70s Haircare Brand Short & Sassy to Make a Comeback

From the Vintage Vault: Agree Shampoo

Vintage Vault: Wet n Wild Edition

Of all the requests that I receive here at Nouveau Cheap, the most popular request by far goes something like this:

"G., will you please bring back the Vintage Vault?"

So I'm delighted to tell you that, beginning with this post, I am officially bringing it back! I may not post weekly, but I'll do my best to publish at least one or two posts per month, from here on out. I LOVE that YOU love these posts, and I'm so excited to bring them back. So thank you, thank you, thank you, for those requests!

For those new to the Vintage Vault, this is where I take time out from "new product sightings," etc., and focus on VINTAGE drugstore beauty products. The majority of what I cover here is from the 80s, 90s, and early 00s, but I may go back even deeper into the Vintage Vault as time goes by!

If you would like to see all of my previous Vintage Vault posts, just CLICK HERE (and be sure to click "older posts" when you get to the bottom of the page, for even more).

To kick things off, I want to extend a HUGE thank-you to reader Elizabeth for uncovering something I never, ever thought I'd see again...

From the Vintage Vault

It's time again to go deep into my stash for another installment of From the Vintage Vault...

For new readers, this is a series I created as a sort of "walk down memory lane" when it comes to cosmetics. If you like to reminisce about cosmetics from the past, you can check out all of my previous Vintage Vault posts here (be sure to click "older posts" when you get to the end of the page, for even more posts). 

Today I'd like to show you an eyeshadow palette that I've been treasuring for about 13 years now...

Spotted at Dollar Tree: Wet n Wild Beauty Benefits products!

So are you saying to yourself, "Wet n Wild BEAUTY BENEFITS?" What the heck is that??"

Well don't worry, because I don't expect many of you to remember this line! Beauty Benefits was a very short-lived line from Wet n Wild that debuted in 2009...and was discontinued in 2009. This line included cosmetics, nail color and I believe they had some skincare products as well. 

My memory is a little fuzzy, but I think the Beauty Benefits line was exclusive to Walmart, and the price points were slightly higher than other Wet n Wild products that were on the market at that time. I think the line was geared to a more mature audience and the color palette reminded me of Bobbi Brown (very user-friendly and complimentary to a variety of skintones).

Anyway, the GREAT news for you die-hard Wet n Wild fans and collectors is that products from this very rare line are now popping up at Dollar Tree stores!

image credit: criss v. for Nouveau Cheap

Wet n Wild Beauty Benefits Ultimate Expressions Eye Shadow Palette in Sand Castle

(Retail: $3.99(?). Dollar Tree price: $1)

From the Vintage Vault: Revlon Lip Glide Color Glosses

The most popular request I receive when it comes to this blog is, "Please do more Vintage Vault posts!" So even though there are always so many things to share with you and talk about here on a daily basis, this week I finally just put everything aside (other things can wait until tomorrow, right?) and wrote this blog post. I know, I know...long overdue, and I apologize for that!

For newer readers, let me give you a little background info about how the Vintage Vault series came to be. A few years ago, I uncovered a box of old cosmetics that I completely forgot I had tucked away in my spare bedroom. In that box were some of my favorite drugstore (and higher-end) beauty products from the late 80s, 90s and early 2000s. So I decided that, one by one, I'd show you everything in that box, as sort of a walk down memory lane.

So that's how it all began, and today I'd like to revisit an old favorite from Revlon: Lip Glides!

Herbal Essences to bring back old favorites

Attention old school Herbal Essences fans! This news might just make your day. A huge thanks to reader Meagan for the heads-up that Herbal Essences is bringing back two of their 1990's product lines, and they're even bringing back the original bottles! Click here for all the details.

In case you forgot about the Herbal Essences "totally organic experience" this should jog your memory:

Thanks again, Meagan, for the heads-up!

I cannot believe I remembered this...

So I was doing some research on pH levels in skincare the other day, and it hit me. The words "Propa pH" came into my mind and I thought: "Was there actually a skincare brand called Propa PH back in the 90s??"

So I did a little googling and BAM:

   Please tell me I'm not the only one who remembers this brand?!?!  

From the Vintage Vault

It's time again for me to crack open the vault and share with you some vintage makeup from my collection. Today I have two lip products to share with you. The first is the lip product that started my obsession with lipstains. Yep, the one that started it all. 

Keep reading for pics!

