In Canada, a salon was either a beauty salon or the intellectual and literary salons. Today, let’s discuss the former; beauty salons. Beauty salons in Canada, really got its start in 1888, when Ontario-born, Canadian entrepreneur Martha Matilda Harper invented the commercial meaning of the word salon and the modern retail beauty salon, transforming hairContinue reading “The Invention of the Modern Beauty Salon”
Category Archives: fashion
Beauty Salon Culture in Canada
Beauty salon culture in Canada developed along a unique path shaped by immigration, women’s labour and the country’s blend of French, British, and North American influences. By the early 20th century, salons were more than places to style hair, they became community hubs, women’s workplaces, and spaces of social mobility. Early RootsBefore commercial salons existed,Continue reading “Beauty Salon Culture in Canada”
The Post‑War Clash: Industry Reactions to Balmain vs. Dior
Balmain’s 1945 success signaled that Paris (haute) couture had survived the war. Dior’s 1947 New Look proved that Paris had re-claimed global dominance from the rising American ready‑to‑wear industry. The French fashion industry re-acted to the debut collections of Pierre Balmain (1945) and Christian Dior (1947) with a mixture of relief, admiration, controversy and culturalContinue reading “The Post‑War Clash: Industry Reactions to Balmain vs. Dior”
Revlon vs. Hazel Bishop: The War of Lipstick That Changed American Beauty
If Revlon and Maybelline were quiet competitors, Revlon vs. Hazel Bishop was the opposite. It was a full‑scale advertising war that defined 1950s beauty culture. It was ruthless, glamorous and un-precedented, pitting a self‑made chemist against one of the most aggressive corporate empires in cosmetics. Hazel Bishop’s Breakthrough (1950): The First Long‑Lasting Lipstick In 1950,Continue reading “Revlon vs. Hazel Bishop: The War of Lipstick That Changed American Beauty”
The Invention of the Long-Lasting Lipstick
The invention of the long-lasting lipstick was invented in 1950. Canadian-American woman, Hazel Bishop, and her 1950 “kiss‑proof” lipstick is one of the most important beauty inventions of the 20th century. Hazel Bishop’s Kiss‑Proof Lipstick (1950) The first commercially successful long‑lasting lipstick was invented in 1950 by Hazel Bishop, a chemist and entrepreneur from NewContinue reading “The Invention of the Long-Lasting Lipstick”
Burnt Cork: The Popular Wartime Make-up Hack for Brows and Mascara
As substitutes for mascara and brow colour when cosmetics were scarce, women in the 1930s, primarily in the 1940s during wartime, relied on creativity. Burnt cork became one of the most ingenious beauty hacks of World War II, used by women across Canada, Britain, and the United States when cosmetics were scarce or rationed. WithContinue reading “Burnt Cork: The Popular Wartime Make-up Hack for Brows and Mascara”
