♥ Be-Love series: Bésame mucho ♥

'Bésame Mucho' is a Spanish-language song written by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez in 1940. According her states, she wrote this song even though she had never been kissed yet at the time, and kissing as she heard was considered a sin.

The Spanish singer Emilio Tuero was the first one who recorded the song. I am posting the lyrics below:

Bésame, bésame mucho

Como si fuera esta noche

la última vez

Bésame, bésame mucho

Que tengo miedo a tenerte,

perderte después

Bésame, bésame mucho

Como si fuera esta noche

la última vez

Bésame, bésame mucho

Que tengo miedo a tenerte,

perderte después

Quiero sentirte muy cerca

mirarme en tus ojos

verte junto a mi

Piensa que tal vez mañana

yo ya estaré lejos

muy lejos de aquí

Bésame, bésame mucho

Como si fuera esta noche

la última vez

Bésame, bésame mucho

Que tengo miedo a perderte

perderte después 

Bésame, bésame mucho

Como si fuera esta noche

la última vez

Bésame, bésame mucho

Que tengo miedo a perderte

perderte después

Pedro Infante, the Mexican singer and actor, sang the song in English in his 1951 movie 'A Toda Maquina'. 

The Beatles included the song in their setlist during the band's audition for Decca Records, their first EMI recording session and the Get Back sessions. They sang their rendition of the song with English lyrics that  don't correspond to the original Spanish lyrics.

After this romantic song from the 40's, I would like to introduce you a vintage-inspired makeup brand.

Bésame Cosmetics

In 2004, an Argentinian woman called Gabriela Hernandez founded Bésame Cosmetics. She emigrated from Buenos Aires to New York, when she was 12 years old. Gabriela was a distinction student, she taught English on her own and after finishing high school in Los Angeles, she became a Fine Art professional from the prestigious Art Center in Pasadena, California.

Gabriela Hernadez

What was her inspiration? Gabriela's hobbies and career include photography, art direction, design, makeup and a huge background in cosmetic historian. All of them make her a great artist who wanted to combine the elegance of  vintage world with the spirit of the women and lifestyle that would buy her products: A wise move for lovers of good taste. I fell in love with them! ♥♥♥

'I want to make a mark of what I am and who I was in the world'

'I want to contribute something worthwhile through this line and inspire young women to follow their dreams'  

I definitely follow you Gabriela! You are great! ♥_♥

Bésame Cosmetics 'creates' (doesn't make) unique artful cosmetics, hand crafted to empower women to feel feminine, sensual, elegant, and glamorous. Their luxury products enhance natural beauty and encourage individual expression, as well as beautify the world in their own right. Another positive thing is that Bésame Cosmetics doesn't test on animals.

Do you want me to show you two of my Bésame Cosmetics products?

1. Crimson Cream Rouge: As far as you know, I am a blush-a-holic, I can't get by without many blushes, seriously I love them haha. This product reminds me of Benetint by Benefit Cosmetics (My review: here),  but it's a cream one, so it's easier to apply. It offers a natural flush from but a pat of product.

'For instant rosy cheeks and lips there is nothing more timeless than our vintage inspired cream rouge. Just a touch of this concentrated cream will give you a natural flush, just like the very first time you were kissed! Apply with your fingertips to lips and cheeks. Feels weightless and blends beautifully with any skin tone. Designed to stay on all day, our cream rouge is sure to delight. Packaged in a vintage styled recyclable tin'

2. Sweetheart Balm (Cherry): woow! Superb! honestly, it keeps my lips moisturized throughout the day! Do you love bitten-lip look? or even that look of having just eaten berries? this balm is for you!

'The Sweetheart Balm is a luminous lip moisturizing balm with a hint of color that gives you an elegant, long lasting finish. Gabriela carefully crafted a healthy formula that deeply moisturizes and conditions, while fortifying with antioxidant vitamins C and E. It is highly emollient and protective as it drenches the lips with exceptional comfort and hydration in sheer, shiny pops of color.

