Vintage Inspired Beauty

I am a lover of all things vintage from fashion to home and beauty. As I might have mentioned before, I collect vintage makeup compacts from the 40s, because I adore how they are adorned in gold and have inlays of mother of pearl or other luxurious details. I find today that is just what is missing in the beauty market - I feel like everything looks the same - lipstick in black plastic tubes and eye shadow and blush in plastic disposable compacts. Where did the beauty go that is supposed to go with beauty? Luckily, there are many brands out there that feel there is a major void in the market, like I do. I am a sucker for beauty products but even more so if the packaging is beautiful. I have rounded up some of my favorite vintage inspired items that will make you want to display them because they are that pretty.  

1. Roberts Distilled Rose Water 2. Guerlain Meteorites Voyage Compact

3. Chantecaille Les Pétales - Voile de Rose Poudre Délicate

4. Coty Air Spun Loose Powder 5. Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipstick

6. Rosebud Salve 7. Estee Lauder Ru Yi Compact 

8. Aerin Beauty Bronze Illuminating Powder 9. Voluspa Tiates Petite Beaded Glass Candle

Gold Star - A Vintage Find and an Update on the Classic

(My gem of an eBay find - a vintage mother of pearl cigarette case)

(This exquisite piece opened)

(West Elm's new mother of pearl boxes)

I love the color gold. Actually, it is my favorite color.  Every piece of trash furniture that I resurrect from someone’s stoop in Brooklyn, I want to do one thing and one thing only – spray paint it gold.  I am not sure why I have such a fascination, other than it is the color of pure luxury.  I love it so much, that I had to fit the word into my blog title.  Before my favorite color was Tiffany Blue, but it was my discovery and obsession with Versailles that made me convert to this sophisticated, glowing – ahh, just such a beautiful color, color. 

Here are my picks for this week’s Gold Star:

Vintage: It is my vintage mother of pearl cigarette case that I found a few years back looking very lonely on eBay.  They just don't make makeup compacts the way that they used to. Inside, there is the remains of pressed powder, a tiny large-toothed comb inside of a velour pouch and a bright red lipstick. 

Modern: I am also lusting after West Elm’s new mother of pearl boxes that I discovered over the long weekend. These boxes are heavy and just gorgeous. I would love to place beautiful stationary or perfume inside of them. 

Oh yes, I also haven’t mentioned thus far my obsession with capiz shell and mother of pearl; pair these materials with gold, my jaw literally drops (simultaneously with my bank account, unfortunately).  So be prepared for many other posts that include these beautiful shells. 

Does anyone love the color gold as much as me?