Other Toxic Beauty Ingredients of the 18th Century The beauty routines of Mozart’s world were glamorous, theatrical, and let’s be real shockingly poisonous. Lead wasn’t the only wicked ingredient in makeup, perhaps lead in makeup is considered villainous. Gasp! Lead in makeup?! How about these other common go-to just as equally dangerous, villainous, wicked ingredientsContinue reading “Mercury, Arsenic, Belladonna, Vermilion in Makeup, Oh My!”
Category Archives: Beauty
Part I: Balenciaga & Dior: The Master and the Modern Romantic
Dior called Balenciaga “the master of us all.” When Christian Dior burst onto the postwar scene in 1947 with the New Look, the fashion world treated him like a revelation — a visionary who revived Paris couture with a single, sweeping silhouette. But behind the acclaim stood a quieter, older figure whose influence Dior never denied: Cristóbal Balenciaga,Continue reading “Part I: Balenciaga & Dior: The Master and the Modern Romantic”
Part II: Balenciaga Arrives in Paris (1937)
How a Spanish Master Quietly Rewired the Capital of Couture When Cristóbal Balenciaga arrived in Paris in 1937, he did not come as an unknown hopeful. He came as a fully formed master, meaning a designer already revered in Spain, already dressing aristocrats, already shaping silhouettes with a precision that bordered on architectural. But ParisContinue reading “Part II: Balenciaga Arrives in Paris (1937)”
Galliano’s Greatest Runways: When Couture Became Theatre
When it came to runway shows, John Galliano staged worlds. At Dior, he transformed couture into cinema by sweeping narratives, impossible designs and models who didn’t walk so much as perform. His runways weren’t presentations; they were epics. And even today, years after his departure, these shows remain some of the most iconic moments in fashionContinue reading “Galliano’s Greatest Runways: When Couture Became Theatre”
Chanel’s Critiques of Postwar Couture
The Rebel vs. the Revival Coco Chanel returned to fashion in 1954with fire in her voice and opinions sharper than her scissors. She had watched postwar couture from the sidelines andshe didn’t like what she saw, especially from Dior and the houses that embraced his voluptuous silhouettes. To Chanel, the New Look was a betrayal. She believed womenContinue reading “Chanel’s Critiques of Postwar Couture”
Lana Turner’s Satin‑Only Sleep Rule
Lana Turner didn’t just wake upglamorous — she actually engineered it. Known for her glossy, sculpted curls and immaculate screen presence, Turner treated sleep as part of her beauty routine, not a break from it. Her most famous rule? She slept exclusively on satin. Turner believed that satin preserved her curls, protected her hair from breakage,Continue reading “Lana Turner’s Satin‑Only Sleep Rule”
