Besame Cosmetics Classic Color Lipstick & Lipstick Samplers - 5 shades - pics, swatches, review

Hello, Beautiful!

Besame lipsticks are a little taste of vintage beauty, and I already love their Sweetheart Balm in the shade Cherry. What I love most about Besame lipsticks is that they offer these little matchbooks - which are their version of lipstick samples - so you can try out shades before you commit to a full size tube. Each Matchbook includes two shades of lipstick. In this post I have one full size lipstick to share with you - in the shade American Beauty - and two matchbooks to share with you, with shades: Dusty Rose, Exotic Pink, Portrait Pink, and Debutante Pink. Check out my full review below, including all the product info, after the pics!

Besame Cosmetics Classic Color Lipstick
Shade: American Beauty

 

 

Besame Cosmetics Classic Color Lipstick
Lipstick Samplers
Shades: Dusty Rose/Exotic Pink, Portrait Pink/Debutante Pink
Continue scrolling down to see more pics of each individual shade.

Besame Cosmetics Classic Color Lipstick & Lipstick Samplers Info & Review:

Cost/Availability: $22.00 (0.12 oz full size). $6.00 per Lipstick Sampler (includes 2 shades per samplers, and 3 "matchsticks" per shade).  Available on the Besame Cosmetics website, on the Beauty Army website, on Amazon, and everywhere else Besame Cosmetics are sold.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Kisses

The most delectable lipstick with a semi-matte finish and one coat full coverage. The highest natural pigment content for a smooth, indelible, feather-proof finish. Reminiscent of the decorative cases used in the 1940's each lipstick is set in a gold plated bullet shaped case, with a protective velvet pouch for storage. Enriched with vitamins A, E and C, aloe and green tea. Their vintage reproduction colors are the exact shades used by your favorite Hollywood starlets.

Currently available in 14 shades, which I will list along with their color descriptions:

• Besame Red: true red, cool based, not warm -- like a navy red, bright and vibrant -- semi-matte finish with one coat full coverage.
• Carmine: orange red color, changes depending on skintone -- semi-matte, vibrant, more neutral orange, not too yellow -- a red-orange that is very becoming on warm and olive skin-tones.
• Cherry Red: deep rich dark cherry shade -- can be worn as a stain, gives a nice rose color -- cool deep ripe cherry color very flattering to medium and olive skin tones.
• Merlot: brown red color, semi-matte -- great neutral red for daily wear -- subdued brick red.
• Champagne: creamy beige with very light shimmer, warm tone, neutral.
• Coral: warm, orange-peach shade with gold shimmer -- semi-matte and long lasting -- a warm flattering shade for most skin tones.
• Chocolate Kiss: milk chocolate brown -- great neutral, good on light skin, redheads and medium skin -- semi-matte finish.
• Portrait Pink: light, pastel baby pink -- very pale pink, good on light or paler skin tones -- no shimmer, opaque, soft pastel shade.
• Dusty Rose: a natural rose shade, neutral, great for everyday use -- best on lighter to medium skin tones.
• Red Hot Red: bright and bold, a bit warmer than Besame Red, and Marilyn Monroe's favorite -- a semi-matte finish with one coat full coverage.
• Red Velvet: deep, rich red flattering on most skin tones -- great for office wear or everyday red, neutral and not too bright.
• Exotic Pink: a bright bold flamingo pink from 1955.
• American Beauty: a cool berry shade from 1945 -- a semi-matte finish with one coat full coverage.
• Debutante Pink: a light pink silver shimmer -- a semi-matte finish with one coat full coverage.

The Lipstick Samplers include two shades of lipstick per little matchbox sampler. You get three matchsticks of each shade per sampler, and you can use each matchstick about 1 to 3 times, depending on lip size and how much you apply. They come packaged in a vintage matchbook and are perfect for travel or sharing.

Available in the following sampler color combinations:

• Champagne & Chocolate Kiss
• Carmine & Coral
• Red Hot Red & Red Velvet
• Dusty Rose & Exotic Pink
• Portrait Pink & Debutante Pink
• Besame Red & American Beauty

I really like Besame Lipsticks and love the packaging too - it has a classic vintage feel that I love. There is something special about using this brand that channels my inner Marilyn Monroe. 

These lipsticks come in a vintage looking box, and within the box the lipstick tubes are in red velvet dust bags. They're creamy and really nice coverage in just one coat. 

I think the lipstick samplers are a really great way to try out the brand and it's a cute way to sample lipstick - although honestly not the most practical. If you don't open these the right way, they rip and can't re-close. I ripped one of mine but the other was fine to re-close. You can stick the matchsticks back in the matchbook, so they are re-usable. I can get about 2 to 3 uses from a single matchstick. I don't really like applying the lipstick this way, but you have to keep in mind this is just a lipstick sampler and nothing more. You could of course, keep them in tack and just take a lip brush to them and apply that way -- which I'd recommend if you want to get a better, more even application.

As far as shades go, let's first talk about the full size lipstick shown in this post - which is in the shade American Beauty. When I had ordered it from the website it didn't have a picture (at that time - their website has since been re-designed) and I only went by description, which said it was a "cool berry shade". When I got it, I was surprised to see it looked like a deeper red, and I'd say it was a berry red shade with a pink undertone to it. Certainly not one I'd go for typically, but it is wearable for me. 

The samplers, however, made me really love Exotic Pink - in fact, that would be the next full size purchase I'd go for, followed by Dusty Rose -- which is a great everyday color. Exotic Pink and Dusty Rose come together in a sampler, and they just happen to be my two favorite from the entire collection of shades.

I wasn't a big fan of Portrait Pink or Debutante Pink, but if I had to pick one of the two it would be Portrait Pink, since Debutante Pink had some shimmer to it and I don't really like lipsticks with shimmer as much. Although Portrait Pink applied the most patchy on my lips, but it was also applied directly from the matchstick and my lips were really dry when I swatched all these.

All the shades were nicely pigmented and opaque in one coat, except for Debutante Pink - which was the most sheer out of the five shades.

Overall, I think this brand offers a great collection of classic lipstick shades, and if you like the vintage feel you'll love this brand!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this lipstick and lipstick samplers? Have you tried them or are they on your beauty wish list? Discuss in the comments below.