I have been collecting makeup with interesting packaging/design for a good 5 years now. With a B.A. in art history, an M.A. in cultural studies, and a passion for anything related to cosmetics, the Makeup Museum is a natural outgrowth of my background and interests. My goal is to have people see makeup items not as things to be applied, but as art objects to be admired. I’m also interested in other aspects of the beauty industry, such as technology and cultural impact/significance. Hence, I also collect cosmetic memorabilia such as ads, catalogues and postcards.
Currently I install seasonal exhibitions in my apartment, but I am working on getting the collection exhibited at local galleries and museums so that it can be more accessible to the public. Ultimately I plan for the museum to be a real, 501c3 nonprofit complete with its own public space and website. I also dream of producing a coffee-table book devoted to makeup.
I am constantly adding to the collection as new items come out. None of the collection is for sale.
For more information and home exhibition pictures, you can check out the Museum blog at http://www.makeupmuseum.typepad.com. If you have any questions about the collection or are interested in seeing part of the collection in person, please e-mail me at: mmcurator [at] gmail [dot] com.
Hillary / The Makeup Museum, June, 2009
Download the Collection inventory as an Excel spreadsheet (27.0 KB).
Makeup Items and approximate release dates:
Armani
Black Gem palette (holiday 2007)
Croc palette (fall 2007)
Crystal palette (holiday 2008)
Hollywood palette (spring 2007)
Python palette (fall 2008)
Chanel
Coromandels (fall 2005)
Pink Lamé (fall 2006)
Lumieres d'Artifices (spring 2007)
Faeries (spring 2008)
Chantecaille
Baleine palettes (spring 2009)
Bengal face powders (fall 2008)
Garden in Kyoto (spring 2006)
Papillon Bleu (2005-2006)
Papillon Rose (2005-2006)
Papillon Violet (2005-2006)
Protected Paradise palettes (spring 2008)
Coral palette (spring 2007)
Muse (Ethereal Eyes) palette (holiday 2007)
Clinique
Fresh Bloom - Almond Blossom (spring 2007)
Fresh Bloom - Blackberry Bloom (fall 2008)
Fresh Bloom - Peony (spring 2007)
Fresh Bloom - Plum Poppy (spring 2007)
Fresh Bloom - Posy (spring 2007)
Dior
Flower Blossom (spring 2008)
Iridescent leather (fall 2008)
Night Diamond (holiday 2008)
Pucci meteorites (summer 2007)
Exotic Paradise palette (spring 2009)
Gold temptation meteorites (holiday 2007)
Midnight Butterfly palette (holiday 2008)
Lancome
Christopher Kane Juicy Tubes (spring 2008)
Elephant bronzing powder (fall 2008)
Laura Mercier
Gilded Garden shimmer bloc (spring 2009)
MAC
Barbie lip gloss (spring 2007)
Dame Edna blush, lipstick and gloss (late fall 2008)
Fafi lipstick, gloss, eye shadow (spring 2008)
Helly Kitty (spring 2009)
Manish Arora lip gloss (fall 2008)
Rose Romance Blush of Youth beauty powder (spring 2009)
Tint Toons lip balms (late fall 2005)
Paul & Joe
Disney collection (fall 2007)
Dear Pleasure collection powders (fall 2007)
Sweetie collection powders (spring 2008)
Inspiree collection powders and lipsticks (fall 2008)
Ingenue palette and lipsticks (spring 2009)
Shu Uemura
Advanced formula cleansing oil (fall 2008)
Ai Yamaguchi Light cleansing oil - 2004
Ai Yamaguchi Regular cleansing oil - 2004
Ai Yamaguchi Enriched cleansing oil - 2004
Ai Yamaguchi Light cleansing oil - 2005
