Timeless Treasures

Call me sentimental, but it saddens me to think that this generation has become one of such waste. When a lady buys make up today, it is packaged in plastic disposable trays. It has lost its beauty, its elegance.

 It seems the word refills, doesn’t exist any more. Gone are the days of lavishly designed containers, ones which meant something special, ones that would be treasured and handed down to future generations.

When I was a little girl I would go treasure hunting with my mother. And I really mean treasure hunting. My mother had and still has a love for old bottles. So at least once a weekend, just about every weekend when the weather would allow, we would venture out in to the woods. Yes, you read that right, I said into the woods.  My mother and I would go to old house sites digging thru their dumping grounds. Mom would be looking for brightly colored blue, amber and purple glass and I would be digging, hoping to find something totally awesome. On one such journey into the woods, I unearthed a square metal box with a Lucite top.  I didn’t have a clue what it was, but it was indeed love at first sight! I couldn’t wait to get it home and clean it up to see what my treasury really looked like.   

Thus began my love for vintage compacts. I never had the thrill of unearthing another one, but that didn’t stop my collection from growing. Every trip I took; every place I visited, first on my list of things to do and see was always the hunt for compacts. So many beautiful casings, so many different materials, so many different shapes and sizes, I was in awe of every one of them.

Many of the ones that grace my collection were bought for fifty or seventy five cents way back then; you can’t find bargains like that nowadays! As a teenager, my friends thought that my collecting was kind of strange, but that didn’t stop them from bringing me a few every now and then.

I was sure to find one in my stocking and more under the tree at Christmas. Everyone I knew, knew where my passion lay was always on the look out for these timeless treasures for me.

Unlike today’s cases, these were works of art. Each had their own story to tell. As I held one in my hand, I wondered about the lady who held it in her hand. Had she bought it for herself

or was if a gift from the love of her life. Did she feel that love each time she ran her fingers over the intricate designs?  Did it sit upon her dresser in a place of honor or did she carry it with her where ever she went?

My collection as grown so much over the years; I have some very nice pieces in my collection. I find now my search tends to lead to the unusual; the odd shapes, the strange designs, the eye catchers! The ones that make you think, wow how unique, how amazing!

but my heart still goes out to those worn scratched ones. Those are the ones that have been used and loved!

I have the compacts that belonged to my grandmother, the compact that my dad gave my mom when they were dating, and the compact my uncle gave my aunt.

They were all passed down to me out of love; but what compact do I have to pass down to my daughter?  Sadly none; the age of beautiful cases has passed.