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Are there any beauty products that remind you of certain people in your life? Maybe your grandmother always wore Chanel. No. 5?
My maternal grandmother wears a lot of Chanel No. 5, which is the only association that really came to my mind.
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My mom was a pretty bar maid back in the day. She wore a uniform of white blouses and short black skirts. She fixed hair in a french roll. But I’ll always remember her mean cat eye, she really rocked black eyeliner!
No! No one from my life really wears anything but me..
A lot of them, actually! I get asked for and give out recommendations all the time, and I’ve kind of developed a habit of notifying someone of a new or new to me products that I know they might adore. 🙂
If we’re talking about specific products, perhaps MAC Lipstick Cosmo, since it’s my mom’s favorite shade. Then there’s L’Occitanne Verbena fragrance, which is the spouse’s favorite.
My mom had this frosty blue eye shadow and frosty pink lipstick that she wore for special occasions only. When I was a kid, I used to put that on, and thought I looked so adult, but I probably looked more like a clown!
NYX Matte Lip Color in Stockholm reminds me of a friend who gifted it to me when I was new to beauty blogging! 🙂
L’Oreal Elnett hairspray. My late maternal grandmother used to always spray her hair with it before leaving her house and this scent will forever remind me of her.
Yes 🙂 Just yesterday I was thinking about how much Nivea cream reminds me of my dad. He swears by it.
Clinique, especially their skincare always reminds me of my mum.
I have great memories sitting at my granny’s dressing table opening all her jars of creams and potions. I remember they were Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden. I don’t remember ever trying any of them, just smelling them. My mum always used Lancôme face creams and I’ve always had a soft spot for their products. she always wore the same shade of bright coral pink lipstick, but I don’t remember the brand.
My grandmother wore lipstick her entire teenaged and adult life(around a 70-year span, give or take), and when I was little I wanted to be just like her, so I eventually started collecting lipsticks in high school. The very last time I saw her alive, she asked what lipstick *I* was wearing and asked me to apply some on her, too–kind of hard to do around ventilators and stuff, but I did it. I inherited her entire collection after she passed away. 🙂
PS Thank you for making me thing of such a sweet memory! <3
<3
My mom will forever be the first thing I think of when I smell Dior’s J’Adore. She wore it all the time to school events. My boyfriend also gifted me some stuff from Geek Chic Cosmetics (have you tried them? They’ve all got some sort of nerdy theme and they’re actually good quality!), so those always remind me of him 🙂
My mom is ALWAYS in red lipstick. Her go-to used to be Chanel’s Pirate and now it’s Mac’s Russian red.
I can’t even tell you how many times i’ve gotten her a new tube for her bday/xmass
My mother wears Shalimar and has since about 15. My grandmother wore L’aire du Temps when I was a child. I’m about to buy TF’s Wes lipstick because it’s my husbands name 🙂
Every single day as I apply make-up I remember and miss the best friend I have ever had. She passed away at the age of 42 after battling breast cancer for five years. When we were both practically babies, back in the early 90s, we worked together as beauty advisors in a local department store. She worked for Lancome while I worked for Clinique. We would do each others make-up quite often and she would always do mine when I had a special date or event. She was by far a better make-up artist than me, so she was getting the better end of things, but she would would compliment my work as if it was perfection. She was gorgeous with the most beautiful blue-green eyes that danced when she smiled. I miss her so very much, but treasure all the happy memories. Her favorite lipstick was a perfect red by Lancome named Scarlette and I still have the very tube she gifted to me over 20 years ago. Until we meet again, sweet Francie.
My grandmother wore Diorissimo perfume, and even though it is a bit sweet for my taste now, I always have a bottle and will still wear it on special occasions.
My mother wore Arpege by Lanvin as long as she lived. I can’t imagine smelling it again – she died in 1996. She wore one particular lipstick that was discontinued. It threw her in a tizzy. She was a redhead and back then redheads (more dark red than red) only wore certain colors in clothes and makeup as not to clash with their hair. Isn’t that amazing? She was quite the Southern Lady.
Well, my Mom always used a moisturizer called Revenescence by “Charles of the Ritz,” a defunct brand that had a huge cult following. She also would wear peach-y coral-y Dior lipsticks so I am always looking for that perfect peach color. And to cap it off, she always said, “You look so beautiful with a little makeup.” So obviously I was predestined to be a beauty collector. Thankfully she was not into either perfume or scented candles. LOL
White Shoulders reminds me of my mom–because she poured a whole HUGE bottle down the drain! Mary Kay products in the pink packaging remind me of my grandma 🙂
Yes, my mother always wore Tweed perfumes and encouraged me to use a daily moisturizer to protect my skin. Back in the day she used Ponds cold cream and I now use the Cetaphil equivalent.
The smell of Impulse Musk (old one from the 70s/80s, brown bottle) – it reminds me so much of my mother! When I was in junior high I sprayed it on my pillow at night while she was in the hospital so I could “feel her near me”. 30 years later, I’ll pay whatever they’re charging if I can snag a bottle on Ebay because I miss her so much. (I’ve seen it twice, tops, and I am afraid to use up the lone bottle I have left!) Also mom!smell related, but not as intense – L’Air du Temps and this L’Oreal old school mauve lipstick. (I still have the last one she carried in her purse) Also also: Shalimar reminds me of my paternal grandmother.
