3-Day New-Woman Beauty Plan

Once again, I was able to help a friend go through their mother's things after her passing. Even though it is a very emotional time, being able to provide assistance during these times of need is something I enjoy. Not only am I able to share my talents, but I also have a little part in preserving history. Plus, it is fun to look through old things and seeing each family's history.

As before, I was able to find some things that I can share with you. One of those things were clippings from a magazine article on how to make yourself over in just three days. I hope you enjoy these instructions as much as I did. Soon I hope to be able to share more information on how to be the perfect vintage glamorous you.

Download here.

Maintaing a Skin Care Routine

I would have thought that by the time I went through my teenage years, that I would no longer have to deal with acne. But, as I approach my mid-thirties, it's a fight I still struggle with. To make matters worse, with the aging skin and the climate in San Francisco, my skin can get dry if I use the wrong prodcuts.

It took me a while to figure out a good routine. If I cleansed my skin with the same soap I used in the morning, my nose would peel and my acne wouldn't be any better. This was discouraging. I tried many different products, but the result was always the same. Then I got to thinking, what would my grandmother have used? I had always seen Ponds Cold Cream, but never got around to trying it. Then one day, I saw a vintage blogger's post raving about Boots Cold Cream and toner. I thought I'd give it a try.

The line I chose has rose oil in it. I love the smell. It feels a bit greasy, as most cold creams do. So, at first I was a little aprehensive that it would make me break out more. But, after a week of using the product every night, followed by the toner, I saw a big difference in my skin. My nose stopped peeling. My acne started to clear up. I've been using this product for a couple years now. I notice a difference when I go a day or two without using it. I have tried another cold cream, but with my sensitive eyes, it actually makes them sting.

Since I have to order this product online, I haven't replenished my stock (I bought several jars at once). Sadly, the toner has been gone for a long time. But, in it's place I have been using witchhazel (not as pleasing of a smell), that works just as well, if not better. As an added bonus, witchhazel also is great for other skin irritations, such as razor burn.

With my sensitive eyes, I am limited to the brands I can use. I have found only certain products do not bother me. If I use the wrong product, I end up running up and down the hall screaming with my eyes clamped shut. Not a pretty sight.

With that being said, my skin care routine consists of:

1. Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Make-up Remover

2. Boots Cold Cream Rose

3. Dickson's Witch Hazel Toner 

4. Oil of Olay Moisturizer (Now that I use cold cream, the type of moisturizer I use doesn't really matter. I choose this one because of the smell, and it's what I remember my grandmother using.)

And in the morning, I use Cetaphil Gentle Bar Soap.

The one thing lacking in my routine, though, is a good eye cream. I have yet to find one that works well with my sensitive eyes, and where I see a difference in the appearance of my eyes.

What are some of your favorite skin care products?

The Fastidious and Well Mannered Woman Part Two

Our idea of what's permissible in make-up has undergone a drastic change in recent years.  It is rare to see a woman over eighteen without lipstick and powder.  Lipstick should follow the natural lines of the mouth.  Colored nail polish is more usual than not, although it is attractive to see well-groomed, healthy nails that have merely been buffed.

State Library Queensland

Mascara, once used only at night by some women, is frequently worn day and night in a variety of colors, from blue and green to various shades of brown or black.  Heavy black mascara is often hard looking, but the others, properly applied (to the upper lashes only in the daytime) and of the non-smear variety, can help the appearance very much, especially that of a person with pale lashes.  Eyebrows, if they need darkening, should be lightly rubbed with an eyebrow pencil the reverse of the hair growth, then brushed back into place, never drawn on.  The eyebrow pencil can be used adroitly with an upward stroke, especially at night, at the far corners of the eyes to give them depth and to elongate them, but the line should be blurred with the finger tips.

Christian Montone

Rouge, when used (and the older we grow the older it makes us look), is often best not on cheeks. It can bring a glow to some faces if it is lightly applied above the eyelid, shading toward the temples.  A little on the vertical planes of the nose bridge, on the chin or the ear lobes can play nice tricks, but experiment is needed.

Eye shadow is perilous stuff.  It must be applied with a light touch, if at all.  If nature had darkened your lids naturally, that is a cue, often, that you can wear eye shadow.  If you lids are small and light, shadow often makes you look dead tired.  You'll be better off with mascara.

It is often more youthful to leave all but the nose unpowdered and to allow a little shine on your face.  Pancake make up, or a good powder base, helps at night to keep make up fresh, but daylight hours too often disclose its masklike properties.

A pocket sized magnifying make up mirror is a requisite for every woman.  It should be consulted regularly.

Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette 1954

The Fastidious and Well-Mannered Woman

A Practical Beauty Routine

A women is well-groomed when she looks fresh, neat, clean, and well-pressed.  This means a daily shower or bath, fresh underwear and stockings daily, competent home or professional hairdressing at least once a week, well-manicured hands, no chipped nail polish, runless, wrinkleless stockings, and shined shoes at all times, even for housework.

