C'est les Bon Bons de Revlon

✯ Day 338 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

These days just about anything goes when it comes to nail colour, and while I like the freedom to sport a rainbow's worth of hues on your hands if you so want, at the end of the day, 99% of the time, I - vintage loving gal at that I am - reach for the most classic of shades.

Chiefly reds, but also pinks, burgundies and peaches. These colours are akin to neutrals when it comes to cosmetics for your hands. They're feminine, utterly timeless and unlikely to ever raise an eyebrow (pulses, however, are another matter entirely ).

Sometimes though - I suppose that would be the aforementioned 1% of the time - I do like to break out of my tried-and-true comfort zone of nail polish choices (in a nod to my early teen years perhaps, when I loved sporting funky hues like lime green and cobalt blue), but even then I usually stick with very soft shades like the colours in the delightfully lovely vintage Revlon ad below.

{Charming 1950s Revlon nail polish ad via sugarpie honeybunch on Flickr.}

 

As one might have deducted from the inclusion of the word "frosted" in the description, this particular line - named rather beautifully Bon Bons de Revlon - debuted in 1959, as the decade neared ever closer to the most frost-filled make-up era of the 20th century.

Thankfully however these hues - with scrumptious sounding names like Pistachio Mint, Pineapple Yum Yum, Champaign Taffy, and Butter Pecan - stopped short of crossing into Priscilla Presley territory and remained more in line with the pastel craze that filled homes and wardrobes alike during the decade.

I love the sweetness of this line's name, the cheerful add with its trays of sweets and fresh cut blooms, and every single one of the nail polishes themselves.

Though these particular Revlon shades have probably long been out of product, one need only glance at them for a minute to recognize colours that are currently available from other lines at all manner of price points.

So while I do like to stick to my timeless reds and pinks most days, I love knowing that if I want to don pale, pearly blue or marigold yellow nail polish once in a while, I (and you!) can do so and still be wonderfully, authentically true to the styles of the 1950s. Now that’s c'est bon indeed!

Vintage 365: Darling vintage Dogette ad for dog nail polish!

 

✯ Day 55 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

There are certain vintage finds that can't help but put a wide grin on your face. They're those images or items that someone how seem so off-beat, so quaint, so entirely irreverent compared to the ways things are generally supposed to be that they instantly become likeable. "Give me a 'for instance', Jess", I hear you say. Delighted to! :)

Ladies and gents, I present a vintage ad for Dogette Nail Enamel: nail polish for your favourite canine companion. Matching was big in the 1950s (not of course, that there's anything wrong with that - I can think of few things more lovely than matching one's lipstick and nail polish, and do so myself quite frequently), from home decor (think kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms in primarily one colour) to identically hued hats and shoes, it was seen as classy and classic at the time to colour coordinate.

{Wonderfully interesting Vintage Dogette Nail Enamel poster, measuring 18 x 12.5 inches, $19.99 from All Posters.}

 

Evidently, thanks to the fine folks at Dogette, you could match your dog's claws (nails) to many popular fashion and automobile shades of the day. As we can see in this delightful vintage ad, Dogette came in a range of au currant mid-twentieth century colours, from whisper pale lilac to bold sky blue, these hues were definitely going to get your pretty (and pampered) pooch noticed. (Can't you just imagine regal, highly groomed 1950s poodles sporting perfectly manicured nails?)

While Dogette may seem like a rather strange product (after all, it is a cosmetic product for dogs!), the brand (for whom I honestly could not find much information at all; if anyone knows more about this company, please don't hesitate to share your knowledge in the comments) was decades ahead of their time. In recent years a handful (pawful) of companies have hit the market with their own lines of dog nail polish. It would seem though Dogette has gone the way of the Molossus of ancient Greece (which is a shame, their logo and packaging was downright adorable).

Color Paw (which comes in a wide array of colours) and OPI's Pawlish are two of the best known brands of dog nail (both companies produce formulas that differ from human nail polish and which are safe for use on dogs) on the market today, proving that sometimes even the quirkiest of yesteryear beauty products - be it for people or pets - has staying power.