Vintage Makeup Favorites

[swinggal]

I have very pale facial skin too, but if I ever sunbake I go very brown but I NEVER expose my face to the sun that way. Probably why most people mistake me for being a lot younger than I am. Try and gues?? hehe.

I have always had troubles with foundation shades. There is nothing that fits my 'in between shade'. I used to use Yardley foundation until they went out of business. It had the at vinatge 'english rose' feel about it. Used to give my skin a lovely porcelin look without looking fake and overdone.

I swap from one thing to another and quite frankly, I'm tired of it. Just want a product I can stick with. I have looked for Besame here, but I think they may only have outlets in Melbourne for some reason. I'll have tro try more Mac stuff.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

MissTayva--I've seen Vienna, and emailed her myself! She uses Shiseido, which apparently was recommended to her by Dita Von Teese. I did try the Fluid foundation, which was also very nice--but I must be paler than both of them, because it was about 1-2 shades too dark for me. Sigh...

I have one of Kevyn Aucoin's books--it's very good! I've not really tried any of the looks, but I enjoy looking at the transformations of the modern stars in Old Hollywood legends. He was a makeup artist genius!

Too bad they don't make Yardley makeup anymore--that sounded like it would be perfect! Figures...I agree though--I would love to find *something* I can stick with and be happy about! I'm sick of spending gobs of money on products that just don't work, or live up to their claims! Since being tan is not an option/issue with me, I know I'll reap the good skin benefits that come from avoiding the sun--but come on, I know I'm not the only ghostly-white girl out there! Maybe we should form our own vintage makeup company, and offer a truly wide range of shades for all of the hard to match women out there…

I tried a sample of the Besame; it was lovely, but as always, too dark for me. I do think they are aiming their makeup line more at Hispanics (which would explain the darker colors), but it would be nice to include us pale girls, as we love vintage glamour, too!

Two other options are Lumene (a Finnish brand available at CVS) in Pale Merengue--this is *very* pale and neutral; and www.amphigory.com, which makes pale makeups for the more goth crowd. (The colors are natural though, and not truly white.)

Anyway, the quest continues...

Speaking of vintage makeup though, has anyone tried the method of powdering over a vanishing cream ('powder base')? I wonder if women had better luck with makeup then, or if color choices were even more limited. I do notice in ads for powders, as well as lipsticks and eye shadows, that the products were aimed at different color groups: Blondes, Brownettes (you never hear that term anymore), Brunettes and Redheads. Interestingly, Almay just released a line of eye cosmetics coordinated to your eye color; this seemed to have been popular in the 1930s as well (even though most modern beauty mags tell you to not match your shadow to your eye color, but to use a complementary color instead.)

 

[MissTayva]

As far as Besame is concerned, the whole Hispanic target sorta irks me... others like it, too! I am hispanic, and let me tell you, the lightest color would be way too dark for everyone in my family, haha!

I think I found another line that might suit you super light gals...
Avon has just come out with a higher-end line called BeComing. I got the latest brochure and they have about 12 shades... and the lightest is LIGHT. They show it spilled onto white background and it's darn near the same color! Judging from what I wear in their normal ol' foundation (the lightest one they make), that one seems to be the same as BeComing's mid-range colors.
One formula is an anti-aging, and the other I believe is for combination skin.

I once read something that cosmetics back then were pretty much crap... that they were hard to apply.

 

[decodoll]

Thanks for posting about the new Avon foundations, MissTayva. I'm another pale-skinned one and while I have been happy with the Shiseido foundation, I wouldn't mind finding something I liked that was a bit less expensive! Does the Nude shade look like the palest one to you? It's hard to tell sometimes by looking at a computer screen! Where's an Avon lady when you need one....?

 

[rubyredlocks]

I'll have to check out the new Avon. I have a very hard time with foundations as well. My skintone is a mix of yellow and pink undertones,but very pale. Sort of peachy.
I have been looking for a good coral lipstick.I know this was a popular shade in the 40's for daytime and thought it would look great with my new strawberry blonde hair. Any recommendations?

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Orange-based reds were popular for day and evening wear in the 1940s, and look especially nice on those with red or warm blonde hair and warm toned skin. I'd suggest checking out Revlon’s Super Lustrous lipstick; they've kept quite a few of their original shades and have supposedly improved the formula.

For example, Cherries in the Snow (a pink red) and Fire and Ice (an orange red), are from the 1950s; both are very pretty colors. Fire and Ice might be a nice choice for you, as would Kiss Me Coral. Their Moon Drops Lipstick in Hot Coral or Orange Flip might also be good choices for what you are looking for.

