Tag Archives: makeup

Vintage 1950s Stratton Loose Powder Compact

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So, being in a bit of a vintage makeup mood lately, I decided to try out a vintage loose powder compact. I decided that to try one out, I would get a very inexpensive one on eBay first, because I wanted to see how they work and if I could stand to use one at all. I got a 50s model Stratton (a UK brand) on eBay. It’s a bit beat up on the outside, but it seals perfectly, the hinges work great, and everything is in perfect working order. It was only $5.00 with free shipping, so I wouldn’t be out much if it was too much of a pain in the ass to use.

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Well, isn’t that cute?

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Stratton made compacts for decades, starting around the 1930s on up to around the 1990s. In this blog post, there is some handy information on how to date a vintage Stratton. It appears mine was made in the 1950s.

So, the self-opening inner lid version of these compacts were made from 1948 onward. I have to say, this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! Or, maybe I’m just easily amused. 🙂 Tilt the lid of the compact nice and far back and the inner lid springs open. It’s the most satisfying sound.

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Under the inner lid is the powder well where you put your loose powder. You place a powder sifter over it, which presses the powder down. The sifter fits tightly in place and keeps the powder from coming out. The sifter is a fine mesh fabric which only lets a bit of powder through onto your puff or brush. Your powder puff is very flat and fits on top of the inner lid; however this compact didn’t have the puff and modern puffs are too thick to fit inside vintage compacts. There is only one manufacturer I know of, but I intend to use a portable kabuki with this compact. The sifter in this compact was in great shape and easy to clean up with an antibacterial brush cleanser.

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I cleaned a spoon with alcohol and filled the compact with MAC Set Powder in Invisible, which I have been using for many years.

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Press the sifter into place and close the inner lid, and your powder is pressed and secure.

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I’ve found that I actually like using loose powder with a mesh sifter better than straight out of a powder jar. Instead of getting either no powder, or a metric f-ton of powder on your brush, you get a perfect, finely distributed amount of powder on the brush, and a perfectly distributed amount of powder on the face. It’s really pretty brilliant!

This compact doesn’t leak when I tap it on my hand, but I am going to keep it on my vanity just in case. Compact manufacturers started making “convertible” compacts around the 50s that also held pressed powders and I think I will look for one of those for carrying with me, as there are just a few types of powder still made that fit those (two types being Rimmel Stay Matte and Estee Lauder Lucidity). I am a bit nervous about spilling my precious Set Powder in my Coach bag (even if it was a cheap outlet bag, LOL)! So I am looking around for a steal on a pressed powder compact now.

Do you have any refillable cosmetics items? I really think with people more concerned about “going green,” this should be something companies should start bringing back. At least companies like MAC are encouraging recycling, I guess. What do you think?

  

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation 010 Light Porcelain 

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Soooooo, before I even get started, let me just say, this shade of this foundation is only sold in the UK, as best as I can tell.  The lightest shade of this foundation in the United States is Light Ivory, which you can see on me here:

  
HOLY CRAP, NO!!  I totally returned that the next day.  How about that fabulous lipstick though?  (Maybelline Creamy Matte Siren In Scarlet)

I knew that 010 Light Porcelain existed in the Rimmel Stay Matte (entirely too dry and not long lasting on me at all), so I did a quick search for this color in other Rimmel foundations.  Apparently 010 Light Porcelain is sold in Lasting Finish and Match Perfection, just not in the United States.  Our shades start one shade darker, because the company hates me.  (LOL)

I did what any reasonable person would do, and bought a bottle on eBay.  I paid $10.00 USD and got free shipping, so only $3.00 more than what the U.S. version costs, and the UK version HAS A PUMP!  And it’s a good pump!  BEHOLD, look how the other half lives:

  
Seriously, Rimmel?  Why do you cheap out on us in the U.S.?  WE KNOW YOU CAN GET THE PUMPS.

And look…oh my god.  If you’re a gal with Scots-Irish in ya, I guess you need to buy your makeup from across the pond:

  
AND THE ANGELS SANG!

As long as this doesn’t break me out, this could become my less expensive replacement for MAC Studio Fix Fluid.  I’ve been looking for something that doesn’t dry my skin out as bad as Studio Fix Fluid (which I cannot even wear in the winter) and has a slightly more satin finish.  This has that beautiful satiny look once it sets.  It supposedly has a “comfort serum,” and I can attest that it’s not drying and doesn’t make my face feel tight. This foundation is a similar shade to NW10 and has more coverage.  It’s definitely buildable and blends easily, which is nice.  I was able to blend a cream blush flawlessly over this with ease!  Most long wear foundations are hard to do that with, as they dry to a very powdery finish.  I set this with a loose powder (a super light dusting of MAC Set Powder) and it just looks beautiful.  I am wearing it quite full here, but it could be sheered out, too.  This does have a light fruity fragrance, but compared to most long wear foundations that smell like paint, I think it’s quite nice.  Between the bottle, the feel, and the look of the product, it seems like a higher end product.

