vintage lipstick

[marshaellen]

can anyone tell me about the lipstick colors of the 40's, i wear revlon's love that red as that is what my grandmother wore, i used to wear tangee quite a bit but havent been able to find it in years i would appreciate any advice you could give me, i have been told i was born about 60 years to late

 

[fortworthgal]

Vermont Country Store - www.vermontcountrystore.com - still sells Tangee lipstick.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Revlon still makes three of the colors that they made in the 1950s--Cherries in the Snow, Fire and Ice, and your grandmother's Love That Red.

I have heard that the Revlon color Raven Red was produced in the 1940s, but I have not found any information confirming this. Also, I have only seen nail polish in that shade, though it is a lovely deep crimson.

Are you looking for vintage colors that are still made today?

For a good color chart when hunting for modern lipsticks in the right shades, I love to refer to this page:
http://www.return2style.de/swingstyle/makeup/40amimup.html

 

[artdecodame]

If you're looking for shades that were original to the eras these wouldn't count, but MAC makes nice reds, matte or otherwise:
http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/products/sp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY15113&PRODUCT_ID=PROD1439

Max Factor and Elizabeth Arden have been around for a long time, but I'm not sure if the original colours are still produced (the same with Helena Rubenstein- I wonder if her makeup line is around any longer...I know the skin care products are.)

 

[Miss Neecerie]

and don't forget...

Besame makes a whole line of vintage colors.

besame.com should let you see them.....

 

[Katydid]

Again, not a 40's color

But I just bought Estee Lauder's Electric Hot Hot Red and it's the best shade of red I've found for me. It holds up well too.

 

[CherryRed]

I use 2 of the Revlon's plus don't forget L'Oreal's Crimson Joy #300 It's in the Endless line. It's my favorite and is a vintage shade. It has great texture and it's matte.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Has anyone seen Coty "24" lipstick anywhere lately? This was my favorite brand back in the '90s, and they had some really nice vintage reds ("Flame Red" was a fave of mine). It really really really wore well -- I had to wipe my lips with mineral oil at night to get the color off -- and it came in a very classy, vintage-style brass case.

I used to get it at Wal Mart, or any other big drugstore-chain type place, but I don't think I've seen it anywhere recently...

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I've heard good things about it too, but apparently they've discontinued their makeup line (save the Airspun powder.)

This is from the Web site:
Q.WHERE CAN I FIND YOUR LINE OF COTY COSMETICS (LIPSTICS, MAKEUP, ETC.)?
A. Thank you for your interest in Coty. A corporate decision has been made to discontinue all Coty cosmetics with the exception of Airspun Loose Face Powder. Please note all remaining inventory is depleted at this time.

 

[CherryRed]

That's too bad they've discontinued everything. Thank goodness not the powder, I adore it. The lipstick sounded nice. I guess since the inventory is depleted you can't request it at the VCS.

 

[RetroMom]

Vermont Country Store www.Vermontcountrystore.com also sells Tabu lipstick, but that is more 1950's I think.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Actually, here are two ads from 1946 for Tabu lipstick:

 

[MK]

.

You can get colors that are very close, but keep in mind even brands like that were in business back in the day don't have the same materials to work with that they did then. The FDA has banned a lot of colors used in cosmetics....especially reds.

About ten years ago Max Factor wanted to renew their relationship with Hollywood make-up artists. One of the first things motion pictures professions did was ask to bring back some of the items that are still beloved today. At the top of the list was a particulat color of pancake that was a favorite to use as eyeshadow in b&w movies in the forties.

Max Factor located the original formula but weren't able to use some of the ingredients because they were no longer made or weren't allowed to be used in the modern, PC world.

Never the less, they matched the color and produced a limited, exclusive batch just for us using what they could. It looked the same in the cake, but it was nothing like the original when applied...not even close.

So, don't go by the brand or the name. Get what looks right and goes on best. In the end that is all that matters anyway.

 

[mysterygal]

A lipstick I would love to find, is a red (blue-red) color that stays on for a long time. I've seen commercials for ever-wear lipsticks...does anyone know the difference with these than other ones?
Even though this is a lipstick thread, concerning eyeshadows, did women in the 30's and 40's have a broad range of colors? what was the most popular? including eyeliner?

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I've tried pretty much every brand of long-wearing lipstick, and the best one I have found is Cover Girl Outlast in Ever Red-dy. The shade is a fairly bright, true red. Not orangey, but not as blue-based as MAC Ruby Woo. The lipstick does last for a long time, but tends to wear off on the inside of your lips first, and you can't reapply over the original coat (well, you can, if you apply a very thin layer--but this doesn't always work), as this causes the lipstick to gum up and peel off completely. However, the lipstick makes an excellent base for a regular lipstick (so that when it wears off, you still have red lips.) This, of course, somewhat defeats the purpose of a long-wearing lipstick (since the regular lipstick still kisses off, transfers to your coffee cup, etc.), but the combination lasts a whole lot longer than traditional lipsticks.

As for eye shadows in the 1940s, neutrals (grays, browns, peachy-flesh tones) were the preferred colors. However, they did have a wide range of shades, including bright blues, grayed-greens, and violets, which were usually reserved for evening (though I have read magazine articles mentioning day application as well. I have even seen reference to waterproof blue mascara in a 1938 magazine—suggested for brunettes.)

Eye liners were also on the neutral side, and if you study old photographs you will note that not everyone wore it. Also, application is much softer then the style worn in the 1950s.

You can see Ann is wearing it here:

And Priscilla is probably not (if she is, it's a very thin line, called tightlining):

For fun, here is a picture of Ginger applying her lipstick:

 

[mysterygal]

thanks jitterbug! I'll probably wear the ever-wear stuff as a base then...I'm really hoping they come up with something better! My biggest peeve with lipstick is when you're eating out and all you got left after awhile is the lip liner!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

You can solve the dreaded lip liner ring by lining and filling your lips with liner, then topping with lipstick. This allows for more even wear

 

[Etienne]

MK, since the ingredients for some of those older lines are not allowed any longer, and since we all want lipstick that stays on (!), could you suggest a couple of brands (besides Besame) that we might try?

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Etienne, I would suggest MAC lipstick, as they have a large collection of vintage reds. They actually came out with a "Retro Matte" series a few seasons ago; the matte finish allows the lipstick to last longer than a creme lipstick would (it wears even better when blotted and worn over lip liner, used to both line and fill the lips.) My personal favorites for MAC 1940s reds include Ruby Woo, Russian Red, and MAC Red. The color Dubonnet is also nice, especially for a 30s look.

In terms of the best long-last lipstick, my vote is for Cover Girl Outlast. It's the only longwearing lipstick I have found with a good vintage red (Ever Red-dy), that also wears fairly decently. Some of the other lipsticks in this category are very drying and peel/wear off a lot faster. I did try MAC version and was not impressed—it wore off much faster then the drugstore version!

 

[artdecodame]

For fun, here is a picture of Ginger applying her lipstick:

Gosh, I love that picture (and Ginger)!!

P.S.: Thank you for the Dubonnet shade idea; the 30's are my favorite, so this will come in handy!