My mom’s go to lipstick was Max Factor’s Powder Pink, a bright, creamy fuschia. When I started wearing makeup she insisted that I wear it and that it looked great on me, but that was the late 60’s & I had to wear pale frosty pinks. Now, I’d love to find that exact shade but nothing seems to come close. They are usually too blue and/or too deep. Sigh…
Whenever I see an Avon lipstick it reminds me of my mom. When I was little I would go into the bathroom and watch her put on her makeup and she would put some lipstick on me before she went to work. Another thing that reminds me of her is timeless perfume and the old Mary Kay packaging.
My paternal grandmother always wore the same shade of red Chanel lipstick (wish I could have found out which shade before she passed away!), which always made me so happy–she grew up unusually poor (backwoods South, no running water or electricity) and didn’t indulge in very many personal luxuries, even when financially comfortable.
The smell of covergirl blush will always make me think of my mother. She’s not into makeup products (and has GORGEOUS skin–she just hit 60, but she could seriously pass for about 35), but every morning when she got ready she’d let me sit on the bathroom counter as she applied her blush, and then she’d blush me with whatever was left over on the brush. Such a sweet, powdery, comforting smell. 🙂 Even though I’ve graduated to Tarte and Mac and Laura Mercier, I’ll always keep a pan of covergirl blush around.
Also, the smell of Keri/Jergens/Lubriderm lotion. My husband calls it the “universal mom smell.”
Bright coral red lipstick reminds me of my 97 year old mother-in-law. It has always been and still is her signature color. Shalimar was my mom’s favorite scent. I can’t wear it because of that strong memory but I still like to smell it on others.
My mother used to wear Shalimar perfume all the time. She also, to this day wore red lipstick and mascara.
I associate some products with certain points in my life since I’d wear them a lot around that time. So, from MAC’s Barbie collection I owned Fashion Pack lipglass and it reminds me of my crush at the time and when he jokingly asked me to put some on him.
Or alternatively, Davidoff Cool Water reminds me of my mom because she used to wear it all the time.
The smell of Estee Lauder Youth Dew perfume, was so much part of my Mom, that she didn’t even have to put on any after showering! It became part of her chemistry. She also wore a Revlon lipstick called Hothouse Heather. Very bright and vibrant, but she pulled it off without looking like a clown.
Imari perfume from avon…my moms favorite when i was a child
The smell of Pond’s cold cream will always be my grandmother. And my mom always wore this Mary Kay night cream that was so heavy, it was like pink colored vaseline. The smell of that product is still the exact same today, and it always immediately makes me think of my mom and the way she smelled at night. I have to give her credit though, she was the one that drilled skin care into my head, and you can really tell. She is in her 60s, and always looks like she is late 30s. Proof positive that taking care of your skin every day pays you back!
Dior Dune and Lancome Tresor reminded me of mum and my childhood. wet n wild lipgloss reminded me of my childhood best friend which we ended up exchanging tubes ( i still have her tube from the 90s) and when i look at my Mac Wonder Women lipglass, i think of my bf now husband who gave it to me on valentines day.
Urban Decay..reminds me of my so called friend, i love urban decay but i have a issue with it too because of her LOL, good quality skin care ( all different brands ) reminds me of my mom, when she was alive she was always on the hunt for good skin care 🙂 & so am i 🙂 also DKNY cahsmere mist, my mom loved that perfume
also covergirl professional mascara the non water proof that is what my mom wore & i wore it for years myself 🙂
My paternal grandma always wears lightly scented face powders (the kind with the round, pretty, old-fashioned looking boxes and big, floofy puffs with silk ribbon bows attached to the back). So when you hug her, cheek to cheek, her skin is smooth as silk and smells good. When I see powders like that at a store I think of her.
Makeup in general makes me think of her. She’s one of those women that has never, her whole life, been seen without makeup — even by the family. When she gets up in the morning she heads straight into the bathroom to “put on her face.” (Still! To this day! And she’s in her mid-90’s!) She comes from different times.
Yes! My mother likes to switch up her perfumes, but I always associate Dior’s Hypnotic Poison with her. Occasionally I catch a whiff of people wearing it at work and I immediately think of her!
I’m always reminded of my mom if I ever smell or see her favorite perfumes, like Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds or Gucci Rush.
Here’s a rundown of various beauty products of the people I know so well over the years. Some are your ordinary products, some aren’t. Sit back and enjoy the top ten list of the following people and products mentioned:
1.) Ombre Rose by Jean Charles Brousseau. My mom wore it to death while I was a little girl and still wears the scent to this scent. I can smell her two rooms from my bedroom. A true classic.
2.) Emeraude by Coty and Oil of Olay Facial Oil. My grandmother had these classic essentials in her daily beauty routine. I would watch her dab on her Emeraude perfume lotion on her hands and her favorite Oil of Olay moisturizer on her face. I would also get a little dab on my hands before getting on the bus to go to school.