Ok, fingers crossed for no reactions or breakouts or dehydration, etc.  I will certainly keep you guys posted!  American folks, if you don’t want to get this on eBay or Amazon, I have heard this is also carried on Asos! 

What’s your go-to foundation?  

Crafty Weekend Project – Refilling a Vintage Lipstick Tube!

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OK, so I’ve had this reproduction vintage tube of Revlon Fire and Ice lipstick for a few years now. When this came out, I went crazy for this gorgeous metal tube and had to have it. I’m into women’s history and that of course includes the makeup and fashion. This color has been around since the 1950s. Unfortunately, this red shade is very orange and just doesn’t look the best on my pink toned skin. But…the limited edition tube is gorgeous.

fire and ice

Yesterday I obtained the Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick in Siren In Scarlet. It’s pretty much the perfect blue-based matte red on me. I actually do like the packaging on the lipstick as far as drug store lipstick goes, but a lightbulb went off in my head. Can you put a lipstick into a vintage case? I turned to blog posts and youtube for the answers. This YouTube video by D Beauty Liv has the best tutorial on how to do it!

So, last night I put my 2 lipsticks in the freezer and hoped for the best. Today, I put down some paper towels on my desk and got to work! I washed my hands with antibacterial soap and cleaned out a little eye cream jar with alcohol to put the Fire and Ice lipstick in (in case I get crazy and decide to wear it…hey, you never know).

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Before lipstick transplant surgery

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You can tell the Fire and Ice is much more orange than Siren In Scarlet. It’s gorgeous, but I think it’s more suited to a warmer skin tone than I have. You can also see that since they’re frozen solid, they’re a little foggy/frosty. 🙂

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I’ll be damned! It came out so easily and in one piece!

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The inside of the tube has grips to grab the lipstick bullet, so when you gently slide the other one in, it grips the bullet. Nice!

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Siren In Scarlet ready to go in the reproduction vintage Revlon tube.

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It fit perfectly! Would you look at that!

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Now it can be rolled up and down with ease and is perfectly snug in its base. You know, I remember reading somewhere that Dita Von Teese put MAC lipsticks in vintage cases and thinking, “yeah, but she can probably touch things and turn them into unicorns and if I tried it, they would break into a million pieces.” So, I am pretty damned happy that this didn’t turn into a disaster. Now I can stick this into my 1950’s vintage evening bag when I go to the club and feel all fancy.

(UPDATE: My lipstick has thawed out and I tried it on straight from the tube and it works perfectly well and did not tilt or break, etc – it works like any other tube of lipstick. And it looks awesome!)

FYI: If your lipstick tube is *actually* antique, as in from the 1950s or earlier, there’s a good possibility the diameter of the lipstick is going to be much smaller, so you will need to eyeball it to see if your desired lipstick is going to fit in there. Our modern day lipsticks are quite a bit bigger than they were back then. You can, for example, hold up an old Coty lipstick and see that they are very small compared to our great big lipsticks of today – so just keep that in mind!

What kind of crafty things do you do with makeup? Do you press loose powders, decorate compacts, etc? Or do you make your own shades? I would love to hear about your projects!

Frozen in Time – Fun Vintage Makeup Clip 

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I’ve always been obsessed with vintage makeup, fashion, etc.  I was unable to sleep tonight and stumbled across this gem!  Can’t you just see them doing this with modern day contour/highlight sticks? Our makeup roots are strong…this video is from the 30s! 

Women…over-drawing our lips for 80 years! 😉

Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lipstick — Siren In Scarlet

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So, being a PPP (this is Makeupalley speak for “pale porcelain princess), I tend to really love the way a red lipstick stands out on my light skin. Actually, I tend to think red lipstick looks amazing on any skin tone, as long as you manage to find a suitable tone, but I digress…today, my awesome boyfriend brought home this lipstick for me (he’s a keeper, y’all) and I have to say, I’m absolutely in love!

I’ve yet to try the other shades in the Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Mattes line, but I watched a few reviews on YouTube and the consensus is that they are pretty great: Not too drying, very pigmented, not patchy, long wearing. I definitely find that to be true with Siren In Scarlet. This shade is a bright, true red with a blue base, suitable for most skin tones and great for making teeth look whiter (bonus!).

The case is like the other Color Sensational lipsticks, except with a grey top that has a slightly textured, matte look and feel. I really love the case.

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When I opened it to get a look, I got super excited…oh my gosh!

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That’s frickin’ red, guys!

So, how does it look?

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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmazing! Siren in Scarlet is a true vintage looking blue-based matte red. If you are looking for that retro “pin-up” red on a budget, this is your lipstick! I’m just so impressed! It truly has a look and feel of a higher end matte lipstick for a budget price.

(PS – please pardon my too dark and too pink foundation – I am trying the Rimmel Lasting Finish which feels amazing, but the US shades only go down to Light Ivory, and I need the Porcelain which is only available in the UK, so I just ordered it from eBay…and now I wait! Sigh…another post for another time…)

In summary: I usually have problems with matte formula lipsticks, but I have had this on for hours with no peeling and uncomfortable feel. I find that it is matte but not with that unattractive “flat” look. This shade is a beautiful vintage red that I think most skin tones could pull off. For about $5.50 USD, why not give it a shot? I do believe I shall have to try another color or two from this line.