From the Vintage Vault

Today I bring you a "very special edition" of From the Vintage Vault. I"ll only be featuring one product in this post, which happens to be a product that is extremely near and dear to my heart. That product is MAC Nail Polish (they weren't called "Nail Lacquers" back in the day) in the shade Jungle Fever:

MAC Nail Polish in Jungle Fever

(2001)

Keep reading for more pics, comparisons and swatches (yes, swatches!)...

From the Vintage Vault (L'Oreal edition)

For this installment of From the Vintage Vault, I thought I'd share some older L'Oreal products from my stash. I've got some nail products and one of my all-time favorite lip products to show you today, so let's get started with this trip down memory lane.

 Take a peek inside the Vintage Vault, after the jump..

From the Vintage Vault

Over the past few months, I've received many, many requests to bring back my Vintage Vault series (thanks so much, everyone!) and I took some time over the weekend to get things in order and I'm delighted to tell you that the Vintage Vault has been re-opened!

For new readers, the Vintage Vault series came about after I discovered a long-forgotten box of old (aka: vintage) makeup in a spare room of my house. I had completely forgotten that I had this makeup, so I posted some pics of some of the products here, as a sort of "walk down memory lane". I had no idea that you all loved looking at older makeup as much as I do, so that's how the Vintage Vault series came to be. 

If you'd like to take a look at my previous Vintage Vault posts, click here (and when you get to the bottom of page, click "older posts" for more!). 

Today I'm focusing on two products that were in the "2004-2006" part of the box. These aren't quite vintage yet at just eight years old, but hopefully they'll bring back memories for at least a few of you!

Keep reading to see what I've taken out of the vault...

My Big Lots Find of the Century

Over the past year, we've seen some Big Lots sightings that have made jaws drop. Makeup that you'd never dream of finding at Big Lots has been spotted across the country, from Too Faced Cosmetics to Philosophy and CK Cosmetics. We've even spotted rare, limited edition makeup (just the other day, I spotted Maybelline Amethyst Ablaze(!) at a local Big Lots, and also Triple Yum).

But never in a million years did I expect to find this at my local Big Lots the other day:

You are not hallucinating. This is a L'Oreal Limited Edition Metallique Foil Eye Color Crayon. 

Retro Cosmetic Commercials, Part 2

A while back, I shared some of my favorite cosmetics commercials from the 80s with you (here) and today I have another batch of fun ones for this stroll down memory lane.

What's interesting to note is how many of these products have been "reinvented" throughout the years. When you think something's new...sometimes it's just recycled!

Back in the day, Yardley used to make cosmetics.
Check out their Heartbreaker and Glimmerick eye products from 1967:

Camille Beckman: one of the longtime loves of my life

I have an incredibly sappy story to share with you today, my lovelies. If you'd like to skip it and go straight to the review, by all means scroll right on past the first part of this post. But just know that I'm kind of pouring my heart out to you in this post and opening myself up to some mockery (I wouldn't blame you!) but I still feel compelled to share it.

When I was a teenage (many, many years ago), my parents used to take me to a popular Jewish deli here in San Diego called D.Z. Akins. It was one of my favorite places to go, and not just for the delicious matzo ball soup, knishes or rugalah. You see, D.Z. Akins had a gift shop in the lobby that you had to walk past before you entered the dining area (they still do, actually). And in this gift shop they had so many beautiful things that would catch my eye but, even back then, my love of beauty products trumped all. Every time we went to D.Z. Akins, I remember making a B-line straight to these beautiful little pots of hand cream with cute little satin roses glued to the tops of the lids. I remember begging my dad to buy me one every time we went there and, of course, he did.

Camille Beckman Glycerin Hand Therapy in Violette

circa late 1980's

From the Vintage Vault

 Thanks to so many of you for requesting that I bring back this series. I love the fact that you enjoy looking at old makeup and beauty products as much as I do, so I'm thrilled to let you know that I still have a few gems in my stash to show you over the next several months!

For new readers, my Vintage Vault series was born after I discovered a long-lost box of my own personal makeup and beauty products from the late 1980s through the earlier 2000s. One day I was cleaning out some boxes in my spare bedroom and stumbled across a box that I had managed to take with me from home to home over the years, never to open. When I opened the box, much to my surprise, it contained beauty products that I must have coveted back in the day (you know, products you love but don't want to use because, well, you just love them so much?). I figured I'd share a few of these little gems with you, so I created my Vintage Vault series.

