Just got three more Besame lipstick colors, and these are of the pink variety. Don’t get me wrong- -I absolutely adore my Besame reds- -but it’s high time I gave some of their other hues a shot. And I am really glad I did!

In the photos below, you will see lipstick tubes, lipstick swatches, and a new thing I am going to see if I can stick to: lipstick kiss prints! The Besame colors featured in this review are Portrait Pink, Debutante Pink, and Dusty Rose.

besame lipstick review

Besame lipstick swatches

besame lipstick review

Besame lipstick tubes and prints

besame lipstick review

Besame lipstick prints

While I do my best to capture the lipstick colors as accurately as possible, it’s kind of hard to do. Every lipstick hue seems to alter appearance considering the time of day, the setting, and the type of lighting, among other factors. My favorite of the three Besame lipstick colors pictured above is Dusty Rose, and yet the photos don’t seem to do it justice. I described it to a friend as “…mauve-esque. Kind of an antique-looking, shabby chic shade of pinkish-brown.” Debutante Pink is also a uniquely gorgeous color; I’d describe it as a pinkish-lavender with a gentle, frosty shimmer. Maybe because a different formula is needed to create the frosty shimmer, Debutante Pink seems more creamy and moist than the other Besame lipsticks I’ve tried. It really is a beautiful lipstick, although I think Dusty Rose looks better on my complexion. Portrait Pink is a more natural hue for my complexion; a soft, pretty pink that doesn’t draw too much attention.

I must have said it before, and I am sure it shows in the amount of reviews I make about the brand, but Besame is definitely one of my top favorite lipstick brands. As far as packaging, cases, color, texture, and fragrance goes, it is just such high quality. Add that to the vintage vibe and uniqueness of the whole Besame cosmetics line, and we have something really special to enhance our beauty and lives with.

Stay tuned for more lipstick reviews and beauty product recommendations coming up soon!

xox,
The Lipstick Lady

Kat Von D “Foiled Love” Solid Lipstick Review

I first became aware of Kat Von D from a reality television show about tattoo artists. I forget if it was LA Ink, Miami Ink, or something else. I wasn’t that interested in the show, but I remember liking her sexy rocker style. Not only is Kat Von D a tattoo artist and a reality television star, but she is also a model, musician, and creator of her own makeup line.

For a while now, I have been on the prowl for some kind of metallic-looking lip colors. My dream has, at least in part, been realized with Kat Von D’s “Foiled Love” lipstick colors. The “Foiled Love” lipstick collection isn’t the only one she’s created (there is also the “Painted Love” collection, among others), but it is the only one I’ve been able to sample so far, and I really like what I’ve tried.

From left to right, below, you’ll see Oh My Goth, F.T.W., and Valentine. I believe those are three out of a collection of five “Foiled Love” solid lipsticks, with the other two being Beranice and Forever & Never.

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kat von d swatches katvond2

The main reason I like these lipsticks is because I really like the metallic and shimmery effect, which I haven’t yet discovered elsewhere. Oh My Goth and F.T.W. are more metallic than they are shimmery, and Valentine is more shimmery than metallic. At first I favored the more metallic lipstick shades, as that’s what I was looking for. But I ended up liking the shimmery effect of Valentine just as much, depending on my mood and the look I am going for that day.

I find the silver lipstick cases to be very attractive. As for the lipstick itself: the texture is okay, not too liquid-y, maybe a bit dry. To be honest, I’m not crazy about the way this lipstick feels, gliding on. I tend to apply multiple layers of this lipstick, because doing so enhances the desired (metallic/shimmer) effect. I also noticed that the lipstick stays on for a long time (perhaps a positive side-effect of the dryness). I don’t like the smell of the confection; it really doesn’t smell like anything at all other than a little bad. I guess aroma just wasn’t a priority here. And considering the relatively affordable cost of these lipsticks, it’s expected that not everything about the product will be luxury quality. I am truly in love with the unique colors, though, which is why the “Foiled Love” lipsticks by Kat Von D ultimately get a thumbs up, from me.

The only other Kat Von D cosmetics product I’ve tried so far was an absolutely *gorgeous* shimmery purple nail lacquer called Wonderchild. It was the most beautiful nail color, which is why I should have kept it, even when the applicator broke. I could have just crazy-glued the cap part back to the brush part, and continued using the polish… it would have been worthwhile. But I was impatient and threw the whole thing out, thinking that I almost exclusively use shellac nail polish these days, anyway. Still, I’d buy Wonderchild again, and maybe even some of Kat Von D’s other fabulous nail polish colors.

From what I’ve experienced so far, I would recommend Kat Von D’s cosmetic products to people who love unique, fun, and darkly sexy makeup colors. Just don’t expect everything to work perfectly; affordable costs and alternative beauty make up for the other aspects which might be less than luxury in quality.

Thanks for reading,
The Lipstick Lady

Besame: Kenley Collins Scarf and Lipstick Set

As I mentioned in my review of Besame’s 1920s Deco Collection, my favorite vintage-style makeup store currently also has another special “set,” which is the Kenley Collins Scarf and Lipstick Set.

If you have watched “Project Runway,” you might remember Kenley Collins from Season 5. She was the saucy, 1940s-inspired designer with the nasally voice, who was labelled the show’s “problem child” by fashion mentor Tim Gunn. Kenley Collins also returned to the show a second time for “Project Runway All Stars.”

I really loved the clothing designs she came up with for the individual competitions, and was also a fan of her collection as a finalist on Season 5. I’ll admit that I was also a fan of the bitchy, stuck-up attitude that seemed to put her out of the favor of most other people, both on the show and in the audience. I just liked that she was different, and a badass, and that she didn’t give a hoot. And I liked her even more when she exhibited a new level of maturity upon her return to the show, for “All Stars.” She had “grown up” a good deal, and proved she could actually be pleasant to be around, while still somehow retaining her badass-edness.

Well naturally, when I saw that she and Besame were collaborating on a scarf and lipstick set, I knew had to have it. I first learned about the set from the YouTube promotions that Kenley did with Besame’s founder, Gabriela Hernandez:

I am glad I got the set, despite my realization that the scarf really does not go with any of my outfits, or even any of the decor in my house. While I appreciate the design as a stand-alone piece, it really doesn’t fit my personal style, and I doubt I will ever wear it. However, I like having it. The chiffon feels wonderful to touch, and I just keep it in an area of my house with all my lingerie and hosiery and gloves, just enjoying it being there.

I do love the color of the limited edition lipstick, which is called “Kenley Red.” And I have already been wearing that.

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kenley besame scarf

kenley collins scarf

kenley red lipstick swatch

kenley red besame

In my first Besame lipstick review I noted the similarity between the colors Besame Red and Red Hot Red. Well, I found that Besame Red is even more similar to Kenley Red than it is to Red Hot Red. The photo below actually shows the differences between swatches quite well, considering that, in certain lighting, a difference can hardly be detected at all.

red lipstick

besame lipstick swatches

It seems that Kenley Red has maybe a pinch more warmth, like a bit more of a raspberry hue than Besame Red. And because I do love raspberry hues, Kenley Red might just be my favorite of the three. Still, the colors are so very close to one another. The Besame lipstick colors I have so far are either bright red or dark red, and I have six tubes. I am excited to have more on the way, which will fall more into the pinkish category. It will be nice to try a color from them that’s really different.

Overall, I like the Kenley Collins Scarf and Lipstick Set by Besame, and look forward to more limited edition and special collections from them in the future.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy mouth-painting!

xox,
The Lipstick Lady