Ad Campaign – Tussy, 1960

Your Guardian Angel or Tussy Deodorant

It’s wonderful the way Tussy Cream Deodorant protects you and your skin.

Tussy’s gentle cosmetic base doesn’t irritate normal skin, while the specially balanced formula checks perspiration, stops odor… without danger to fabrics, too.

Guard your charms with Tussy Cream Deodorant every day.  It never lets you down!

I’ve got to find one of those guardian angels.  It looks much easier than having to apply deodorant myself.  I wonder if it will do make-up and nails as well.

It is interesting that the ad mentions that Tussy Cream will not damage fabrics.  Even today it’s hard to find a good product that does not leave a residue on fabrics.

 

Ad Campaign – Cutex, 1967

Catch a perfect wave of color from Cutex

…True color – blended into lipstick with a new kind of smoothness – awash with a frosted gloss!  Cutex, actually Cutex created it.  The perfect combination of the things you loved about lipstick with the modern message of gloss.  Four luscious looks you’d brave the briny for.  It’s the new wave of Fashion – from Cutex, with color coordinated nail polishes.  You’ll find the effect positively tidal.

It’s rather interesting that this is an ad for a product that you can’t even tell whether or not it is being used.  That was the state of lips in the mid to late Sixties though.  The lips were truly barely there, but note the heavily made up eyes.

And also note, there is no bathing or surfer cap!

Ad Campaign – Cutex, 1960

Which to try first? You’ll run out of fingers and toes before you decide! Because Cutex has loads of gay new polish colors you’ve never worn before. And summer is the time to try them. The time to experiment with all the mad, marvelous shades like “Coral Sand” and “Capri Blue.” The time to tip your toes with Pearls and be a lovely sea siren.  You are just not in the fashion swim unless you are wearing the latest fun shades by Cutex.

I’m pretty sure that in 1960 nobody would take this ad literally and paint every nail a different color.  But in today’s world this ad would be pinned to a thousand Pinterest boards titled “Nail Inspiration.”

I actually don’t remember blue, purple, and green polish from the early Sixties, but then I was not exactly living in a fashion forward community.  Even though I was only five years old in 1960, I had an older cousin and a group of teenage girls at church who were my style idols.  I’d have noticed blue nails.  This is another good example of how our memories do not always reflect the over-all reality of what was happening.

For some time I’ve realized that if I could go back in time and shop any era for my wardrobe, it would be the early Sixties.   It was an era that I remember, but I never really got to wear the styles associated with the time.  I loved the clothes the older girls wore: Jackie Kennedy suits, Audrey Hepburn slacks and boatneck tops, sophisticated sheath dresses.  But by the time I was dressing as a teen and not a little girl, the mod age was in full swing and sophistication was O-U-T.

I’m not sure if I love the looks of the early Sixties so much because I have such fond memories of the clothes, or if my own preferences for un-fussy clothing attracts me to the styles of that era.  It’s probably a bit of both.  At any rate, a quick look through my pattern collection tells the tale.  At least fifty percent of my patterns date from 1958 through 1965.  I either know what I like, or I have a real problem!

 

Ad Campaign – Revlon, 1946

Watch Revlon’s new “Tortoise Shell”

Another new color point-of-view originated by Revlon!  It will be seen here (with formal dress in town) and there (punctuating a suntan at Palm springs) this winter.  Watch “Tortoise Shell” … russet with luminous high-lights… special-occasion color for matching lips and fingertips.  By the 4th of July, it will be another smart Americanism!

Despite the name, it just looks like red to me.  Maybe the strategy was to call it something very un-red, and see if women bought it. It’s an interesting concept.

The sunglasses, which were also a Revlon product, are an odd combination of tortoise and bling.  I guess they were designed to blind your beach companions.  The scarf is by Tina Leser, and appears to be one of her wonderful hand-painted creations.

The photographer was Constantin Joffé , and if you didn’t know better, this could pass for a modern instagram photo.  There has to be an app that will put your photo in the sunglass lense!

Ad Campaign – Cutex Nail Polish, 1943

To Wear in your Country’s Service Cutex Presents “On Duty”

Dedicated to you thousands of WAVES and WAACS, Canteen Workers and War Factory Workers, Ambulance Drivers and Nurse’s Aides who are working for your country…

Is it just me, or do those nails look like weapons?

Ad Campaign: Faberge Woodhue, 1948

Back to School Woo 1948

Today’s ad campaign is a bit different.  Instead of a magazine ad I have a cologne blotter from Meyer’s Department Store in Greensboro, NC.  These fragrant little ads were picked up at the cosmetics counter.  Some department stores still offer them, but I’ve noticed that some have either done away with perfume blotters, or they are keeping them behind the counter for serious shoppers only.

Of course, the sleek and sophisticated designs of today can in no way compete with the charm of the College Set in their jalopy, or with a little girl with her bouquet of posies.

Whee!

 

Ad Campaign – Yardley, 1971

Glow back to nature with Earth Child Eyes.

I hope those of you who are within driving distance of Boston have put the latest exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on your must-do list.  It’s called Hippie Chic, and it is much more than tie dye tee shirts and jeans.

The ad, which is from 1971, is a great example of that the curator of the exhibition calls Fantasy Hippie.  And no, you did not have to be young to get away with it.  I’d like to think there is a little “hippie” in all of us.

Jo at Joyatri has a fantastic review of the exhibition.