I recently tried Max Factor’s new Colour Perfection, and so far am very pleased. It’s gel-based lip color, and so it has a rich, creamy feel. It’s doesn’t seem to be easily smeared though, and the color ‘Flame’ is a nice, bright vintage red. The color Citrine looks like it might be a nice coral (though it's hard to tell on a computer screen)—check it out and see what you think!

I think that most people associate matte colors with the 1940s, but when studying magazines from this time frame, I’ve noticed a lot of color (and black and white) photographs that show women with creamy, slightly shiny lipstick. So, I think that wearing a satin finish cream lipstick is still an era-correct choice.

But, if you are looking for something matte, why not try MAC’s Lady Danger lipstick? It’s described as a ‘vivid bright coral-red’, and it looks very pretty. Check out their D’Bohemia collection as well; it has a 1920s summer glam feel to it and is based on shades of orange and green—I think it would look wonderful on a redhead!

I made my first batch of custom powder yesterday, and so far love the results! The pale powder tones down foundation that is just a little bit too dark, and it definitely keeps the ‘shinies’ away. In fact, we went out dancing last night at a small, packed club that was pretty darn warm, despite the air conditioning. After a couple of hours in this humid setting, plus about 10 fast dances on a crowded dance floor, I expected my makeup to have completely disappeared. When I checked in the mirror though, my makeup looked as fresh as it did when first applied! So, I definitely recommend this setting powder--it's inexpensive and effective, and you can use it fill an empty vintage compact!

 

[ITG]

Have you gals tried Coty's Translucent Airspun Powder? It tends to make my face a lighter shade than my foundation. You can see how pale my face looks here:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/wickie7/Star Wars/Celebration3/Leia_Holly1.jpg

Do any of you have recommendations for good vintagey lipstick-blush combinations?

In terms of finding an avon lady, my local mall has an Avon Kiosk and I'm sure they can recommend sellers. Also on the Avon site you can put in a search for an Avon lady near you.
http://shop.avon.com/avonshop/default.asp?department=rep

 

[MissTayva]

Thanks for posting about the new Avon foundations, MissTayva. I'm another pale-skinned one and while I have been happy with the Shiseido foundation, I wouldn't mind finding something I liked that was a bit less expensive! Does the Nude shade look like the palest one to you? It's hard to tell sometimes by looking at a computer screen! Where's an Avon lady when you need one....?

Yeah, $33 for Shiseido is sorta steep. It is beyond me why they don't have incandescent lights at makeup counters! I never get a good match. This last time, though, my coloring totally changed. I looked at the remaining amount of my Shiseido foundation last night and it is seriously SO DARK, haha!

As for the Avon, see an Avon lady or get a brochure. Colors never look acurate on the computer, in fact those ones look so not close to how they are pictured in the book. The lightest shade (Ivory, according to the book), is spilled on a white background and the foundation looks pretty darn close to that white!
I actually tried some samples of Avon's regular matte foundation, and again, I am in between the two lightest shades! So annoying...

Has anyone tried out Dita von Teese's lipsticks?

 

[ITG]

Yeah, $33 for Shiseido is sorta steep. It is beyond me why they don't have incandescent lights at makeup counters!

I don't know much about Shiseido. A friend of mine sold Shiseido about 3 years ago and I do recall her saying it's marketed for the Asian community with the colors. My friend is fairly dark (for a white gal) and she loved the product, as well as MAC.

 

[MissTayva]

I don't know much about Shiseido. A friend of mine sold Shiseido about 3 years ago and I do recall her saying it's marketed for the Asian community with the colors. My friend is fairly dark (for a white gal) and she loved the product, as well as MAC.

Shiseido is a Japanese product. I'm not entirely sure if they market it in this country for Asians, I've never heard that. I think their shade range is a lot better than most other brands. I also think the formulation is far more superior than most other brands, as well. All the sales ladies boast about it, but that is THE brand that I've had the least amount of problems with, and I think it has the nicest looking finish. I've also heard this from a lot of people, except Jitterbugdoll, who apparently glows in the dark ;-), hehe...

 

[decodoll]

Oh well...I went ahead and ordered the Nude over the weekend. At least Avon says you can return it if you don't like it. Hopefuly, it's not too dark. The lightest Shiseido shade works for me, so maybe this one will be okay. I did find where you could find an Avon lady near you, but then I had flashbbacks of my mom being guilt tripped into buying stuff she really didn't want by the local Avon lady when I was growing up and decided I really didn't want to get into that! I'll probably end up back with Shiseido anyhow....I just like wasting money trying new cosmetics!!

As to Shiseido being geared toward Asians, it may be, but then I've been told by all my Japanese friends that it is very desirable to be very pale in Japan. That might be why they carry lighter shades even though it's not very common.