She included beneficial ingredients including aloe leaf extract and shea butter, known for soothing, healing and antiseptic properties, and jojoba, a naturally-derived oil that is easily absorbed into skin. She also included rosa canina extract, a fragrant extract with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and vitamins C and E, antioxidants that fight free radical damage.

Sweetheart Balm is a refined lip balm that soothes, hydrates, and protects the lips. Use it alone for a subtle sheen or on top of your favorite lipstick for a shiny finish.

Cherry is a deep cherry hue with a berry pop of color and natural cherry flavour'

Formulated without:

- Parabens

- Sulfates

- Synthetic Fragrance

- Artificial sweeteners

- Phthalates

Crimson Cream Rouge & Cherry Sweetheart Balm

Crimson Cream Rouge & Cherry Sweetheart Balm

Crimson Cream Rouge

Cherry Sweetheart Balm

Unfortunately, my camera is not able to capture the true colour on the skin and lips :( Actually, they are very intense rouge colours despite in the pics, they seem very dull. However, hand swatches show true colours. Have a look!

Swatches

Swatches

Have you ever heard about this brand?

Did you like it?

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

♥ Be-Love series: Paper Plane ♥

Hello Be-Bops! This is a brief and tender post. Plus, Valentine's Day is coming, isn't it? :)

Once upon a time, a guy who was standing on an elevated train in 1940's New York City. Suddenly he was hit by a piece of paper. The paper belonged to a lovely girl who accidentally dropped it as a gust of wind blew it away. The same thing happened to him when an incoming train dislodges one of his papers and blew it onto the girl's face, leaving a red lipstick mark on the paper...

It starts a captivating romance :)

Have a look! 

Paperman

Paper-couple ;)

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

♥ Be-Love series: J ♡J ♥

I do love hearts engraved in the trunks.

♥ (Source)

That is the image which comes into my mind, when I am thinking about two people: Johnny Cash & Judy Carter. I always imagined them, running down the field, stopping and engraving J ♥ J in a tree. They were the main characters of a true romance: A rock'n'roll love story ;)

A rock'n' roll love story

Have you ever heard about it?

Johnny Cash, 'my tough guy', flirted with drugs and played with the law.

His Mugshot

There is a famous saying which says: 'Behind every great man there's a great woman', in this case a rocker. And there is a legend that goes like this: Johnny Cash met June Carter thanks to Elvis Presley, who introduced them in the Sam Records Company, where rock'n'roll was born.

This is probably the most famous shot of the couple (1969)

June Carter was a 'jack-ie of all trades': a singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedian and member of the Carter Family, the traditional American folk band. She could played the guitar, banjo, harmonica and autoharp, and as an actress she perfomed in several films and television shows. She had such a pastoral voice that she was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2009. She was ranked No. 31 in Country Music Television's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2002.

June Carter Cash

They got married in 1968 but they had been perfoming for many years before their wedding. 

Their wedding day

The couple put up with difficult situations: Johnny's amphetamine overdoses, drunkenness and tours by dusty roads and winter storms, however they remained married for 35 years.

Johnny and June, an Example to follow

The hit 'Ring of Fire' was sung by Johnny Cash and co-written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore. The single appears on Cash's 1963 album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash. The song was originally recorded by June's sister, Anita Carter, on her Mercury Records album Folk Songs Old and New (1963) as '(Love's) Ring of Fire'.

Although 'Ring of Fire' sounds somewhat ominous or even some bad vibrations, but the term refers to falling in love – which is what June Carter experienced with Johnny Cash when they met. Some sources claim that Carter had seen the phrase 'Love is like a burning ring of fire' underlined in one of her uncle's books of poetry from Elizabethan era. She worked with Merle Kilgore on writing a song inspired by this phrase as she had seen her uncle do in the past. She had written:

'There is no way to be in that kind of hell, no way to extinguish a flame that burns, burns, burns'.

Love is a burning thing

and it makes a firery ring

bound by wild desire

I fell in to a ring of fire…

I fell in to a burning ring of fire

I went down,down,down

and the flames went higher.

