Show Us Your Compacts . . .

[Mrs Cleaver]

That's beautiful!In such lovely condition too Be careful it can be very habit forminglol

 

[FountainPenGirl]

Hi, Also keep checking the local antique shops and second hand stores. You never know where you'll find them. I've found ones for $5.00 to $20.00. And these are fairly elaborate ones or at least one tricky feature to them. I've been carrying vintage compacts for a couple of years now. I use the Coty AirSpun powder. It's been around since the '20's. Also it's just a very nice powder.
After you get to using them you'll hear a lot of stories from people. Mostly it's "My mother had one like that.".
Have fun.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Thanks, Mrs. C... I'm crossing my fingers for it but there's a lot of time left on the auction so I won't be surprised if it loose it...

I think I feel an anniversary present coming on, Fountain Pen Girl... We're celebrating our 1st in July and I hinted (ie told) him what I might fancy so we'll see what happens down the road. I've always kind of wanted something to collect and I couldn't ever think of anything that really felt right... Vintage compacts just might be it!

 

[Mrs Cleaver]

From experience you should put it in writing with a picture of exactly what you want & where he can buy it,detailed(but easy to follow) instructions where possiblelol
Oh & just a tip i always wait until the last few minutes to bid on anything & then put my max bid in, mostly works for me anyway

 

[ZombieGirl]

Yeah I'm most likely going get outbid... It's been so long since I bought off of Ebay that I'm a little out of practice...

 

[FountainPenGirl]

Filling my latest compact

This is a compact I just got this past Saturday for $5.00.

I thought I would put this up just in case anyone was wondering about filling compacts being I've noticed it come up ocassionally.

Here I have removed the screen and cleaned out the remaining old powder.

I've just added some of my favorite loose powder to the compact.

Then just replace the screen.

Now I've simply replaced a new puff. You can usually get these at you favorite drug store. To get your powder just gently wipe and you will get a little powder through the screen. With the puff over the screen when the compact is closed keeps the powder contained. It's best to look for puffs that fit the opening in the screen to prevent leakage. I usually use new puffs and save the original ones for display purposes when I'm not using the compact. Especially if the original has never been used.

I also have compacts with the inner door which keeps the powder contained quite well.
Pardon me if I'm going over things you all know. I just thought this might help someone.

 

[ZombieGirl]

. I use the Coty AirSpun powder. It's been around since the '20's. Also it's just a very nice powder.

Just bought a box of this stuff today... I just started work a month or so ago at the drug store in town here (it's a very little town) and woe is me for temptation. I get a nice little discount and it's very hard to resist!!! We don't carry a LOT of stuff but knowing that we can order in almost anything in short order is horrible too!

 

[FountainPenGirl]

Ok, now you got me wondering. Is it a current run of the mill drug store or one of the old time drug stores that's survived over the years. The drug store where I get my powder I just visited today. It's been modernized over the years but has been in business for about 50 years. The pharmacist is the son of the original owner so it's still in the same family.
fftopic: I really long for the old time drug stores with a lunch counter and soda fountain where you can get a real ice cream malt. Our last real soda fountain and ice cream shop closed about 3 years ago and I'm still having withdrawl.
Back to the subject. You'll love using the compacts. I like the fragrance of the AirSpun powder.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Ok, now you got me wondering. Is it a current run of the mill drug store or one of the old time drug stores that's survived over the years. The drug store where I get my powder I just visited today. It's been modernized over the years but has been in business for about 50 years. The pharmacist is the son of the original owner so it's still in the same family.
fftopic: I really long for the old time drug stores with a lunch counter and soda fountain where you can get a real ice cream malt. Our last real soda fountain and ice cream shop closed about 3 years ago and I'm still having withdrawl.
Back to the subject. You'll love using the compacts. I like the fragrance of the AirSpun powder.

Me too! It smells old-fashioned but not heavy or too sweet!

Our store is an oldie but a goodie... No lunch counter or soda fountain though I'm not exactly sure how long it's been in business but it's not a big chain like Walgreens or CVS. There are only about... 6-ish locations total... more or less. So it's nice having the small-town longevity of a little drugstore around the corner with some of the benefits of a larger chain.

I've always loved drugstores... ever since I was a kid. Especially on the days I was off sick from school and we'd go in to get a prescription for me. So much stuff to look at!

 

[Goldfish]

Thanks Mrs. C... Ebay had a lot to look at... in fact I just bid on this little number!!!

