My Favourite Beauty Products Of All Time

Hi my lovelies!

One of the good things to come out of lockdown is communication.  Have you found that too?
It didn’t take long for everyone to reach out to those they loved and missed.  Zoom calls became a bigger for group chats, FaceTime for one to ones.
Messenging in my Sibs group was ongoing so that didn’t change in lockdown, though we probably upped the messaging to keep our spirits up.
Chatting on WhatsApp was something new to me.  One of my lifelines was a group of girlie cousins based in Guernsey and the Isle of Man.  Although we’ve known each other all our lives, we’ve got to know each other so much more these past few months.  We talk about random things.  One day the theme was fave beauty products and I listed my all-time favourites.

So before I get started on my domestic goddesstry for the day, I’d like to share mine with you. 

Here are all time fave beauty products, in chronological order and some without pictures because they go back so far!

And STOP PRESS! the post became so big and unwieldy that I’m sparing you the dilemma of spending 20 minutes reading my post lor doing something more meaningful with your precious time.  Yes, I’ve broken it down into baby sized pieces, just for you because I value your time too!

1960s - 1980s

Cosmedin -  an all in one cleanser that I started using in the late 60s.  It was an all in one, no need for toner.  It’s long since discontinued.  Funny but that type of all in one product has only recently become available again and it’s become hugely popular, so why wasn’t that continued from the 60s onwards? Perhaps because if beauty companies could sell two products (cleanser AND toner) why would they shoot themselves in the foot producing one product that does it all?

Anyway, the concept is back in vogue and  I’ll give you my current favourite all in one in another post.
Did you ever use Cosmedin?

A cream eye shadow, shade nouveau beige, by Max Factor.
I used it through the 60s and 70s, it was just the right shade of non-colour.  A grey/beige.  These days it would be called taupe.
Although that taupe type of colour is all over the place now, it seemed to be banished from beauty counters for decades.  I’ve no idea why because it’s a perfect shading colour.  And despite the market being flooded with the colour now, I still haven’t found anything that quite comes up to my loved nouveau beige. 

Tawny Beige - A beige foundation, by Revlon.
Again a 60s/70s love of mine.  Perfect cover without being  treacley and it toned down my ruddiness.

My googling revealed that Revlon still do the shade but the product name and packaging has changed. 

Has anyone out there used this foundation? I’d love to hear what it’s like. 

Absolue moisturizer, Lancôme.
I discovered this in the late 70s and used it through the 80s.  The Absolue range lives on.  I know this because I just googled it. 

What I also know is that I will NEVER be buying this product again, despite it being good from recollection.  The reason?  Prices start at around £100 and go up to £320.  

The products were more within reach back then. Please tell me, who pays those prices for moisturiser?  Any of you?  Or do you know anyone who does dig that deep in their pockets for a face cream?

And now, as I’m on moisturisers, let’s dip our toes in the 1990s water ... 

Apri gel moisturizer - this was The Best Moisturiser EVER.  I used it in the 90s and continued addictively until it became a discontinued product.  I used to buy up armfuls at a time because this product gave me taughter skin. It was like having a Caci treatment.  The lines disappeared from around my eyes in an instant.  Honest!
And it cost about £3-4!

I couldn’t find any reference to it on google and therefore have no pictures. My google search did however pop up a link to the Superdrug site and some very similar looking products, I.e. they either ARE orange or maybe just the packaging is orange. Anyway, they seemed in the same price bracket as my dear old Apri, so I’ve just bought some and will try that out and report back.
I’m so easy to sell to eh?!



So today’s post is retro, with unavailable products, either because they are no longer produced or they are  astronomically priced outside of any pensioner’s budget!

Please join me in my next beauty post when I reach our millennium and show products that ARE still produced and ARE within our pensuoners’ budgets.

Now, my list starts late 60s.  Care to share yours faves from that time, ladies?
IF you were around.  And IF you were buying beauty products back then and not playing with your rattle.
That would really maje me feel my age!



A la perchoine,
Mary x .