Huge thanks to everyone who entered the Makeup Museum's giveaway! Now it's time for MM staff to announce the winner. Big Sailor Babo will be doing the honors.
Yay! Cassandra, please send me your address and I'll get this boxed up and ready to go. Wait a sec…
"Oooh, what are these? Some kind of fancy French cookie and a cookie stick with sugar tulips?!"
Sailor Babo, no!
Whew, I saved the prize yet again. I really need to keep a close eye on staff when they do the giveaway announcements!
Thanks again to everyone who entered and for supporting the Museum. There's not much to celebrate these days so I don't know when the next giveaway will be, but hopefully in a couple months. In the meantime, let me know in the comments if you like the idea of including a vintage piece in future giveaways. Stick with it or no?
Huge thanks to everyone who took the time to enter the Museum's 10-year anniversary giveaway! I was so happy to have so many entries from all over the world. I really loved seeing all your comments too, but Typepad's commenting system is trash (I really need to install Disqus) and I was overwhelmed trying to reply to everyone. So I apologize for not getting back to you, but rest assured each and every comment was read and very much appreciated.
Now onto the winner! Museum interns Origins Babo and Babo Bear volunteered to do the honors.
Woohoo! I'm so excited for you to get your stuff!
Uh-oh, here we go again.
"Oooh, little pink sparkly cookies!" "And look, pink champagne jelly to spread on top of them! Yummy!"
Sigh. Since I've come to anticipate staff eating the giveaway prize I kept a close eye and managed to pry out the goodies from those little teeth before they could damage them. So don't worry, your items are still in pristine condition!
Thank you again to everyone who entered. If you didn't win, don't despair – I remembered how fun giveaways are so I will plan on allotting some of the Museum's budget for more of them! They probably won't be big 10-item ones like this, but I think smaller ones are nice too. If it's free, it's all good. ;) And please let me know in the comments what sort of items/brands you want to see in future giveaways.
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Welcome to yet another format of Curator's Corner. As I noted previously, I don't want to completely abandon this feature, but it's still too hard for me to keep up so I decided to try a "monthly rewind" of sorts. Here's some notable news from June.
- Yay! Sephora is now offering makeup classes especially for trans people. Perhaps they should start carrying this line?
– Call it the Fenty effect: more brands are offering at least 40 shades of foundation, including the new Flesh line created by former Allure editor Linda Wells. The line is getting a lot of buzz, not just for its color range but for the product and shade names that are only appealing if you're a cannibal. (Apparently the "uncomfortable" names were intentional.)
– Ever wonder how your makeup is actually produced? In addition to animal testing and potentially dangerous ingredients, new light is being shed on the issue of human rights abuses within the beauty industry. It's a sad topic but one that needs to be addressed and remedied immediately.
– Speaking of TV, I've been watching probably more than is healthy and looking forward to new shows. I'm currently obsessed with The Staircase and can't wait for new seasons of The Terror and American Horror Story (especially after 2 incredibly lackluster seasons of the latter.) However, I am gutted that one of my favorite shows has ended. Desus and Mero will live on via Showtime, but it just won't be the same.
– If you follow me on Twitter you know I've been wrestling with insomnia. I'm curious about this Sleep Stories app that features Bob Ross, because his show is one remedy I've found that works most of the time.
– On the domestic front, I'm taking advantage of berry season big time. I made raspberry muffins and a strawberry pie. I have zero food photography skills but trust me, both were very pretty and quite delicious if I do say so myself. 🙂
And brownies and lime sea salt chocolate chip cookies – no berries involved in either of those, but the cookies are a summery twist on traditional chocolate chips…plus the Babos loved them. (And subsequently landed themselves in a cookie coma.)
And that about wraps up June! Do you have any fun plans for the rest of the summer?
