The More Convenient Salon, circa 1940s

I wrote this article for WWII Re-enactors Magazine a couple months ago and thought you all might also be interested in this little bit of this historic information. If you are interested in WWII history, you should look into this magazine. It is UK based, so a lot of the information about events are based in Europe, but it is still a great resource for those of you outside of Europe. I am fascinated by the everyday life of the time period and, especially, the grooming and beauty habits.

Doing men’s work in factories during WWII had an adverse effect on women’s feminine self-image, but women still did their best to stick to their beauty routines. It was considered part of her duty to keep up her outward appearance for both her own morale and for those around her. In the 1940 book Technique for Beauty, author Jane Gordon advises women that, “The stress and strain of war can easily make you lose interest in your personal appearance, but it is up to you to take care of yourself for the sake of other people.”

Except these ladies now had very different lifestyles and sets of duties that made it more difficult to maintain their outer beauty. War manufacturing plants and military posts started operating beauty salons on their properties for the convenience of workers and members of the women’s branch of the army. These salons provided services and cosmetics for the woman who’s schedule made it more difficult to make it to her usual salon or to the department store. Factories like the Tung Sol war plant in Newark, New Jersey, invited cosmetic companies to conduct makeup classes to foster interest in beauty services.

These conveniences helped boost self esteem which was considered an important part of the war effort for both the happiness of the soldiers and the productivity of the workers. According to a 1943 Barbara Gould advertisement, women were expected to, "keep busy...and keep beautiful."

This is pretty much the same thing as that...

As a licensed professional, I get the perks of buying product way below retail cost. I have come to expect it since I am a walking advertisement for companies when I am out and about doing my hair and makeup thing or when I am here blogging. So it is a little annoying to me that none of my local professional supply stores carry Elnett hairspray, even though they carry L'Oreal Professional products. The Elnett line is apparently more for consumers and therefore not a part of what L'Oreal considers its line for professional use.

Of course I then discovered that L'Oreal Professional has another hairspray that is pretty much the same thing available at the discount for us professionals, but without the cool retro 60s can, which is a shame because I am a sucker for packaging. But the bottles are a pretty pastel purple, which will do.

So for those of you pros who are tired of paying retail for the amazing qualities of Elnett, try L'Oreal Texture Expert Infinium in levels 2, 3, and 4. Even the ingredient lists on the back of the cans are 80% the same. It is developed for both hold and brush-ability without the flaky residue. I have also read of people using it as a thermal styler with a curling iron, spraying a little on to the hair strand to keep the hair from slipping out of the curling iron while twisting. (Just be aware of how drying hairspray is if you are gonna do this. Hairspray has a lot of alcohol in it and the curling iron is drying too, so that sounds like a double wammy to me.)

The smell of Infinium is different, but kind of in a good way. I was doing a pageboy hairstyle on a friend using Elnett and she got this sort of scrunched look on her face. She said, " Lauren...Your hairspray smells sort of...vintage." I didn't take that as a good sign. As a pro you need to be really conscious of the smells of the products you are using. Stuff that smells bad creates a less enjoyable experience for the customer and you always want a vintage client walking away feeling as pretty and girly as possible.

Gotye feat. Kimbra - Somebody That I Used To Know

The only time I deviate from my vintage inspired posts on this blog is when I come across a modern song I can't get enough of and want to share it with everyone. I can't get enough of this song right now.

Some lovely wings

via thewolfinyourheart

More items to enhance your beauty...

I find many things appropriate to share on this blog that you may not consider part of your beauty repertoire. Other than just your basic hair and makeup products, there are many other things to consider in your never ending quest to be a vintage beauty.

Case in point...the vintage advertising fan. A hand fan is perfect at keeping your glow and makeup run to a minimum. With to much kleenex blotting, you run the risk of blotting the makeup off. A fan makes it so you don't have to keep wiping.

Advertising fans started their popularity in the very early 20th century when mass printing and cheap production made them a great way for businesses to advertise. These fan companies had the artwork and production process set and would just need to offer typesetting and printing to the businesses. It is very common to see religious imagery or advertisements for funeral homes on them since they were often handed out at churches with no air-conditioning.

