I never thought I'd see the day when this brand would not be available in the good old U.S. of A. I always thought if there were a definitive All-American cosmetic brand, Max Factor was it, even though the man was actually a Polish-Russian who emigrated here in 1914. Did you know that Max Factor actually coined the word 'makeup' in 1920? Max Factor's is a fascinating story that you can read about here (the PR version) and more discerning info on the history of the company is here.
When I think of Max Factor, I immediately think of Creme Puff, Pan-stik and Pan-Cake foundations (very full, heavy coverage) and of Erace, the first concealer in stick form. I always found the brand's foundation shades very difficult to match to my skin tone but loved the powders, eyeshadows and lipsticks. Also they had a mascara that smelled like no other; if they could have bottled that scent, I'd have worn it!
Sadly, in 2010, Proctor and Gamble discontinued the brand in the U.S. and is now marketed only in Europe. The published reasoning for dropping the brand in this country was for P and G to focus on Cover Girl. Makes me pretty sad as I am just not a big CG fan. Haven't purchased Cover Girl in years except for a mascara recommended by a YouTube beauty vlogger: Professional Remarkable mascara in the purple tube. I appreciated the 'normal' applicator brush and the product itself was not gloppy or clumpy. I have small eyes and the enormous weird rubbery/silicone wands they keep coming out with now, do not work at all for me. This was an ok mascara, but I probably won't repurchase. I digress...
You can still find pretty limited choices of certain Max Factor products online at Drugstore.com, Amazon, and a few other websites, but I miss being able to just drop by an actual store and shop the brand in real life.
This was my absolute favorite brand of cosmetics in the late 70's, 80's and right into the 90's. In fact, I dare say my favorite of all time (Laura Geller notwithstanding)! Ultima II was a very upscale skincare and makeup line created by Revlon founder Charles Revson. They offered exquisite products in beautiful packaging. I have such fond memories of some of the stunning shadows and lipsticks I had from this brand in the late seventies. The brand underwent a major overhaul in 1983 when the brilliant Kevyn Aucoin was hired as Creative Director and introduced 'The New Nakeds'. At the time, Aucoin was only 21 years old, the youngest Creative Director ever at any cosmetic company.
I actually preferred the brand before all of the big changes in the 80's, but I'm perverse that way. Guess I don't adapt well to change sometimes. The packaging went from baroque and fancy to very sleek and modern. The color ranges were expanded and refined to include people of all ethnicities and there were more matte and cream shades and less shimmer. Except for Glowtion---remember Glowtion and all its iterations? The brand was ahead of its time with that. Wouldn't the strobe-queens of today love that product?
However, in '89, Revlon made the very poor decision to pull Ultima II's distribution from prestige department store counters and put the brand in J.C. Penney's and CVS pharmacies. At that point, it lost its luxurious panache, business began to spiral downward and finally Ultima II was discontinued in 2001. There are still a few skincare products available out there online if you are determined enough to find them.
Let's have a moment of silence to remember this dynamic, innovative and memorable brand and also the iconic genius of Kevyn Aucoin, who was gone long before his time.
I actually preferred the brand before all of the big changes in the 80's, but I'm perverse that way. Guess I don't adapt well to change sometimes. The packaging went from baroque and fancy to very sleek and modern. The color ranges were expanded and refined to include people of all ethnicities and there were more matte and cream shades and less shimmer. Except for Glowtion---remember Glowtion and all its iterations? The brand was ahead of its time with that. Wouldn't the strobe-queens of today love that product?
However, in '89, Revlon made the very poor decision to pull Ultima II's distribution from prestige department store counters and put the brand in J.C. Penney's and CVS pharmacies. At that point, it lost its luxurious panache, business began to spiral downward and finally Ultima II was discontinued in 2001. There are still a few skincare products available out there online if you are determined enough to find them.
Let's have a moment of silence to remember this dynamic, innovative and memorable brand and also the iconic genius of Kevyn Aucoin, who was gone long before his time.
