A Heart-Breaking Blonde

It must be the “DOUBLE lemon rinse” that puts the heartbreak in the blonde. Although I think the idea is that she’s supposed to make the menfolk unhappy, not turn the heartbreak inward. That’s the wrong message to give the readers.

She doesn’t look all that happy, does she? Maybe it’s the housecoat that’s worrying her. That’s not really very glam. And wartime or not, the ads for hair and makeup products were usually, well, very glam indeed. This is supposed to be an “after” pic, isn’t it?

This ambiguous ad is from a 1940s British women’s magazine, for Snowfire Shampoo. It does a lot for you (don’t they all): it’s a root-stimulating, brightening, burnishing treat for your dull horrid lifeless hair. And if you throw in the Tinted Wave Set you can have enchanting – um, tinted waves. Nothing wrong with that!

But why does it come in Henna for dark hair as well? Do the dark-haired Snowfire users also become heart-breaking blondes? Heart-breaking brunettes? Do the brunettes do something else altogether? Maybe they hypnotize the men instead. That’d be good.

If you’re brownish blonde, like me – what they used to call a California blonde in the forties (i.e. you had light brown hair with sun-lightened bits) – maybe you could do both! The power of hypnosis and heart-breaking beauty. I’d like that.

I still wish the model looked a little perkier though. Since she seems to have used both the Snowfire shampoo AND the Tinted Wave Set. Man, she ought to be levitating and laughing hysterically with all that  on her head!

A Flock of (Marshmallow) Seagulls

The perfect cake toppers at an Eighties themed party, with the addition of Mike Score hairstyles made of paper (and perhaps a little sugar glue to make the hair stand out at the requisite angle). And here is their favorite song on YouTube.

LITTLE SEA GULLS

1. Use large marshmallow for body. Insert 2 wooden picks in side, for legs; insert legs into inverted paper plate, for support.

2. Glue candy corn to marshmallow, for beak; add pieces of licorice string for eyes.

McCall’s fails to mention that you apparently glue two Life Savers onto on of the gulls, around the licorice-string eyes. They seem to be peppermint or wintergreen Life Savers, but for the 1980s look, feel free to use purple or red or blue. Do they still make blue Life Savers?

Oh, here’s the glue recipe again:

GLUE FOR MARSHMALLOW FAVORS

1 1/2 cups unsifted confectioner’s sugar
1 egg white, unbeaten

In small bowl of electric mixer on medium, beat sugar with egg white until mixture is thick enough to hold a definite shape. Keep glue covered with damp cloth until ready to use. Makes about half a cup. When using on favors, let glue dry completely on each part before going on to next part.

And links to the previous marshmallow posts (only one to go!):

The whole kit and caboodle: group photo!

Part 1: Lamb and Piglet

Part 2: Snowman and Turtle

Part 3: Poodle and Hippo

Part 4: Elephant and Lion