The Belle Époque ushered in a new era of optimism, modernity and indulgence and beauty culture blossomed accordingly. If the Second Empire prized ethereal delicacy, the Belle Époque celebrated radiance, vitality and cosmopolitan glamour. Paris became the global capital of beauty innovation with perfumers, hairdressers and cosmetic houses transforming the city into a laboratory ofContinue reading “Belle Époque Beauty (1870s–1914): French Beauty History”
Tag Archives: Beauty
Part 1: Early 1960s Beauty + Fashion: The Last Breath of Elegance
By the time the early 1960s rolled around as it had transitioned from the 1950’s carrying with it the trends from the previous decade before settling into what trends and innovations that would define the decade ahead. As it so often happens the delicateness of Old Hollywood glamour, the Golden Age of Hollywood would beContinue reading “Part 1: Early 1960s Beauty + Fashion: The Last Breath of Elegance”
PART 2: 1970s Skincare + Tanning Products
The 1970s were a decade obsessed with the sun. Beauty culture shifted away from porcelain complexions and toward a bronzed, athletic glow that symbolized freedom, leisure and California living. Skincare became less about coverage and more about cultivating a healthy, lived‑in radiance. Women wanted skin that looked touched by sunlight, softened by ocean air andContinue reading “PART 2: 1970s Skincare + Tanning Products”
The Chanel Camellia: White as Icon
Among Chanel’s symbols, none is more quietly powerful than the camellia. It is not dramatic like Dior’s rose nor exotic like Poiret’s blooms. It is simple, symmetrical and un-mistakably modern — a flower without scent, without thorns, without excess. In choosing the camellia, Chanel chose a symbol that mirrored her own philosophy: purity without fragility,Continue reading “The Chanel Camellia: White as Icon”
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is a glittering, fictionalized portrait of Estée Lauder’s rise during the golden age of American beauty. Set against the backdrop of mid‑century New York, the novel blends ambition, glamour, reinvention, and the intoxicating world of cosmetics. Rosen’s storytelling is lush and atmospheric, capturing the energy of Fifth Avenue, the elegance ofContinue reading “Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen”
Part 1: 1970s Hair Icons: Farrah, Cher, Bo Derek
The 1970s were a decade defined by movement, bodies in motion, hair in motion, a culture in motion. Beauty shifted away from the sculpted, set styles of the 1960s and toward something freer, more athletic, more sun‑lit. Hair became a symbol of lifestyle, identity, and attitude. And at the centre of this transformation were threeContinue reading “Part 1: 1970s Hair Icons: Farrah, Cher, Bo Derek”