And it burns,burns,burns

the ring of fire

the ring of fire.

The taste of love is sweet

when hearts like our's meet

I fell for you like a child

oh, but the fire went wild…

I fell in to a burning ring of fire

I went down,down,down

and the flames went higher.

And it burns,burns,burns

the ring of fire

the ring of fire.

Unfortunately June Carter Cash died in May 2003, Johnny Cash couldn't stand losing his lovebird and four months after he passed away too. The couple had only one child in 1970, have a look at his website: John Carter Cash.

Daddy and Mommy Cash :)

Daddy Cash :)

I recommend you the movie Walk The Line (2005), starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash, where John Carter Cash was the executive producer. In this interview, he talked about the film, his parents' faith, their relationship and their musical legacy: My father was a wildfire. 
This film gives a sorely accurate portrayal of the bad and turbulent times of Johnny Cash during his career leading up to his proposal to June Carter Cash. The perfomances are absolutely wonderful.

'Walk The Line' movie (2005)

To finish, I think they were like a couple of swallows. As far as you know, the swallows are an old sailor's tattoo, and I've always associated swallow tattoos with loyalty and fidelity - swallows choose a mate for life and will only nest with that bird and no other. So next image will be my little tribute to this lovely couple.

J ♥ J

I love this pic ♥

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

Hidden Treasures

Hello Be-Bops! How are you doing?

Although I've read many posts about the great artist Gil Elvgren, this will be my turn but I don't want to write about his life and career because I bet you know it.

Self portrait

I always felt attracted to his art. It reads, he was one of the most important Pin Up and glamour artists of the 20th century.
Elvgren never portrayed women like femme fatale. His illustrations were cute, sweet and cheeky at once. His gals could be 'the girl next door', who revealed their lingerie and stockings in embarrasing situations: a breeze, an arrow, a posture, a whiteware, a playful pet...Anything was the perfect pretext for lifting their skirts up and showing their lovely legs. I do recommend you this article: Gil Elvgren and his real Pin Ups. Have a look! you will love it!

Cooling Off (A Cool Number) (1958)

Finders Keepers (1945)

Hold Everything (1962)

Screen Test (1968)

The Wrong Nail (1967)

Next picture shows my custom Pin Up floor lamp. It's decorating my living room from now on :)

Custom Pin Up Floor Lamp ♥

Did you like it?

What would you need to have one?

Ingredients :)

I bought a cheap paper floor lamp, you can find lots of them in IKEA. The Pin Up illustrations belonged to an old calendar, but you can print some of them from the internet. It's so easy to do! :)
If you need some inspiration, just have a look around this beautiful blog: Vintage. El Glamour de Antaño. Nena Kosta designs some cute collages and they would be grand for your custom lamp! :)

To finish, next picture was taken by my boyfriend 

and I was the humble model.

It's my little tribute to Gil Elvgren ♥

My name is Guybrush Threepwood
and I want to be a pirate! hahaha ;)

This was the inspirational picture: Hidden Treasures (1954)

Hidden Treasures (1954)

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

The Space Age in 1964

Hello Be-Bops! Today I went for a walk, wearing one of my most comfortable handbags. It's a faux crocodile one, designed by Courrèges. I bought it some years ago, in a thrift shop. It was in a perfect state of preservation as you can see on the pictures below, but I'm not sure how old it is...I can only say, it's inspired by a classic men's briefcase.

Front picture

Side picture

André Courrèges was born in 1923, he graduated as an engineer at the age of 25. In 1950, he went to Paris to work at the fashion house of Jeanne Lafaurie, before securing a position at Balenciaga. He worked for the couture master for ten years, honing his skills in the cut and constructions of garments. In 1961, with his mentor's blessing, he left to set up his own house.

André Courrèges

His look was radically different not only from that of Balenciaga, but also from just about everything that was going on in a contemporary fashion. His wife and partner Coqueline organized the presentation of his collections, which she conceived explicitly as 'a show', energized by loud music and dancing young models.

