Vintage Hair Lounge launch Bésame Cosmetics Europe

Raven Brookes by Scott Chalmers

Bésame Cosmetics have a brand new European Distributor and it's Vintage Hair Lounge Creative Director, Sharon Holloway in the form of a new sister company, VHL Distribution.

The task of taking on the distribution of the bespoke vintage cosmetics brand across the diversity of countries and cultures of Europe has only proved to be an irresistible challenge, following Sharon's recent award win for Best Make-up at Reklamefilmpreis, the German Advertising Film Awards, in Frankfurt in November 2013.

"The nomination for Best Makeup for my underwater makeup work on the commercial Herbaria - FEARS, was reason enough to fly to Frankfurt to join in the ceremony, it being such an honour to receive recognition from the industry in another country," says Sharon. "The response when I won was so overwhelming that I realised how exciting it could be to make ever closer ties and networks with our European partners. The opportunity to include Bésame Cosmetics in the process was perfect timing and I'm thrilled to be able to take the brand into new markets and attract new interest in the beautiful and high performing products that Bésame have already established a great reputation for."

Raven Brookes and Shay-Anne Aboud by Scott Chalmers

There is a growing awareness of the versatility of the brand within and beyond the vintage scene, and Vintage Hair Lounge has been heavily involved in the promotion of the products within all of the work that it does. The dozens of vintage events that their salon "pop-up" features at across the UK throughout the year, provide numerous opportunities for the public to try out products face to face, building a strong "word of mouth" experience. For those already familiar with the brand, as well as the loyal customers which Vintage Hair Lounge have created, their new online store, the Vintage Hair Lounge Emporium, will prove to be a first stop for those looking for their favourite Bésame items as well as a reliable resource for new additions to the brand as soon as they are launched.

For the past two years, Bésame Cosmetics have sponsored the Vintage Hair Lounge salon at Goodwood Revival, and thereby been provided with the chance to showcase the product range to a vast international audience of vintage enthusiasts.

Miss Deadly Red at the Bésame display at Vintage Hair Lounge at Goodwood Revival
by Scott Chalmers

In the past few days, Bésame Cosmetics have also featured at IMATS Los Angeles (International Makeup Artist Trade Show) meeting the professional makeup artist industry and launching new pro-palette versions of the product range.

For Sharon, the development of the brand in the pro-artist industry is inevitable, and one of the key priorities for the new Bésame Cosmetics Europe strategy.

"I've spent several years now using the products in film and photographic shoots, and they out perform many other high quality products on the market, especially the Classic Color lipsticks which stay put, don't bleed and are comfortable to wear all day. For vintage work, the reproduction colours capture the different eras perfectly, but even for non-vintage work, the finish and staying power of the lipsticks means they are always my first choice in professional work."

The first task for the team was to create an image collection of the whole Classic Color Lipstick range, featuring fashion/gothic/alternative models Raven Brookes and Shay-Anne Aboud, whose look and style represents a different emphasis for a brand so well known for celebrating the golden era of Hollywood icons.

"Europe has a more complicated relationship with its twentieth century history than the United States and United Kingdom,"  Sharon admits. "Although the vintage scene is growing across Europe, it will develop in more unusual ways, taking inspiration and influences from different vibes and different sub-cultures, and we can't assume that everyone sees vintage only as a celebration of 1940s wartime or 1950s Hollywood. That sensitivity is crucial in building a brand based on inclusivity, and Raven and Shay-Anne represent an alternative kind of "vintage" look, one reaching out to a sophisticated and classic cool vibe that has an even wider appeal to a greater diversity of women who have long been waiting for the cosmetics industry to reflect back their own reality and aspirations. Our new images are not there to replace, they are there to inspire in new ways."

Some arresting images have already been released, but the forthcoming collection, photographed by Scott Chalmers, with design, hair and makeup by Vintage Hair Lounge is due for launch by early March. The behind the scenes film of the shoot, Can't Live Without Bésame Cosmetics can now be viewed online.

Press, PR and stockist enquiries - please contact VHL Distribution Limited, hello@vhldistribution.com, +44 (0) 23 8070 1383 www.vhldistribution.com
Retail purchases - please visit the Vintage Hair Lounge Emporium www.vhlemporium.com