I picked this little beauty up at my favorite Denver antique mall and I am making it my personal quest to make this the must have accessory at the Viva car show in April. The beautiful artwork on these old fans is amazing.

 

I found some great fans on Ebay that I thought you all might like. Click the image to go.

 

French Liqueur fan. Click the image to go.

And for all my Latinas out there, how about this fan with an image of Mexican film star, Luis Aldas. Click the image to go.

 

This patriotic fan is actually from Etsy. There weren't as many options on Etsy, but there were some cute ones. Click the image to go.

And if you really like the fan I bought, there were a couple online. This one has a different backing, but the same beautiful artwork. Click the image to go.

Goodbye beautiful Etta James

And the winner is!

Jael Hicks is the lucky winner of the Shabby Apple contest! Send me an email to lauren@hrstbooks.com with your measurements, bust, waist, hip, and your address, so I can forward it onto them and they can send you your new dress!

Gift Idea - Philosophy at Sephora

There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago 

It's the most wonderful time of the year
There'll be much mistletoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When loved ones are near
It's the most wonderful time 

If you are running out of time and need something quick or you have family members asking you for last minute ideas on what you want, hopefully you live in a town with a Sephora. Every girl loves things that smell pretty and Philosophy is a champion at making things smell scrumptious. They have these exclusive scented bodywash/bubble bath sets at Sephora right now that are named for It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, my favorite Christmas song of all time. (White Christmas comes in a very close 2nd.) The packaging is also very retro festive. If you have enough time, you may be able still get it shipped expedited if you don't have a Sephora close to you.

Gift Idea for the Powder Room

The powder room is our little haven. It is the one place that women kind of have free reign over decorating. We have to share the decorating duties for the living room, bed room, even the kitchen, but most men don't care what we do to the powder room since they spend so little time in it. It is our own little female cave. So here is an idea for a gift for a friend or a hint for guys looking to do something nice for their lady.

Old magazine advertisements for beauty and bathroom products are easy to find in magazines at antique stores and online. One of our local antique malls, The Brass Armadillo, has a booth devoted to old advertisements. The great thing about advertisements for beauty products from the '40s, '50s, and '60s is they are often heavily geared toward one color scheme. Color was so important to decorating during the time period.

A great gift would be an advertisement or series of advertisements that match a lady's powder room or beauty area color scheme. Then paint some raw wood frames to match and put them together ready to hang. Places like Michael's and Hobby Lobby have sales on frames all during the holidays and also sell pre-cut mattes to add a little extra fancy to the project.

 It adds a little extra personalization when you have something so beautiful and unique on your wall.

Shabby Apple Dress Contest

I am really excited to bring this to you. I have had companies in the past offer to do a giveaway on my blog, but often they aren't offering things that I think pertain to the blog well enough or it is a bit of a stretch on how interested I think you guys, as vintage lovers, would be in the items being offered. Sometimes their products just don't fit right.

But this time, I think I have one that couldn't be better. Shabby Apple, an online dress company, has some very beautiful vintage inspired dresses. I haven't seen an eclectic selection like this, I think...ever. The dresses are inspired by the entire mid-century from the 20s through the early 60s. The designers have taken all the great details of the past and put them in a great collection.

They have offered to allow me to give one lucky reader a dress of my choice! (Read on to see how to enter.) Choosing the dress was hard too. I narrowed it down to a few of my favorites and then based my decision on the dress I thought would get the most wears. I think this one is good for work or play or day or evening. It also works for so many different decades. The details and shape could go with the 30s, 40s, or 50s depending on what is your favorite decade. It is named the Professorial and is part of Shabby Apple's Academia collection.

I love this dress so much, I may buy one for myself. But there were so many other dresses that I loved. Here are just a few of the other dresses I would like in my wardrobe.

Now for the contest part. There are 2 ways to enter. The first, go to www.shabbyapple.com and look through the dresses. Pick your favorite one and then comment here on which one you like best. The other way is to go to the website and follow their blog. Come back here and comment that you signed up to follow it. The blog is really good and offers so much more than just sales pitches about their clothes.

The contest will last for a week. A week from Monday I will announce the winner. When I do, I will need an email from the winner so I can find out your measurements so I can pass them onto the company and they can send you your own Professorial dress!