 

[MissTayva]

Oh well...I went ahead and ordered the Nude over the weekend. At least Avon says you can return it if you don't like it. Hopefuly, it's not too dark. The lightest Shiseido shade works for me, so maybe this one will be okay. I did find where you could find an Avon lady near you, but then I had flashbbacks of my mom being guilt tripped into buying stuff she really didn't want by the local Avon lady when I was growing up and decided I really didn't want to get into that! I'll probably end up back with Shiseido anyhow....I just like wasting money trying new cosmetics!!

As to Shiseido being geared toward Asians, it may be, but then I've been told by all my Japanese friends that it is very desirable to be very pale in Japan. That might be why they carry lighter shades even though it's not very common.

I like cosmetic stores/lines with return policies! It's always the ones without those, where I get the stuff I hate or doesn't work for me!
I'm lucky, my Avon lady (who also owns a great antique store) isn't pushy at all. She also stocks a lot of the stuff, and it's about $4 cheaper than in the campaigns (and definitely cheaper than ordering it online)!

I was actually just thinking that about Shiseido... I know in Japan, they like dressing up in unusual costume, whatever you call it! I always see photos of these gals in really pale makeup.

 

[decodoll]

Maybe if I like this foundation, I'll look into finding myself an Avon Lady. Hopefully, it will be good because I am notoriously bad about returning make-up even when they do have a return policy. I don't know why....I'm not shy about returning other things.

Oh yes...Harajuku girls! They are so cute!!

 

[MissTayva]

Maybe if I like this foundation, I'll look into finding myself an Avon Lady. Hopefully, it will be good because I am notoriously bad about returning make-up even when they do have a return policy. I don't know why....I'm not shy about returning other things.

Oh yes...Harajuku girls! They are so cute!!

Haha, when it comes down to it, I am the same way (LAZY!).
I think I'd rather complain about it being the wrong shade 'til the bottle is empty ;-)

 

[decodoll]

Haha, when it comes down to it, I am the same way (LAZY!).
I think I'd rather complain about it being the wrong shade 'til the bottle is empty ;-)

hehehe...yup! That sounds about like me!

But I won't have to this time! I got the Avon foundation in Nude today and it's seems really nice so far. It's just slightly lighter than the lightest Shiseido. If the Ivory one is lighter, it must be pretty darn light!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Hmmm, then maybe I should try it, too! I tried two Avon foundations just a couple of months ago, but both were far too dark. But if these are lighter then Shiseido, they might work for me...

 

[MissTayva]

Hmmm, then maybe I should try it, too! I tried two Avon foundations just a couple of months ago, but both were far too dark. But if these are lighter then Shiseido, they might work for me...

The lightest shades from their BeComing line are about 1-3 shades lighter than the normal Avon. Hopefully, it'll work for you!

Question for those of you into MAC...
Do any of you know of a cheaper brand (drug store!) lip liner that is the same color as their Brick lip liner? I am nowhere near a MAC counter or store and my lip liner is a sad looking little nub!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Tayva--Rimmel Lipliner in Ravish or Red Diva! Ravish is more of a brick red, but both shades work great under Ruby Woo lipstick. The best part--they are only $4! Actually, I like them a little better than MAC lip liner (and I was a die hard MAC fan)--because they are not pencils, they are a tad creamier and easier to line and fill the lips with. Anyway, hope that helps!

 

[MissTayva]

Tayva--Rimmel Lipliner in Ravish or Red Diva! Ravish is more of a brick red, but both shades work great under Ruby Woo lipstick. The best part--they are only $4! Actually, I like them a little better than MAC lip liner (and I was a die hard MAC fan)--because they are not pencils, they are a tad creamier and easier to line and fill the lips with. Anyway, hope that helps!

Thanks! Figures... for being a store brand, their stuff isn't that half bad. I recently got some of their matte pressed powder and am quite pleased with it.
Glad to know they are not pencils! I went through this last one so quickly because I always seem to lose my expensive sharpeners and can only find the cheap, crappy ones. They always ruin/break my pencils!
I have also wanted something creamier than the MAC pencils. Mine always tugs when I overdraw my lips and it takes forever to get a perfect pout!

 

[swinggal]

Funny how the Asian cultures have 'whitener' by the tonne in their supermarkets. I have been to Asia for holidays 6 times over the years and they all see whitening their skins as most desireable. The shops are full of whitening cremes, foundations and TV ads for it are prolific. You just cant buy the stuff in other countries.

My foundation is Ivory but I don't like looking 'white'. Women of the day looked flawless, but it was a natural looking colour. White just looks wrong to me. Fair enough if you have 'white' skin, by everyone has a little bit of pink tone in there, no matter how pale they are. I just basically find foundation that is the same colour as my natural face shade (maybe one shade lighter) to give that flawless nude look without looking fake.