3.) Fashion Fair Lipstick Pallette, Fashion Fair Eyeshadow Pallette,and Princess Marcella Borghese Eyeshadow Pallette. My mom still has these from the 1980s. They were great during the time. Now, only a handful of the colors produced then are still viable. I would remember playing with her makeup when I was a kid. I would sneak and swipe some eyeshadow on my eyes and lipstick on my lips. I have since perfected applying my makeup like a professional makeup artist.
4.) Crayola Markers. Yes. Crayola Markers. In 7th grade, one of my classmates had a mark on her face and wanted to cover it up. She didn’t have any foundation so she started to ask for a brown Crayola marker. I didn’t have one on me. She bummed a marker from someone who had it and covered the mark on her face. She also covered a hickey on her neck. True story. It really happened.
5.) Bright Fuchsia Lipstick, circa 1989 to 1991. From 6th to 8th grade, my friends would sneak to the girls’ bathroom at school to swipe a tube of Jordana bright fuchsia lipstick on their lips to attract boys.
Once the lipstick was on, they were talking to the boys was well as getting their numbers. My grade school teacher called the brightly painted lippies “Stoplight Lips”. I didn’t and wasn’t allowed to paint my lips in the infamous bright fuchsia lipstick. My mother did not allow me to wear any makeup until my sophomore year in high school.
6.) Red nail polish and yours truly. My first bottle of nail polish was a classic nail polish my mom gave me when I was in 7th grade. My hands were transformed from those of a little girl to a young woman. It’s powerful to see nail color transforms one’s hands.
7.) Nail Art. Me again. In high school, I got into nail art. I used to paint all kinds of colors and designs on my nails just to fit in to what the other girls were doing. I thought I was it. Then, after doing it for one week, I found out it wasn’t me. Now, I only stick to doing my mani and pedi in all one color.
8.) Opium Perfume by YSL. My mom comes into mind again. The strong oriental scent reflects her beauty as well as her sense on style. She is never afraid of being herself. She still wears it to this day along w/the aforementioned Ombre Rose. Another true classic.
9.) White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor. My godsister loves this fragrance. Her husband and son knows to replenish her stock by gifting that fragrance to her every Christmas, birthday, and Mothers’ Day celebrations.
10.) Nars Cosmetics. The first time I fell in love with Matte lipstick! My first matte lipstick was really a semi-matte lipstick called Times Square, a dark purplish red lipstick . I was so in love with that dark color until I grew out of that phase and discovered more colors that would make me more sophisticated. Now, I only wear nude and reddish brown matte lipsticks. Also, Nars Pure Matte lipstick in Amsterdam is my favorite reddish brown lipstick of all time. I also wear Nars Matte Eyeshadow in Sophia, a cool brown, Nars Cream Eyeshadow in Paper Tiger, a toffee brown color which is only available on their website, the eyeshadow pencil in Empire, a lovely black to layer under your black eyeshadow for more intensity, and the eyeshadow base to hold it all together.
Nars Cream Eyeshado
There’s actually quite a few products that make me think of people in my life.
Elnett Hairspray was my paternal grand-mother’s favorite. The fact that the bottle hasn’t changed for decades helps bring back the memories when I see it. She didn’t wear any makeup but she would always do her hair in a 1950’s style. She would sleep with rolls on every single night to have the perfect wave in her short hair, and fix with Elnett in the morning.
Clarins makeup makes me think of my uncle’s partner. She gifted me my very first makeup products when I was around 15 years old, an eyeshadow duo in soft shades of pink and grey and a MLBB shimmery pink lipstick, both by Clarins.
Then there are perfumes. My maternal grand-mother wore Chanel no 5 a lot, and I associated this scent with my grandma before knowing what it was. I was actually surprised the first time I decided to try no 5 in a department store to discover that it smelled like my grandma! My mom likes to wear unisex or men’s perfumes, and Eau Sauvage is her favorite. It always makes me think of her when I see an ad in a magazine for it. My aunt’s signature scent is Paris by YSL, and just like for my grandma, Paris is “what my aunt smells like”.
Every time I look at a Naked 2 Palette it reminds me of my sister. I just bought it…maybe used twice, then my sister visited me and she fell in love with it so I gave it to her. And since that I couldn’t manage to buy another one…
It’s a funny meme that describes my feelings… http://thesparklingblueberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/nakedpalette.jpg
Fake Eyelashes = My cousins, Toni & Janna (who are also sisters).
BECAUSE they’ve worn them everyday since high school, sometimes 2 pairs on each eye!
Chanel Chance perfume = Mom – she has bottles of this stuff! Original, green and pink variations!
If you asked my family this question, they’d undoubtedly associate me with colorful/bold lipsticks! ;D
Oh and I forgot, Sandalwood Soap = my maternal grandmother – she loves the stuff. Most people associate powdery rose perfumes to their grandmother but for me it was incense+sandalwood is my “grandmother-y-associative” scent. Incense was from their pots of it on their altars in their living rooms (we’re Vietnamese).
I see there are lots of sisters, moms and grandmas! Looks like I’m the only one who bought up cousins!