Today I want to share some really fun and interesting information on how Face Powder and Puffs were made and marketed starting from the 1920s up to the 1950s (Which are my favourite vintage makeup eras).
Let's have a look at some very beautiful powder puffs and how they were produced, I was so impressed by the 1934 video of women making them by hand, so lovely to watch!
Powder PUFFS
My favourite puffs are the styles that were made of swan or ostrich down, so Luxurious! But first, check out the video below, it shows the manufacturing process of these handbag puffs that were made with their own pouch, so they could easily be turned inside-out and stored safely in a lady's handbag.
Now, let's have look at the Flapper Dawn & Ostrich Puffs! They are so fun and came in a multitude of different styles from Pierrots to Ballerinas, these puffs were definitely conversation pieces.
MIXING FACE POWDER
Most face powders in the 1920s came in a limited range of shades and women who could afford it could have a face powder blended by an expert powder colorist to suit their complexion perfectly.
Mixing the powder to avoid streaking required skill. It was done on a piece of clean paper where repeated heaping, subdividing and spreading blended the powder together. This might not mix the powder as well as a mechanical blender but in skilled hands, the result would be good.
Above: 1958 Charles of the Ritz Face Powder Bar (British Pathé). The beauty specialist is Mary Sanders and the fashion model is Isabelle Babianska.
The powder colorist would first select a base powder depending on the client’s colouring. Charles of the Ritz recommended that for fair skin this would be Rose Pink (RP); creamy fair skin, equal parts of Apricot (AT) and White (WE); light brunette or Rachel skin, Apricot (AT); and dark brunette or for a sun-tan blend, Light Brown (LB).
One of the most common vintage powder shades is Rachel; nearly every maker of face powders had a shade called Rachel, Even if you don’t collect vintage cosmetic items or didn’t notice how common the shade was, you may find the history of this colour fascinating!
Powder Blending Service
1. Individually blended powder meets the challenge that no two women have exactly the same shade of skin. Your skin is as individual as your personality. 2. Individually blended powder enhances the naturally good values of your skin tones. 3. Individually blended powder, by subtle mixing, disguises any defects in your skin tones. 4. Individually blended powder enables you to wear many fashion colours which hitherto have been unbecoming by “toning up”—or “toning down” your complexion. 5. Individually blended powder, because it blends so perfectly with your natural colour values, does not make constant re-powdering a tiresome necessity throughout the day. 6. Individually blended powder brings the effect of new life to your skin, for it complements rather than covers the natural beauty of your skin. 7. Individually blended powder gives you the same assurance of personalized beauty as does having a hat, a dress, a jewel made especially for your own personality. 8. Individually blended powder brings you the artistry used by great portrait painters in depicting skin tones that individualize each subject. 9. Individually blended powder is economical in that, because it belongs to you, and you alone, it does not go out of fashion. 10. Individually blended powder permits you to have your own formula altered as you wish it, by your Charles of the Ritz consultant, to meet seasonal changes in your complexion, without discarding a half-empty box.
(Charles of the Ritz brochure, c.1941)
I could just imagine how special a woman would have felt getting a uniquely blended customized powder by a pro colorist, as a pro makeup artist I customize products to my client's face but making your own powder in front of your eyes is not something the modern makeup artist would do. It's truly Fascinating!
Below I'm also sharing some of the most Iconic cardboard powder boxes from these eras, really love the simple boxes with these super nice illustrations and pop of colours.
There are so many more brands out there that made amazing powder blends, but as my title says this was a brief history, I hope you found this post interesting!
Which powder box do you like best?
Yours truly,
Melanie
No wonder why you love them. those are just so wonderful and real artifact. I find so sad that now cosmetic companies only make plastic/boring packaging. They definitely should rethink packaging that clients could keep home and just replace the content of them instead of throwing the package in garbage over and over again. Causing more pollution everyday.
I LOVE YOUR BLOG.