Yardley New Soul Eyes and Mixis Finger Mix Shadows 1970

Posted by & filed under Beauty, Fashion, Vintage.

Yardley of London liked to be a bit experimental in their makeup, especially their eye shadows. These ads from 1970 feature eye shadows that were a bit unique. So unique that I don’t even remember either of them. Something tells me that these lines didn’t last too long. They seemed to really be marketing and playing up a hippie, boho vibe, which Yardley really wasn’t at all.

Yardley of London New Soul Eyes 1970New Soul Eyes for Spring by Yardley was a brush-on eye shadow in two shimmering shades of soul. Soul being the operative word. It came in colors of Soul Blue, Soul Turq, Soul Jade, Soul Earth, and Soul Wine, paired with a highlighter called Lights. Never have your soft, inquisitive eyes had a more kindred soul-mate than Sigh Shadow. The model is dressed in Bohemian hippie glam and is looking rather soulful. It’s all really lovely but it was basically just blue eye shadow and highlighter.

Yardley of London 1970 Mixis adYardley of London Mixis ad 1970

 

 

 

 

 

Yardley Mixis was a finger mix eye shadow for the ad lib impressionists among us. Basically they were tubes of colors that you mixed together to make your own personalized shadow. Now that sounds like a recipe for disaster! The effects on the models look muddied and awful; and this was with professional makeup artists. I can only imagine what this looked like when the average teenaged girl tried to do it. I have a feeling this was short-lived as I don’t remember this one either. It’s probably just as well. As much as I love Yardley of London, I think these two products are best left in the past.

~Marilyn

Update: Patsy Sullivan is the model in the New Soul Eyes ad.

Easy Homemade All-Natural Unscented Deodorant

Posted by & filed under Beauty, Daily Life, Frugal Living, Health.

Makin Homemade Natural DeodrantOn my quest for making and using more natural and chemical-free products, I developed a great recipe for an all-natural, unscented deodorant. I have been veering away from using paraben and aluminum laden commercial deodorants for quite a while now. But it was getting harder and harder to find deodorants that fit the bill. Even Trader Joe’s unscented deodorant, which is paraben and aluminum free, was full of all sorts of ‘other’ ingredients. Plus, it’s pretty pricey – about $4.00 for a 2 oz. stick. I wanted to make a deodorant that was kind to the skin, neutralized odors, and absorbed moisture. And was made inexpensively from products that are easily found at the grocery store. I came up with using coconut oil, baking soda, and corn starch to make this recipe. Three basic products that the only ingredient listed for all three are the product itself. I didn’t want to add scent or essential oils because of possible skin reactions. It is really easy to make and takes about 5 minutes. Plus it is so pure you could eat it if you wanted to (I’d have to be really hungry to do that though!). I’ve used this nifty deodorant every day for about two weeks now and I love it. It absorbs easily, soothes the delicate underarm skin, neutralizes odors, and absorbs a light amount of sweat. It is not an antiperspirant, so a little wetness is to be expected.

Making Homemade Natural DeodorantEasy Homemade All-Natural Unscented Deodorant

  • 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
  • 1/4 cup Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate)
  • 1/4 cup Corn Starch

Put 1/2 cup coconut oil in small pan and melt over low heat.  Add 1/4 cup baking soda, stir.  Add 1/4 cup corn starch, stir.  Mix together until dry ingredients are dissolved and blended. Pour into small jar. Let it cool and set. I put it in the freezer for about an hour to accelerate setting. Use a fingertip dab underneath each armpit. The coconut oil solidness depends on the room temperature. If it is hard it will melt readily when applied to the skin.

Melting coconut oil for deodorantmaking homemade natural deodorantHomemade Natural Deodorant recipeDIY Homemade Natural Unscented Deodorant recipe

Enjoy your fresh, soft, natural, chemical-free underarms!    ~Marilyn

 

I Caved…Back To Haircoloring For Me

Posted by & filed under Beauty, Daily Life, Fashion, Health.

vintage redheadOkay, I admit I gave in. After giving my roots-growing-out experiment the old college try for four months, I had pretty much had it. Why? Because frankly I got even more obsessed by my hair. I spent too much time looking at what color was growing in, and debating whether or not it I liked it. And I really don’t like having to be constantly worried about my hair – takes up way too much space in my brain – I don’t have time for that!

My roots were not growing in gray, but rather a dark taupe color which made me feel kind of blah. I also figured out that the scalp sensitivity I was experiencing was not due to hair coloring, but to a hard bristle brush I was using. I’ve since thrown away the brush and now use a 100% boar bristle brush. My scalp thanks me.

I grabbed the box of L’Oreal Excellence (because I’m worth it) medium golden blonde hair color  that I’d been saving, and swiftly colored my hair before I changed my mind. Now my hair is back to a golden strawberry blonde (I’m a natural redhead), and it feels good. As a bonus, I really like the texture and volume that hair coloring gives me. Having swingy bright hair is fun, and anything that lifts the spirit is okay by me!

~Marilyn

Refrigerator Madness!

Posted by & filed under Daily Life, Food, Frugal Living.

New refrigeratorIt may be a quirk of mine due to a frugal nature, but I tend to hang on to major household appliances to within an inch of their death. I mean why buy a fancy-schmancy new appliance when the old one works just fine? The problem comes when my long-held appliances eventually go kaput, no matter how much I try to coax them along. And during their slow death usually comes a slow diminishing of their usefulness.