'A show' as a presentation of his collection

His spring 1964 collection, with its linear minidresses and futuristic tailoring, confounded the experts. The look was created using heavyweight fabrics such as gabardine that held a stiff, uncompromising shape. Moreover, he used materials hitherto unheard of in the couture atelier: metal, plastic and a cutting-edge innovation called PVC. Many of the outfits had cut-out panels, exposing backs, waists and midriffs, and shockingly they were also often worn without a bra.

He was in love with white and red colours :)

Accessories included flat boots, goggles, and helmets inspired by the equipment used by astronauts. With his stark shapes and white and metallic colourways, Courrèges was celebrated as a designer of the Space Age.

The Space girl

Next pictures show a gorgeous Audrey Hepburn, they were taking by Douglas Kirkland in 1965.

Audrey Hepburn dressed Courrèges' designs (1965)

She looked a little bit weird in this one, didn't she?

She dressed Courregès' designs in two movies: 'How to steal a million' and 'Two for the road'.

How to steal a million (1966)

Two for the road (1967)

From the perspective of publicity, the collection was an absolute sensation. British Vogue declared 1964 'the year of Courrèges'. His clothes represented a couture version of the 'Youthquake'-driven style, and heralded the arrival of the 'moon girl' look.

Ferrari advertisement from the 60's featuring Courrèges' models.

Sondra Petersen for Vogue in Courrèges sunglasses (1965).

Moon girl collection

His career may have been short-lived but his influence was seismic. Courrèges made trousers acceptable daywear for fashionable women, and to this day he vies with Mary Quant for the credit of being the inventor of miniskirt.

Who was the inventor of miniskirt? ♥♥♥

Massiel, a Spanish pop singer, dressed one Courrèges' design, which was her good-luck charm, because she won the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song 'La, la, la' :)

Love,

♡Lorena Be-Bop♡

╬ Be-Boo series: A star is born ╬

Hello!! Just one day left to Halloween, and I'll keep posting Be-Boo series, but firstly I'd like to make a comment in relation to my blog. Since I started to write it, I am very proud of two things:

1. My Be-Bops, I mean my  followers, thank you very much! I really appreciate your great reception.

2. As far as you know (I have written it in two' award posts') My family, friends and boyfriend have coined a new word: 'Be-Bop'. We name 'Be-Bop', everything that might be an inspiration for the blog: either a book, a film, a song, a soap...It's a broad concept that covers all things vintage and therefore retro too. My sisters usually ask me 'Is that Be-Bop?', and I have to say they have familiarized so much the concept, they are lately right. It's great because 'Four eyes see more than two' :D

Be-Bop is a lifestyle, a character and a quality. I usually go shopping to a toy store because I love dolls, miniatures and reproductions. I am always searching little things as props for photography perfomances. Today, I have been looking at some shelves and I saw the Monster High dolls. I'll write about these dolls, just in case of you don't know them:

Monster High is a line of fashion dolls released by Mattel in July 2010. The characters are teenagers who are inspired by monster movies, literature and horror fiction. I know, it's such as childish concept...hahaha please, it doesn't make any sense. Among them, we'll find the offspring of famous monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, Medusa, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Phantom of the Opera etcetera. The dolls are very original because they have various skin tones (blue, green, pink, purple...), lovely hairstyles, impeccable makeup and aside from physical attributes, the dolls are quite different in the characterization of their clothes. All of them have various attributes of the monsters they are related to (i.e. fangs, stitches, wolf ears, fins, bandages, scars and so on). Also they have their own likes, dislikes, friends and pets. They are so beautiful!

I already knew them as I told you, I completely love dolls, but I never paid too much attention until today: I have met Operetta, she is Be-Bop!. As you can imagine, I was really taken a liking to that toy and I bought her along with a lovely dress. It seemed 'The Three Wise Men Day' (For the readers who don't know what I am talking about, I leave you this link. It's a tradition in Spain, all the children who have been 'good-children' will get their gifts on the 6th January at the end of every Christmas).

