Nostalgia Sells Beauty

An article in the Times Online reports about the nostalgic trend in beauty. Vintage-inspired packaging and concepts strike the fantasy and sentimental chords in us. It is not long before we cave in (I did personally for a mascara by Besame based on a 1930s recipe -- haven't opened it yet though). Bourjois attempted to lure us in with the cutest of retro rouge boxes last fall (there I didn't cave because the colors are the same as in the regular collection). I caved for the 1950s-inspired Elizabeth 8 Hours lip balm, but more because it was so good than because of the packaging.

Columnist Edwina Ings-Chambers writes,

"We all have one beauty product that we buy (or would if we could) for nostalgic reasons. For me, it's Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden, the body lotion in particular. That's what my mother prized, back in the days when it was still blue (the pale, romantic shade of an old silk nightdress). If they were to reissue it, I'd be first in the purchasing queue, just because of her...

Companies can manufacture this feeling, too, by mining our collective memories, or through clever design. Take Guerlain's new Rouge G lipstick (left): its creator, the jewellery designer Lorenz Baumer, was inspired by a vintage find. It is encased in a tube that's more like a fancy compact, and comes complete with a mirror that pops up as you pull out the stick. It carries the wealth and weight of all those images of glamorous, lipsticked women imprinted in our minds. Just taking it out of your bag makes you feel as if you've joined their seductive ranks."

Read more in Beholder: Nostalgic Makeup...

Have you noticed the trend? Did you cave in for any particular products? What are some of your favorite vintage-inspired beauty products?

I think we can all agree that as long as Smith's Rosebud Salve stays around, the trend will never die!