vintage compacts !

My latest obsession are vintage compacts. I always thought it was so old-fashioned and glamorous to carry one these beautiful, refillable compacts; they had weight, they were small works of art, they were well, just so glamorous! And I think they'll make great gifts for special friends. Take a look at  these ads:

 

I purchased two from eBay and was immediately disappointed by both. I hadn't actually done my homework and didn't know a thing about the history of compacts or their evolution. At the time, I thought that I could just buy a compact and plop in a new refill. It turns out that there's quite a bit more to purchasing old compacts than that. I hope this post clarifies or helps anyone else who might be thinking about dipping into vintage compacts.

The first compact I purchased was a beautiful gold compact in wonderful condition, but I was thoroughly flummoxed by how it worked or how I was supposed to refill it. The compact looked something like this:

You open the compact (top is the mirror) and instead of seeing the usual powder, there seems to be another inner cover. That inner cover opens to reveal a powder well. At the time I was so confused! Why was there an inner cover?! Since that first purchase, I've learned that the pressed powder compacts we're so used to seeing today didn't actually make their appearance until 1950s. Before that, most compacts were manufactured to hold loose powder which explains that extra cover; if you're carrying a compact filled with loose powder, you would need an inner cover to hold the powder in place! In addition to this inner cover, these types of compacts also contained a fine mesh sieve so that your puff wouldn't pick up too much powder. So from the base up, the order would be 1) loose powder, 2) mesh sieve, 3) inner lid, 4) powder puff sitting on top of the inner lid, and finally 5) the mirrored cover.

These compacts tend to be smaller. Modern compacts just won't fit into these types of compacts. So if you buy one of these, you could fill it with your own loose and use the sieve, etc. or diy pressed powder to fit the compact. The good news is that since I first purchased one of these compacts, there are now tons of tutorials about how to refill these compacts by turning loose powder into kind of solid powder (also see here and even this video).

If turning loose powder into your own pressed powder seems like too much work for you, read on for other options. Beginning in the 1950s, companies started manufacturing slightly larger compacts that would accept pressed powder compacts. From what I've read on this, two of the biggest names were Stratton and Kigu (later purchased by Stratton). I don't have much experience with Kigu, but I now own several Strattons including this one:

Pretty, isn't it? These compacts accept refills that are about 67mm; before discussing the refills that can be used with these compacts, first, let's see what they look like on the inside. There seem to be two kinds. One has a "ring" that can be popped up and down to hold the refill in place. I've seen these referred to as "convertible" compacts.

 

The other kind has no ring and the refill just sits inside (the plastic rim is actually powder sieve and can be removed).

 

I have to admit that I wish people would list the type of compact in the titles; it would make browsing for a compact so much easier. 

Aside from the type of compact, there are a couple of other things you may want to watch out for including:

• the mirror - I've had a few instances when I ended up with some pretty foggy mirrors...and I haven't really tried to repair any of them (to be honest, I have no idea where I'd even start). 
• the condition of the inside - is it discolored? Will a good wipe take care of it or is it beyond some basic home care? 
• year - is it vintage from 1940s - 1970s or 1980s, 1990s? This may or may not matter to you. Some people only want the older ones while other people don't care; I fall into the latter. In terms of condition, older compacts tend to have a few more scratches and wear while I find that newer ones have a different aesthetic. Again, I don't really care and tend to buy the one I like the most. 
• scratches or wear on the enamel cover art - I've been playing with the idea of using car wax - such as Turtle Wax - to clean up minor wear and scratches. I figure car wax is specially designed to fill in light scratches and keep cars looking like new...surly, it could do the same for the painted enamel of vintage compacts? I'll update after I've tried it out.

What refills work in these compacts? 
From all I've read, the consensus seems to be that Rimmel Stay Matte or Max Factor Creme Puff are 67mm so fit perfectly into these compacts. Rimmel can be found pretty easily in most drugstores;  Max Factor is harder to find in the US but can be found on Amazon.

 

The powder in the Rimmel compact is glued in so it takes a little effort to remove it, but there are some tricks for depotting the powder from the Rimmel compact. Meanwhile, I've read that the Max Factor compact is designed to be easily depotted (they're either loose or are supposed to have a pinhole in the back to push out the compact, but I can't say from any personal experience). I recently tried the Max Factor powder and had no problems pushing out the powder. BTW, I rather like the way the powder looks, but the smell is a bit overwhelming. Don't forget to clean the compact before using them!

Here are some of my current favorites. Aren't they beautiful?

 

 

And although it's not a Stratton or a compact, look at this adorable guy! It's a vintage Avon Max Factor solid perfume. I might have to grab him...

Finally, here are some great links that have been invaluable for helping me figure all this out.

• A Bad-Homance - Vintage 1950s Stratton Loose Powder Compact & Stratton Convertible Compact and How to Depot Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
• Where can I get a refill for my vintage pressed powder compact? (Refills for Stratton, KIGU, convertible)
• How to refill / replace powder in a vintage powder compact
• Cayte Williams hunts for post-war compacts
• VINTAGE: Dating Stratton Powder Compacts