Actually Wearing Vintage Makeup?

[KittyT]

Welcome, Mr DP, and thanks for the information!

My mom actually just got one of those purse hangers for Christmas. It was the first time I'd seen (or even heard of) these.

Check out the cool ones they have at http://www.pursehook.net that you can wear as clamper bracelets!

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

A great book to dig up and read is "100,000,000 Guinea Pigs: Dangers in Everyday Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics" by Arthur Kallet and F. J. Schlink, published in 1932. It's an indictment of lax enforcement of the pure-food laws, with case histories of really horrible things that happened to people as a result of unsafe drug-store goods.

Among the examples, a nationally-advertised, very popular toothpaste (Pebeco) which had the deadly poison potassium chlorate as one of its active ingredients. Swallow enough of it, and you were done for. And then there's several depilatory products made from thallium, which not only causes hair to fall out but also teeth and fingernails. And then there's -- well, you get the idea. Some very dangerous products were out there, especially in the teens and twenties, which seemed to be a golden era for this kind of quackery.

Arsenic Complexion Wafers come in for some discussion as well -- according to analysis such products were made up of arsenic and starch, and nothing else. Best not to try any if you come across them...

Lizzie, I have that book! I snagged it at the annual (amazing and massive) library book sale, along with so many other charming old volumes most people wouldn't look twice at.

fftopic: Another is "Censored - The Private Life of the Movies", which talks about the censorship boards, and includes stills of certain scenes not allowed in certain states. The best thing is the book was published in 1930!

 

[Mr DP]

Thanks for the kind greeting KittyT!!! My first here on the Lounge.
Those hangers you posted are very clever, one of my clients just purchased one and its not nearly as cool!
I was really surprised when I found out about handbags being a plethora of germs, but then if you think of it, it makes perfect sense!

 

[Miss 1929]

Strong Poison

There is a Lord Peter Whimsey murder mystery by that name - the villain eats arsenic on a regular basis to build up his tolerance so he can poison someone eating the same meal he does, without getting caught.
But, Lord Peter nails him because of his lovely complexion! Apparently it does make your skin pale, waxy, white. Except, it also gives you freckles. So they have a lot of nerve promoting arsenic wafers for freckle reduction!

I have a lovely purse hook, courtesy of a fellow Lounger! What a cool item it is.

I have, I admit, for very special occasions used a bit of 20s rouge from a powder compact I have. No ill effects. And the perfect pink. But only once every few years, and it was unused when I got it.

 

[Serena]

While I would not want to put it on my face, I might consider taking vintage makeup with me to a department store and applying a small amount to the back of my hand so I could match up the colour to a nice new one.

 

[clubwitsend]

While I would not want to put it on my face, I might consider taking vintage makeup with me to a department store and applying a small amount to the back of my hand so I could match up the colour to a nice new one.

That's a great idea!!