iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 22/08/2026

Looking forward to the next (free!) Cosmetic History Network Salon on Friday, September 12! Join us for a session on Regency era beauty featuring two wonderful experts on the topic. Email Hello@cosmetichistorynetwork.com to register.

Flyer for the Cosmetic History and Makeup Studies network event

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 06/06/2026

Less than a week away! Join the Cosmetic History Network’s Salon on Friday, June 12 to learn about lipstick myths spanning from Ancient Greece to the lipstick index. Did we mention it’s free?! Register here: chmsn.wufoo.com/forms/chmsn-...

Pink graphic with image of a black lipstick tube

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 15/05/2026

📣Join the Cosmetics History and Makeup Studies Network for a lipstick myth busting session on June 12th! 💄(I am one of the experts mentioned. 😆) The event is FREE and open to the public. Sign up here: chmsn.wufoo.com/forms/qffw9z...

Flyer for an event on myths surrounding lipstick

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 14/05/2026

Currently doing some research for a work project that I’m actually super excited about! Took 25 years, but my art history and museum skills are finally relevant for something at my day job. 😆Can’t wait to share when it’s all done.

Stack of library books on various sculptors

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 09/10/2025

It’s here! My very first journal article (and peer reviewed, at that!) Huge thanks to @drlaurenalexohagan.bsky.social and @lucyjanesantos.bsky.social for being such amazing editors. 🙏👏 doi.org/10.1108/JHRM...

Screenshot of the Journal of Historical Research in Marketing showing an article entitled From Health to Status Symbol: Towards a Typology of Glow in Cosmetics Marketing.

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 07/08/2025

I’m in my happy place - spent the Museum’s 17th (!) anniversary today working on the Flutter exhibition. 😅

Five vintage eyelash enhancers against a yellow background

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 29/07/2025

In honor of the recently opened Blusher exhibition, for National Lipstick Day here is a delightful ca. 1940s lipstick “palette” from the Fuller Brush Co., which I included in my essay in the exhibition catalog. 🎨💄

Three lipstick tubes attached to palette shaped cardboard backing. Text on the backing reads “Paint a pretty picture from the artist’s palette”.

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 27/02/2025

New blog post: Mona Manet cosmetics. It’s a tragic but important story. makeupmuseum.org/a-life-in-se...

Ivory Bakelite lipstick tube and burgundy rouge container against a marble background

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 12/10/2024

📣WE ARE LIVE! Phase 1 of the Makeup Museum’s website redesign is here. Ironing out a few wrinkles, particularly on mobile, but it’s mostly done. Thrilled with how it turned out! 🥹Onto phase 2: getting the collection fully digitized. makeupmuseum.org

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 20/09/2024

2 weeks ago today I had the honor of presenting my paper, “Makeup Design, Compulsory Beauty and the Modern American Woman, 1920-1960” at the @WomensHistNet conference! Here are some of the Makeup Museum’s objects that were featured.

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 21/08/2024

As if I don’t have enough projects, moving all the Makeup Museum’s objects to a new home has been added to the list b/c…WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!Finally out of B’more city to a safer, quiet area. And so much more storage room for the Museum’s ever growing collection. 💖😍🏡

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 20/06/2024

Happy solstice! These aren’t all the spring/summer 2024 acquisitions…there are a few more not shown here that I hope to talk about separately. 😅

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 29/04/2024

Another reason why I need to learn multiple languages: the Makeup Museum was featured in this lovely piece on beauty collectors for the May issue of Vogue China. Fortunately Google Translate worked this time and I could see the info was accurate....

