Have you watched Lisa Eldridge's
new video on vintage makeup yet? Eldridge, a top makeup artist from the UK, shows off some of the cosmetics packages she keeps in her inspiration boxes in her studio. There are intricate 1920s compacts on a purse-like chain, packed with cosmetics that still give color payoff (and probably loads of bacteria). There are deco style powder boxes from the 1930s and a garish rhinestone compact from the 1980s (of course).
The video sent me scurrying through the Internet, looking for vintage pieces I would begin collecting if I weren't on a self-imposed spending freeze (boo). This Map of Malta Compact Vanity Set caught my eye. I'm unsure when it was made, though I'd guess the 1970s based on the tones of shimmery gold. Not as quaint as a compact purse from the '20s but definitely unique.
The gold circle in the center is the mirrored compact featuring a map of Malta. The comb at the bottom says "You Can Part With This- But DON'T", which is so precious it makes me smile. The short gold bit to the left is a lipstick tube. The beige fabric circle behind the compact is its pouch and there's a small powder puff inside the compact. The item listing says that it was likely a gift from a hotel, as the unspecified hotel's name is imprinted onto the back of the comb. It's all tucked into a storage box with a gold almost-animal print to it.
This was apparently made by a UK cosmetics brand called Melissa (or MELISSA, not quite sure). I don't have loads of free time at the moment but my basic Google-fu failed me on information about that particular brand. Regardless, this set is delightfully quirky and something I wish I could justify owning at the moment. If any reader happens to buy it, please email photos of yourself holding the compact, looking blissful. I'll live vicariously through you.
Purchase the set for $125 through
DECODAME.
