I’m mostly sharing this ad just for that one line of copy. It’s a beaut.
Bone shards:
Laughter was Germaine Monteil’s first perfume. It was later rebranded as Rigolade, which is French for “joke”.
Laughter took eight years to develop. “It smells good too.” — Esquire, 1951
“Beauty is not a gift, rather the combination of natural charisms, personal style and expert care.” — Germaine Monteil
Is laughter the best medicine?
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Sometimes a cactus is just a cactus.
Elizabeth Arden was born Florence Nightingale Graham.
The history of lipstick? Well, if you insist.
Did you know drinking cactus water might not be such a good idea?
A $1.25 lipstick in 1948 would cost $13.72 today.
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Avon calling.
Fun facts: The first Avon Representative was Mrs. P.F.E. Albee in 1886.
There were one million Avon Representatives by 1978.
On a personal note, there are two perfumes that have seduced me at pivotal moments in my life. Avon’s Odyssey is one of them.
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Strange story, this Lucretia Vanderbilt.
It’s got everything!
Astrology!
Italian cheeses!
Alter egos!
Guitars!
Human hair fraud!
Bootleg liquor!
Pre-arrest suicide!
Belgian war heroes!
And butterflies!
Stefon would be jealous.
Check out the history of Lucretia Vanderbilt here, along with its rather wonderful first paragraph that sets the tone beautifully.
In Alan Jenkins’ very readable ‘The Twenties’, his second chapter is titled ‘Let’s Do It!’. “Do what?” he asked, well… “Practically anything you can get away with. Dance. Make love. Sing. Laugh. Make money. Lose money. Drink. Fly. Smash something.”, he wrote.