Burbank Trip to Besame Cosmetics

I have been meaning to write this post for some time and, unfortunately, many of the products I have purchased and feature in this post are being discontinued.

Besame Cosmetics in Burbank Welcome Sign

Last spring, I had one of the longest and most splendid over nights in Burbank, CA.  The weather was fabulous. I needed exercise and new makeup (I had just changed my hair color), but I didn't want to go to a store I could go to in Houston.  

So, with a little help from Google, I found this great vintage cosmetic store I could walk to, called Besame.  

What a charming surprise!  Before you open the door, you are transferred to a much simpler time.  

Once I stepped inside, I could picture my grandmothers shopping at such a quaint store - everything appeared to be a storefront you would imagine visiting in the 1930s or 1940s.

The Besame cosmetic line is not overwhelming, but they offer a great assortment of products and everything is packaged with a vintage flair.  

They are able to offer cosmetics with Disney license, which has earned them quite a following with Disney fans the world over.

I am so fair, I have a hard time finding a foundation that will match my skin tone right out of the packaging.

I know how to custom create foundation, I do it for every one of my clients, but honestly, I am too lazy to do it for myself.  I was hoping to find a true vintage pancake makeup, but those are more elusive to find than a true porcelain color of foundation.

Besame actually had a perfect shade of foundation for me! 

Besame Cashmere Foundation Stick in Natural Beige

It is called Natural Beige - I have never been a beige skin tone in my life!!! 

The Cashmere Foundation Stick sounds and feels creamy, but my sales consultant warned me the cream to powder formula would be too dry for my skin, and sadly, it is.  I love wearing it, and apply plenty of moisturizer before application, but by the end of the day my skin feels too dry. 

I had to invest in the Vanilla Brightening Powder, because powder is the perfect way to polish off your makeup and this one smells like Vanilla!  I just love the little details when opening this powder!

Besame Brightening Vanilla Face Powder Packaging

The shade of blush looks subtle, it is called Sun Kissed, but the pigment was surprisingly intense and my first application resulted in me attempting to soften it with powder brushes, cotton balls and Kleenex.

I love the vintage packing of this blush, but I found it was terribly hard to open - one morning it finally flew out of my hands and broke.  If the container had been metal, as the original design was probably made of, I suspect I might have had an an easier time opening it, but I am not entirely sure.

Besame Translucen Blush in Sun Kissed, Besame Chocolate Kiss Lipstick and Travel brush and my makeup after applying all of my new Besame Cosmetics

The lipstick is a beautiful shade of red, called Chocolate Kiss.  It is a true replica of a popular lipstick in 1970.  I love how creamy the lipstick is and how it does not seem to dry out my lips.  I had lost my favorite travel lip brush and was so excited to see they carried one too - I just had to invest!  I also snagged a new eyeshadow brush, because you can never have too many of those either.

I am waiting for another Burbank overnight so I can visit this great little cosmetic store again!  The price point is very affordable.

If you find yourself on Magnolia Boulevard, I highly suggest you stop in, browse for yourself, and then be sure to let me know what treasures you found!

Makeup by Keri Ann the Flying MUA discovers Besame Cosmetics in Burbank, CA

Email me at Info@MakeupbyKeriAnn.com

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Does Airbrush Makeup Really Last Longer?

Airbrush makeup "flower" create by Makeup by Keri Ann -
Photo template from #InstaCollage

Finding honest answers about airbrush makeup is very hard to find.

I am attempting to answer those questions openly and honestly here in a series of blog posts.

Most people believe that:

"Airbrush makeup lasts longer than traditional makeup."

Just like their regular liquid counterparts, a few brands of airbrush makeup make claims of being long-wearing.

How long makeup (airbrush or traditional) will actually last on your skin depends on a variety of conditions:

Climate - Makeup will last longer in a more arid climate than in a humid one.
Skin Type - Makeup will wear completely different on dry, oily or normal skin types.
Type of Product - I will cover the various types of airbrush makeup and their pros and cons in a future post - so come back soon!
Tears - The amount of saline in tears varies from person to person.  How much a person cries also determines how long makeup lasts.
Perspiration - Just like tears, perspiration (or lack of it) can determine how long makeup lasts.

Even though brands claim to be water-resistant and long-wearing (18 hour proof), photographers and event planners (the pros who really see how makeup performs after long nights of dancing, laughing & crying) report that airbrush makeup DOES run and DOES leave obvious streaks.

I recently did wedding makeup and the bride wanted airbrush makeup but she is always emotional.  She knew she was going to cry a lot.  I airbrushed her and used all of my "tricks" to make the makeup long-wearing.  She went out for portraits and cried.  She returned to the bridal suite and had streaks in her makeup where the tears slid down her face.  I reapplied a traditional foundation makeup and sent her out for first looks.  She had cried even harder, but she still had foundation makeup on and there were no streaks in her makeup.

So does airbrush makeup really last longer?  In some cases I believe it does.  But even the "long wearing" airbrush formulas could not hold up for my clients as the product claimed.

I have learned how to make my makeup applications longer-wearing.  I have a few products I know hold up consistently well in our very hot and humid summers here in Houston, TX, but I cannot look a client in the eye and tell them honestly that airbrush makeup will last longer than traditional makeup.

For high school and college formals I recommend using airbrush makeup.

For senior portraits and bridal portraits I recommend using airbrush makeup.

For weddings and for events where you may be prone to cry - I strongly recommend traditional makeup.

If you've worn airbrush makeup, I would be very interested to know if you think it was a long-wearing product or not.


Next week I will answer the question, Does airbrush makeup really minimize fine lines?