I think this is the latest I've ever gotten up the summer exhibition, but as I always say, better late than never. I did a sea and safari theme this year, inspired by underwater treasures of the deep and the marvels found in lush jungles. Diving for pearls and swimming among coral reefs would be on my itinerary, along with watching a variety of animals in the wild and observing colorful tropical flowers. Additionally, for some reason I haven't been able to get this song out of my head, so that was another source of inspiration. "Send it by giraffe on jungle telegraph…"
So grab your safari hat and scuba gear, because we're in for quite an exotic adventure!
Top shelves:
Bottom shelves:
Top row, left to right.
Here's a shelf with Elizabeth Arden Sunkissed Pearls Bronzer and a Cutex ad. Can you guess what decade the latter is from? (This is an easy one!)
I had to include a closeup of the model – this is what mermaids were wearing in the '80s, I suppose.
The date for this is listed as 1986, two years after the movie Splash debuted. I just found it interesting that the copy included a line about changing back into a mermaid, as in the film Madison (played by Darryl Hannah) was able to switch back and forth between human and mermaid form…wonder if Cutex was influenced by this.
Givenchy Terre Exotique bronzer – this was in last year's summer exhibition so I was hesitant to repeat it, but it just fit this year's theme too well.
Chantecaille coral compact and a 1951 Dorothy Gray ad:
I loved the ad copy – "stolen from the mermaids…" Looks like we humans have been going for a mermaid look for over 60 years!
I also adore this seahorse with a little crown. All hail Queen Seahorse! I'd give anything to track down that lipstick tube and powder box. I know I have a Volupté compact with a seahorse on it, but this particular seahorse is clearly royalty!
Speaking of Volupté, here's an animal-themed compact from the '40s, along with a 1959 Chen Yu ad for their Safari collection. The ad has a photographer listed so I'm wondering if a real leopard cub posed with the model – it's not like they could have Photoshopped it in back then. (I also can't help but wonder whether said cub went berserk immediately after the picture was taken and clawed off everyone's faces.)
Second row, left to right.
Chantecaille L'Elephant palette…sadly the shimmery overspray is wearing off. I actually think the cover it comes with is responsible for the damage, as it's made of paper and the powder adheres to it more easily than it would to a plastic cover.
Here's this Baudelaire sea sponge, which I spotted at Anthropologie a little while ago. I saw at the Baudelaire website that it was "award-winning" packaging, so because I'm insane I called the company and asked which award it won and who was responsible for designing the box. I actually talked to the owner (who was super nice) and he told me about it.
Here's the other side so you can see the dolphins:
Whoops, editing fail. "Navy and blue stripes"? I think I meant navy and white stripes. Duh.
Third row, left to right.
Here's an ad and powder compact for Savage, a popular brand in the '30s. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find an original Savage ad, so I had to print out an image of one. I would have also liked to have gotten my hands on a lipstick tube, especially since there's an ad for their "Jungle Red" shade, which would have been perfect for the exhibition. I was able to track down a powder, which isn't in the best condition, but I do like how the powder puff has the same design as the outer case. Of course, as I mentioned in a previous post on Savage, implying that jungle/tropical regions and the native people who inhabit them are "savage" is quite problematic. But I thought this was important to include in the exhibition to show what kind of advertising messages were acceptable back then.
Estée Lauder Sea Star bronzer, always a favorite.
Paul & Joe spring 2015 collection:
Here's the lovely Clarins Aquatic Treasures bronzer, which was not available in the U.S. An extremely kind Canadian at Makeup Alley was willing to CP (custom purchase) it for me. I can't thank her enough, as it was truly a critical element for this year's theme.
Bottom row, left to right.
Paul & Joe Cap'n Kitty pressed powder. I had been calling him Sailor Cat and then I found out he had a real name! I included this and the MAC Hey Sailor collection because I figured one wouldn't be able to find an amazing coral reef to swim around without a seasoned sailor to lead the way. (And also because Sailor Babo graciously let me "borrow" these items for the exhibition. As he declared previously, they belong to him now.)
Here's the Guerlain Exotic Paradise eye shadow quad from spring 2009. When I wrote about it originally I completely missed how pretty the promo is.
Sephora makeup bag and eye shadow:
I thought Stila's Cruise to Cairo trio and postcard was still appropriate for the exhibition theme, even though Cairo is more of a desert than a jungle/wildlife destination. Her outfit is indubitably safari-esque. I really wish I could find this trio in pristine condition. I swapped for this one years ago despite the writing on the case since I knew it was hard to find by that point, so I guess it's better than not having the trio in my collection at all, but still…anyway, the postcard, you might recall, is part of an amazing package of Stila memorabilia bestowed upon the Museum.
So what did you think of the exhibition? Even though we're already getting glimpses of fall collections, I hope this put you in a summery mood!