Finding beauty in old makeup: the comeback of vintage cosmetics

A growing passion has seen people part with thousands for antique compacts, lipsticks and perfumes. Serena Smith meets the collectors seeking yesteryear’s glamour

Deep into my nightly TikTok scroll, I stumbled across the world of vintage makeup. I had discovered a video of creator Olivia White (@LivvyLoveASMR) roleplaying as a softly spoken Avon lady selling her wares in a soothing ASMR video, tapping her nails on kitschy old cosmetic bottles shaped like pieces of dollhouse furniture. I was rapt, intrigued by the novelty packaging that stood in stark contrast to the sort of staid, samey makeup products that populate shelves today. “When I first started making these videos I had no idea people would like them so much,” says White, 27. “I think there’s an element of nostalgia to it all. A lot of people leave comments saying my videos remind them of their grandmothers. It makes my heart so full to read that.” White herself inherited most of her collection from her own grandmother and great-grandmother, who were both Avon sales representatives in the 1960s and 1970s.

A love of history is also what keeps Lisa Larsson, 61, hooked on collecting vintage cosmetics. In 1975, when she was 12, a family friend gifted her a 1930s minaudière – a small, beautifully decorated case divided into storage compartments. “It was a double-sided gilt brass case with a metal mesh strap handle, decorated with green faux-shagreen enamel,” she recalls. “The interior on one side had a bevelled mirror, a small plastic comb and compartments for powder and rouge. The other side had clips for a matchbook and stamps, a section for cigarettes, and a small compartment for hairpins. I loved it.”