Oh how I wanted that London look.
Yardley’s Heartbreaker eye compact: “It may be little, but
it makes big eyes.” And unfortunately, it fetches a big price, too!
Yes, this vintage makeup sold for over $257 in a recent eBay
auction. From the late 60’s, the little compact is “no bigger than your thumb”,
and features a mirror, an “eyelighter” to highlight eyes, English eyeliner and
eye shadow. With its cute mod, striped packaging, bidders flocked for a chance
to own this old store stock.
“My buyers are people who were teens in the late 60’s” said
eBay seller Bewitched1981. “People want to have things they had when they were
young. It represents a milestone in their lives. Most had to earn money
babysitting to purchase these items because parents just didn’t give them
money. Many tell me of their memories these pieces represent. I’m just glad I
have it to put up for auction.”
Yardley “Slicker” lip polishes and “Glimmerick” eye paint
can go for high auction prices as well. After seeing a video for Glimmerick,
YouTube viewer anthinmoonme commented that she wished Yardley would come out
with this makeup again.
“It had such a nice effect,” she said. “I wore the sky blue
with pink as a highlighter. I thought I was soooo cool! I remember the Slicker
Dolly’s lipsticks, too. I loved the Yardley commercials. I always wanted to
grow up to be mod and English!”
The world’s oldest cosmetics company, Yardley is indeed
English and perhaps best known for its lavender scents. It was established in
1770 and was a major producer of soap and perfumery. It moved to London’s Bond
Street in 1910, received its first Royal Warrant in 1921 and today holds two
Royal Warrants, supplying soaps to the Queen and the Queen Mother. Formerly
geared to mature women, in the 60’s Yardley marketed their makeup to teens,
cashing in on the British swinging London craze. With colorful packaging and
fun, mod advertisements, it was a hit!
“The British invasion
indeed,” said Suzinne Barrett, another YouTube viewer. “I remember just lusting
after Yardley cosmetics and their wonderful packaging in my local Macy’s in the
Bronx. I also have a strong memory of Yardley’s ‘Pot o’ Gloss.’ I had a bunch
of those pots. And I liked Yardley’s Cellophanes makeup. It had wonderful and
colorful packaging.”
About 14 or 15 years old before she started wearing much
makeup, Suzinne also was a fan of Love cosmetics and their signature lemon
scent. Their ads featured a famous Donovan tune playing in the background.
“Talk about the
indelible memory the music gives us. I just recently listened to Donovan’s
‘Wear Your Love Like Heaven’ and instantly remembered the Love’s lemon
commercial. I was obsessed with Love Cosmetics and also Yardley,” Suzinne wrote
on the message board for a Love’s commercial.
Love cosmetics were introduced by Menley and James
Laboratories in 1969 and under the direction of Mary Wells, their bath products
and makeup, with their psychedelic packaging, were marketed to the young
trendsetters throughout the 70s. Ali McGraw, a photographer’s assistant at the
time, represented the brand. Products included the popular Eau de Love fragrance,
fresh lemon cleanser, lipsticks called “lovesticks”, eyeliners called
“loveshines”, powder and mascara.
YouTuber Bluenazz (his real name is Craig), was brought to
the Love’s commercial by the music, too.
“Wear Your Love Like Heaven is a favorite song of mine,”
said Craig. “But I also remember the commercial and the mysterious blonde girl.
I was an impressionable teenager when the commercial was out and it really
caught my attention. I didn’t use Love or Yardley cosmetics. I’m a guy but I
was definitely an Anglophile. I’m 60 but sometimes still feel like a teenager.”
“Another fab vintage English brand was Mary Quant,” adds
Suzinne. “I purchased her cologne, Havoc, with the complimentary nail polish
for my girlfriend for Christmas in the late 70’s. It had very cool packaging as
well. I didn’t hold onto anything and I have no particular opinion about
today’s makeup. It’s a lot more pricey and a lot less fun.”
Yes, these days Yardley is back to its more conservative
image, selling fragrance and bath and body products. You can still find their
soap here in America, and I bought a tube of lavender hand cream online. But as
far as their groovy cosmetics, they are a thing of the past.
I honestly don’t recall if I had any Yardley cosmetics in my
youth or not. I still have a half-used bottle of Love Baby Soft pink cologne
from the mid 70’s. And I have a vivid memory of meticulously applying frosty
white lipstick of some kind while in junior high, which would have been in the
late 60’s and early 70’s, right around the time of those commercials. Was it an
actual Yardley “Slicker”? I’ll never know. I was a bit too young to fully
participate in the late 60’s mod scene. But on the other end of the spectrum,
there are people like Selena, a YouTube viewer who is only 16 and was not even
alive back then.
“I just have an
interest in makeup, so vintage makeup really caught my eye,” she said. “If
Yardley brought back some of their products, I would definitely buy.”
Kathy Bencsik echoes her feelings.
“Oh I loved the packaging!” she wrote on the Heartbreaker
video. “Someone bring it back!”
Oh well, so much for the London look. I guess I’ll have to
settle for my usual frumpy look. Not that I would actually use any of this
vintage makeup if I found it, since it’s probably too old to be safe. But it
sure is fun to view the pictures and videos of these vintage cosmetics, and
watch the auctions, even if I can’t afford them. And Yardley, if you’re reading
this: bring them back!
To see commercials and pictures of this makeup and more,
visit the links below:
