Lips Worth Fighting For, Bésame Victory Red

I have been wanting to try Victory Red by Bésame for YEARS. To be honest I'm not sure what was holding me back from buying it... but as soon as I saw that they were releasing a special edition boxed set with a replica Victory pin I knew I HAD to order it !  I pre-ordered it as soon as it was announced and waited for it to arrive in the mail. 

The shade Victory Red  is a replica from a lipstick from 1941 that was specifically designed for women in uniform. It was also encouraged that women in the home front wear lipstick to boost morale. It was seen as "beauty as duty". I love this part of history so I wanted to film a small video referencing this specific time period, Which is also the inspiration behind these photos. If you want to see how the video turned out scroll down to the bottom. 

As for my thoughts on the lipstick !  I've tried Bésame lipsticks in the past and they are always high quality and have good coverage. This particular shade is semi matte and I will say the coverage is incredible! I even drank coffee and it stayed put. Due to the shade and undertones I think it will be flattering for many skin tones, its not too bright and not too deep. It also photographs beautifully and the red really pops. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my new go to lipsticks ! If you want to get your own Victory Red lipstick there are still some special edition boxes left !  Get yours here

My New 1930s haircut

I finally did it !  I chopped off my hair ! This is probably the shortest my hair has ever been. I've been toying with the idea of cutting my hair this short for a few months now, but I was worried about how it would look on me. After seeing the wave of "modern girls" cutting their hair short, especially on the red carpet and instagram, I decided to just got for it! Short hair is having such a moment this year! I, of course, looked to the past for inspiration and looked to the 1930s, especially Ginger Rogers. I went with a pretty drastic U shape cut to get the look I wanted, and know that it will grow nicely into a 1940s hairstyle near the end of the summer. I'm excited for this short hair era and to style it with hats and accessories! 

If you want to see more of this look and also to hear about my inspiration check out the video below. 

Murray's Hair Dressing Pomade Review

Hello !  It's been a while since I last posted. It's crazy that its already the end of January ! I don't know about you but January is the worst month of the year for me. The holidays are over and its cold and nothing really happens in January. February has Valentines day (my favourite holiday) as well as family day, and Chinese New Year (and this year is a leap year woo!). March has easter (this year) and then I feel the excitement for Spring and the weather starts improving.... ooooh! and the Toronto Vintage Clothing Show! Sorry I'm getting ahead of myself, lets stick to the topic at hand, lets get into this review. 

If you've been following for the past couple of years you have seen my vintage hair journey. Experimenting with different rollers and hair lengths (new shorter hair coming in the spring!!). There have been some questionable looks but its all part of the process. These past few months I started experimenting with pomades. I've been using the suavecita pomade which seems to be a staple in all vintage hair sets I've seen. It smells incredible, like shampoo or freshly washed hair. But I've been wanting to try the Murray's Hair dressing pomade because It's been around since 1925, so I figured if something has been around that long it must be good. I originally wanted to try Murray's Hair-glo pomade but I can't seem to find it anywhere in Canada. So my search for that one will continue. 

Starting with the packaging, its beautiful! I love the original tin packaging and it fits right in in any vintage bathroom or dressing table. I'm not super fond of the orange but I do prefer it over Modern packaging. The scent is really nice but it might not be for everyone. Its powdery and definitely more old fashioned. Like I mentioned before the suavecita pomade has a more modern scent and its more of a crowd pleaser.  I personally love powdery scents so I really like it, but the scent doesn't last. After its settled in my hair and I move my head around the scent disappears. Good news if you don't like the scent, bad news for me because I like it lol. 

