Besame Lipstick Review: Champagne and Coral

I recently received these two new Besame Classic Lipstick colors, and am really pleased.

Champagne and Coral:

besame lipstick review

Besame Champagne and Coral Lipstick Review

besame classic lipstick review
Besame Champagne and Coral Lipstick Swatches

Although I am always excited about getting any new lipstick, I am generally more excited about colors such as red, rose, purple, fuchsia, or magenta. Colors with names like “Coral” or “Champagne,” usually don’t do it for me; I want bright and exciting and, well… colorful.

Idk, maybe it is just that Besame rocks every color so hard. But as soon as I opened my Besame Coral lipstick, I was wowed. I mean, I was in my car, by myself, straight out of the post office. I opened the package and the tube of lipstick, and I think I literally said “wow” out loud, with wide eyes and everything. This coral is gorgeous.

I lifted the tube to my nose and inhaled, and seriously wondered if Besame recently made some kind of enhancement to their formula so that the fragrance is even more intoxicating. Then, I glided the lipstick on, and as usual, the sensation was one of perfectly creamy smoothness. Not too liquid-y or too dry… just perfect.

And I was shockingly pleased with how this color looks on my mouth. It goes with my complexion, and I imagine it would look good on just about any other complexion. It’s a warm, somewhat deep, shiny orange with teeny-tiny specks of gold. The specks of gold give it a kind of holiday shimmer. And just when I thought nothing “orange” would ever really look good on me. But this is beyond anything typically orange. It is Of Another World.

Onto the Champagne color: these days I generally prefer a shade that darkens my lips from my skin tone, rather than lightens them. I went through a phase during my early teens when this lipstick color would have been the Holy Grail of all lipsticks. I think because I was obsessed with being tan, and lighter lips tend to make skin look darker.

But even with my current preference for deeper shades, I really like Champagne. It is a very shiny nude/beige color. It is similar to Debutante Pink, which I included in my other most recent Besame lipstick review, in that it is a light color that is very shiny and pretty. Champagne is just a light beige whereas Debutante Pink is a light pink.

I am super glad I went beyond my addiction to red Besame lipsticks into their other color options. There’s no argument: all of their hues are gorgeous. And I am fiending to try their latest addition, American Beauty. Go here and scroll over the swatch boxes to check it out.

Thanks for stopping by!

xox,
The Lipstick Lady

Shiseido Lipstick Review

When I received my first Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick– -which was the red one (RD514/Dragon)- -I flipped out about how much I loved it to the friend who recommended it to me. I was like, “OMG, this red. It’s so perfect.” Then, I ended up neglecting it for months, in favor of experimenting with other lipstick brands and colors. Well, I recently started wearing it again, and I really do love it.

Dragon is definitely my favorite out of the three Shiseido colors I have. And I think it is a really perfect color for October through February, as it seems to have a winter vibe to it, as if it has been seasoned with nutmeg and cinnamon and clove. I think it’s the ever-so-slight brownish-orange tint. I mean it is definitely red, but it is a cozy, wintery red. I think it would go well on many types of complexions, too. I was out the other day shopping downtown at an independent retail store, and the woman who was working was in love with the color. She asked me what it’s called and where I got it. It made me feel like I should get “Lipstick Lady” business cards, since I am basically a walking advertisement for this site.

The pinkish color is Fuchsia/RS320. I wasn’t even exactly sure what color “fuchsia” is, until I got this lipstick, and I guess it pretty much defines the color. It is really pretty, fairly bright, and I definitely plan to wear it sometimes. I would have to be in the right kind of brightish-pinkish mood, with the right playful kind of outfit on the right sort of fun and spontaneous day.

The consistency of Day Lily/OR418 is more liquid-y than the other two colors, for whatever reason. The color doesn’t go on evenly or stick to the lips well, and after I blot with a tissue, the color becomes really faded. Day Lily was recommended in an “InStyle” magazine as one in a short list of oranges that aren’t completely orange, and therefore possibly more wearable for the hesitant orange lipstick-wearer. But I wouldn’t recommend it, because of the odd texture.