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You might remember the super-awesome birthday card the husband made me a while back in the shape of a mer-Babo. I always knew they existed since the Sailor Babos told me so, but I had never seen a real live one…until a very kind fellow Uglydoll enthusiast on Instagram sent one to swim my way. Please welcome Mer-Babo!
He seems very interested in life on land (despite all the time he spends splashing around in the tub), so I'm thinking his natural curiosity will make him a great research assistant at the Museum. He's already made himself acquainted with some of the Museum's mermaid-themed objects too!
The staff page has been updated, so enjoy getting to know the Museum's employees if you haven't already. 🙂
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I'm kicking off summer with a very sweet smackdown! Because it involves macarons (or as MM staff calls them, "fancy French cookies"), I've selected the Museum's education specialist, Cookie Dreamer Babo, to serve as referee. I also needed to keep an eye on him and the others to make sure they didn't eat the makeup as I was taking pictures. 😉
But what Lancôme lacks in detail it makes up for in size and authenticity. This blush set comes in a cheerful patterned box with two generously sized cushion blushes and two macaron-shaped application sponges.
Let me start off by saying that I am not a dog person. It might have something to do with having a truly nice cat for 18 years (always wanted to cuddle and never hissed once!), or regularly being exposed to my aunt's slobbering, hyper, incredibly smelly canines, or the fact that I was bit by a black Labrador when I was a teenager…there's nothing like a trip to the ER for stitches and a tetanus shot after some off-leash beast sinks its teeth into your leg at the exact moment the idiot owner is saying "Don't worry, he won't bite!" (Insert eyeroll emoji here). Whatever it is, I've always gravitated towards felines. Having said all that, Pai Pai's latest collection, created by Pinut Brein, proved too cute for me to pass up.
I love that they all have names and in some cases have little descriptions and/or are based on real dogs. Miau is the chihuahua, but I don't seem to have any other info on him. The bichon frise is named Tiara, and she's adamant about making people know she's NOT a poodle. Djoko, the Pomeranian, is actually a dog belonging to a Mexico City fashion and lifestyle blogger.
The French bulldog is a princess named Petunia. She enjoys walks in the park, regardless of the fact that she doesn't have a boyfriend to stroll with. 😀
Despite not liking dogs I've taken quite a shine to pugs over the past couple of years. I think it's not only because of their adorable smooshed faces, floppy ears and little curly tails, but also because I suspect they're essentially Babos in dog form – I hear they're not very bright, but one of the sweetest and most loving breeds. And they're lazy too, which describes most of our plushies to a T. I don't think I've formally introduced Barney here at the blog or assigned him any Museum work, but he joined us last year. I managed to get him to pose with the Pai Pai lipsticks, which he then tried to eat. He definitely fits in with the rest of Museum staff, right?
Now for some information on the artist. Pinut Brein is a brand created by Mexico City based artist Maria…well, I'm not sure of her last name.* So I'll just refer to her first name. Inspired by the work of her architect parents, Maria always enjoyed sketching and doodling. She kept her passion for drawing under wraps while studying audio engineering and working briefly as a sound/video editor. But after meeting several other illustrators in her native town of Xalapa in 2012 and participating in their artist collaborative Malacara, Maria decided to strike out on her own and establish Pinut Brein in 2015. (It's a play on "peanut brain" [cerebro de cacahuate"], a nickname teasingly bestowed upon Maria by her older sister). I find her style utterly charming without being saccharine. The illustrations work equally well as prints for one's living room as they would for nursery walls, i.e., not too mature for children but not too juvenile for adults. And though they're stylistically pretty different, the ability of Pinut Brein's drawings to work on a range of items intended for different audiences is similar to that of Poni Lab.
Her favorite animals are dogs and horses, and she dreams of owning a pony some day.
