Besame Cosmetics Lipsticks

REVIEW & SWATCHES

I actually had another blog post lined up for today, but after slapping on a whole face of makeup, the top half of my face looked utterly awful for what I wanted to photograph, because today was one of those days where my skin just decided to be dry and unyielding, so foundation and concealer was patchy and accentuated flaky areas. I'm seriously fed up with my skin at the moment, and I'm going to get a cleansing milk when I get the chance.

I ended up taking the easy way out and doing lip swatches instead, because at least the area around my lips didn't look half bad, therefore up for review today are the Besame Cosmetics lipsticks! I was exposed to Besame Cosmetics through my friends when they spoke about vintage-styled makeup on facebook, and they mentioned that they were cruelty-free and vegan. My curiosity piqued, I looked them up, and not long after that, those same friends said that Hayley Atwell wore the shade Red Velvet in Agent Carter. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Peggy Carter, especially her sassy bad-assery. So, to find out that I could personally have my very own Agent Carter lipstick, I jumped on the bandwagon and emailed the office in Australia.

I asked them if there was any chance I could have a few lipstick samples sent to me to try out some of their shades and give them a bit of free exposure on the blog, and they were happy to send some out. Luckily, 1946 - Red Velvet was included in the parcel in matchstick form, alongside 1931 - Carmine and 1959 - Red Hot Red in little pots. Besame Lipsticks are purported to be moisturising, long lasting, highly pigmented and exact colour reproductions of popular lipstick colours in history. They contain beeswax, which makes them non-vegan.

1931 - Carmine Lipstick is a perfect neutral orange-red that best suits golden and olive skin tones. I wore this one for a whole day and had to reapply it after eating, because most of it wore off (I can't help but enjoy greasy food, okay?!) but the colour is truly vibrant, pigmented and looks fantastic on me. It has a caramel undertone, and leans more towards red than orange. It doesn't dry completely matte, but has a slight sheen to it which makes the lips look healthy and plump. Trying to be stingy or subtle with this shade is a no-go, it needs a full swipe to really show the colour, or else it'll appear to be slightly streaky. Two coats is best for a fully opaque and long-lasting finish. This one is beautiful for the Summer.

1959 - Red Hot Red is the shade I wore today, and I love it. It's a warm-toned true red that stands out like a fire truck. It makes my somewhat-tea-stained teeth appear whiter thanks to the hints of blue in the shade. This was easier to apply compared to Carmine, and just one coat was enough to get an opaque coverage, though two makes your lips look fuller and more vibrant. I could see myself wearing this all throughout the year.

1946 - Red Velvet is exactly what I expected it to be, and it truly suits me just as much as I hoped it would. It's a deep red reminiscent of blood, tinted with both blue and brown to suit every skin tone. I love how it really emphasised the size and shape of my lips and made my teeth look whiter. It was a bit hard to work with matchstick samples, but the colour payoff is intense. It has a semi-matte finish, and even just patting this colour on the lips gives it a just-bitten tint of colour which is perfect for winter and fall.

These lipsticks don't feel heavy, drying or sticky, though they may feel a bit thick, which I assume is because of the beeswax, because according to the website, beeswax was used for texture. As long as you're not stuffing your face with food every two hours like me, this could last all day without reapplication or touch-up. This is me we're talking about though, I have a black hole for a stomach so I tend to eat more often than my normal-bodied peers. Nonetheless, I adore the formula, the packaging for the actual lipsticks in bullet form, and the colours are amazing so far.

I really liked the Carmine shade, but I also love the Red Velvet one and can see myself wearing that more often. A little bit goes a long way, though, so the pot of Carmine is going to last me quite a while, especially with Summer coming up. My sister Naomi has promised to get me the Red Velvet for my birthday and Christmas present, and I'm just so excited about it. I'll most likely end up buying myself the Carmine shade when I finish the pot. I'll have a much easier time applying it straight from the bullet as so much product gets wasted when a brush is used.

Have you tried Besame Cosmetics before? What did you think?