THE REVIEW // Besame Cosmetics Lipstick in Besame Red

When was the last time you saw an advertisement boasting an old formula, rather than a new one?

With its vintage-inspired line of lip, cheek and eye products, Besame Cosmetics does just that. Known for its lipsticks, Besame is celebrated among vintage enthusiasts for formulating shades that perfectly emulate retro chic. Red Hot Red, for example, is described as "Marilyn's favorite" (yes, that Marilyn). According to the site, Besame focuses on creating "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." And, despite its 21st century launch in 2004, the brand does does the job admirably. Years ago, I'd seen these lipsticks in action in the skilled handed of a very talented makeup artist. She swore by the brand. More recently, I came across them again, in a lovely rockabilly/pinup boutique called Enz's. After much back and forth, I decided on the namesake "Besame Red".

The above swatch was captured in indoor lighting. Yes, that is with one swipe. No, I'm not kidding. This is the good stuff! Here's a swatch with flash, so you can see the blue undertones in this luscious red:

Honestly--and you probably already know this--these swatches aren't perfectly true to color. Personally, I think that the better the product, the harder it will be to do it justice in a photograph. Maybe I keep telling myself such things to evade confronting my amateurish photography skills. ;) In real life, Besame Red falls in between the swatches pictured above. It is certainly a blue-based red, but it's not quite as pink as it appears to be in the flash photo. Then again, the indoor lighting barely shows any blue at all.

What I can promise is that this lipstick will be as creamy and opaque in one pass as it appears to be in the photos. I love it, and I can certainly see another Besame purchase in my future. At $22, they can't beat MAC, but considering what you get (the adorable packaging, complete with velvet pouch (not to mention a truly solid product), Besame's signature color certainly gets my stamp of approval. You can purchase your very own nostalgic gem on the site, which conveniently ships through Amazon (it's Prime Eligible, too!)

Happy shopping!

Katy xx