I only remember seeing the elusive Helena Rubinstein line at one store (Hardy-Herpolsheimer's in Muskegon, MI) in my life and only ever had one eyeshadow from this line. Probably because it was VERY expensive and at the time, I felt it was marketed to older women and I was only in my mid-twenties. So I can't tell you too much about this brand except that it once existed and thrived. What I do remember is that it screamed luxury, luxury, luxury and the packaging was stunning. I think I was actually intimidated by it! You can still find a few HR items on Amazon but it seems like the primary offerings are very expensive mascaras and a couple of pricey foundations. Wikipedia says L'Oreal now owns the brand.
The actual story of Helena Rubinstein herself is far more fascinating than her line of cosmetics ever was, especially reports of her audacious comments and the tales of the rivalry between her and her main competitor, Elizabeth Arden. In fact, I love reading all the stories of all the famous cosmetic queens, including these two grande dames as well as others such as Estee Lauder, Mary Kay, Coco Chanel, and many more.
This was a subsidiary brand under the gigantic Revlon umbrella of companies. It peaked in popularity in the eighties and early nineties and basically served as Revlon's budget brand. Heavily marketed to teens, it was pretty innovative for its time with unusual shades and hip gimmicks to appeal to a younger demographic. Remember 'Un-Lipstick'? That was a pale, sheer shiny gloss in lipstick form that came out in the late sixties. I remember having quite a few Natural Wonder lip glosses and nail polishes. Alas, this brand also faded away around 2000 after it was sold off to a private equity firm.
I have a faint recollection of seeing this brand at a cosmetic counter somewhere but it's so long ago I can't pull the details to the front of my poor aging brain. I do vaguely remember the Greek goddess image on the top of a compact of some sort. At any rate, this brand was Max Factor's foray into an upscale line sold at department stores. It faded in and out with great rapidity, existing less than ten years, I believe. It disappeared before I got a chance to get into it.
Charlie
I remember discovering Charlie cosmetics in the late seventies and early eighties at Hardy-Herpolsheimer's (again!). I don't remember ever seeing this brand anywhere else we lived. Obviously capitalizing on the incredible popularity of Charlie, the wildly trendy fragrance Revlon introduced in 1973, a makeup line was introduced. I vividly remember the signature marbled sky-blue packaging of the cases, the adorable little lipgloss compacts and the gorgeously textured eyeshadows. I also remember discovering the line being discontinued and getting a couple things on clearance. I haven't been able to find anything online about the history of this makeup line. I did, however, find a Facebook page for Charlie South Africa with pictures of products which look a bit on the drugstore side. There's a link to a website as well, but it comes up looking odd and I'm reluctant to click on it! I'm a bit over-cautious and silly about things like that. If anyone knows anything more, I'd love it if you'd enlighten us in the comments.
Ralph Lauren
Following the blazing popularity of Ralph Lauren fragrances, a small line of cosmetics was introduced in the (I think) early eighties. I don't remember where I got them, (I think in Texas somewhere) but I had two Ralph Lauren lip glosses. These came in little rectangular compacts with a 'leather' covering embossed with the Polo logo. I remember nothing else about these except that one was a brownish nude and the other was a brownish red. I had to get rid of them as they went bad fairly quickly and had a really horrible odor. Seems like I had a couple of eyeshadows as well, but they are long gone. This was another line that was here and gone in the blink of an eye.
I'm sure all of you remember this brand well! I remember going to what is now Macy's (was L.S. Ayres) at the South Bend University Park mall, heading to the Prescriptive's counter and being advised to get what I loved because the brand was going away. This was in September of 2009. SHOCKED AND SAD! To this day, I don't understand why Estee Lauder decided to shut this brand down. I do know there was quite a hue and cry about it, so they did relaunch a few basics available online only in 2011. I loved this line nearly as much as I loved Ultima II. It was so modern and innovative and the products were exquisite. Why, Estee Lauder, why?! Please restore this awesome line back to its former glory with all of the gorgeous lip colors, glosses, eye colors and especially the Magic line, etc. I loved it so much and even now still have a few treasured items squirreled away: 2 gloss palettes and 2 lipsticks.
Known originally for skincare, this French fashion designer opened her own perfume house in the 30's. If not us, then many of our mothers and grandmothers undoubtedly owned a bottle of Germaine Monteil fragrance. Her Royal Secret scent was hugely popular in its day. I remember having a bottle of Champagne cologne way back when and feeling very elegant when I wore it!