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 15/04/2024

It’s here! Check out the Makeup Museum’s 15th anniversary exhibition! 🎉 www.makeupmuseum.org/home/2024/04/m…

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 13/04/2024

E.L.F.’s true crime themed Cosmetic Criminal kit isn’t coming back in stock, which is a shame b/c it would be interesting to display it next to the Schuco teddy.😂🧸Then again, disemboweling plushies to retrieve makeup is NOT a concept that should have been resurrected.😧

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 10/02/2024

Happy Lunar New Year! 🧧🐉

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 30/01/2024

Why it’s been so quiet on the blog: two weeks ago today I submitted my very first book chapter for an academic publication.🥹Now I’m starting the chapter for a different edited volume that’s due in March. 😅

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 21/12/2023

The Makeup Museum is incredibly honored and grateful to receive a @MDhumanities Marilyn Hatza Memorial SHINE grant! Thank you so much and congratulations to fellow grantees! More about the award here: bit.ly/3Q9k017 #MDHumanities

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 19/12/2023

Still not well, but this latest acquisition is bringing me much joy. (And hopefully some luck in getting this virus to go away! 🤧)

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 12/12/2023

Welp. It finally happened. Terrified the brain fog is here to stay. That would mean no more Makeup Museum…can’t do much when my cognition is impaired. 😞😭

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 11/12/2023

Keep going down rabbit holes…but that’s a good thing since I turned up yet another new-to-me book. 😍📚

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 01/12/2023

Last day of #Museum30! Museums preserve history that might otherwise be lost forever and share it with the public. I like to think I’m “rescuing” objects and uncovering stories, and ensuring the people behind them aren’t forgotten. #WhyMuseums

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 26/11/2023

Also, after a performance the actors sometimes create an impression of the makeup by pressing their faces into a piece of cloth, then add their signature and date. The result is called an oshiguma and is given to fans as souvenirs.

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 26/11/2023

#Museum30, day 25 (late again, oops): makeup for the theatre is usually #bold, but kabuki takes it to another level! Kabuki makeup, or kumadori, is carefully designed for each character, the colors representing specific traits.

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 24/11/2023

#Museum30, day 24: makeup objects have a long tradition of being designed and marketed as #accessories, especially purses and jewelry, but there are some novel twists. How about a powder puff handkerchief, a compact sewing kit, or a cigarette lighter vanity case?

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 21/11/2023

Happy birthday to artist Jeanne Mammen, born #OTD in 1890. 🥳🎨Enamored by her 1931 painting titled Carnival! Did some quick searches on Mammen and the culture of Weimar Germany…the amount of info is staggering! I’m starting with a book on German cosmetics history. 😍

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 21/11/2023

#Museum30, day 20: in June the Makeup Museum presented highlights from LGTBQIA+ makeup history at the Delaware State House and Museum as part of their #pride festivities.🌈People really liked seeing some objects up close afterwards.😄Will share research notes from this talk soon!

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 19/11/2023

#Museum30, day 19: “The most frequent use of lights and #shadows is, undoubtedly, in the simulation of wrinkles, to represent the various stages of age.” So says one Charles H. Fox in the 1890 edition of his guide “Theatricals; or the Art of Making Up.”

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 18/11/2023

#Museum30, day 18: really struggled to put out content during the #Last12Months due to my day job and working on larger MM projects. But there are good things on the way and I hope the blog will be more active in 2024. 🤞In any case, lots of good acquisitions in the past year!

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 18/11/2023

Also, a few months ago I stumbled across a copycat made by British jewelry company Butler & Wilson. It looks to be from the ‘80s or ‘90s but it’s hard to tell. 🤔

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 18/11/2023

#Museum30 catch-up: I tried to avoid more novelties, but Volupte’s Golden Gesture series (ca. 1946) was too perfect for day 17’s prompt of #hands! Hopefully the Makeup Museum will acquire all of them one day…so far only the white “Gay Nineties mitt” is in the collection.

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 17/11/2023

#Museum30, day 16: the #technology for trying on makeup when one can’t get to a store has greatly improved. Compare this cardboard “guide” with wheels by children’s brand Crayon Girl (early ‘80s) to Maybelline’s virtual try-on feature (ca. 2020).