The texture of Dragon and Fuchsia is nice, and somehow different than any other lipstick brands I’ve tried. This might be because Shiseido lipstick was initially invented and created in Japan, and most of the other lipstick brands I’ve tried I *think* were initially created in Europe and the United States. So the formula has a unique, luxurious creaminess to it, with the exception of Day Lily. As far as fragrance goes, it seems there is a slight, pleasant aroma. Barely noticeable, but faintly there.

From left to right, pictured below: Fuchsia, Day Lily, and Dragon.

shideido perfect rouge lipstick review

shiseido lipstick review

shiseido perfect rouge lipstick

shiseido lipstick prints

shiseido lipstick review

shiseido lipstick swatches

I would recommend giving Shiseido lipsticks a shot. Especially if you are a red lipstick-lover, try Dragon. I will likely by more from this brand in the future.

I’ll leave you with an amusing Shiseido lipstick commercial:

Thanks for stopping by!

The Lipstick Lady

Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipstick Review

Let me just say: O. M. G. DECADENCE.

Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipstick is highly pigmented, luxury lipstick with a super smooth texture and intoxicating fragrance. I cannot get enough, and luckily there is a unique range of hues that I will be sure to get more of. Also, similar to Smashbox lipstick, the colors mix well with one another, allowing the beauty connoisseur to create exciting new hues all her own.

Not only is the lipstick super high quality, but the collection is all about Goddesses, which I am all about. The boxes that the lipstick comes in say, “Born to Be Worshipped” on the back, can you believe it? And each DeVine Goddess Lipstick is named after a different mythological Goddess.The theme has me, just as much as the actual lipstick does.

The tubes that the colors come in are definitely unique; they kind of have a glassy, art deco feel. They don’t fit in my lipstick organizer, which I always find a bit upsetting. But these lipsticks are so delectable that I suppose they deserve places all their own on my boudoir table. Because the cases are unconventional, I suggest being extra careful when twisting the lipstick up and applying. I broke my Calypso almost immediately, by twisting it too far up and pressing too hard on my lips. Guess I was excited. I also recommend blotting once or twice, after application, in order to avoid getting lipstick prints all over everything. Unless you are into that sort of thing.

Pictured below from left to right, we have Aphrodite, Xenia, and Calypso.

napoleon perdis lipstick review

napoleon perdis devine goddess lipstick

I love each of these colors, both in and of themselves, as well as with my complexion. I have had Aphrodite the longest, and it is definitely one of my all-time favorite reds. I would call it a deep, true red. Really rich pigment, and a kind of femme fatale vibe. I just recently received Xenia, which I foresee quickly becoming one of my most-worn colors. It is what I’d call a berry red; red with just a hint of magenta. It would look good on anyone who looks good with berry-colored lips; really pretty, flirty, and sexy. At first glance, it appeared to be too similar to Aphrodite, but the hues are actually quite different. Calypso is a deep pink, with a definite hint of magenta. If it were any lighter, it might not look good on me, but the hue is deep enough that it works really well.

Here are some more photos, including swatches. As always, click to view larger:

napoleon perdis lipstick review

napoleon perdis lipstick prints

lipstick blog

napoleon perdis lipstick review

napoleon perdis devine goddess lipstick swatches

napoleon perdis lipstick swatches

Overall, I would highly recommend Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipstick. If you are a makeup lover, I’d dare to suggest your collection is incomplete without at least one tube of this stuff. Napoleon Perdis also makes some of my absolute favorite lip glosses, which I hope to do a separate review of, at some point. Finally, I recommend following The Man, Himself on Twitter; he tweets some really great quotes and is a worthy follow for beauty addicts and philosophers, alike.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing in my passion.

xox,
The Lipstick Lady