Scandia
I found this Polish makeup line in, of all places, the Longview Mall in Longview, Texas. I had to have found it in Dillard's, circa 1978. I only ever bought one Scandia item which was a good-sized eyeshadow palette, appx. 9"x 7"x .5". I never ever saw this brand anywhere else ever again. There's a Scandia website, but I don't know if it's the same company or not and the products are not sold in the U.S.
I kept that palette for years and years, finally getting rid of the old shadows but keeping the heavy duty burgundy plastic compact/case. I was a shadow de-potter back in the 70's and 80's and used this case to house my de-potted shadows for years. Now they have Z-palettes for that purpose! I guess I was ahead of my time with that!
This is another fascinating story of an early 20th century cosmetics mogul. Charles Jundt started out as a hairdresser at the Ritz hotel in New York in 1916. The rest, as they say, is history and Charles of the Ritz became a huge skincare, fragrance and cosmetics house.
Once again, Revlon's sticky fingers acquired this brand in 1987. Under their poor management and marketing, Charles of the Ritz gradually began to crumble and the line was finally shut down in 2002. Hmmm. Seeing a major pattern here with Revlon, aren't you? Revlon! Shame, shame, shame! I may have to boycott Revlon!
Charles of the Ritz had gorgeous makeup. I fondly remember a particular shade of reddish brown lipstick (was very fond of shades like that in the 90's--think Revlon Moondrops Copperglaze Brown or Estee Lauder Sugared Maple ) and two beautiful blushes. One of the blushes was called Clay and was the perfect neutral color, not too pink and not too brown. I loved that lipstick as well. I had two tubes of the same shade but both went rancid in a hurry and had to be tossed.
Believe it or not, I still have about half a bottle of Revenescence Liquid that is still perfectly good. No smell, no textural or color change, it is as pristine as the day I bought it and it has to be fourteen years old if it's a day! Works like a champ, too, but since it's no longer available, I use it sparingly. The salesgirl told me 2 drops was more than enough at any time. I imagine many of you right now are thinking "Ewwww! Throw that away!"
Don't judge me now--I toss anything that smells or looks funny and mascaras get the boot very quickly. I'm very sensitive to 'off' odors so sometimes things get trashed when maybe they're still actually ok. But in my book, if it smells fine, performs fine and looks the exact same as when it was new, why should I throw it out? When I bought the Revenescence, the salesgirl told me it was largely glycerine, but I don't know if that's true as liquid glycerine typically does not have a very long shelf life. Some have tried to duplicate the formula but I doubt any have been very successful. Anyway, I digress again...
Paula Dorf
I got my Paula Dorf at Hudson's in the University Park Mall in South Bend, Indiana. I loved her products (especially her shadow primer) and her makeup brushes were most excellent, though pricey. I remember going with my sister to get makeovers at the Paula Dorf counter when the store was having some special event in the cosmetics department. What fun!
But 2009 was not a good year for poor Paula either (same year Prescriptives went out). The company had to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I went into Hudson's one day and they were clearing out all the Paula Dorf at 50% off. I stocked up on a few favorites, of course. But most of the stuff was gone.
Though you can still find some Paula Dorf online, it isn't quite the same. So I suspect the reports of sub-par products sold under the Paula Dorf name are true. I recently got a Paula Dorf eyeshadow primer that isn't nearly as good as the first two original ones I'd had. The texture isn't the same at all. I've been reluctant to even try anything else.
I still have a case that holds 8 or 10 of her big round shadow pots--it's very heavy! (I had two but got rid of one when I 'downsized'.) And still have one of my favorite items, Bronze Beauty, a shimmery reddish taupe blush. I suppose it's actually a bronzer but it's way too red and shimmery to be used as such. A very unusual color, I've never seen anything like it elsewhere. Also, I have 3 tubes of Innocent, a great neutral lipstick, that I hope get used up before they go south.
Paula Dorf, I wish you great success and hope to see you back on store counters one of these days!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are so many more brands we could discuss, but these were some of my most favorites or ones that intrigued me greatly.
Thank you to Wikipedia and many thanks especially to James Bennett of the website Cosmetics and Skin. Your information and detail is astounding and the site makes a great afternoon read for any makeup junkie!
Till next time,
“The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.” ~ Yves Saint Laurent
No comments:
Post a Comment