Beauty care must be on a regular schedule, not just when social activities are planned.  Excess hair must be kept invisible by one method or another at all times.  Feet, pedicured and with toenails painted or not, must be kept soft and attractive, knees and elbows must receive their regular attention with emollients, and eyebrows be kept neat, though not obviously plucked.  A good deodorant must be used daily.

Hair must be brushed morning and night with a clean, firm brush and combed with a  good comb that, like the brush, is frequently cleaned in cold water and ammonia, then warm suds.  A dirty comb or brush is as repellent as a bath towel used beyond its initial freshness.

durhamskywriter

A well-groomed woman is carefully girdled, if necessary, from the time she gets up until she undresses for the night.  If she has heavy work to do she protects her hands with rubber gloves or work gloves and uses hand cream.  For dusty work she covers her hair with a clean kerchief and she wears clean aprons or smocks to protect her clothes.  Her handkerchief is always clean and when not in use, safely on her - not left on chairs or tables around the house or office.

john.curtin

The fastidious woman understands how much the appearance of her hair has to do with that of her whole person.  If her hair is fine and hard to manage she arranges it many times a day, if necessary, to preserve the required neat look.  She has it styled in the way that stays neat and attractive longest, and she never combs her hair or does her nails in public.

christianmontone

Patterns for prettier lips

Lipstick colors should work for you in two ways, accenting your natural coloring, accessorizing your clothes.  To get this double flattery, you need a basic lipstick wardrobe of at least three shades: clear red, light pink, and coral.  There are dozens of variations of these basic shades (some touched with blues, some with golds) to blend with your skin tones.

Lip tips: A brush draws the prettiest liplines.  Blot lips dry, then run brush over lipstick and outline top lip from the corner to center on each side. (Prop little finger on chin to steady hand.)  Draw lower lip in one stroke.  Fill in outline with a brush or lipstick tube.  Blot and powder lips, add a second coat of color and blot again.  Finish with a colorless liquid lip coat to prevent blurring.  Use lip coat as a first step if your lipstick tends to change color on your lips.

To accent your lipline or give a better line to lips that are not well-defined, outline lips in dark shade, fill in with a lighter tone.  Blend with your finger tip.  To even lips which don't match, color the thinner lip with light shade, the full lip with darker lipstick - they will appear even.

To widen a mouth which is too thin, outline lips a fraction of an inch beyond natural lipline.  Make lips fuller in center, add a hind of a cupid's bow at top.  To thin lips which are full, apply lipstick just inside your own liplines; let natural color act as a pale outline of mouth.

Lip tricks: Press paper over your mouth to get your lip print.  Do both sides of your mouth match?  Chances are they don't.  Pick the prettiest side - copy its lines on both sides of your mouth.  Make another print; improve its lines with a lipstick brush, cut it out, try it on. Like it?  Copy that on your lips!



-Seventeen August 1959

Vintage Cosmetic Colors

We all have our favorite red lipstick. My favorite is Lancome's Rouge Radiance. It is a very vivid red with a hint of metallic sheen. Of course, though, this color isn't very authentic. So, I've been on a quest to find a suitable vintage color.

One of the companies that has been around for the last 60 + years is Revelon. And, they do still make a few of their vintage colors. Two of the colors that I tried a while back (but sadly threw them away. Had I known that they would one day be a blog post, I would have kept them), were Cherries in the Snow and Fire and Ice. These are very bright colors, and on me look very pink; Barbie pink. I started to give up. But, then I came across this picture on a blog:

Armed with this list, I headed off to the drugstore. I had to go to three stores before I could find Certainly Red. I also bought Luminous Pink. The other colors scared me. They looked like they would be a little too pink, and Hot Coral looked very orange. I compared Love That Red to Certainly Red, and decided that Love That Red still had too much pink in it. I took my two lipsticks, and the two nail polishes, and went home. Here are the results.

Luminous Pink and Certainly Red

Top: Lancome Rouge Radiance

Middle: Certainly Red

Bottom: Luminous Pink

Raven Red and Cherries in the Snow

Cherries in the Snow and Raven Red

I don't know how to paint my nails very well. So, just ignore the bad job. I think that I can make the Certainly Red work with a little bit of lip pencil, but I don't know if this defeats the purpose of buying the color. Also, I think Cherries in the Snow makes a better nail color than lip color. Overall I'm happy with this round of authentic vintage colors.

What do you think? What are your favorite vintage colors? Is there another brand that has been making the same color over the years? Let me know.

May 10, 1953

I decided that I need to start taking care of myself. After all I'm not getting any younger. So, I bought a couple of fashion magazines to see if they had any tips. Sure enough, there were some diagrams showing how to take care of the skin. This will be my first step.