If you would like to check out my previous Vintage Vault posts, click here 

(be sure click "older posts" when you get to the end of the page or you'll miss my post featuring the original Sinful Colors, Wet n Wild and Zoya bottles!)

My favorite makeup from the 80s

Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, I'd like to share with you some of the makeup I used when I was a pre-teen and teenager in the 80s (I was 10 years old in 1980 so I'm about as 80s as it gets).

Enjoy!

Everyone always talks about how much they miss Maybelline Kissing Coolers, but I personally miss the Kissing STICKS:


L'Oreal Shadow Riche Eyeshadows were the first eyeshadows I ever owned from the drugstore. I had a duo that was purple and lime green and I swear to you, to this day, that was the most finely-milled and pigmented shadow I ever owned!



Revlon Soft Lash Sponge-On Mascara. "Sponge-On", you say?? Yep. It had a "PUFFER BELLY SPONGE" applicator and no I'm not kidding!



I've got lots of other vintage drugstore commercials I could share with you, so if you enjoy this type of thing, let me know and I'll post some more favorites in the future!  

Do you remember any of these products? What are some of YOUR favorite makeup products from your youth?

From the Vintage Vault: lipsticks from the 90s

If you're a new reader, the From the Vintage Vault series was created after I discovered a box of old cosmetics from the late 80s, 90s and early 2000s that I wasn't even aware I still had in my possession. So I decided to take this stroll down memory lane and share it with you! 

If you'd like to see all nine of my previous From the Vintage Vault posts (including pics of the original Sinful Colors bottles, MAC lipstick tubes and Urban Decay eyeshadow singles) click here.

In this post, I'd like to show you some lip products from the late 1990s/early 2000s:

It's baaack: From the Vintage Vault

Due to popular demand, I have revisited my long-lost stash of late 80s, 90s and early 00s makeup and I'm back for another installment of From the Vintage Vault!

I want to thank everyone who has given me feedback about this series--I had no idea it would be so popular and that you'd all enjoy looking at old makeup as much I do!  For those of you who haven't see my previous From the Vintage Vault posts, you can check them out here.

For today's edition, I bring you these little goodies:

 Max Factor Moisture Riche Lipstick in Indigo Pink

(circa late 1990s)

Do any of you remember these old-school Max Factor Moisture Riche Lipsticks? The cases were dark navy blue and had an oval shape to them. This shade, Indigo Pink, was a FAVORITE of mine in the late 1990s and I wore this baby down to a nub!

Next up, I know these aren't super old, but they're still fun to look at:

 L'Oreal Soft Effects Eye Colour in Sky Blue

(circa 2000)

Remember when ALL L'Oreal cosmetics came in that taupe-colored packaging? I loved this eyeshadow since I recall being a huge fan of baby blue in the late 90s, early 2000s. I know you can still get the Soft Effects shadows on ebay, amazon, etc. and I know they occassionally show up at Dollar Tree as well.

Now for a real blast from the past!

 Fetish Star Power Eyeliner in Bliss

(circa 2000)

Oh Fetish, how I LOVED thee! Please tell me there are some of you who remember this drugstore brand from the early 2000s?? I LOVED Fetish and I remember when you could easily find their products at Walgreens and Sears. I loved that holographic packaging and the shades of their products were pretty fashion-forward for the time. Eventually this brand moved from drugstores to dollar stores, and then  it just disappeared completely. I miss you, Fetish!

That's it for this edition for From the Vintage Vault. Did it bring back any memories for you? Did you own anything mentioned here? Do you remember these products?

From the Vintage Vault (Special "Firsts" Edition)

It's been a few weeks since I did a Vintage Vault post, so I'm going to make up for lost time and make this one a biggie.

For new readers, my Vintage Vault posts feature products that I recently discovered while cleaning my spare bedroom--I uncovered a very old box of cosmetics from the late 80s, 90s, and early 00s, so each week I try to show you a few of these old gems just as a stroll down memory lane. I try my hardest to remember exactly when I purchased each item, but sometimes I might be off by a few years (my memory gets kind of fuzzy since I've been buying makeup for well, pretty much 30 years now. Yikes!!).

So today I'm going to show you some significant "firsts" for me.

Let's start with my very first taupe eyeshadow (are you listening, Elvira and Joeybunny?):

I'll give you five bucks and a pat on the back (not really) if you recognize this packaging. Anyone know what brand this is?

