If any S.O.S. (Surplus Old Stuff) merchandise has an ick issue, previous make-up undoubtedly does. Nonetheless, earlier than throwing all these previous lipsticks, nail polish bottles, and powder puffs in ye olde round file, it’s price taking a better search for shock treasures in your self-importance. Learn on to be taught what to do along with your inevitable cache of S.O.S. (Surplus Previous Stuff): Previous Make-up.
Jezebel and Nefertiti
One in all my secrets and techniques as a reseller is that I like property gross sales which might be home “clean-outs.” You possibly can rummage via previous drawers in search of treasures, which can embrace classic cosmetics reminiscent of collectible compacts and mod lipstick tubes. I take pleasure in heading upstairs to the first bed room and opening the bedside desk and dresser drawers, principally in search of tucked-away jewellery however typically discovering different gadgets like eyeglasses and previous make-up as a substitute. To be sincere, it’s there the place I’ve adopted a few of my aversion to previous make-up; whereas I’ve discovered treasures for positive, I’ve additionally discovered my fair proportion of half-used lipsticks, germy powder puffs, and caked eyeshadow. Nonetheless, as a treasure hunter, it’s at all times well worth the dig since I’ve additionally discovered vintage miniature perfumes and vintage lipsticks that had been by no means used, all resold for lots of of {dollars}.
Whereas the old makeup clogging your rest room cupboards is probably going lower than fifty years previous, cosmetics have a protracted and storied previous. Each women and men have worn make-up at numerous occasions in historical past, though the documentation of painted girls is extra strong. The Previous Testomony speaks of Jezebel portray her eyelids, and Egyptian Nefertiti donned African kohl eyeliner. Japanese geisha are recognized for his or her pallid, doll-like powdered white faces with daring eye and lip coloring, and by the point the nineteenth century rolled round, influences from worldwide cultures infiltrated the West.
Nonetheless, within the late nineteenth century and early Twentieth century, girls sporting make-up had been typically frowned upon or employed. Sure, cosmetics in Europe and America had been worn primarily by “girls of the night time” throughout these years. By the Nineteen Twenties, face paint grew to become extra commonplace, particularly throughout the nascent years of Hollywood. Natch movie stars like Theda Bara wanted a contact of rouge and lipstick to make their options pop on the large black-and-white display screen.
From Division Shops to Drugstores
As we speak, many a drugstore is occupied largely with cabinets of cosmetics. There are pure and natural manufacturers, TikTok-promoted manufacturers, and, in fact, the previous standbys like Maybelline and Revlon. Whereas department shops was “the place” to buy the most effective in make-up from Chanel to Guerlain, many of those old-school shops have gone out of enterprise, and shops like Sephora have taken their place to inventory these manufacturers. Between the drugstores, the department shops, and the specialty shops, many of us nowadays have containers, bins, and drawers stuffed chockablock with cosmetics, new and previous.
Move on the Pathogens
So what to do with previous make-up? As I discussed at the beginning of this saga, some previous make-up has an ick issue. Between the half-used lipsticks, compacts with crumbling palettes, and solidified nail polish bottles, one ought to actually be cautious of germs aplenty. Nonetheless, not all previous make-up is filled with pathogens; some might even be price a reasonably penny. That is very true for previous cosmetics from the early to mid-Twentieth century.
5 Steps for S.O.S. (Surplus Previous Stuff): Previous Make-up
- Verify for silver and gold. All the things from powder compacts to lipstick tubes has been made in nice metals like silver and gold. As you sift via a field of previous make-up, it’s simple to test for these metals by contact (coolness) and weight (heavier than plastic). Even if you happen to discover an previous beauty made with metallic that’s not silver or gold, it’s nonetheless probably classic and price checking its worth.
- Vie for classic. Some classic make-up got here in metallic circumstances, however some got here in plastic. Due to the appearance of early plastics like Bakelite, beauty producers had a brand new choice for mass-producing wares. The best approach to see if in case you have classic make-up in plastic packaging is to eyeball it and select apparent artwork deco, artwork nouveau, or MCM designs. Original packaging is a bonus.
- Fragrance is a plus. Not like some beauty classes, fragrance is nearly at all times a winner within the resale market. Sure, people even purchase half-empty or utterly empty bottles of fragrance. Some are nostalgic for retired fragrances, and a few are fragrance bottle collectors. Fragrance bottles have eternally been a spot for beauty homes to showcase nice designs and attention-grabbing labels, so that they shortly grew to become a scorching collectible within the Twentieth century.
- Avon and Mary Kay, not a lot. Since Avon and Mary Kay are extra budget-friendly manufacturers, their resale worth stays low. Nonetheless, look ahead to the scarce outliers like Avon’s Little Blossom blush or classic Mary Kay giveaways like their 1980s Polaroid camera.
- Toss the contaminated. Now for the germs! When you’ve weeded out the great things price promoting on the resale market, toss all of the stuff with a visual ick issue. Smashed lipsticks, lung-clogging powder packages, and particularly these petri dish plastic-cased mascaras are all finest tossed within the trash.
Now that you’ve got efficiently culled your previous make-up stash, discover your favourite resale web site or native classic store to promote your goodies. Chances are you’ll simply find yourself with a number of {dollars} in your pocket and fewer germs in your self-importance drawers!
Amy Moyer is the proprietor of Antmuffin: Art, Antiques & Collectibles. She holds a B.A. in Visible Artwork from Brown College and lives in Boston.
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