MM Curator's Profile

Beauty profile: Carmen Murphy and Carmen Cosmetics

"To borrow Dr. King's phrase all I had, too, was a dream. I got into the business mainly because Black women, myself included, had been searching for cosmetics that would look good on them for years. There just weren't any."... Continue reading

Posted 5 days ago at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

An exhibition of royal makeup (that you might be able to buy): Princess Hwahyeop

Here's more makeup awesomeness from Korea. As usual I completely forget what I was looking for when I stumbled across a couple of articles describing the discovery of cosmetic containers in the tomb of an 18th-century princess, but it was... Continue reading

Posted Oct 8, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Curator's Corner, September 2020

Links for September. - Any makeup history fan must check out Lisa Eldridge's video showcasing highlights from her amazing collection. - Estée Lauder will be the first company to send beauty products into space, to the tune of $128,000. To... Continue reading

Posted Oct 2, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

No cities to love: Yoon Hyup for Bobbi Brown

I was hoping to post about Bobbi Brown's collaboration from this past spring, a partnership with British artist Morag Myerscough, but I realized I never got around to writing about an Asia-exclusive collab from last year so I'm covering that... Continue reading

Posted Sep 22, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Interview with a curator: Andra Behrendt of Perfume Passage

I had the great fortune of getting in touch with Andra Behrendt, curator of the Perfume Passage museum. She's a member of the International Perfume Bottle Association and sends out a quarterly eNews for their Compacts & Vanity Items Specialty... Continue reading

Posted Sep 14, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

A visit from the future and past: Paul & Joe x Doraemon

I distinctly remember ordering this Paul & Joe collection in April of 2019, as my dad was still in the ICU and I felt guilty for taking a few minutes to place an order before visiting him. But I knew... Continue reading

Posted Sep 3, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Curator's Corner, August 2020

Links for August, plus another special milestone. - I'm just gonna go ahead and toot my own horn - I was honored to be interviewed for an article on gender-inclusive beauty over at Mission Magazine. Not the most insightful quote... Continue reading

Posted Sep 1, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Party patellas: the knee makeup fad of the '20s and '60s

Not sure how I missed Mimi Choi's fantastic makeup optical illusions on Instagram, but I'm grateful to Jen of Coffee Sundays for introducing me a few months ago. One look in particular caught my eye: Choi's hilarious "twin", Knee-Knee. (image... Continue reading

Posted Aug 21, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Giveaway winner announced!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Makeup Museum's 12-year anniversary giveaway! Now it's time for MM staff to announce the lucky winner. This time Visitor Services Associate Space Babo will do the honors. Yay!! Laura, please send me... Continue reading

Posted Aug 15, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Giveaway in honor of the Museum's 12th anniversary!

Once again I nearly forgot about the Museum's anniversary! While my idea for a makeup museum was generated prior to its online presence, I mark the anniversary as the day I wrote the very first blog post. Over 1,300 posts... Continue reading

Posted Aug 8, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Curator's Corner, July 2020

The July rewind. - I think every single business should follow Target's lead and clearly indicate the black-owned brands they carry. In other diversity news, indigenous-owned brands are finally getting some attention. - "Creatives all over the world have been... Continue reading

Posted Aug 6, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Exhibition spotlight: ancient Egyptian cosmetics at Johns Hopkins

Here's another short post since my schedule got completely screwed up...I've been working on some more in-depth things and once again I've completely underestimated how long they were going to take. But in the meantime, I wanted to share a... Continue reading

Posted Aug 4, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Story time: Memories of Kevyn

I am so pleased to be posting a wonderful, albeit bittersweet story about the legendary Kevyn Aucoin today, as it commemorates the 21st anniversary of the date he filed for the trademark of his beauty line. A few months ago... Continue reading

Posted Jul 21, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Sneaker pimps: Onitsuka Tiger for Shu Uemura

Forgive the reference to a terrible '90s band in the title of this post, but I wanted to get a quick blurb up on Shu Uemura's spring/summer 2020 collection, a collaboration with influential Japanese sneaker brand Onitsuka Tiger. Despite being... Continue reading

Posted Jul 16, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Curator's Corner, May/June 2020

I skipped the May roundup for obvious reasons, so I'm doing a mega roundup now. While things are slowly starting to look "normal" at the Museum, rest assured I'm diligently working on diversifying, well, everything - from the topics I... Continue reading

Posted Jul 2, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Dream Teams: Black Artist edition, part 1

Back in January I announced that I'd like to start a new blog series on artist collaborations I want to see. What better way to kick it off than with Black artists? Now, I knew that there weren't as many... Continue reading

Posted Jun 23, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

On makeup history, racism and the Museum: some thoughts

Let me preface this post by saying that I haven't forgotten about the bigger issues regarding racism. Skin color is literally a matter of life and death in this country and has been for hundreds of years. But I want... Continue reading

Posted Jun 7, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

How to help: some resources

Update, 6/3/2020: There is an excellent website that rounds up key resources - it's far superior to what I tried to do a few days ago so please check it out! As for me, I'm still processing the enormous amount... Continue reading

Posted May 31, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Signs: a brief history of zodiac-inspired beauty

Almost as much as flowers, fruit, and butterflies, the signs of the zodiac are leading choices for modern cosmetics collections and beauty inspiration. As a new sign season (Taurus) descends today, I thought it would be an appropriate time to... Continue reading

Posted May 26, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Curator's Corner, April 2020

Late as usual but here's the April rewind. - I was so very honored to be interviewed by a makeup artist in Spain for her podcast! I'm too lazy to post the original English version of the email interview, but... Continue reading

Posted May 5, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

MM Mailbag: wartime bling, Revlon and a "splendid gain"

I'm still a bit wiped out from the spring exhibition and it's been ages since I've shared some inquiries that made their way in the ol' Makeup Museum Mailbag, so here's a quick review of some questions that have been... Continue reading

Posted May 4, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Soaring beauty: The butterfly in modern cosmetics

Introduction Welcome the Makeup Museum's spring 2020 exhibition! "Soaring Beauty: The Butterfly in Modern Cosmetics" explores the many ways butterfly imagery is used across all aspects of beauty culture. For 100 years the butterfly has been an endless source of... Continue reading

Posted Apr 16, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Coming soon: MM spring 2020 exhibition

I know it seems rather tone-deaf or even callous to launch an exhibition in the midst of a pandemic, especially an exhibition that projects optimism and celebrates a new spring season. But I honestly feel like it's carrying out the... Continue reading

Posted Apr 6, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Curator's Corner, March 2020

Not sure why, but the month of March really knows how to serve up the misery. Last year my father had a severe stroke from which he is not recovered and left him incredibly vulnerable to this year's global health... Continue reading

Posted Apr 4, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0

Sulwhasoo x Antoinette Poisson

I hope to cover Sulwhasoo's beautiful ShineClassic compact that they released for the holiday season a few months ago, but in the meantime I'm focusing on this lovely cushion compact they came up with for spring. Sulwhasoo collaborated with Antoinette... Continue reading

Posted Apr 1, 2020 at The Makeup Museum

Comment

0