" 'Forbidden' reds heavy-scented with the 'forbidden' fragrance. Then for 'emergencies'...a drop of the perfume itself from the vial enclosed in the case. $2.50 including the perfume (tax extra)."
Given the prevailing scent-phobia that has gripped so many, it's hard to imagine a time that women would clamor for perfumed lipstick. But back in the day ('30s? or '40s?), women's "forbidden" desires were indulged by perfumer to the ho's — Tabu by Dana. (Given the looks I received when wearing perfume on public transportation in Berkeley — wanting to smell nice is indeed a forbidden desire!)
I wonder if these lipsticks were available from vending machines like the one Opal in the Rough posted on Flickr (see below), and the one I magically stumbled upon as a kid at a Stucky's truck stop in the south.(Read all about it on my post about vintage perfume vending machines.)
Should you want to know what a perfumed lipstick would smell like, you can still get perfumed Tabu lipstick on eBay. (Or you could just get a Chanel lipstick — one of the perfumiest lipsticks out there.)
Whatever your feeling about perfumed beauty products, you can still enjoy this gorgeous vintage ad, with lighting worthy of your most glamorous dream. Pretty damn fierce.
This is great - my mother had one of the Tabu perfumed lipsticks! It was a very glamorous deep red that stained your lips for days, and wow was it fragrant! It also caused my lips to swell and itch when I put it on to play dress-up, but I think it was probably the dye they used back then, not the perfume.
Posted by: Flora | April 25, 2010 at 05:20 PM
Flora, I totally forgot to bid on that Tabu lipstick and I wish I had, although I imagine it would do a number on your lips. THe idea is pretty glam, though!
Posted by: Perfumaniac | April 26, 2010 at 01:11 PM
I think what made you itch was the degradation in the compositions of the lipstick. They do expire, you know? Anyway, I'm interested in what a perfumed lipstick would feel, smell, and look like.
Posted by: Lauri Hersh | April 12, 2011 at 02:56 AM
luxirius........ i think is very good
Posted by: Aneka Resep Kue | October 21, 2014 at 05:42 PM
Hello...I've worn Bali and Bermuda red for 50 years and am just now running out of my "Bali" stash...I'm having trouble finding it. Where can I order it? It's the only lipstick that doesn't burn the skin off my lips. Please and thank you...Tammy 4439 se 61st ave Portland Oregon 97206 503-528-0987
Posted by: Tamia Duncan | November 17, 2014 at 09:24 PM