Operetta has purple skin and bright red hair with 50's inspired Victory Rolls. She has flashy makeup, a music-related arm tattoo, and a similarly music themed scar-like beauty mark' on her face which, she can cover with a spiderweb patterned, heart/musical note shaped eye mask. Despite her opera inspired name and background, Operetta seems to be highly influenced by Elvis Presley :)

Her outfit is very 50's too: patterned shirt, capri jeans and saddle plataform shoes. She comes with her pet, a rockabilly spider hahaha. If you want to see her bios on the official website, check it out!

Well, I'd like to introduce you, my Operetta, ' A star is born':

Paparazzi shot ;)

Flame Lo

Flame Lo with her Be-Bop glasses ;)

From now, she is christened Flame Lo, Flame by her red hair and Lo as my nickname among my relatives :)

Flame, darling, you are the image of my blog. 

Aww I almost forget it, her pet names Elvys :P

This pic is quite old..My sister drew a comic, and the character was myself :D

Flame Lo and Elvys :)

Love,

Lorena Be-Bop
P.S Traduzco todos los posts a castellano en Facebook, visita mi página si lo deseas :)

My tocaDior

Is there anything more feminine than a boudoir? They are so coquette, dainty and sensual!. Tocador means Boudoir, in Spanish, that's why I made a pun: 'TocaDior', I want you to keep reading...:)

The term derives from the French verb bouder, meaning 'to be sulky' or boudeur, meaning 'sulky'. They originated in the XVIII century in France, where were called 'toilette' because women used to wrap their cosmetics and personal hygiene items in a delicate linen cloth before they put them in a chest.

There were a lot of different types of boudoirs. Nowadays you can choose yours to decorate your bedroom. Some have elaborate mirrors and beautiful carvings. These're my favourite ones. I think that the mirror is the most important part of them because I'd rather put my makeup on in the sanctuary of the bedroom. Drawers are very handy for makeup and beauty items too:)

They

♥

Boudoir

Next pictures show a little performance. I took them using a mini boudoir. 

It's my Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Collection :)

TocaDior

Strawberry&Chocolate

- Dior Addict Ultra Gloss no.631: It's a pearl coral pink lip gloss.

- Dior Addict Ultra Gloss no.663: It's a coral pink lip gloss with golden pink shimmer.

- Dior Addict Ultra Gloss no.686: It's a fuchsia lip gloss with silver shimmer.

- Dior Addict Ultra Gloss no.557: It's a cotton candy pink lip gloss with multicoloured shimmer. 

- Dior Addict Ultra Gloss no.471: It's a frost beige pink lip gloss.

- Dior Addict Ultra Gloss no.521: It's a cold brown purplish lip gloss with green! shimmer. Yes, it is MAC club eyeshadow for your lips.

Swatches

To finish, I'll write about 'Boudoir Photography'. It's not anything knew and it has its roots in history that goes back thousands of years. If you were to look back in history there has always been tastefully done paintings of women is various states of undress. Almost all of the old master painters admired the human form and tried to depict that on canvas in flattering detail. These paintings were usually commissioned work and hence were expensive, luxury gifts for the very wealthy and these paintings are still prized possessions today. 

With the invention of the camera, the photographic process and then mass production printing, photographs and pictures of women in various states of undress became more widely available. The Pin Up girls have been around since the early 1900′s and as the century evolved the photographs became more risqué. By the 1950's, models were posing in skimpier clothing, smaller bathing suits, lacy lingerie or partially nude. During the major wars of the century, World War II, the Korean War and of course the Vietnam War it was not uncommon for solders to receive Pin Up photographs of their wives or girlfriends to remind them of their loved ones back at home.

Betty Grable

Gina Lollobrigida

Today Boudoir Photography is about creating beautiful, intimate, tasteful and empowering fine art photographs. Boudoir photographs allow you to express your sensuality, your sexuality, your beauty and most importantly your individuality. Although these photographs are often taken with clients in lingerie or partially nude, Boudoir Photography is all about attitude and very little to do with your clothing, your figure or your age.

Bar Rafaeli

Boudoir is definitely a synonym of the word 'sensual'. Dior, too

Lorena Be-Bop
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