Anyone know if these are limited edition? If so, I may need another tube of this red…. *wink*

Have you tried the Creamy Mattes by Maybelline?

Makeup of the Day – I Dyed My Hair! 

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So, this happened…

  
I dyed my hair black!  Ok, when your hair is already dark brown, it’s not a huge stretch, but it’s so glossy and neutral toned now!  This is the Pravana 1N Black in Chromasilk used with the Zero Lift Developer.  I’m in love.  

Luckily, I was able to switch my brow color from the light color of the Anstasia Brow Duo in Ebony, to the dark side.  Handy!  Since this is a demi-permanent hair color, if it fades, I can go back to the lighter brow color.  I Love the Anastasia Brow Powder Duo for its versatility! 

Also featured:  MAC Smoke and Mirrors eyeshadow palette, Benefit Dandelion Blush, MAC Lightscapade highlighter, MAC Soar lip liner and Brave lipstick.  The rest is my usual stuff!  

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation – Oily, Pale Folks Rejoice!! 

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HAY GIRL HAY!  Or guy.  Whomever is reading, LOL!  I have been away for a few days having a great 4th of July here in the U.S., which for us mainly means cooking things on grills even if it rains, drinking too much, and blowing shit up.  WOO, AMERICA!  *ahem*.  ANYHOO.  Now that I’ve reinforced some stereotypes (giggle), I’ll tell you about a few things I picked up at Walmart from the Hard Candy line.

  
(Glamoflauge Foundation in Porcelain, Glamoflauge Concealer in Ultra Light, nail polishes in Bachelor Party and Crush on Lava)

So, something bizarre and REALLY unusual happened to me with the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation in Porcelain.  Not only did I find a cheap ($7.00) drug store foundation light enough for me, this foundation is TOO light for me.  This stuff makes MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW10 look positively TAN.  This is why I had to come on here and tell you folks about this stuff.  You guys, this is LIGHT. 

  
I ended up with the Ivory shade in the Glamoflauge to try, and I did some swatches.  The bottom swatch is MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW10.  The one above that is Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Ivory (this too is lighter and more yellow than NW10!).  The one on the top is Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Porcelain – you can see it’s super light and very yellow.  Just for fun, over to the left I put Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless in Porcelain.  It’s also very light and yellow, but not as extreme as the Hard Candy (also much lighter coverage).

  
So, here I am in the Hard Candy in Ivory.  It blended out so easily over the NYX Photo Loving Primer I always use.  The Hard Candy foundation has a liquid texture, but has very high pigment and a solid medium coverage.  It dries quickly and is not really buildable after it dries, so you have to work fast.  I’m used to fast drying foundations so this isn’t an issue.  I used my Beauty Blender with this; I do not think it would blend as well with fingers.  It does not need to be set with a powder.  

Unfortunately, the formula of this foubdation does not work for my 44-year-old skin.  I’m combination to dry with some fine lines, and this foundation showed off every wrinkle I have.  I think, however, it would be a fabulous foundation for younger, oily skin.  It also really exacerbated the dehydrated skin of my cheeks and made them feel very uncomfortable and tight.  To be fair, Studio Fix Fluid does this too, just not this bad.  All in all, if you’re very fair and have oily skin, you may love this.  Sadly, there were not many deep shades, which really sucks.  Step it up, Hard Candy. 

I went out today looking for something more suited to combination/dry skin and came up with Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation, so look for a new review in the future after I try that for a while! 

I’m going to try these nail polishes over the next couple of days.  Hope they are as awesome as they loo in the bottles. 

Oh!! Sad to say, the Ultra Light Glamoflauge Concealer doesn’t really color match the foubdation, so it’s sort of useless.  I exchanged it as it is just too dark.  If your shade in the foubdation is “Fair,” you may like it. 

What’s your go to foundation this summer?  Or is it too hot where you are to wear it?  (Looking at you Kristin) 

Makeup of the Day – with Guerlain Meteorites

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You guys.  I really need to get out the Guerlain Meteorites more often, right?  I look like I used a beauty filter on my camera or something…except I didn’t!  

  
What I used:

Kat Von D Lock-It Featherweight Primer (this sadly was too rich for my combination skin), MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW10, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, NYX HD Concealer in Porcelain around the nose and to spot conceal, MAC Invisible Set Powder to set concealer, NYX HD blush in Taupe to Contour, Smashbox Baby Pink blush (Wondervision Mega Palette), Guerlain Meteorites in Clair all over to brighten, MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Lightscapade on cheekbones

EYES:  Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Duo in Ebony (light side) with angled brush set with ELF Clear Brow Gel, Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow in Bone, Smashbox shadows in Beige, Fawn, and Blue (Wondervision Mega Palette), L’Oreal Infallible Gel Liner in Black with MAC 210 Precise Liner Brush, Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara

LIPS:  NARS Rikugien satin lip pencil (Sephora 2015 birthday gift)

What are you wearing today?