Hope that link works... I'm new to this.

That's a cute one! Hope you win the auction!

I check ebay several times a week for powder compacts like that but there aren't much of them and on the ones I like I usually get outbid
Tried to find nice ones in antique stores while I was in Berlin, but they were 10x times less beautiful than the ones on ebay and 10x as expensive lol

Are there any sites with a good selection of compacts other than etsy&ebay to stalk compacts?

 

[ZombieGirl]

That's a cute one! Hope you win the auction!

Alas, I've been outbid!

 

[FountainPenGirl]

Hi ZombieGirl. Is there a particular type of compact you're looking for or just something nice? I find them from time to time and they usually aren't real expensive. I don't know how much you are thinking of spending. At a shop here in town there has been a Coty AirSpun loose powder compact with the inner door with a latch to contain the powder. It's actually one very much like I have and have used for some time now. It's so much like mine that I haven't put much thought to it. It needs to be cleaned up. I polished and clearcoated mine so it wouldn't tarnish. I doubt that it would be more than $20.00. I didn't pay that much attention because of already having one. If you're interested I could check it out for you and maybe get some pics so you'll know what it is.
Just curious what part of Minnesota are you in? We're in Wisconsin but about 100 miles east of the Twin Cities.
I have a friend that has been collecting compacts for years. She probably has 100 or more.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Hi ZombieGirl. Is there a particular type of compact you're looking for or just something nice? I find them from time to time and they usually aren't real expensive. I don't know how much you are thinking of spending. At a shop here in town there has been a Coty AirSpun loose powder compact with the inner door with a latch to contain the powder. It's actually one very much like I have and have used for some time now. It's so much like mine that I haven't put much thought to it. It needs to be cleaned up. I polished and clearcoated mine so it wouldn't tarnish. I doubt that it would be more than $20.00. I didn't pay that much attention because of already having one. If you're interested I could check it out for you and maybe get some pics so you'll know what it is.
Just curious what part of Minnesota are you in? We're in Wisconsin but about 100 miles east of the Twin Cities.
I have a friend that has been collecting compacts for years. She probably has 100 or more.

I'm from West Central Minnesota... I'm out in the boonies here so good antique shops are a little hard to come by. I'd really like a Coty type compact with a door to hold in the powder but I'm not really picky other than that. Maybe someday, down the road, if a collection picks up from this I might be a bit more discerning.

I've actually got an antique dealer a couple towns away that said she'd email me some pics sometime this weekend when they've unloaded some new inventory! I'm hoping to find a little diamond in the rough.

Thank you so much for the advice, by the way. It's been really helpful. $20 is a reasonable prices for a "starter compact" I think so that's a good price to aim for...

 

[Coralee]

Reproductions?

I was wondering if anyone knows of a company that makes vintage-y styled compact reproductions? I've been checking ebay regularly and can't seem to find anything I like.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Besame

I was wondering if anyone knows of a company that makes vintage-y styled compact reproductions? I've been checking ebay regularly and can't seem to find anything I like.

This is a brand I keep hearing about here on FL... I haven't tried their products but the buzz is all good. The compacts look beautiful online and they sell refills.

http://www.besamecosmetics.com/products.cfm/Cashmere-Pressed-Powder/pID-12

 

[Lenore]

This is a brand I keep hearing about here on FL... I haven't tried their products but the buzz is all good. The compacts look beautiful online and they sell refills.

http://www.besamecosmetics.com/products.cfm/Cashmere-Pressed-Powder/pID-12

I adore my besame powder compact.. I just wish it were bigger.

 

[Coralee]

I actually did some more searching and found this site:

http://www.honeypotgifts.co.uk/index.htm

It has some really nice looking compacts at reasonable prices and they ship to Canada which is even better!

 

[RockyHorror]

This is my only compact, it was my grandmas. I have no idea how old it is, and i can't figure out what brand it is. \i have the original powderpuff but it's kind of wrecked so I've lost track of it. I use a quo one instead.

 

[NancyLouise]

Got it a little while back off ebay for less than 5$. It's simple but I love it. Oh and please don't mind the dirty nails; I took it right after work!

 

[JezebelDiVine]

Not exactly a compact but........

I found this great company out of LA who make old boudoir vintage type vanity mirrors. They are called Vanity girl Hollywood. I thought i would bring that up here because we are talking mirrors. I love the Broadway mirror! http://www.vanitygirlhollywood.com/