Let’s Talk About Beauty & Fitness
During the beginning of the lockdown period of the pandemic, I constantly scrolled through Pinterest, creating the most niche vintage and retro-inspired boards. I became very interested in the beauty and fitness regimes of the past. I thought I'd share some of my favorite tips and tricks that I learned or new ideas I'd like to try!
This 1960s advertising showcases cosmetics and beauty products from Lucky Heart Cosmetics. This Memphis, Tennessee-based company has been around since 1935 and was designed to provide quality products for black women at a time when it was virtually impossible to purchase products marketed for darker shades. This company still exists and has hair products, fragrances, and skincare products available on its website. Their packaging has a retro look, and the products are affordable. I want to try out their Touch of Fire perfume, which seems to have smoky notes that Dorothy Dandridge would've approved! I also want to check out their tea tree hair care products and lemon ice toner, which seems like a hit product as it is always sold out!
In terms of makeup products, I believe that Bésame Cosmetics is the closest that one can get to vintage products. However, it is worth noting that I have never purchased from them and have my first lipstick from them in my shopping cart to try out for a future blog. Most women in the vintage community rave about the quality of Bésame, and I am stoked to try out their products! The lipstick shades selected (e.g., Victory Red and Portrait Peach) were formulated based on authentic colors of the past. Through Bésame, you can purchase cake mascara, cream rouge, and nail polish to match your lipstick! All of these products are beautifully designed and cruelty-free. I'm excited to give it a try and let you all know about my review of the products. I'm starting with their Holiday red lipstick and nail polish. Their products are available on their website and physical stores (only in California 😭). I've heard that sometimes they are available for low prices at T.J. Maxx!
In terms of makeup application, it is dependent on the specific decade(s) that one is referencing. I like to mix decades to best suit my needs. I love to combine the 1950s and 60s techniques, opting for rosy eyelids and cheeks juxtaposed with a strong cat-eye created from liquid liner and a pair of wispy lashes. There are so many fantastic tutorials online that showcase fabulous women from the past applying makeup. If you've never heard of Glamour Daze, I strongly recommend their blog and YouTube channel. The website and YouTube channel feature a wide variety of vintage resources. For example, my favorite videos of Glamour Daze include a vintage 1960s makeup tutorial and a video of Elizabeth Taylor applying eye makeup.
Let's talk vintage skincare next! Cold cream was all the rage in the past, and for good reasons! I've been a huge proponent of cold cream since I purchased my first Pond's Cold Cream bottle years ago. The cream eliminates dirt and is the only product that can take off my liquid eyeliner and mascara without a hassle. Whenever you watch videos on skincare from the past, they always use cold cream as a part of their daily routine. You can watch a video of an ad from 1963 for Pond's Cold Cream that shows how to use the product. I like to apply a layer of cream to my face, and most nights, I let it sit and soak in a bit, like a facial. I usually use a few cotton towelettes to remove the product. Afterward, I rinse my face with lukewarm water as I have naturally oily skin.
Women from the past seemed to use simple products and stuck to a basic routine that included cold cream, a toner, and vanishing cream. Again, Bésame Cosmetics has some of these skincare products. Another company that makes cruelty-free beauty products are LBCC Historical, known as LittleBits on Etsy. All of their products are authentic and follow the historical recipes of the past. They sell various beauty products, including cold creams, lip salves, etc. I highly recommend trying out the simple skincare routines of the past. The glamorous stars of the past swore by these techniques. The benefit of these routines is that they truly work and don't cost an arm and a leg!
Nails were of great interest to the women of the past. One can opt for a moon manicure popularized by glamorous women of the 1920s or a pearly iridescent shade popular during the 1960s. There are so many fabulous nail polish colors from the past, including red, white, soft pink, gold, and shimmery, iridescent shades. One can opt to do french tips on a red nail or half-moons. Or you can keep it classic and simple and do full nails in classic colors. My go-to nail polish brand is Revlon! They have the classic colors from the past, including Cherries in the Snow and Revlon Red!
Now onto hair, which is maybe the most challenging aspect of achieving a vintage-inspired look. Hair is a complicated matter and requires a lot of practice to perfect! As a black woman, I've found vintage hairstyles and tutorials extremely unhelpful because they predominately feature white women (both in the past and present). I noticed that, much like today, black women from the past chose to wear either their natural hair or opted to wear wigs or hairpieces. So I choose to do both and mix it up. When wearing a wig, hairpieces, or my hair pressed, I like to look to vintage patterns and hair sets of the past, which showcase how to roll or pin your hair to achieve a certain look. Some hair patterns are inspired by celebrities from the past (e.g., Ava Gardner or Gene Tierney) and come from vintage hair books and magazines. I like to do wet sets by spritzing some water on my hair and following a specific curl pattern. Sometimes I wear wigs that have a retro look and are super easy to wear without much maintenance!
I thought I'd share a beauty routine from 1952 for "busy young wives." I love how they space out different beauty regimes and self-care routines to follow each day so that it doesn't become overwhelming!
Finally, let's talk fitness! If you've ever watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, you may have seen some scenes where Midge Maisel does calisthenics workout routines in a fitness class that look a bit strange compared to the fitness routines that we do today. There are some fabulous routines that you can follow online. My personal favorite is this retro Debbie Reynolds workout from 1983 titled Do It Debbie's Way. The videos feature Dionne Warwick and Shelley Winters. Debbie Reynolds is a hoot, and the music is divine because it's all of the classic jazz and big band standards of Old Hollywood.
I hope you all enjoyed this post, and I will see you next week!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the photographs in this post.