My new go-tos and obsession with Bésame

So in my world wide search to find a lipstick that is so dark red it's almost black (with no purple undertones) I came across a brand in Portland called Bésame. And their whole product line has a vintage flair to it that of course I fell head over heels for. With them I found the color "Merlot" that is about as close as I have come to the holy grail. Until I'm able to try Melt Cosmetics 6six6, Merlot takes the lead.

...On a side note, I think I may venture into the creating of my own makeup line to satisfy these color urges and because I am so deeply impressed and inspired by brands like Portland Black Lipstick Company. I already have a name for it, but I'm going to keep that a surprise for now... 

Anyway, last weekend I made a quick trip to Southern California where I hung out with my twin, bleached my roots, and hunted down the Bésame shop in Burbank. I picked up the Crimson cheek and lip Rouge, as well as their foundation (which I think was way cheaper than 38 dollars at the shop...) and their limited edition Black Liquorice Lip that smells and tastes like black liquorice. Also pictured is the Violet Brightening face powder, and my Valentine's Day gift from my twin, the "You Suck" makeup bag! The Violet Brightening powder is a loose powder, that I'm slightly regretting purchasing as I realize I am absolutely rubbish when it comes to actively using anything I buy that is loose powder. Naturally though, when I purchased it in Portland, there wasn't a pressed version, and of course now there is..

So my basic go-to routine now includes mostly Bésame products and lighter brows. I finally found a brow product that I don't feel like eventually oxidizes and turns green. Now, that whole obnoxious green thing may have been all in my head, but here's a list of products that I thought made them a little green: dipbrow pomade in "blonde," wet n wild brow/liner pencil in "taupe," and unfortunately Make Up Forever's aqua brow. The product that I have been using, I bought from the Pinup Clothing Boutique, also in Burbank, and it is the color "Blondie" by Brett Freedman. They had an even lighter color called "Blondest" but I felt like it fell into the green brow category, which was unfortunate.

Now here's a lil' list of all the products I'm wearing in this last photo:

• Bésame "bisque" foundation. It has a delightful satin finish that you can set with powder if you are feeling the matte groove that has taken over.
• Bésame Crimson cheek and lip Rouge, on both my lips and my cheeks. Maybe it is because I work for Benefit where the Benetint cheek and lipstain revolutionized the world (obviously,) but I find it ever so flattering when ones cheeks happen to have the same flush as ones lips.
• Sephora brand liquid liner. Now this is a serious love affair that I have searched far and wide for, it ties with MAC's liquidlast liner for liquid liner's that have changed my life. It is by far the deepest black I have come across in liquid liner's, and, now this is important, it is the non waterproof version with the precision brush. Gets very precise and comes off easy. (pro-tip, precision brushes will be precise and non waterproof things will come off easy...)
• Brett Freedman's Vanity Mark Brow pencil in Blondie.
• Lash Curler I bought for two dollars at Daiso that is better than the Shiseido lash curler I bought (Shi is still a close second.)
• The Maybelline waterproof colossal lash mascara that really was a game changer for me.
• Classic BADgal lash by Benefit layered on top!

Seven products, not so bad! However that doesn't include all the moisturizers and sunblocks and eyecreams and whatnots that I certainly have on underneath it all. Benefit is coming out with a sunscreen that I am all too stoked on and so when that drops I will dedicate an entire post to my skin care routine.

Sephora VIB Rouge

So the other day, when I was making a I'M STUCK IN SF WITHOUT ANY FAMILY SO I'M BUYING MYSELF CHRISTMAS PRESENTS purchase at Sephora (I bought a powder blush from Becca called 'gypsy,' one of their beach tints, and a third thing I can't seem to remember...) I was being rung up and the wonderful woman at the counter says to me "you're now VIB Rouge" and hands me this strange box. I say, "thank you" and probably looked a little puzzled, and walked home. When I reached my house, I finally took out the box and read a little bit about this whole VIB Rouge deal..

Basically, it is a new tier to their rewards program, the top tier, in fact. I don't really want to disclose how much money one has to spend to get this deal, because it is really just depressing to think of how much money I spend on certain things... but I digress. So! The best part about this, besides free shipping all the time at sephora.com, is this exclusive lipstick designed by Bite called "rouge." Now, I had never used any lipsticks by Bite before, somehow I didn't think they would be pigmented enough for me, or would just melt off my face like some lipsticks do... but this may actually be my new favorite red lipstick. The color is so wonderfully rich, and the lipstick is also hydrating. It has average long wearing power to it, but it doesn't claim to be a long lasting lipsticks, so that doesn't bother me one bit. It does leave a really nice, really soft stain as it wears off. I've been pairing it with Urban Decay's lip pencil in 69, and they work magic together. So I am one hundred percent obsessed with this lipstick, and it is also kinda awesome that only a handful of people are able to buy it. Because sometimes it is nice to get the VIP treatment, or VIB Rouge.

Sephora's cream lipstain review !

So I mostly bought this lipstain because my twinfriend had it, and after I swatch'd it on the back of my hand, I fell in love with the color. And what really had me sold... the next day the color was still there.

In my last post I talked about the MAC liquid last liner and how it was like sharpie, well this lipstick is like red sharpie. An if you haven't noticed, I am a big fan of things that will actually stay on and (in the case of lipsticks) not bleed.

Winner winner chicken dinner!

So immediately I had to run to Sephora to pick up this gem ! And this was.... A leetle less than a year ago, and around that time this baby was featured in a magazine, and as such all of the Sephora's of SF were sold out of it. If anyone uses/used NARS "dragon girl," you feel my pain.

Soooo what's a girl to do? Luckily, I developed a crush on the Novato Sephora, possibly because their customer service is lovely and possibly because they actually have the products I want.

Anyway.. That was some backstory, here's some more review...

Lip liners are definitely needed for this bad boy, unless you are a very talented painter because this lipstain application requires some skills. Or patience. I generally don't have either so I stick to a lip liner. Then you just paint in the lines and you've got a lip color that will really last you all freakin' day.

It has a matte finish, but occasionally I like to switch it up and put Benefit's "California kissin'" gloss on top because it can be a bit on the drying side.

Other than that, four thumbs up for the sephora cream lipstain! I think the color I'm using is either color "0" or color "1" they have a strawberry kind of red that is also pretty, but this one is the red-red one.

Haul !!

So today I strolled into my favorite Sephora (Novato) and my friend worker (Samantha) and I ran around the store trying on glittery things and this is a post about what I came home with !!

First and foremost, my reason for going, "Too Faced's" BETTER THAN FALSE LASHES mascara thang. Now this is for my coworker and tomorrow we will be playing with it, so there will definitely be a follow up post!

Second, I caved in and bought the shiseido eyelash curler. This is by far the best curler I've used. And I also own the shu uemura one. And have tried probably every brand at this point and the shiseido wins, hands down.

And after trying on pretty much every glittery thing inside of sephora I stepped away with (drum roll)

"Bare Minerals" illuminating mineral veil, which is pretty much finishing powder faery dust.

And!!!

This product by "Lorac" called 3D liquid lustre diamond. Which is basically silver liquid faery dust that you can wear over eyeshadow, as eyeshadow, as a high lighter, or however you damn well please because it is MFing liquid glitter!!

I also got a SUGAR KISSES mini lip duo by "Fresh" which I already know I love. Soft soft lipssssss. Some hair mask samples which will be good for my broken naturally white hair in addition to an Ojon hair oil thang my cat has already chewed through the packaging.

Yes, it is true. I am thirteen years old and I love glitter.