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 16/11/2023

Belated day 15 of #museum30: very pleased with the simple #frame for a makeup painting by Baltimore artist Gloria Garrett (1959-2022). It’s being installed in the Makeup Museum’s 15th anniversary exhibition, but in the meantime you can read about her art: bit.ly/2u2eZzU

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 15/11/2023

#Museum30, day 14: another novelty compact! There were many of these suitcase shaped compacts in the 1950s, but most were metal. The leather and stitched handles makes this one stand out (in my opinion). Bon voyage! #travel

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 14/11/2023

It was May, and roughly 3 seconds later it became November. Don’t know where those months went! In case you missed it, here are some summer 2023 goodies and a link to a wrap up of the season. 💖 www.makeupmuseum.org/home/2023/09/c…

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 13/11/2023

#Museum30, day 13: no funding for proper #storage, so the Makeup Museum’s collection is housed in every room of my 1350 sq.ft. condo except the bathrooms. Makeup is small but the sheer quantity means creating space is an ongoing battle. These aren’t even all the storage areas!🫣

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 13/11/2023

A visit to the @MuseumofFailure inspired me to discuss some of the biggest makeup fails in modern makeup. Perfect timing as it aligns with day 12 of #Museum30, which is #invention. 😆 www.makeupmuseum.org/home/2023/11/t…

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 12/11/2023

#Museum30, day 11: Stila Cosmetics launched in 1994. The name apparently came from the Italian “stilare” (to pen), as founder Jeanine Lobell envisioned everyone’s makeup to be as unique as their signature. 🖋️More on Stila here: dir.lat/xMc3AB...

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 10/11/2023

#Museum30, day 10: the #ocean is home to many wonderful creatures…and of course mer-folk! Spend some time in their natural habitat with the Makeup Museum’s “A Splash of Color” exhibition. 🧜‍♀️🧜🌊🫧 www.exhibitions-makeupmuseum.org/me…

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 09/11/2023

#Museum30, day 8: no, it’s not dollhouse #furniture - these are novelty compacts from the 1950s. Not the most practical but they sure are fun! 🪑

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 07/11/2023

#Museum30, day 6: my favorite color! The Makeup Museum probably added more #yellow objects to the collection since this photo was taken in 2020, but there was no time to gather them all. 😆💛

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 05/11/2023

#Museum30, day 5: in honor of its 600th anniversary, in 2020 China’s Palace Museum released several makeup pieces inspired by a German 16th century century sun, moon and stars dial in the museum’s collection. The packaging features a beautiful #NightSky pattern. ☀️🌙✨

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 03/11/2023

#Museum30, day 3: A possible future MM exhibition is “Indies and Influencers: the Changing Makeup #Landscape,” which would focus on the impact of new technologies, social media and the related exponential growth of indie brands on makeup. So many topics, so little time! 😅

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 02/11/2023

#Museum30, day 2: the Makeup Museum is an online space dedicated to the research, exhibition and preservation of makeup objects and artistry from all eras and cultures. Established in 2008, the museum has roughly 2,700 artifacts & has displayed over 30 exhibitions. #Introduction

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 01/11/2023

#Museum30, day 1: In the Makeup #Museum’s 15th year, I’m doing a lot of thinking about the ethical and social responsibilities of museums, particularly when it comes to curation and collection practices. Hope to organize all these ideas soon!

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 07/10/2023

I promise this isn’t becoming the AHS: Delicate makeup account but here’s another seemingly vintage item from episode 2. Thought it was Le Rage or Zenette, but it might actually be a Stratton. 🤔

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 27/09/2023

It’s an odd stylistic choice for a show set in 2023. Then again, how she acquired the lipstick is strange too…if someone compliments my lipstick I don’t offer them my own tube, I tell them the brand/shade and where they can get it! 🤔 (Wish I could ID the shade, incidentally.)

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 27/09/2023

The only modern studded case I can think of is KVD and the top is flat, not raised, and the studs appear at the base unlike Max Factor’s. Overall the KVD tube also looks longer and narrower than the one in AHS.

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The Makeup Museum @makeupmuseum.org · 27/09/2023

Watched the 1st episode of AHS: Delicate and I’m 99% sure the lipstick Emma Roberts’ character uses is in a vintage Max Factor case. (Photo on the left is from the Smithsonian as I can’t seem to locate my tube. 🤦🏻‍♀️)

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