Too Faced eyeshadow single in Glamour Puss (circa 2002-ish)

Ahh, memories! I remember when Too Faced was a tiny brand that had like one shelf at Sephora, and I went BONKERS for it. I adored the cute, retro packaging, and when I saw Glamour Puss, I remember it hit me like a freight train. It wasn't brown, it wasn't gray...it was taupe! I don't even think I quite knew what taupe eyeshadow even was back then, but I knew I had never seen a color like this anywhere. I wore the HECK out of this shade (it was so pigmented and shimmery--almost metallic) and I think this was actually my second purchase, because I definitely remember hitting pan on this baby.

Next up, my very first vampy nail color:

Zoya Morticia (circa 1993)

Apologies for this bottle--it has DEFINITELY seen better days. But I'm so happy that it survived a hot-pink-nail-polish-explosion and that I can still see the beautiful vampy red because I thought I had lost this many, many years ago and I've been pining for it ever since.

I remember this like it was yesterday. I was in college and my roommate and I had just discovered this new, mysterious brand of nail polish at our local beauty supply called "Zoya". We loved the bottles, the logo, the formula, the staying power and especially the color selection. I remember we had NEVER seen shades like Zoya's before, and we definitely had never seen a deep vampy red like this before.

What you have to remember is that nail polish colors back in the early nineties were NOT like they are today. You had to search and search for a non-traditional shade, and when you found one, it was like hitting the lottery. You held on to it and coveted it. I remember wearing the HECK out of Morticia and having people stare me at because my nails just seemed so "dark". Haha!

Anyway, I'd love to wear Morticia again, but this bottle is pretty thick and goopy so it's going to take a lot of TLC to get it back to where it needs to be. If I can salvage it, I'll definitely swatch it for you in the future.

Next up, my very first cream eyeliner:

Smashbox Cream Eyeliner in Smashing Midnight Brown (circa 1997ish)

Do any of you remember the original Smashbox logo? I had completely forgotten that the logo used to look like this! All I remember is that cream liners were totally new and foreign to me in the late 90s and I remember struggling a bit to apply this (I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I didn't have access to the right brush back then) and I remember giving up completely on cream and gel liners until several years later. It's funny how the right brush can make you fall in love with a product you once hated.

Next up, my very first holy grail MAC lip combo:

MAC Isis + MAC Cork (circa 2002ish)

There was a period when MAC went from black packaging to silver. I'm not sure if this had to do with specific products, or if these were part of special collections, but I just remember that for a few years, a lot of MAC products had silver packaging (maybe one of you MAC fanatics can explain?).

So anyway, in the late 90s and early 00s, paring light lip colors with dark liners was VERY trendy. I cringe when I think of this look now, but I hear it's making a comeback. (FYI, no matter how popular it gets, you'll never see me rocking light-lipstick-with-dark-liner again. Too many nightmares!).

So this was my HOLY GRAIL combo for around a two year period. I loved that Isis was a non-traditional nude shade. It's impossible to capture what this shade is like in person (so sad that it was discontinued years ago) but here are some pics:

It's a grayish/beige/taupe with a subtle green flash. I freaking LOVED this lip color and I loooooved pairing it with Cork (which is still very much available).

These swatches really don't do Isis justice, but just trust me that this color was the BOMB back in the day. :)

And finally, my very first Pure Ice nail polish:

Pure Ice Frosted Ice Birthday Suit (circa 1996ish?)

I think I remember buying this in college because, back in the mid-90s my hometown didn't have a Walmart. So when I went away to school, Walmart was this big, mysterious superstore and I remember being amazed by all the brands of makeup and nail color I had never seen before (wow...that WAS a long time ago!). So anyway, I remember thinking this color was so unusual. Shimmery light beige shades were super popular in the mid 90s, and this one had a unique twist--it was a warm shimmery nude beige but it had flashes of pink and violet (hard to capture in photos because the flashes are pretty subtle).

I opened this bottle before I wrote this post and was nearly knocked over by the fumes. Older non-big-three-free polishes can be STRONG and the smell is so distinctively different than big-three-free polishes. It really took me back to smell this one. Also, it's weird because the formula is SUPER watery now. I don't remember it being this watery when I bought it, but man, it feels like it's just water sloshing around in the bottle now.

That's it for this Vintage Vault post. I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my "firsts" in the world of beauty and, as always, I'd love to hear you! Do you remember any of these products? Did you own any of them?