As for her artistic process, Maria tries to infuse each animal she creates with their own personality and assign human characteristics, such as a cat leading a punk band or a bear who's also a sailor. At least, that's what I gathered from this quote: "Desde hace mucho me ha gustado dibujar y crear personajes, la temática principal es el reflejo de distintas personalidades humanas en animales; por ejemplo, un gato y su banda de punk, o un oso marinero." Some are her own unique creation, while some are based on people she knows, hence the dogs of the Pai Pai collection having names or borrowed from real people. I absolutely love this concept, as our plushies, though generally lazy and not very smart, each have their own distinct personalities. The idea of giving animals individual character traits demonstrates the artist's genuine fondness for animals; you can tell there's a real love for creatures great and small, they're not just cute motifs to her. I also admire the fact that Maria sketches with an actual pencil and paper first, then transfers the concept to a digital format and adds color and other finishing touches that way. Don't get me wrong, digital illustration requires just as much skill, but I'm old-school and will always appreciate paper more than screens. 😉
Here's one of her illustrations for Nylon Español. I love the name of this cat-unicorn in Spanish: un "gaticornio". So precious!!
In addition to the Pai Pai lipstick cases, the recent earthquake in Mexico spurred Pinut Brein to create illustrations of some of the rescue dogs who saved dozens of people trapped in the rubble: Frida, Eco, Akasha and Titan.
Pai Pai chose Frida and Eco to appear on some cosmetic bags, with all of the bags' sale proceeds being donated to earthquake relief.
Unfortunately with all the holiday releases I haven't gotten around to order these and it looks like Frida is sold out, but perhaps I will treat myself to Eco. :) And I can always buy this wonderful kit with stickers of all four doggies, since the proceeds from this also go to earthquake recovery efforts.
So, despite my general preference for cats, this latest collection was definitely irresistible. Pinut Brein must be very talented to make a non-dog person like me become smitten with these canines. Which perrito was your favorite?
*The site I linked to lists "Maria del Mar Flores Ibarra"…but it seems kind of long to me, so I don't know whether it's just Del Mar or the whole thing.
Turns out, this isn't the first time lipstick has been designed to resemble booze. I was positively tickled when, during one of my customary Friday night vintage makeup searches on Etsy (I lead a very exciting life, I know), I came across this miniature lipstick cleverly packaged as a whiskey bottle.
It really is mini!
I'd never heard of Carstairs before, but apparently from roughly the '40s through the '60s they did a good amount of advertising for their White Seal whiskey, which is still sold today. In addition to the lipsticks, they offered mini screwdrivers and toothpicks, along with seal clock figurines and the usual print advertising. According to one (no longer active) ebay listing, the lipstick bottles started being produced around 1944 and other listings say they're from the '50s, so I guess they were used as promotional items for a few decades. Here's a photo of one in Madeleine Marsh's excellent book, which also dates it to the '50s.
I'm guessing that for the most part, the lipsticks were provided to bars and liquor stores and given away as a small gift-with-purchase, as there are quite a few full boxes of them floating around. I would have bought this one in a heartbeat because how cute would it have been to display it alongside a whole Chateau Labiotte set?
But the individual lipsticks are obviously a lot cheaper and I have many things I want to purchase for the summer exhibition, so I had to pass for now. ;) As for the lipstick itself, a company called Christy Cosmetics, Inc. was responsible for producing it. I couldn't find much information about it online, other than it was a New York-based company and was also the manufacturer of a line called Diana Deering (who was an entirely fictional character, or, as the patent puts it, "fanciful".)
I'm sure there's information about Christy out there somewhere, but as usual I lack the time and other resources to do proper research, i.e., looking beyond Google. If anyone knows anything about their relationship with Carstairs and how they were chosen to produce their promo items I'd love to hear it.
Uh-oh, we have a situation here. Once again a certain little Sailor is up to no good. "It's just my size!"
I better go get this wrapped up and into storage before he smears it all over his face in attempt to "drink" the non-existent whiskey. In any case, Happy St. Patrick's Day and I hope these lipsticks have inspired you to let your hair down and enjoy some adult beverages tonight!