I started by taking down my hair from the rollers, I ran my fingers through my hair to break up the curls and brushed it a little but with my Denman brush. Then I opened up the pomade. When I first got it out of a tin and warmed it up on my fingers I thought it was too thick. I started putting it on my hair and I thought..... oh no this is way too thick. I slightly panicked but there was no going back. I kept working it into my hair and I grabbed my Denman brush and started brushing like normal. It took a few minutes but then the pomade almost soaked up into my hair ? I couldn't feel it anymore but my hair looked great! I really liked the result and how it helped to get rid of some of the unwanted volume on the sides of my hair. However I would say a little goes a LONG way. Start on the inside of the hair and then use the remaining on the sides/top the hair.  You can add more if you need it but start small and add some in slowly. also make sure you really work it into the hair. 

I have a feeling this might be a new staple for me, so I'll be using it over the next couple of weeks and will come back and tell you my final thoughts. Hopefully *fingers crossed* I can get my hands on the Hair-glo pomade and we can compare them. 

As a side note I wearing my memery Vera knit sweater in Mint green layered over a vintage blouse and thrifted black skirt 

Ruby

Hello ! I hope you guys are doing well it's been about a week since I last posted on here and I am back with another beauty post!  I've talked about this numerous times, but over the course of the pandemic and the lockdowns I went through all of my makeup and decluttered (Throwing out expired products etc) and I have been using up all of the makeup I collected prior to the pandemic. I had SO many lipsticks that I finally finished, its actually crazy how many I had in my collection. I really want to condense my makeup collection to just essentials. For the past year I've been exclusively wearing  red lipstick. My style has slowly transitioned to 1940s so that change in lipstick shade came naturally. Now I can't picture myself wearing any other shade. I'm at the point now where I can buy a new lipstick here and there as I finish the last few red lipsticks I have. I have a few shades I like (and would repurchase), but I'm still on the hunt for my "perfect" shade 

On my recent trip to Milan I wanted to get something from one of the Italian designers; Gucci, Prada, Versace, D&G etc. But there wasn't much selection. I did see a silk scarf I liked at Prada but it was out of stock. It was my last day in Milan and I decided to treat myself to a new lipstick from Gucci. Mainly because I LOVE the packaging! I have one Gucci lipstick with the floral tube and its the most beautiful packaging. It is very reminiscent of vintage lipsticks and I wish we could see more of this style or packaging. 

The colour I chose is Teresina Ruby, number 503. It a gorgeous red lipstick that I will compliment many skin tones. It's a Satin lipstick so its a bit more light weight, making it perfect for day time. However I find that it lasts all day! (Although the packaging is so pretty you will want to re apply it in public haha).  The lipstick is also very moisturizing and glides beautifully on the lips. Something thats very important to me because I like my lipsticks to have a bit of a shine to them, I don't like matter lipsticks. The shade, while beautiful, is slightly darker than I would like for my "perfect shade". I want something a little bit brighter that screams "Victory red". However I will always have a few different lipsticks in my collection and this lipstick is totally one that I would repurchase once its finished.  I highly  recommend it! 

Skincare Diaries: Versed Skincare Review

I am ending January with another beauty post! I've talked about this before, but during the pandemic I went through all of my skincare and beauty products and decluttered... I feel like everyone did. I also made a point to use up everything I had because my washroom cabinets were filled with products. I've never been one to buy tons of skincare, I am pretty loyal to ones I already use. For me, I like simplicity so I've always had a simple routine, but this year I thought I would try out a few new products in hopes of finding some new holy grails! Back in November Versed reached out sent me some products to test out (with no obligations). I've been testing them out for the past two months and here are my thoughts: 

VERSED Baby Cheeks

All-in-one Hydrating Milk

 My Thoughts: The bottle with a push applicator is great! Similar to the ones seen on nail polish remover bottles. You need 2-3 pumps on a cotton pad and you apply it after cleansing your skin, but before you moisturize. It's a hydrating toner so its perfect if your skin is on the dryer side. I like the light pink shade its very pretty!  I was a bit thrown off by the lack of scent, it really doesn't smell like anything. A plus side for some but a downside for me. It does have a  "milky" appearance so give it a good shake before using it because it tends to separate.  I was a bit worried of a sticky residue because of it but there wasn't any, the skin soaks it up quite fast. 