My old refrigerator finally gave up the ghost. A huge side-by-side refrigerator freezer, it was at least 30 years old. When we moved into our house in 1992, my in-laws gave us their old refrigerator since they were remodeling their kitchen. I could see why they wanted to get rid of it because it was a monster! It was extremely LOUD, but chugged away quite efficiently for many years. I got used to the noise, grateful for the times when it would cycle off and give me a respite from the cacophony.

Then about a year ago it started leaking slowly, and small rust spots starting appearing on the freezer door. I did my best to ignore this because it seemed to be keeping the food cold and frozen. As long as it was doing its job, I was okay with it. Then a few weeks ago I noticed that, despite the motor loudly running, the refrigerator part seemed warmish. And the freezer part was still cool but the frozen items were thawing. EEK! There was no denying it any longer – definitely time to get a new fridge.

Refrigerator shoppingMy son was due home for spring break after finals in about a week, so I wanted to wait for him to do research on the best refrigerator to buy (he’s a computer science/engineering major – useful to have around). So I had to nurse the fridge along with whatever life it had left in it. The problem with refrigerators as a major appliance is that you are also dealing with food perishables. I had to throw away everything from the freezer (filled up my garbage can) and since the freezer part was now the same temperature that the refrigerator should be, I moved the refrigerated items to the freezer. It kinda sorta kept things cool there, but it was a worry thinking I may die of food poisoning or salmonella or something. I didn’t die, or even get sick, so things must have been okay.

After my son came home and did the research, we set off to buy a new refrigerator. It wasn’t that bad of an experience as we knew what model we wanted and it was just finding the place that had the model in stock. Luckily we found a great store to buy it, and soon a spanking brand new refrigerator was in my kitchen. Of course, before it was installed I had the lovely task of pulling the old refrigerator out and cleaning behind it. Since the old monster was essentially immoveable it hadn’t been cleaned behind there in 22 years. It took me 3 hours of scrubbing to get it clean. My new fridge has wheels and can pull out easily, so I no longer have any excuses for not cleaning behind it.

I tell you, it is absolute BLISS having a new refrigerator! Things are properly kept cold and frozen, the motor is a lot quieter, and it is sparkling clean. Now let’s see how long I can keep this one going. 🙂

~Marilyn

 

1970 Kitsch Convergence: Ultra Brite and AMC Gremlin

Posted by & filed under Daily Life, Fashion, Vintage.

Vintage 1970 Ultra Brite tootpaste/AMC Gremlin adThere are those wonderfully quirky vintage ads where an alignment of kitsch reigns supreme, and a perfect representation of the era is displayed. This August 1970 ad for Ultra Brite Kiss-Stakes is a great example. By sending in 2 end flaps from any size Ultra Brite, you receive (FREE!) 12 vinyl Kiss Decals (Weatherproof. Waterproof.) to stick to your car, your books, your boots, your boyfriend. Plus a chance to win one of 10 Gremlins, American Motors’ kicky, lovable new car.

Ultra Brite toothpaste was ubiquitous in the 60s and 70s because everyone wanted whiter teeth and this was long before tooth-whitening procedures became commonplace. The AMC Gremlin burst on the scene on April 1, 1970 as a subcompact economy car. The car design was based on a shortened and adapted Hornet platform with a Kammback-type tail, and was faster than other subcompacts of the time.

Having the two products together in one ad was a perfect marketing ploy; both were young, fresh, zippy and quirky and had great appeal to 70s teenagers. I am questioning, however, why I didn’t enter the contest to win the car! The entry blank was left untouched by me. I can only surmise it was because I would have been 15 years old at the time, and it would be a year before I got my driver’s license at 16. Probably at that point I couldn’t imagine driving, much less owning a car. I did use Ultra Brite though! 😀

~Marilyn

Vintage 70s Mary Quant Cosmetics and Crocheted Hat

Posted by & filed under Beauty, Fashion, Vintage.

After searching for Yardley of London ads in my Seventeen magazines, I noticed a couple of ads from the 70s issues for Mary Quant Cosmetics Ltd. I had almost completely forgotten that Mary Quant, mod British designer of the miniskirt, produced a line of makeup as well. I remember trying a couple of her products (with the trademark mod daisy logo), but I was not completely enthralled by them as I was with Yardley’s.

Mary Quant makeup ad vintage 1975This is a really cool ad from March 1975 for MQ’s Good as Gold line. The model, Ingrid Boulting, has a real Biba-esque vibe going on. With huge eyes, cupid bow lips and golden curls, she just exudes the British Dolly look that was huge at the time. This particular makeup line of eye glosses, lipsticks and cheek color all had touches of gold, copper and henna for that ‘luscious shimmer’. Even the ombre pink crocheted “Suzette” hat was by Mary Quant. It is adorable!

Mary Quant Jelly Babies makeup vintage 1973This Mary Quant Jelly Babies ad is from June 1973, and has a decidedly beachy theme. Jelly Babies was a gel makeup line that was supposed to stay on while swimming, water skiing, or even a walk in the rain. It was supposed to give you a look ‘as natural as Nature itself’. Essentially a mixture of colour and moisture, it promised to smooth on easily and not dry until you’ve had plenty of time to blend. And, once on, it stays in place, without smudging and creasing all day. I vaguely remember trying this product briefly, with not such good results. Gels were hard for me to work with and I was usually looking for something to cover my zits, which a sheer gel decidedly did not do!

~Marilyn