An oldie but a goodie: most iconic beauty brands
Some of the beauty classics may have sat on your grandmother's dressing table, but they're still just as popular today.
Chanel No.5
It's hard to believe that Marilyn Monroe's favourite scent dates back to 1921. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't Coco Chanel herself who conceived the world's favourite fragrance, but perfumer, or 'nose', Ernest Beaux. His inspiration for the scent is surprising, too — a trip to the Arctic Circle! With top notes of ylang-ylang and neroli, a heart of jasmine and rose, and basenotes of sandalwood and vanilla, the perfume currently sells at the rate of one bottle every 30 seconds around the world! Nicole Kidman is a fan and has also fronted Chanel No.5 ad campaigns.
New classic: Chanel No.5 Purse Spray for on-the-go glamour.
Pond's Cold Cream
Pond's Cold Cream dates from 1846 and was
formulated in New York by a pharmacist in a tiny home laboratory.
Originally known as Pond's Golden Treasure, it contained witch hazel,
and later became known as Pond's Cold Cream and Vanishing Cream. While
the formulation has changed many times over the years, Pond's was one of
the first brands to experiment with the use of AHAs
(alpha-hydroxy-acids) to encourage cell turnover. The classic Cold Cream
still exists today as a rich facial cleanser that is excellent for dry,
winter skin. Kylie Minogue is reportedly a fan of Pond's.
New classic: Pond's Triple Action Moisturiser with AHAs and vitamins.
Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream
The legendary 8 Hour Cream is a salve that treats cracked lips and dry patches such as knees and elbows that other moisturisers just won't touch. Formulated by Elizabeth Arden herself, the story goes that she treated her thoroughbred racehorses' legs with it if they got scratched or bruised while racing! From the original apricot-coloured balm, there are now many variations, including Lip Balm, Hand Cream and Body Cream. The forerunner to Elizabeth Arden's (whose real name was Florence Nightingale Graham) 8 Hour cream was made with the help of a chemist and fancifully named Venetian Cream Amoretta. Catherine Zeta-Jones is reportedly a fan of 8 Hour Cream.
New classic: Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Hand Cream for ultra-soothing and hydrating.
Bourjois Little Round Pots
Created in Paris in 1863 by Alexander Napoleon Bourjois, who loved theatre and stars of the stage, the rose-scented blushers were baked and left to dry in the Bourjois factory in the suburbs of Paris in round paper pots. Prior to this first form of powder blush, the only things that Parisian ladies had to play with were greasepaints that produced a mask-like effect, so the blush was an instant hit. Originally made for theatrical use in 1879, the pots were made more commercial and the colours given names — the first being Rosette Brune, which still exists today as Cendre de Rose Brune. With over 3.5 million Little Round Pots being sold each year, celebrity fans are numerous and include Dannii Minogue.
New classic: Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation that leaves skin looking fresh and rested.
Kiehl's
Best known for their lip balms, the Kiehl's brand was founded in 1851 by John Kiehl in New York's East Village at his apothecary on Pear Tree Corner. However, the apothecary was sold in 1921 to Irving Moss, an apothecary apprentice with a pharmacology degree who added in homeopathic remedies to the line-up. Original remedies to cure baldness or invigorate virility were mixed up on demand for customers while they waited. Kiehl's more unusual remedies were Attraction Powder and Money Drawing Oil, believed at the time to be failsafe! Celebrity fans of Kiehl's Lip Balms include Halle Berry.
New classic: Creme de Corps (body lotion) that gives skin a complete make-over in 10 days.
Read more from Jane Cunningham, the British Beauty Blogger.