Would I buy it: Probably not. Nothing against the product, I thought it worked well! But my skin isn't dry so it wouldn't really add anything like this to my routine. I also think about the amount of cotton pads I would be throwing out every day so that also deters me from buying it (although it does make the application easier and the bottle is fun!) 

VERSED: Wash it out 

Gel Cleanser 

My Thoughts: I really like this cleanser! At first I was a bit thrown off by the scent. It smells more like the ingredients and not like an added scent. It reminds me a bit of mint and chlorine (like using mouth wash pool side lol). However the scent is very faint so if you are sensitive to scents this might be perfect for you! It also makes this cleanser unisex because it's a neutral scent (Not florals or powdery). I personally love it when products have a scent so I would say thats one of the only things I didn't like about it. But like I said, that might be a positive for you!  It made my skin really soft and clean without drying it out which is really important especially in the winter ! I would recommend this if you are looking for a simple/gentle every day cleanser, would be perfect if you are starting out with skincare. 

Would I buy it: If I needed a cleanser and couldn't find my usual one anywhere I would buy it. Scent is VERY important to me, it's part of the fun of skincare because it makes it feel more like a spa experience.  But it does work so if I needed to buy a cleanser I know this one works well!

VERSED: Zero-G

Smoothing Eye Cream 

My thoughts: This eye cream is great! It's really smooth to apply and doesn't feel heavy on the eye area. It's made to hydrate and help with the first signs of aging. I love the look of the cream because it reminds me of a pink smoothie lol. Again this product doesn't have a scent but in this case I don't mind because I would rather my eye cream not smell like anything. I saw a difference in my eye area the next morning from the first time I used it! 

Would I buy it: Yes! I think it's a great product!  I've been looking for a new eye cream to try so I was happy versed sent one in the box. I think its great as a beginner eye cream, I'm still on the hunt for the perfect eye cream but I will probably purchase this in the meantime! 

VERSED: Dew Point

Moisturizing Gel-Cream

My Thoughts: This was an ok moisturizer, I had a hard time deciding when to use it. I have a daytime and a nighttime moisturizer that I love, so I tried switching them for this moisturizer just to see but it wasn't the same. Its a gel moisturizer so I found it lighter, for me It wasn't heavy enough to use as a night cream. The product does soak up pretty well but my skin didn't feel overly moisturized compared to my daytime moisturizer.  I think it worked well for what it is, it might be nice for an after the gym moisturizer perhaps? It has a slight ingredients smell, like green tea but its very faint and disappears quickly. 

Would I buy it: Probably not. The product worked well! but I can't seem to be able to place it in my routine. 

VERSED: Weekend Glow

Brightening Solution

My Thoughts: This was the only product I really didn't like. The rest of the products I found something positive in all of them...except this one. As you've seen me mention above ^ scent is very important to me... This one smells a bit like fish when applied to the skin. The first time I used it I had to wash it off. I tried it again to be able to review it properly and after using it a couple of time I had to stop. It's very sticky and the smell is very frustrating, it lingered and its all I could smell. Not sure how useful of a review this is since I only used it a few times but from the little times I used it I wouldn't recommend it. It's sad because I was excited to try it. It's suppose to help brighten the skin and help with any dark spots and old acne marks. It sounds great !  But the smell and sticky residue were enough for me to stop using it. 

Would I buy it: No, I really didn't like it I'm sorry.

Overall the products were ok, I would recommend it more for teens who are starting to think about skin care. I do love that all of the products are Vegan and Cruelty free, something that has become very important in the beauty industry. The products are also very reasonably priced, Its very accessible for lot of people. The packaging is sleek and would look great on the counter, it almost reminds me of something that would've been sold at American Apparel (back in the day) or Urban Outfitters. The packaging is a bit too modern for me but I know this sleek pastel design is very popular among most people these days. Have you tried VERSED?