Ai Yamaguchi Regular cleansing oil - 2005
Ai Yamaguchi Enriched cleansing oil - 2005
Ai Yamaguchi compact (2004)
Birthday compact (2007)
Filigree eye shadow (fall 2006)
Genius Party cleansing oil (fall 2008)
Instinct face powder (fall 2008)
John Tremblay Enriched cleansing oil - 2006
John Tremblay Green tea cleansing oil - 2006
John Tremblay Fresh cleansing oil - 2006
John Tremblay Regular cleansing oil - 2006
Komon eye shadow (fall 2007)
Mika palettes (holiday 2008)
Rebirth eye shadow (spring 2008)
Smashbox
Tokidoki blush stick and eye shadow palette (spring 2007)
Artist palette (spring 2009)
Stila
Apres Beach (late fall 2002)
Apres Ski (late fall 2002)
Banana Dacquiri trio (spring 2003)
Barbie palettes and shadow pot (Japan exclusives)
Bebe palettes (fall 2008)
Belle of the Ball (holiday 2007)
Blonde pink 4 pan (c. 1999)
Blonde blue 4 pan (c.1999)
Brunette 4 pan (c. 1999)
CanCam quad (fall 2008)
Ceylon Green quad (spring 2002)
Confections - blue (holiday 2003)
Crème Bouquet look book (c. 2003)
Cruise to Cairo (2001)
Double Duty peach palette (2001)
Ephemeral trio (spring 2007)
Holiday trio cool 2005
Holiday trio warm 2005
Holiday trio cool 2007
Holiday trio warm 2007
Holiday Blush duo 2007
Italian Ices uno, due and tre (summer 2003)
Japan-exclusive eye shadow duos (fall 2006)
June Bride look books 1 and 2 (summer 2006 - Japan exclusive)
Look Books 1-4 (spring 2007)
Lotus Infusion Quad (spring 2002)
Mod palettes 1, 2, and 3 (fall 2003)
Nordstrom Look of the Month palettes (2004)
Peach Dacquiri trio (spring 2003)
Passage to Paris trio (2001)
Picnic at the Beach trio (c. 2002)
Picnic at the Park trio (c. 2002)
Pussycat Dolls palette (2005)
Road to Rio trio (2001)
Sakura trio (spring 2006)
Sleeping Princess palette (2005)
Touchdown in Tokyo trio (2001)
Wardrobe palettes (summer 2008)
Winter Blues trio (2002)
Too-Faced Quickie Chronicles (all released circa 2001-2008)
Bathing Beauty
Beach Bunny
Cupcake
Fabulous Flirt
Future Lovers
Glamour Girl
Heartbreaker
Hopeless Romantic
Jet-Setter
Life of the Party
Make a Wish
Man-Eater
Miss Sixty
Naughty Girl
Party Girl
Plaything of Passion
Royal Flush
Sex Kitten
Starlette
Sweet Tarte
Sure Thing
Temptress
Tropical Tease
Vixen
Smurf palette (spring 2009)
Yves Saint Laurent
Fauve palette (fall 2005)
Opium palette 2006
Opium palette 2007
Palette Pop (spring 2007)
Signes d'Orient (fall 2007)
Other items:
MAC postcards
A Muse
Antiquitease
Aquadisiac
Barbie
Cult of Cherry
Culturebloom
D'Bohemia
Dame Edna
Flashtronic
Heatherette
Lingerie
Lure
Madame B
Naturally Eccentric
Naughty Nauticals
Ornamentalism
Rebel Rock
Smoke Signals
Sundressing
Untamed
other MAC items
Fafinettes (figurines)
Fafi t-shirt, scarf and tote bag
Barbie t-shirt
Hello Kitty brush holder
Hello Kitty plush doll
Paul & Joe
fan
flowered bag
Shu Uemura Qee
figurines
Stila
postcards
CanCam makeup pouch
Perfectly Fitted t-shirt
Mod purple t-shirt
Sephora t-shirt
Only at Sephora poster
Sleeping Princess pillow
Black messenger bag
Black tote
Brush belt
Paint cans - Barbie
Paint can - Nordstrom Patricia
Paint can - 10-year Sephora anniversary
Paint can - blue brushes
Paint can - Convertible Color
Paint can - pink brushes
Paint can - holiday
Paint can - Stilafairy
Paint can - Bloomingdales
Paint can - stars at Nordstrom
Vintage makeup ads:
Maybelline eye makeup - 1960
Cheramy makeup - 1940
Max Factor pancake makeup - 1943