Hello, March! As it is the first day of the month in which spring supposedly will arrive, I thought I'd share Paul & Joe's spring 2017 collection. Consider this part 1 of a 2-part celebration of the beauty brand's 15-year anniversary (not to be confused with the Paul & Joe fashion line's 20-year anniversary, which occurred last year). The summer collection will have yet more cat-shaped goodies so that will be part 2. ;) But first, the spring items.
These face color powders are too cute, as usual. I believe the cat print with the red background appeared previously on nail polish boxes from the spring 2012 collection. And do you not love the cat in glasses?!
The cat design on the powders is also borrowed from the spring 2012 collection, only this time there's the addition of hearts.
It's always in the details with Paul & Joe. All of their collections are pretty and/or adorable, but it's the little things like this puff that make them stand out. It's soft but I don't know how practical it would be to apply blush or highlighter. I do know that it's just precious.
I need more cat-shaped lipsticks like I need a hole in the head, but here we are.
The patterns on the lipstick cases are from the spring fashion collection. PJ at A Touch of Blusher has amazing descriptions of them so I'll just direct you to her site since I can't describe them nearly as well! I didn't purchase the accompanying square compact cases since they have the same prints, especially since I'm not actually using them anyway. I figured the lipstick cases were enough from a collectible standpoint. Eh, who knows, I'll probably cave and get them later. 😉
The bird print was from the Paul & Joe Sister line; the other 2 are from the regular Paul & Joe women's collection.
While I was working on this post some Museum staff members wandered in, as they tend to do (they like to keep me company while I blog) and got into a little mischief.
Overall I thought Paul & Joe did a great job. Not quite as outstanding as some previouscollections, mind you, but they provided the usual eye candy, and it was definitely Museum-worthy and appropriate for spring. What do you think?
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To help soothe and distract myself from the horrific political unpleasantness today brings, I'm doing another round of staff picks.* While I strongly prefer summer to winter, some Museum employees are definitely the opposite.
Here are some additional recommendations…as usual, these are by no means a comprehensive list of all the snowy, frosty inspired beauty products out there, just some of what caught their fancy.
The plushies were also intrigued by winter-inspired skincare, especially the cooling products – those help them stay at their desired chilly body temperatures. Brisk!
I encouraged the little scamps to look for other frosty, snowy beauty products with cute packaging. More recent finds include BeYu's Mountain Glam collection from winter 2015…
Then they were trying to figure out how to rescue the poor man trapped in the ice cube…until I explained to them it's just an ad and the man isn't really in there. Their little pea brains didn't quite get it though.
MAC's Star Trek collection may be old news by now, but I know certain Museum staff members are still quite enamored by it. The collection also got me thinking about other space-inspired beauty products, which staff members promptly decided to "explore" themselves. And by that I mean they made a mess.
111 Skin Celestial Black Diamond Cream (I'm not actually recommending an $1,100 face cream, but the Babsters wanted to include it since they thought it was so fancy.)
All of these products are to say nothing of the tons of space-inspired items that have gone before. Off the top of my head I remember the Cover Girl Star Wars collection, Too-Faced The Future Lovers palette and Galaxy Baked Eyeshadows, Chanel Cosmic and Ciel de Nuit nail polishes and of course Essie Starry Starry Night. There are also the always-popular galaxy manicures and makeup, plus the Museum's own celestial-themed holiday 2014 exhibition. But I figured photos of these would be overkill, plus Museum staff was very keen on sharing more vintage pieces. Space Babo and Dr. McCoy dug up a couple of really cool ads.
Finally, I knew Kigu had a flying saucer compact (and something I'd love to splurge on eventually – they go for quite a bit of money) but my little space cadets found that the company actually put out an entire line of these U.F.O.-shaped compacts between 1951 and 1961. They were originally only available in plain gold tone, but in 1956 Kigu began offering them with a beautiful blue starry background.
This one is probably the most sought after – it's also a music box and debuted in 1957.
